Being able to make informed choices doesn't help you?
A couple guys cleared up some mis-statements. That hardly qualifies as an argument. That was done for your benefit. We realize that perhaps being a first time builder, this is information you may not be aware of. Now you're aware.
If we wanted to get into the AMD vs Intel thing, we would just go to the threads that already exist...
Stick with intel.
Are you planning to Overclock down the track? If so grab some higher speed RAM and a cooler. If not, it looks to be a solid performer.
Thank you. I will probably overclock later, but i will not straight away.
Sorry about the moderator stuff, i overreacted.
No need to apologise mate.
There's also no need to grab an after-market Heatsink or even faster (1600mhz+) ram until you do venture into overclocking if you are trying to stick within a tight budget as of now.
The stock cooler and that RAM will be perfectly fine for stock speeds, but both of those components will become limiting factors when it comes to overclocking.
Also, as nice as a SSD is - it is not really a 'must have' component at this point in time. Build your core machine, save some more $$$ and add it to your 'upgrade list'.
I haven't checked, but double check that that particular case will accommodate larger video cards for future upgrades.
The only other thing I can think of is possibly look into some other memory as well.
Not that Corsair is a bad. In fact, Its very good IMHO as well as Crucial.
But another good brand to look into is Gskill. Many times they are a lot cheaper, and thier RAM is very well made and performs very well.
Gskill also makes alot of sense in a budget build, depending on the budget.
I would recommend them.
Just something to consider especially if you want to save a few more dollars to put elsewhere, such as into the CPU or GPU.
AS far as your PSU, I honestly do not think anything larger than something like a Corsair 550W will be required for your build.
The same for Antec as well if you prefer to stay with them. Possibly even a 650W.
750W is a bit overkill with a quality PSU IMHO.
Mine is a Corsair 650 and its powering a lot more hardware without issue, and plenty to spare.
Depending on the cost, I think I would probally go with the 6870 over a 5850. Price Vs Performance I think it wins here.
With the money you save going this route, you may also be able to upgrade to a core i7 860/870 if you want to.
Its about 75-80$ more than the core i5.
Last edited by Wishmaster; 04 Dec 2010 at 11:48.
Reasonably? Every single game on the system in my specs is maxed out with the exception of Crysis and Metro 2033. The reason being every game except those two are sloppy console ports. From any Call of Duty to Dragon Age to Mass Effect to Aliens Vs Predator, they are all pushed to the limit including AA + AF. Lowering details are no there. Its a myth that Intel offers additional performance for games at that resolution.
It depends on the game.
As I mentioned before games that take advantage of fast multiple cores will see huge benefits from a faster CPU.
In this case, multiple CPUs and raw clock speeds are just as important as GPUs. Even at 1080P +
Regardless what brand it is.
Actually, I shouldnt say Raw clock speed but perhaps the CPUs processing power. Clock speeds are not always a indicator of how fast a CPU is.
Wishmaster, are you talking about Intel's Nehalem archictecture vs AMD's? There really is no noticeable difference between an Athlon quad vs an Intel quad at 1080p:
PassMark Intel vs AMD CPU Benchmarks - High End
Even tested with only a CPU benchmark a few hundred point difference is minimal. Both are native quad's and both have high enough clocks for games. Given the price difference, the Athlon isn't that bad.
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