Which build is better please?

[mirsh974]

Hi there.
Two systems going for the same price:
System 1:
#Processor: Intel Core i7 CPU i7-920 2.66GHz X4 8M LGA1366

#Motherboard: Asus P6T Intel X58 Chipset Socket 1366 ATX QPI Up to 6.4GT/s ICH10R Support Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition DDR3 1600 SATAII Raid Express Gate SLI + CrossFireX 2xGB Lan 8 Channel Sound 2x1394a

#RAM:Kingston RAM 3GB 1333MHz DDR3 CL9 DIMM Triple Channel Kit

#Hard Drive: 500GB SATA-2 SE 7200rpm

#Video Card:9800GT PCIE 512MB DDR3 Dual DVI

#LCD screen: BenQ Ture1080P 22" +HDMI For PS3 1920X1080 -3 years wty
*COLOR SILVER : Glossy Black
*RESOLUTION : 1920 x 1080
*BRIGHTNESS : 300 cd/m2
*CONTRAST RATIO : 1000:1(Dynamic
Contrast Ratio 10000:1)
*SCREEN SIZE : 21.5" Wide viewable
*RESPONSE TIME : 2ms(GTG)
*DISPLAY COLOURS : 16.7 million
*INPUT SIGNALS : D-sub / DVI-D/ HDM1.3 / Audio in / Headphone Jack
*SPEAKERS : 2x1W ADJUSTMENTS

#Case:Silverstone PS01 Black Mid Tower with Window + 500W PSU

*ATX 6 x 5.25" bays *3 x 3.5" (int) *2 x USB *1 x Audio *1 x IEEE1394 * Side panel window with fan mount for 1x 120mm, 1x 92mm or 1x 80mm fan*

#Dimension :200mm(w) x 456mm(h) x 500mm(d)

#Sound Adapter: Feature 6-channel Intel High Definition Audio

#Optical: 20X Dual DVDRW 20+R/20-R

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


System 2:

#Processor: INTEL CORE 2 QUAD Q9400 2.6GHzx4 Cores 45nm 6MB 1333mhz C2 Quad Processor

#Motherboard: P45 Chipset LGA775 ATX Intel P45+ ICH9R MB FSB 1333/1066/800Mhz, DDR2 800 ,PCI-e x16, SATA II,RAID, USB, 7.1ch audio ,GbE LAN, CrossFireX

#RAM: 8GB DDR2 Corsair 6400 C5 5-5-5-18 Lifetime warranty

#Hard Drive: 500GB SATA-2 SE 7200rpm

#Video Card:GTX 285 PCI-E 2.0 1GB, DDR3, 512-bit, Core clock 648MHz, Memory clock 2484MHz, Dual Dual-Link DVI, HDCP, Smart Fan, NVIDIA PhysX Ready

*GeForce GTX285 Edition
*1024MB of GDDR3 memory
*240 processor cores
*3-way NVIDIA SLI-Ready
*2nd Generation NVIDIA Unified *Architecture
*PCI Express 2.0 support
*Full Microsoft DirectX 10 support
*OpenGL 2.1 compatible
*NVIDIA PhysX technology
*NVIDIA CUDA technology
*Dual dual-link DVI C up to2560x1600

#Case:Thermaltake Armor+ MX Black Steel Mid Tower Case with 23cm fan on Window Side Panel

*Optimized design for both liquid cooling and air cooling system
*Sliding hood with toolbox on top
*Tool-free design for 5.25" device and PCI slot
*Independent thermal management for CPU, VGA & HDD
*Cable management system for better cable routing and internal air flow
*Micro ATX, ATX supported


#Power supplies: COOLER MASTER 650W eXtreme Power Plus SLI Silent 12CM Fan Newest ATX 12V V2.3 Dual +12V1 and +12V2

#Optical: 20X Dual DVDRW 20+R/20-R

System 2 doesn't come with a monitor. I need a monitor, just moved countries, and need new PC-like, everything. Wont worry about printer for now, I just use the Uni's one.

Ok, which one should I buy?? The thing is, system 1 has a better processor and mobo, but *** vid card as compared to system 2.

what do I do?

 

[RazberyBandit]

Why not find a compromise between to two? System 1 seems more like a workstation that can game at a fairly decent level, presently. System 2 is built for much more heavy gaming because of the superior video card. (I'd actually pass on the 285 though. Save myself ~$100 and go with a 275 if I had to choose from nVIDIA options only.)

That said, the bigger question is, what do you need? Do you lean more towards productivity with limited gaming needs, or more towards gaming with limited productivity needs?

Honestly ask yourself what you want this new system to do, if you need a new monitor, then decide.

 

[sefit]

ehmm, what you are buying this rig for? I assume that you are going for solid gaming rig to play latest game, right (GTX 285)?
Now back to both system(you are pretty much right):. First one is havig i7 and that´s way to go but GPU is already outdated and bit slow (definitely for 1920*1080 res), second system..vice versa, hence containing q6700 going-to-be-soon obsolate technology (do not buy 775 socket anymore) and pretty good GPU…my advice…BUILD IT YOURSELF (no shouting only underlining…no offense pls)
tell us your budget and it can be figured out quickly what to get, generally two ways…having money - i7 build and being more on budget – Phenom II, but going from these two system that you have listed you can probably afford nice i7 rig with decent GPU and monitor, only courage is needed…so your budget….

 

[mirsh974]

The supplier is happy to mix and match.
-Current i7 build is NZD$2449.00. My maximum budget is NZD$2600.00 (not including shipping which will cost an extra $30.00).
-Getting 64 bit vista. Into software engineering as a career.
-I only play WoW, sometimes I dabble in COD4 or Warhammer-mainly Wow. I'm intending for a rig that is more work oriented, in 1st year software engineering *WoW time suffers, as it should*.
I'm a chicken when it comes to putting my fingers inside the hood, so to speak.
I would ideally like a better vid card on the i7 rig, but I am limited to NZD$2600. The current i7 configuration costs NZD$2449.
Thanks for the warning about the 775 socket-I wasn't aware of that.
What do you recommend?
thanks

 

[coozie7]

Build one is the best overall but you might want to reach a little more and go for 6Gb of RAM, if you need to use VMware during your course the extra memory will come in more than handy.
BTW, how did you intend to get a monitor for build two?

 

[mirsh974]

I was considering buying and then not using but waiitng for another month after which I would ahve had enough to buy a monitor..lol. I'm insane sometimes

 

[vouslavous]

You should build it yourself. The first system you listed if you build yourself should be around 1000-1200$ USD. Overall if you build yourself you would end up saving a bunch of money and you get what you exactly need. Out of the 2 systems you listed the first once has overall better Cpu but the graphics will hold you back, if you could go for a GTX 260 or 285 then overall it would be a better system, but as of now i would go for the 2nd system you listed.

 

[sefit]

OK...it seems that you have something like 1500 USD to spend. I do not have any clue about prices in NZ but I think that for 2600 NZD you have to put together solid i7 build and hence you are not heavy gamer you can go for somethink like 4870 1Gb/GTX 260 (216) or maybe new releases 4890/GTX 275...save some money for other parts...so your i7 should be looking like:
CPU:Core i7 920
Cooler: CM V8 or Noctua NH-U12P 1366 or Zalman 9900 LED (if oc is on your plan)
MB:Asusu P6T, maybe P6T Deluxe if priced good
RAM: 3x2 GB DDR3 1600mhz...OCZ Platinum has good reviews
GPU: as said above (4870/GTX 260 or 4890/GTX 275)
PSU: Corsair 750W/850W or PC Power and Cooling 750
HDD: 2x WD 64101AAKS – 2x 640Gb
Case: CoolerMaster RC690/Antec 900...personal preference
Optical:??? Some DVD Burner (LG, Samsung)...it´s like 25 USD
Monitor: 24inch Samsung/Benq/Acer...I am Samsung fan personally

Does it fit to your budget?

 

[nerrawg]

Hi there.
Two systems going for the same price:
System 1:
#Processor: Intel Core i7 CPU i7-920 2.66GHz X4 8M LGA1366

#Motherboard: Asus P6T Intel X58 Chipset Socket 1366 ATX QPI Up to 6.4GT/s ICH10R Support Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition DDR3 1600 SATAII Raid Express Gate SLI + CrossFireX 2xGB Lan 8 Channel Sound 2x1394a

#RAM:Kingston RAM 3GB 1333MHz DDR3 CL9 DIMM Triple Channel Kit

#Hard Drive: 500GB SATA-2 SE 7200rpm

#Video Card:9800GT PCIE 512MB DDR3 Dual DVI

#LCD screen: BenQ Ture1080P 22" +HDMI For PS3 1920X1080 -3 years wty
*COLOR SILVER : Glossy Black
*RESOLUTION : 1920 x 1080
*BRIGHTNESS : 300 cd/m2
*CONTRAST RATIO : 1000:1(Dynamic
Contrast Ratio 10000:1)
*SCREEN SIZE : 21.5" Wide viewable
*RESPONSE TIME : 2ms(GTG)
*DISPLAY COLOURS : 16.7 million
*INPUT SIGNALS : D-sub / DVI-D/ HDM1.3 / Audio in / Headphone Jack
*SPEAKERS : 2x1W ADJUSTMENTS

#Case:Silverstone PS01 Black Mid Tower with Window + 500W PSU

*ATX 6 x 5.25" bays *3 x 3.5" (int) *2 x USB *1 x Audio *1 x IEEE1394 * Side panel window with fan mount for 1x 120mm, 1x 92mm or 1x 80mm fan*

#Dimension :200mm(w) x 456mm(h) x 500mm(d)

#Sound Adapter: Feature 6-channel Intel High Definition Audio

#Optical: 20X Dual DVDRW 20+R/20-R

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


System 2:

#Processor: INTEL CORE 2 QUAD Q9400 2.6GHzx4 Cores 45nm 6MB 1333mhz C2 Quad Processor

#Motherboard: P45 Chipset LGA775 ATX Intel P45+ ICH9R MB FSB 1333/1066/800Mhz, DDR2 800 ,PCI-e x16, SATA II,RAID, USB, 7.1ch audio ,GbE LAN, CrossFireX

#RAM: 8GB DDR2 Corsair 6400 C5 5-5-5-18 Lifetime warranty

#Hard Drive: 500GB SATA-2 SE 7200rpm

#Video Card:GTX 285 PCI-E 2.0 1GB, DDR3, 512-bit, Core clock 648MHz, Memory clock 2484MHz, Dual Dual-Link DVI, HDCP, Smart Fan, NVIDIA PhysX Ready

*GeForce GTX285 Edition
*1024MB of GDDR3 memory
*240 processor cores
*3-way NVIDIA SLI-Ready
*2nd Generation NVIDIA Unified *Architecture
*PCI Express 2.0 support
*Full Microsoft DirectX 10 support
*OpenGL 2.1 compatible
*NVIDIA PhysX technology
*NVIDIA CUDA technology
*Dual dual-link DVI C up to2560x1600

#Case:Thermaltake Armor+ MX Black Steel Mid Tower Case with 23cm fan on Window Side Panel

*Optimized design for both liquid cooling and air cooling system
*Sliding hood with toolbox on top
*Tool-free design for 5.25" device and PCI slot
*Independent thermal management for CPU, VGA & HDD
*Cable management system for better cable routing and internal air flow
*Micro ATX, ATX supported


#Power supplies: COOLER MASTER 650W eXtreme Power Plus SLI Silent 12CM Fan Newest ATX 12V V2.3 Dual +12V1 and +12V2

#Optical: 20X Dual DVDRW 20+R/20-R

System 2 doesn't come with a monitor. I need a monitor, just moved countries, and need new PC-like, everything. Wont worry about printer for now, I just use the Uni's one.

Ok, which one should I buy?? The thing is, system 1 has a better processor and mobo, but *** vid card as compared to system 2.

what do I do?

Not sure if you are new to this forum - but there is a "new system build " homebuilt section that would be much more appropriate for this topic. Even though these might not be a homebuilt systems they will probably compare in performance wise to the same systems homebuilt. If you move the thread or repost it there you might get some better answers, also you can always check what people with similar questions have been recommended.

As for the core i7 vs the core 2 quad and gaming, both systems should be overclocked to above 3.5 Ghz for optimum performance. The GPU choices will have the most effect on your gaming performance in both of these builds, however the 9800GT is anaemic and the 285 GTX is overpriced, both in my opinion, so you would be best served with a 260 GTX or 275 GTX Nvidia solution if you can find it, or an ATI solution. 4850's in CF or one 4870 1GB is a much better bang for the buck if you can find it, although if these are pre-built then you might not have so many options. System 1 also has only a 500W PSU so you don't get much upgrade possibilities later on and probably not good for CF/SLI future upgrades.

What are the E-tailors that you are considering and what is your budget? (US or UK - I don't know anything about New Zealand dollars - sorry)

 

[mirsh974]

HI
I'm looking at NZ's number 1 website:
www.trademe.co.nz
My budget is NZD$2600.00 about 1,508.62 USD

Things here are more expensive