Advice on different builds

[masters]

I am going to be buying a new computer, and I need some advice. I'll list the parts I'm going to be putting on and variations with prices and such, if I could just help some help deciding which will give me the best performace for the value, or if it's worth the extra money and how much performance I gain by going with the more expensive version.

Here are the base parts that won't change:

Thermaltake V9 Gaming Case: $112
Western Digital Caviar lack 500GB: $69
Corsair CMPSU-850TX: $159.77

Cheapest Choice:

Asus Crosshair III: $240
AMD Phenom II 720 2.8GHz: $159
Patriot DDR3 PC3-1333 4GB: $89.77
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB: $169
TOTAL: $657.77

Mid range choice:
Asus P5Q Deluxe: $166.77
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550: $257.77
OCZ DDR2 PC2-9600 Blade 4GB: $104
Sapphire VaporX HD 4890 1GB: $251.77
TOTAL: $780.31

High Choice:
Asus P6T Deluxe: $323.77
Intel Core i7 920: $307.77
Kingston HyperX DDR3 PC3-12800 6GB: $175.77
Sapphire VaporX HD 4890 1GB: $251.77
TOTAL: $1059.08

I can afford the most expensive one, but that doesn't mean I want to buy it unless it offers me vastely supperior performance over the mid range, and approximately how much more.

Also for any of the of the above builds, is an 850W too much? Can I save some money by getting a 650W?

Thanks

 

[lehighace06]

firstly, i'd suggest get an antec 900 or 1200 case, very cool looking and great cooling.

i'm commenting below on your "high end" model, because it's the setup i recommend. if you can afford it, get it. you will get a pretty decent performance increase over the core 2 quad core, but more importantly, the i7 is upgradeable, core 2 is EOL and you won't be able to upgrade it down the line without getting a whole new setup. now, on to the show:

for starters, unless newegg isn't available where you are (and i'd think even if they're not) you're overestimating your pricing. that chip and mobo are $290 on newegg, and the chip is $200 at microcenter if there's one near you. the PSU you picked is great, and newegg has it for $110.

you can go down to the 750w or if you're not going to xfire/sli down the road can probably get away with 650w, but i'd recommend a little extra than not enough. i personally recommend ocz platinum for memory, newegg has it at 114.

personally i go for nvidia video cards, and the gtx275 is pretty comparable to what you've picked out for about the same cost, given the same price inflation from where you're getting your figures.

 

[Outlander_04]

whoever is charging you those prices ..........

you can do much better . Try newegg for starters

And it just isnt possible to make a meaningful assessment of which computer is better or more appropriate because no one has any idea what you plan on doing with this computer .
but definitely eliminate option 2 . socket 775 is dead and gone , and can compete on price/performance with amd quads

 

[masters]

firstly, i'd suggest get an antec 900 or 1200 case, very cool looking and great cooling.

i'm commenting below on your "high end" model, because it's the setup i recommend. if you can afford it, get it. you will get a pretty decent performance increase over the core 2 quad core, but more importantly, the i7 is upgradeable, core 2 is EOL and you won't be able to upgrade it down the line without getting a whole new setup. now, on to the show:

for starters, unless newegg isn't available where you are (and i'd think even if they're not) you're overestimating your pricing. that chip and mobo are $290 on newegg, and the chip is $200 at microcenter if there's one near you. the PSU you picked is great, and newegg has it for $110.

you can go down to the 750w or if you're not going to xfire/sli down the road can probably get away with 650w, but i'd recommend a little extra than not enough. i personally recommend ocz platinum for memory, newegg has it at 114.

personally i go for nvidia video cards, and the gtx275 is pretty comparable to what you've picked out for about the same cost, given the same price inflation from where you're getting your figures.

The prices I got are from my local store. I'm just worried about ordering off newegg in case I have to RMA stuff, since if any one thing is bad, it means I have to wait. What are your experiences with ordering from newegg?

 

[JakeAyres]

My experiences with newegg have been faultless. A friend had an own-brand PSU die but he had good use out of it and had no issues getting it replaced. the only cost that incurred was about £10 (~$13) posting the duff box off. It wasnt a great PSU in teh first place anyway. ebuyer.com has been awesome for me also. Shop around. Ull probably find one site is $10 cheaper than another in different components. Across 8 components thats saving you $80 which could do towards a fancy case or something.

Ive very recently been looking at building a new PC. Socket 775 is gone. Give it a few years and you will be rebuying a mobo just to replace ur CPU if you fancy an upgrade. Its simply not practical anymore and will look pretty obsolete in not very long (and kind of do now if im honest).

Unless you need the new PC now id wait a few weeks for i5 to come out and perhaps establish itself. My understanding is its a nice middle ground between 775 and the costly i7 gear.

Of the 3 builds you have... id have to go with option 3. 2 wont last in the long run and option 1 is underpowered and you will be wanting upgrades pretty soon if gaming is your thing.

Hope this helps

 

[JakeAyres]

Sorry about the double post.... cant edit.

I also recommend the Antec 900. Its my current case and I love it. I have no gripes at all other than the lack of dust filters which i believe are now present in the newer Antec 900, Antec 900 2 i think it is.

 

[lehighace06]

I've just ordered the build that is in my sig, all parts except processor, mobo and monitors from newegg. case is about a year old other parts all brand new, shipping was blindingly fast. processor i got the processor from microcenter, and hopefully for you there's one near you. http://www.microcenter.com if so, their price for the i7 920 chip is $80 less than newegg.

i've never had to rma anything from newegg myself, but everything i've heard or read indicates they work very well with you. you're right, you do have to wait, but i've gotten items shipped with standard shipping, no "expedited processing" and items arrived within 3 days, sometimes next day.