E8400 or Phenom build?

3

3far4shot

Gawd
Joined
Nov 4, 2006
Messages
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I dont plan on OCing, and the rest of the parts are the same besides the motherboard. I have price out both and the Intel build it $637 and the AMD build is $687. I have a 3870 in both. Every ones says Intel is better but the Phenom i was thinking about getting is a 2.2Ghz Quad core Phenom. The build will just be for gaming and Internet use.
 
3far4shot said:
I dont plan on OCing, and the rest of the parts are the same besides the motherboard. I have price out both and the Intel build it $637 and the AMD build is $687. I have a 3870 in both. Every ones says Intel is better but the Phenom i was thinking about getting is a 2.2Ghz Quad core Phenom. The build will just be for gaming and Internet use.
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Give about $20 more and get a Q6600.
 
If you are referring to an AMD Phenom Quad Core 9500 clocked at 2.2ghz, an Intel Quad Q6600 will blow it away easily.
 
Could you please list out all of the parts for both the Intel and AMD build?
 
The other parts for both builds are:

Sappire HD 3870

2GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800

Corsair 550W PSU

WD HD 160GB SATA


For the AMD build the motherboard is a Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe. And for the Intel build the motherboard is a Asus P5Q Pro.
 
I'd go with the intel build either with a Q6600 or a E8400. I don't really know what your budget is but if it's tight you could always drop that motherboard if you're not going to do crossfire straight off. You could pick up say a Gigabyte P35DSL (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128337) and spend the leftover money on a better graphics card such as the new HD4850. Depends on what monitor you're using.

Also if you spent a bit more on the harddrive you could get a 320gb WD which is a really fast drive for not much extra. I think it's this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074) but someone will correct that if I'm wrong. The 640gb version is also really fast but it sounds like you don't need that much capacity.
 
Another vote for the Intel build. The E8400, with its faster core speed, would offer more of an immediate benefit for gaming, but the Q6600 is good for heavy multitasking.

A couple of questions: where were you going to buy everything from? Which monitor/resolution are you using?
 
tiraides said:
Another vote for the Intel build. The E8400, with its faster core speed, would offer more of an immediate benefit for gaming, but the Q6600 is good for heavy multitasking.

A couple of questions: where were you going to buy everything from? Which monitor/resolution are you using?
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I am going to get everything on Newegg. and i game at 1440x900 res. I am now thinking about getting a single 8800 GT and a 750i SLI FTW motherboard and maybe a Q6600.
 
3far4shot said:
I am going to get everything on Newegg. and i game at 1440x900 res. I am now thinking about getting a single 8800 GT and a 750i SLI FTW motherboard and maybe a Q6600.
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No reason to get that 750i SLI FTW motherboard since you have such a low res. No need for SLI for anything less than 1920x1200. A single HD4850 is more than enough for res.
 
Danny Bui said:
No reason to get that 750i SLI FTW motherboard since you have such a low res. No need for SLI for anything less than 1920x1200. A single HD4850 is more than enough for res.
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Good point. Then what motherboard do you suggest? And should i get a 4850 or a 8800 GT?
 
What about the case, optical drive and O/S? Are these included in the $670 budget?
 
3far4shot said:
Good point. Then what motherboard do you suggest? And should i get a 4850 or a 8800 GT?
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Some motherboard recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $95
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $125
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $150
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and high overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, only need support for 8GB of RAM and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

As for which card to get, depends on your budget. So please answer HardwareGuru's last question. But just a FYI, I can max out TF2, HL2, BF2, COH, C&C3: KW, and Bioshock with my 8800GT at 1440x900. The RA3 beta is a bit more demanding that I thought it would be. Oh well.
 
Danny Bui said:
Some motherboard recommendations:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $95
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $125
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $150
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you don't need more than 6 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and high overclocks, then get the DS3R. If you like the DS3R but need 8 SATA ports, want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, only need support for 8GB of RAM and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

As for which card to get, depends on your budget. So please answer HardwareGuru's last question. But just a FYI, I can max out TF2, HL2, BF2, COH, C&C3: KW, and Bioshock with my 8800GT at 1440x900. The RA3 beta is a bit more demanding that I thought it would be. Oh well.
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Thanks.
 
I dont trust Gigabyte mobos anymore. I had a AGP socket 939 board a few years a go and it never booted. From that point on i have never tryed Gigabyte boards. Even tho the Compusa PSU i had could of killed it.
 
This is so far what i am thinking about getting:



ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #:p5Q Pro
Item #:N82E16813131299
Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock



HIS Hightech H485F512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #:H485F512P
Item #:N82E16814161235
Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
In Stock
Mail-in Rebate


OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI 600W ATX12V Power Supply - Retail
Model #:OCZ600GXSSLI
Item #:N82E16817341001
Return Policy:Standard Return Policy
In Stock
Mail-in Rebate



Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Model #:BX80562Q6600
Item #:N82E16819115017
Return Policy:processors (CPUs) Return Policy
In Stock



Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:WD1600AAJS
Item #:N82E16822136075
 
With what you have so far, you'll burst your budget once you choose the RAM and OS. Here's an alternate build:

$95 - MSI P43 Neo3-F ($10 mail-in rebate)
$120 - Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 (free shipping)
$40 - PNY Optima 2x1GB DDR2 800 (free shipping)
$65 - Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB SATA/300 HDD (free shipping)
$150 - EVGA 8800GT ($20 mail-in rebate)
$70 - Antec Earthwatts EA650 650W PSU (free shipping)
$110 - Vista Home Premium OEM (32-bit or 64-bit) (free shipping)
=====
$650 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

I downgraded the processor to the E7200 because getting either the Q6600 or the E8400, with all of the other things you needed, would burst your $670 budget. (All of the "changes" that I made, compared to what you have already, were designed with your budget in mind.) The E7200 would run fast on its own, compared to what you were using in the past, and (if you ever change you mind about the subject) is capable of overclocking beyond 3.0GHz. (Overclocking is really easy to do with Intel's Core 2 series, and there are plenty of guides to show you how to safely do it. However, you will need an aftermarket CPU cooler to keep them cooled properly, as Intel's stock HSFs aren't very good.)

The MSI P43 Neo3-F board is a basic model (e.g., no onboard RAID) with eight SATA ports and PCI Express 2.0 support. It was chosen as my compromise between available features and price.

You didn't specify anything about RAM, so I found a cheap 2GB DDR2 800 kit. (It's actually a pretty good brand, though the kit we normally recommend here is about $5 more.)

An OEM copy of Vista Home Premium costs the same regardless of whether you choose the 32-bit or 64-bit version. If you're considering getting 4GB or more RAM at any point in the future, it would be best to get the 64-bit version now. (Additionally, you may want to switch your RAM out from a dual-channel kit to a single module. Though the switch will cause some system slowdown, as RAM operates best in dual channel mode, the single DIMM will give you plenty of expansion room for future upgrades.)

For your monitor resolution, the 8800GT is still a good choice. It's better than the HD3870 and it's cheaper than the HD4870 (though the HD4870 is better). EVGA also has one of the best warranties in the video card business.

The Antec Earthwatts EA650 gives you a bit more power at a lower (before-rebate) cost. (Personally, I tend to ignore mail-in rebates for budget builds as they offer no immediate savings to the user.) The Earthwatts series is also designed to follow the 80 Plus energy efficiency standard, and they're reliable power supplies for their price.

I suggest having at least 250GB of available HDD storage since today's games and programs can easily fill up hard drives if you're not careful. The WD 320GB hard drive was priced around the same as competing 250GB drives.
 
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