Some advice on new build?

d3v1lsblood

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Jun 25, 2009
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I'm using it for gaming, can't really decide on which build I should go, a little help guys? And some pointers on changes/ect.

CPU: AMD x3 Phenom II 720 $190
RAM: G.Skill (2GB X 2) DDR3 1333 $92
GPU: Radeon 4890 1 gig $315
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P $143 DDR2 compatible
/Asus M4A78T-E $207 DDR3 compatible

Tot: $740/804


CPU: Intel E8400 $212
GPU: XFX 9600GT 512mb $126
Motherboard: EVGA 750i $235
RAM: G.Skill (2GB X 2) DDR2 800 $67

Tot: $640

I've already decided on the casing, PSU and HDD. Just can't decide which build will be better. Which one will be a more solid build considering the price difference? One main problem I see with the first build is that the 4890's real pricey, about 2.5 times more than 9600.

AFAIK it seems the dual core for E8400 has a higher clock speed as compared to 3/4 cores cpu and hence performance-wise match them pretty evenly for some games and only loses out in video/movie functions, which I'm allright with, but I'm not sure how it matches up to the phenom 720.

+ a consideration is the mobo, the EVGA one looks pretty solid with SLI as well as Xfire functions. I might add another 9600 for the 2nd build when prices drop, so yeah, any suggestions/help is much appreciated :)
 

Helloworld_98

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Feb 9, 2009
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well considering that SLI'd 9600GT's don't come anywhere close to a single 4890, and the AMD has a better, easier to upgrade in the future, processor with an extra core for newer games then I'd go for the AMD one.
 
No offense, but those builds are a mess. You have an Intel motherboard listed with the AMD CPU, DDR3 RAM with a DDR2 motherboard, etc... Also, no 750i motherboard will do crossfire, that's an SLI capable chipset only.

Where are you buying your components? What is your budget? Following the "How to ask for new build advice" format would help us make better recommendations. You should also list what components you've already picked out (PSU, HD, etc...). Assuming you can buy components from Newegg, here's what I would recommend:

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.203011 $194.99 - $15.00 MIR (CPU + motherboard combo)

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3RPR16004GK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227320 $73.99 - $20.00 MIR

XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359 $199.99

Total - $468.97 - $35 MIR's