Intel/nvidia vs amd/ati gaming system

[deathsoap]

Hey guys! first timer here.

I would like your honest opinion please. I'm building a new gaming system / media system.

Games i would like to play are: diablo 3, sc2, wow, crysis, bioshock, sims 3, the new total war and etc (fps-shooter games)
and also would like to watch dvd and do some dvd decoding. photoshop and have alot music. i have $1,200 to spend.
Help me choose!

amd/ati gaming system

AMD Phenom II X4 920 2.8GHz 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
ASUS EAH4870 DK/HTDI/512MD5 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5
Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s X2 hard drives
HT OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
SILVERSTONE ST70F 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS

total cost $1,126.76 with this setup it gave me another 500gb hd and really nice sound card. wasn't sure about the power supply. please me what need's work.

intel/nvidia gaming system


Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel
EVGA 896-P3-1265-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb
SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT 550W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91

total cost $1,133.95 with this setup. i dont have the option for another 500gb hard drive and the sound card.
the power supply and the memory, I'm not sure about it.

i have the lan li great case no need to upgrade and dvd player.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Intel build should be faster, the PSU on the first one should be fine, as silverstone is supposed to be pretty good. Also if you want to save a little, you could dump the sound card as a lot of guys here just use the onboard sound. I know that's what I'm using, and my Gigabyte board even gives HD 7.1 sound output if I'm not mistaken.

 

[njalterio]

Why are you pairing the Intel/Nvidia vs AMD/ATI?
There is no reason to do that.

For the graphics card I would get the HD 4870 1GB version (not 512 MB). It is dead even with the 260 core 216 (within 3 FPS), but the 4870 1 GB version wins by a decent amount in ATI favored games like CoD.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/848/3/
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/848/5/
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/10/06/amd-ati-radeon-hd-4870-1gb/6
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/10/06/amd-ati-radeon-hd-4870-1gb/8

Stick with the Intel processor. Check the recent review in Tom's of the phenom II, the Nehalem beats it.

 

[njalterio]

I would keep the sound card if you want quality sound. Onboard sound does support 7.1 nowadays, but the quality is nothing compared to having a good sound card. If you keep the volume on very low you might not notice a difference, but I find that at moderate to louder volume levels you get a lot less noise (none actually on my XFI fatal1ty) compared to onboard sound. Also, I am not sure about the card you are using, but my sound card actually does post processing on the audio to restore some of the quality lost during compression (such as mp3s)

 

[groo]

Get the 1 gig version of the 4870 now matter what you put it on. many game don't fully use 1 gig YET. its coming. if 512 is enough for ya, save some money and get the 4850.

I don't think you are going to see any difference in game performance between Intel and AMD processors. and in general, spending more on CPU than GPU is poor bang for the buck on a gaming machine.

PC P&C have some very nice PSUs at some very reasonable prices, you might be able to save a few bucks there.
the 750 is $80 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

I think you will want the storage of the second HDD if youre into music and video.

given the 2 choices you list, I think the AMD build will be better for what you want.

 

[deathsoap]

Well after i thought about i will stick to amd/ati built. i get more items than the intel/nvidia

I also change the configuration for the ati/amd specs:



HIS Hightech H487QT1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported IceQ 4+ Turbo Video Card - Retail
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
AMD Phenom II X4 920 2.8GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDX920XCGIBOX - Retail
Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM 2X hd
HT OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail

change the psu and the graphic after reading ati 1gb out peform a 280 in higher resolution. with my new 1080p screen i will need it.

total cost $1,163.75

thank you!