2 Builds, Which Is best?

[CoffeeCrazy]

I'm trying to build a gaming computer, and weighing my options for the best gaming performance possible.

I'll post the 2 builds I have in mind, as well as some notes below each. Both of these builds fall under $870
Both of these builds would be in a Lian-Li Lancool case.


Build 1, Intel:
SAPPHIRE 100314SR Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i7-870 Lynnfield 2.93GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I7870

i7 with a single gpu solution. I'm fairly certain the components in this build check out to work flawlessly with each other. If not, darn.





Build2, AMD:
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
2x SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ...
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

Few questions on this one. Will the PSU hold up with 2x cards, and an AMD processor?
Are two 6850's faster than a single 6870?

Help is certainly appreciated. It's hard spending around $900 and not being absolutely sure, you probably know what I mean.

 

[3far4shot]

The first build is CPU heavy while the second one is GPU heavy, for gaming i would probably go with the second build as i would believe it's probably a bit cheaper and considering most games are GPU dependent as well as Console ported(unfortunately), it should be up to the task. 2x 6850's scale like gods and can actually keep up with a 5970 in some cases. The first build on the other hand though does have crossfire support so you can easily add a second 6870 in the future if need be. But on the flip side, i have noticed on the ASUS website that the AM3 board supports the six core AMD CPU's, so that fact that you can upgrade to that later on as well as already have two great GPU's in crossfire, i would go with the second build personally.

And yes that Corsair PSU is more then enough to support that hardware, those cards use very little power consumption, as well as the CPU. And also, yes two 6850's are faster then a single 6870, but of course that would mainly depend on the software being ran.

 

[sugosugita]

8GB RAM is probably overkill for a gaming rig. Might as well spend the money on a sweet mouse and keyboard or something that gives you more measurable reward for the money spent.

 

[scaarbelly]

Both look nice, If it were my choice I would go with build 1 and up the psu to a 750 or 850 so that you could add another 6870 in the future if you wanted.

Just my opinion.

 

[Omerta]

Both look nice, If it were my choice I would go with build 1 and up the psu to a 750 or 850 so that you could add another 6870 in the future if you wanted.

Just my opinion.

I disagree. By the time he'd want to throw in another 6870, he likely will want to move on to a newer card anyway.

It's hard for me to reccommend a build since I don't know what monitor he is using.

 

[sugosugita]

It's hard for me to reccommend a build since I don't know what monitor he is using.

maybe the OP should post his answers to stickied questions so we can make more educated recommendations.

 

[Dangman]

OP, please answer the questions here so that we can help you better:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1349433