Which build..final decision!!

[WAYN3H3AD]

Hey guys..I posted on here a little over a month ago and was told to come back when it was closer to my purchase date..well that day has come and i have the following two builds i would like opinions on..this is a gaming pc build btw

Now things not on these lists are the monitor, HDD, PSU, case, and RAM..the only decisions im having trouble with are the cpu/mobo and the gfx solution..

For the graphics..my monitor is a 22in lcd and i am getting another to run a dual setup..would two hd4850s in CF do the trick or is there a better solution?

Now for the two builds..

Option 1:
AMD Phenom II x3 720
Asus Crosshair III Formula mobo

or

Option 2:
Intel Core i5 750
Asus Maximus III Formula


As always any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[hunter315]

Whats the price difference between the two? The 720 will do well at gaming but the i5 will do better, but may cost significantly more. If the 720 gives you more money to put into the GPU then it will be better for gaming, if you are getting the same GPU either way the i5 will be better.

 

[WAYN3H3AD]

the price difference is about $135..i would like to get the same gfx solution for whichever one I decide to use.

 

[tecmo34]

If price isn't an issue, I would get the i5 hands down. You will have a much better overall system then the 720 BE.

What is your monitor resolution? 1920x1080, 1600x900... etc... Saying 22" doesn't really help.

I would say 4850's would be fine for your setup since most games can only utilize one monitor. If you can fit into your budget two 4870's or 4890's that would be a better option. Also, remember the new 58xx's are coming out later this month and one GPU may equal the power of two 4850's and some...

 

[Outlander_04]

The i5 is the stronger cpu and if you have the money then its the better choice .

Bang for buck could give you a different result in that comparison thoough .

Id tend to stay away from named high spec mb's . Ok so they throw a better heatsink at them so hard core OC'ers can get the very last MHz out of it .... but if thats not you you may be able to save a lot on either of those systems and not lose any performance by choosing a mb with an identical chipset / identical performance
Save yourself $100 by buying a different mb UNLESS the maximus has a feature you MUST have and its not available on another mb

 

[WAYN3H3AD]

appreciate all the replies people..lets see my resolution is listed at 1680 x 1050 i wanted a higher res but i accidentally ordered the wrong monitor but i didnt even notice until 3 days later so i guess its not that big of a deal.

 

[tecmo34]

I think you will be fine with the 4850's in Crossfire at that resolution...

Now the big decision... AM3 or Core i5

 

[WAYN3H3AD]

great good to now i can go ahead and pull the trigger on the gfx cards then. Speaking just gaming wise you guys are saying the core i5 is a much better than the phenom II?

 

[Outlander_04]

the i5 is a decent step up from Phenom quads , so it will game better than the 720 be, and it will be better across the board

At that resolution you can game well with a single 4850 . Two of them is probably over kill.
Id be so tempted to wait for the 5870 , which is probalby 10 days away from release .
can you build the pc and get it running with an old gfx card for a few days?

 

[tecmo34]

If you look at the reviews, the Core i5 is performing equal or better than the AM3 Phenom II x4 965, which is the best AMD has. The Phenom II X3 720 BE is the middle of the row. It is a great gaming chip but the Core i5 will own it in gaming & everything else... IMO

 

[WAYN3H3AD]

Well core i5 it is. Now about the gfx situation i dont have an old card laying around and i dont really plan on getting a dx11 card when they first come out as they are going to be very expensive. However, the prices on everything else should drop making CF 4850s a steal correct?

 

[WAYN3H3AD]

Well I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice. I have almost gathered everything up..just waiting on the gfx and the case..thanks