Which $400 gaming system is better?

XJLanzaro

New member
I have 2 systems in mind right now, both will use the Sapphire Radeon HD 5570 because I already have that card. My budget is strict. Which one of these systems do you think is the better?

Intel System:

Case - Cooler Master Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case
Motherboard - MSI H67A-G43 Intel H67 ATX 1333 LGA 1155 Motherboard
CPU - Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz 6 MB Cache
HDD - WD Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache
RAM - Corsair Vengeance Blue 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM
PSU - Cooler Master Elite 460W ATX SATA PCI-E Power Supply

AMD System:

Case - Cooler Master Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case
Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3 AM3+ SATA 6Gb/s ATX Motherboard
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black AM3 3.4Ghz 512KB
HDD - WD Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache HDD
RAM - Corsair Vengeance Blue 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM
PSU - Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus Series 500W ATX Power Supply
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Me
OS
Windows: 7 Professional x64
CPU
AMD FX-8350 8-core @ 4.41Ghz (7.8 WEI)
Motherboard
ASUS M5A97 EVO
Memory
2x4GB Crucial Pallistix Sport PC3-12800 1600MHz (7.8 WEI)
Graphics Card(s)
MSI Radeon HD 6950 2GB (7.9 WEI)
Sound Card
Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS VS238 23" 1080p
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 830 128GB SSD (7.9 WEI)
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB
PSU
PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk. II 750W
Case
XION Predator gaming case
Cooling
Custom water cooling
Keyboard
Gateway PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse
E-3BLUE Cobra
Internet Speed
54mbps
The Intel based one is more powerful.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HAL-9000
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
CPU
Intel i7 3770K
Motherboard
Asus Sabertooth Z77
Memory
16GB DDR3 1333 Corsair XMS3
Graphics Card(s)
XFX HD6950 2GB EyeFinity
Sound Card
Logitech G35 & Sennheiser PC135 & VIA HD
Monitor(s) Displays
23" HP 2310e, 23" Samsung B2230, 21.5" Viewsonic
Screen Resolution
5760x1080
Hard Drives
16TB of Storage
128GB & 256GB Crucial M4 SSD's, 2X 1TB WD Black, 3x 2TB WD, 3x 2TB Samsung F4, 1.5TB Seagate, WD 500GB,
PSU
Antec True Power New 650watt
Case
Cooler Master HAF-932
Cooling
Corsair H60 Hydro Cooler, 3x 230mm Fans, 2x120mm Fan
Keyboard
Logitech G15 and G13
Mouse
Logitech G700 Gaming Mouse
Internet Speed
50/10 Mbit
Other Info
Speakers : Alesis M1 Active Mk2 Studio Monitors , APC RS 1200 UPS, HP 4500DN Color Laser, HP P1006 mono Laser, Kodak 8500 Dye-Sub, Epson 1280 inkjet, Epson Worforce 610 MFC
The intel based processor is actually more powerful as much as i hate to say it, however your comparing them from different price points one is about 190 vs 120 dollars.

I do not know how noticeble the performance is noticeble in gaming since i do not owned either.
I would never go with a 16MB cache for a HDD though, also although i havent look at the connecters of both power supply 500 watts is more breathing room than barely any from the <500.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Gateway / Slight Modifications
OS
Windows 8 64 bit PRO
CPU
AMD Phenom X4 9100e
Motherboard
Gateway RS780
Memory
2GB X2 DDR2
Graphics Card(s)
Sapphire HD 6850
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Gateway 19" + Dell 19"
Screen Resolution
1440X900 sometimes 2880 by 900
Hard Drives
WD 80GB
WD 640GB
WD 1,000GB
PSU
Antec BP 550watts
Case
Antec 300
Cooling
Stock Cooling
Keyboard
Saitek Eclipse II
Mouse
Gigabyte GM-M6800
Internet Speed
D: 30Mbps U:4Mbps
Antivirus
Avast version 8
Browser
Internet Explorer ver 10 64 bit
Other Info
This is my work computer.
I have another laptop running Windows 7 64 bit.
Another PC running Windows 8 64 bit pro.
Total of 3
The 16MB cache WD Caviar Blue's are just fine. I use them in a desktop at work and it's just as fast as any other computer with a 32MB cache drive.

I highly doubt you would ever see a difference, while gaming, between 8mb cache, 16mb cache, 32mb cache or 64mb cache.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self-Built in July 2009
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
Memory
8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
Sound Card
Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
Monitor(s) Displays
23" Acer x233H
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
PSU
Corsair 620HX modular
Case
Antec P182
Cooling
stock
Keyboard
ABS M1 Mechanical
Mouse
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Internet Speed
15/2 cable modem
Other Info
Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I would opt for the Intel, for gaming, they are just superior. I would try to go with at least 8GBs of Ram instead of just 4. I would also make sure my PSU handles the juice from the video card.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Built... Intel/Nvidia/ASRock
OS
Windows 7 x64 (Ultimate)
CPU
Intel i5-4670K
Motherboard
ASRock Z87 Extreme 6
Memory
8GBs Ripjaws 2133Mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Asus GTX660 (2GBs)
Sound Card
Onboard Realtek HD
Monitor(s) Displays
Acer AL2216W
Screen Resolution
1680 x 1050
Hard Drives
Samsung 840 SSD 120GBs
Samsung 750GB 32MB cache
1.5 TB
PSU
PC Cooling 750w Silencer
Case
Thermaltake Spedo Advance
Cooling
Std Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech G15
Mouse
Logitech G9
Internet Speed
Comcast 20Mbit
Antivirus
Avast
Browser
Firefox
Back
Top