Two Builds, Same Price. Decision Time

T

texhex

n00b
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Oct 8, 2009
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I'm finally buying a new pc to replace my socket 939, Opteron 185 rig and I'm torn.

I've got $1100 to blow and I was able to put together two different builds which price out almost the same. I primarily use my computer to play WoW. That's about it.

Both builds use an ATI 5850 which is more than enough for my 1680x1050 res.

I upgrade about every four to five years so I want something that will pull it's weight at least that long from a processing perspective, as I can always upgrade the GPU in the future as long as pcie isn't going anywhere for a while.

My decision is tough because I can add a SSD to the E8400 build which could be used for the system partition (Win7 64 Ultimate) greatly enhancing the usability. I would reuse my Raptor150 in the i7-860 build. My data is on a separate RAID setup.

I like the idea of using the current Intel architecture from a future upgrade standpoint but I'm pretty sure Intel is going to keep changing their socket layout yearly (i7-920 anyone) and the E8400 is still a hell of a performer.

Please shoot holes in my logic or make an alternate suggestion.

E8400
http://mcalister.cc/wow/e8400.pdf

i7-860
http://mcalister.cc/wow/i7_860.pdf


I'm not even considering AMD so don't go there =).


Thanks,

Tex
 
775 is dead socket, so we don't suggest it general for new builds.

You really don't need i7 CPU, i5 750 would handle your needs better

e8400 is out class by AMD's current Quads at the same price point btw..
 
Build with the i7-860 and wait for SSD prices to drop as they surely will in the next 5-6 years? As opposed to replacing mobo, ram, and cpu if you were to go for the e8400. It's the same argument you made for a graphics card upgrade more or less.
 
Good points. Thanks guys. The i7 is what I really want anyway, the SSD was just a nagging thing in the back of my mind and you're right, they will only get cheaper, SATA 6 Gbit/s will be here in no time and I can add a controller to accommodate. Thanks again.
 
I think the Patriot Viper memory in your i7 build is twice as expensive as it should be. Go for something like the G.SKILL Ripjaws Series, for the same price as the Patriot you picked out you can get 8GB instead.

Of the 2 definitely go for the i7 build, but all you really need is the i5 750. On the other hand, if you say you do have the money, then I guess 'why not?' on the i7.
 
You're the first person in my recent memory to use PDF files to show a build list here in General Hardware. Not bad.

Anyway, as everyone said, ditch the C2D and go Core i7. However I would not spend $250 on a mainstream motherboard. A $250 mobo based on the same chipset as a $170 or even $140 motherboard will not last that much longer than any of those cheaper mobos to justifiy such an absurd increase in cost. You were better off with your first mobo choice in the PDF.

Nor would I go with the faster DDR3 2000 RAM as it doesn't provide any real world performance increase over a DDR3 1600 RAM set. I'd recommend this set instead:
$86 - G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM

With the amount of poorly planned spending in your Core i7/P55 setup, you could easily get a Core i7/X58 setup for the same amount. So you might want to scale down the hardware you're buying for a P55 setup or just go straight towards a X58 setup.

PSU wise, you can save some money with this equal quality and modular PSU:
$105 - Antec Truepower New TP750 750W PSU

With the money you saved from downgrading the RAM, mobo, and PSU, you should be able to fit a quality and fast SSD into that P55 setup.
 
Danny Bui said:
With the money you saved from downgrading the RAM, mobo, and PSU, you should be able to fit a quality and fast SSD into that P55 setup.
Click to expand...
I'm not nearly qualified to disagree with Danny B, yet, so I will not venture into the "Why not go X58?" waters. :D

Instead I will just agree with the rest of his point about downgrading those components which will increase performance only marginally. While an SSD might still be priced a bit high for its improvement over a Barracuda or a Caviar Black, I think it would still be a better investment than DDR3-2000 or a $250+ motherboard. Especially if you only use a single graphics card, the money could be better spent elsewhere, in my opinion.
 
I agree with Danny, too... except for the pdf thing. I hate pdf files, lol, but thats a personal preference of mine, nothing against you, lol. There's links at the top of the page I linked above in my earlier post for more info on SSDs. ;)
 
TheQuestian said:
I'm not nearly qualified to disagree with Danny B, yet, so I will not venture into the "Why not go X58?" waters. :D
Click to expand...

The X58 is designated by Intel as its high-end "enthusiast" line. That chipset, along with future chipsets based on the LGA 1366 socket, will support tri-channel DDR3 RAM, the new six-core processors, and the Extreme Edition series processors with the unlocked multiplier.

Right now, it's best for those who plan on running many system- and resource-intensive programs, like 3D/graphics/video editing or virtual machines. It also helps if you have some money to burn. But the OP has said nothing to us thus far that would justify the need for it.
 
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