Can't Decide on GPU, CPU or SSD. Need Input.

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
C

claytonlemons

Honorable
Mar 25, 2013
22
0
10,510
Microcenter has the i7 3770k for $229 vs. the i5 3570k for $189. Is the i7 Hyperthreading technology worth $40 more? Of course, it will have better results and everything, but will I notice this when working on programs like AutoCAD, Solidworks, or MATLAB? How about gaming, will I need to "disable" hyperthreading when gaming?

I'm having the problem of finding a graphics card, as the one that I continuously want repeatedly goes out of stock before I can get there. What I essentially want from my card is to be able to run 2 monitors for work and a single monitor for gaming is fine for me. I would like HDMI and I would like it to be the 7870s because it comes with two AAA titles (Tomb Raider and Bioshock). But I really don't know which card to get.

People recommend MSI Twin Frozr technology, but I can't find it on Newegg or Microcenter (The two places I really would like to purchase from for shipping reasons). The ASUS card seems fine, but I don't know how it compares to the SAPPIRE or XFX. I know XFX has the Lifetime warranty, but I don't want a Lifetime warranty on a mediocre graphics card.

Please help me decide on my i5 or i7 processor as well as my graphics card. I just want to build my computer already.

OH! and for an SSD. I found that the Samsung 840 Pros are pretty much the business, but they are costly. The regular 840 series is significantly cheaper, and I may be able to splurge for more memory. Which reminds me, will 128 GB be enough for a boot drive? It will just hold my work programs (I assume 3 programs total), the OS, and a recent game or two. But then there's the OCZ Vector which is comparable to the 840 Pro and comes with Far Cry 3. Which would you go with?
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
atomicWAR

atomicWAR

Glorious
Ambassador
Sep 4, 2007
6,590
795
44,490
if you have more the 2 cores hyper-threading doesn't help in gaming...though yes it will help in your cad stuff and should be noticeable.
as for the ssd get the 840 pros...the reg 840 lack some features that will extend disk life and since it sounds like a workstation + gaming i would just spend the extra dough there (unless gettinf far cry is a huge thing...ocz isn't bad). 128 is enough for a boot drive yes. as for you GPU issue yes the twin frorz is great but any of those cards will work i suggest getting the one with the highest clocks for the best performance.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
aramisathei

aramisathei

Honorable
Aug 25, 2012
303
0
10,810
For rendering jobs like AutoCAD the 3770k may be worth the extra money, if it isn't too much out of your way.
And hyperthreading only comes into play for applications that utilize more than four cores (or a lot of multi-tasking). But you shouldn't need to disable it for any reason as it won't reduce gaming performance. It basically takes a roughly 10% overhead from the physical cores (from what I've seen) when they're maxed to produce virtual cores to handle additional threads.

As far as graphics cards, the model tends to be more important than the manufacturer. All of them should run pretty well, so it's just about which features you prefer the most. Sapphire seems to have the best reputation, so I'd recommend that or the ASUS card. From what I've seen XFX can go either way, so it wouldn't be my first choice unless you really like the design.

128gb is usually more than enough for a boot drive, but it depends on what you do. For me, a full Win 7/8 install with all of my programs (quite a bit--Office, Adobe Suite, etc.) usually takes up 50-60gbs. Personally, I would go with an 840 pro if you can afford it, but if you need the memory (have less than 8gb ram) then the standard 840 isn't a bad option.

Don't know much about the OCZs since they used to have a bad firmware problem. Heard that was fixed, but haven't tried them yet. If you want FC3, AMD may still have a card that ships with that free. Their higher end cards are shipping with Bioshock Infinite and Tomb Raider right now, so you may want to look at that as well.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
edogawa

edogawa

Splendid
Jan 4, 2012
2,890
0
21,460
Hyper-Threading for gaming = Useless

For 40 dollars more though, get the i7, it will help in things like you mentioned.

This card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121649&Tpk=7870%20ghz&IsVirtualParent=1

120GB is enough for a boot drive and all your applications.

This drive is plenty for you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147188

Corsair also makes good reliable drives too if your interested in them.

I wouldn't trust OCZ in the slightest, I buy a lot of stuff, and they seem to have the most unreliable products I've used.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bigcyco1

bigcyco1

Champion
Feb 11, 2012
15,867
2
54,960
Why not the i7 3770K you may ask? Well the i7 3770K merely adds Hyper-Threading and a higher clock speed to the equation. Though these two improvements are fantastic in CPU intensive tasks such as video encoding and 3D modeling, in gaming scenarios it doesn’t really do a whole lot. Games these days are much more graphics intensive than CPU intensive, so it’s a much better idea to invest the extra dough into the graphics card.

That said, if you are looking to do live streaming or other tasks which require any sort of video encoding, feel free to pick up an Intel Core i7 3770K instead. Memory – 8GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz DDR3 Low Profile 1.5v We’re talking about fast, reliable, and cost effective memory backed up with Corsair’s legendary warranty,and it’s also got low profile heatspreaders as well, which is much more versatile for those looking to outfit the CPU with a powerful air cooler in the future.GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024#top
Consider getting a 7870 LE. Very close performance to the 7950. It's essentially the same card but with disabled shaders and memory.Nowadays, I think every PC should include an SSD period. They’re waaaaaaaaay faster and they draw less energy, but unfortunately they do cost a significant amount more than a traditional hard drive.

Those who have some extra budget laying around, I’d definitely suggest going with one.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bigcyco1

bigcyco1

Champion
Feb 11, 2012
15,867
2
54,960
Upvote 0 Downvote
atomicWAR

atomicWAR

Glorious
Ambassador
Sep 4, 2007
6,590
795
44,490



heheh i have 2 msi twin frozr gtx 670.....great minds think alike ;)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bigcyco1

bigcyco1

Champion
Feb 11, 2012
15,867
2
54,960
They sure do. :)

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
C

claytonlemons

Honorable
Mar 25, 2013
22
0
10,510
It seems to have narrowed down to the MSI R7870-2GD5T/OC and the ASUS DirectCU II. I don't know if it matters much, but I do have the ASUS P8-Z77 LK motherboard, which supposedly has GPU boost. Will that be best matched with the ASUS, or will it really just not matter? Seems like the only downside with the MSI is that it isn't the TWIN FROZRs though.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
edogawa

edogawa

Splendid
Jan 4, 2012
2,890
0
21,460
Lol, it's just human nature to recommend what you use, everyone always recommends something different. :]

It won't make a difference.

When it comes down to a card from different manufactures, it's basically going to be a choice between the cooling methods and customer support/warranty. The performance will practically be the same.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
S

smeezekitty

Distinguished
Sep 11, 2012
6,960
0
18,460
All of those GPUs are good. Sapphire has a solid reputation but you would not have any problem with the other two either.

The i7 will help you alittle in things like Autocad with no significant performance decrease in games. No need to disable HT.

For SSDs:
I would get a Samsung 830 if you can. Otherwise go with a Crucial M4 or Samsung 840 in that order.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom