Two Builds, One Choice, Opinions Welcome!

[RIOTinYOURcity]

This will be my very first build and I've done a fair amount of research. The hardest choice by far is deciding which CPU brand to go with, AMD or Intel. They both have their advantages and disadvantages and either or should do the job. Phenom II X4 955 is more cost effective and is extremely competitive in the gaming area. While the i7 920 is more powerful in a broader area of tasks all together.

I'm going for a build with gaming in mind over everything else. I've decided to go over $1,000 but want to stay as cost effective as possible while staying "future proof" for at least a few years. Also when I'm ready I want to tweak things to as high end as possible so a good motherboard is a must.

I was thinking of just dishing out the extra $150 for the Intel build but I keep changing my mind. I was wondering what all of you think and your opinions are welcome!

These are the two builds I've chosen to go with, one being AMD the other Intel, and am open to suggestions.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=7600829

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9287714

Thanks in advance, RIOT!

 

[hunter315]

Neither one is very good, unless you really need modular you can save quite a bit by getting a corsair 750TX and get a better PSU. The seagate 10 series is not very quick compared to modern drives, this drive saves you quite a bit and will give you just as much space but out perform those drives easily.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395

That is also a really expensive DVD burner, i know people say plextor makes good drives, but i really doubt you will notice the difference between one of theirs an a lite on or samsung drive.

If you make a post using the format shown here we will help you find a better build in your price range for what you need
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[godless]

well i'd get rid of the triple channel memory kit and use double. phenoms have only double memory channel. i like my mugen 2 cpu cooler from scythe. it is unbelievably quiet and cools overclocked phenom 955 3.8ghz to about 55C. antec 900? i'd swtich out to antec 300 and save a bundle. psu seems an overkill. get 650 watts from antec or corsair. i'd hold out on the 4890 card to see what the new 5xxx series will be like. get newer seagates. any reason why you are choosing the 7200.10 and not hte 7200.12 generation?

 

[RIOTinYOURcity]

PSU is cheap with the rebate and for the hdd is also cheaper.

 

[hunter315]

That hard drive isnt cheap, thats about as much as i paid for the IDE version of that drive 3 years ago. Get one of the newer drives you will notice a significant difference in speed and the single drive is a lot cheaper than having to get two drives.

Found a jonnyguru review of that power supply, its actually pretty good so go for it
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=7

 

[RIOTinYOURcity]

doesn't RAID give you a significant increase in speed. I was planning on just using those in RAID since their cache is quite a bit lower.

 

[hunter315]

The 10 series is old old old tech, the 1TB caviar black i got is more than twice as fast(which is the most RAID could boost performance by, its normally about 60% more for raid 0) and that 12 series drive is even faster, it is faster than the 300GB Vraptor which used to be the fastest drive available. Cant stop you from spending your money how you want to but you would get better quieter performance from the 12 series for less.

 

[RIOTinYOURcity]

yes i agree hunter. it took me a lil bit to find a 12 series that wasn't over $59 but i found WD 250GB with 32 MB cache for $49.

i simply overlooked it. i also didn't really research much on HDD, good catch hunter.

 

[hunter315]

Any 250GB hard drive is atleast 2 generations old, the last generation was using 320GB platters so they were 320, 640, and 1TB drives, the current generation uses 500GB platters providing excellent performance. You really wont need to raid them, a single one would provide sufficient speed, and raid also puts your data at higher risk because you have twice as many platters that can fail.

 

[RIOTinYOURcity]

lol damn i'm dumb when it comes to hdds. i'll look for a good 12 series 500GB and refresh my wishlist.

 

[Yoosty]

Here are some of your Items in NewEgg Combo Deal and some that have been changed.

PSU/Case Combo, better for future Crossfire.
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail $119.99 Free Shipping*

2. COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail $139.99

Combo Discount: -$10.00
Combo Price: $249.98
$10.00 Mail-In Rebate Card
Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $239.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.236865

Mobo/CPU Combo.
1. EVGA 121-BL-E756-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 Micro ATX SLI Micro Intel Motherboard - Retail $209.99

2. Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 - Retail $279.99

Combo Discount: -$15.00
Combo Price: $474.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.230263

HDD
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM $74.99 Free Shipping*

DVD Burner
Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM $26.99 Free Shipping*

Ram
OCZ OCZ3P1600LV6GK DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz 6GB Platinum XTC Triple Channel Kits $113.99 FREE Super Saver Shipping

CPU Cooler

Scythe MUGEN-2 SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail $36.99

Items that were not changed.
Thermal Compound/HMDI Cable Combo.
1. Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM $6.99

2. Nippon Labs Premium High Performance HDMI Cable v1.3 6 ft. HDMI TO HDMI Cable A/V Gold Plated for 1080P cable HDTV Cable ... - Retail $9.98 Free Shipping*

Combo Discount: -$5.00
Combo Price: $11.97
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.177066

XFX HD-489A-ZDEC Radeon HD 4890 Xtreme 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $199.99

PLANTRONICS .Audio 355 3.5mm Circumaural Stereo Headset $29.99

Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black 105 Normal Keys 9 Function Keys USB Ergonomic Keyboard and Mouse - OEM $16.99

Devil May Cry 4 PC Game CAPCOM - Retail $9.99 Free Shipping*

Kensington 56001 Optics-Enhancing Mouse Pad - Black - Retail $6.99

Arctic Silver ACN-60ML (2-PC-SET) Thermal material Remover & Surface Purifier - OEM $5.99

Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap - Retail $3.49

Subtotal without MIR deducted and before shipping costs = $1263.32
MIR = $10.00
Total with MIR deducted and before shipping costs = $1253.32

Hope this helped out some.