Every vote saves a puppy

The HD5000 ($199 for HD5770) is about to be released (before the poll is closed) if that's the time he'll be purchasing it.
Also what's the max budget and what parts doesn't he need?
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advic...
We might be able to make a suggestion for a better system than both.
At all costs avoid the Pentium.

It's a complete system build, but I have all the other parts and OS picked out already. The budget is $750, and I'm at $455 before the cpu and gpu. Why avoid the new e6300?

E6300 isnt new. The i5 and i7 are new.

Psycho was talking about graphics cards. ATI is shipping the first of the 5800 series cards next week. 4800s you listed will be last years outdated model very soon.

The e6300 is very old!
You mean that you budget is $455 for CPU and GPU? and you already picked all the other parts??

my budget is $750 total and I've already spent $455. The cpu I'm talking about is the newer pentium e6300 45nm chip, not the older core 2 duo e6300.

In that case get the Quad and wait for the HD5770.
See http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tom...

that's not really an option, I have to get this built asap and will be ordering tomorrow or the day after. Out of the two given options, which do you think would give the best performance? Thanks for the input so far though.

PC games are getting more CPU intensive by time so a quad will help.
Still PC games are getting more graphics intensive by time so a better GPU!
You can always lower the resolution a bit or even the graphics but not the CPU usage.
So my opinion is Q8200 and HD4870.
I also advice you wait till you're buying it as someone may post here another opinion.

i would choose neither. even though you say its the newer chip it is still old if it is 775. EOL!

He already purchased everything except those 2!

Unless you are playing GTA4, a dual core and better GPU will give you better performance right now. You should be able to upgrade with a cheap old leftover quad core in a couple years once games catch up, correct? All the E and Q series CPUs will soon be cheap discontinued junk now that the I series is out.

Well, The second option then.

the socket is old, but the chip isn't. I would have loved to build him an i7 system, but it doesn't fit the budget. The i5 is still kind of a ripoff in my opinion, and even though it's a little cheaper, it still doesn't fit the budget.

it's not really a ripoff at all for the i5. A good i5 mobo and a i5 750 is a great deal actually. But yea if your limited to 775 go for a quad core if u can aka 9550 but if not go for the newer one you listed.

Don't do this as a poll. Post a new thread and using the format from the link in my sig. Make sure you put ORDERING 9-18 in the title and you'll get some quick responses. And the way I read your post, you haven't actually bought anything yet?

This is one case I'd say go for the slightly better processor. A 4870 is already a great GPU, so I think for gaming it should be enough. However, I often keep my CPUs around a lot longer than my GPUs, so for this case I'd go with the quad since both GPUs are pretty close (but the higher CPU is a bit better than the lower one).

it's a poll because I'm really just trying to decide between the two. can you think of a better cpu/gpu combo for less than 300 that uses an intel chip?

There isn't actually a lot of options since you're bound to Intel LGA775 chips.
For $300 (you said you have $445) I vote for the Quad and HD4870.
The HD4890 is basically an OC'ed HD4870 (can anyone confirm?) so if he can OC it the HD4890 isn't necessary.

Medo

I said I have spent $455 already, $300 left over. The 4890 is basically a 4870, but with a 100 mhz increase and slightly different wiring. since this build is for my friend, I don't really want to overclock because he doesn't know much about computers.

This suggestion is ONLY if you've already bought the other parts. If you have, you've done an injustice for your friend cuz s/he could have a lot more computer for the same price. The power of the C2 line is in its ability to OC, not its stock performance. Intel beat AMD until the Phenom IIs that could do both. In this price bracket, AMD still is a fav over the core i5 at stock.

D3 is built on a DX9 engine. It really won't task a mid powered GPU even at the 1920x1080 resolutions. Same with the older games like HL2 orange box stuff and L4D. The 4850 1gb can hang in there. Depending on the mobo you picked, a second one in a year will really let this rig have a good long life. But the Q8200 isn't really going to cut it at stock speeds. The cache is too low too.

This CPU is still a little slow, but you can get the Q9400 and a 4850 1gb for $290.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

OR if you can add just a few bucks,

The Q9550 for $220 and the 4850 1gb for $105 or so. No combo there.

If you won't take a lower vid card, go with the 4870 1gb and get a FAST dual core instead of the quad. The E8400 is $11 over budget or the E7600 will come in just under.

I hear puppy is more tender than dog

funny you could say that without knowing the build. If you're curious, my specs are as follows;

COOLER MASTER ELITE 335

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB

Rosewill 600W psu

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3L

LITE-ON Black Blu-ray Reader

SAMSUNG DVD Burner

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7

as well as some themal compound and sata cables for $455.

I would say that is a very nice set up for the price. The rest of the info you provided was good though.

thanks,

As I see it, a 4870 and a 4890 aren't a whole lot different. Yes the 4890 is better, but not very much. They are both still the same tier. So I would recommend the 4870 personally. I like the idea of getting a quad so it can at least last you for longer, but I wouldn't recommend the Q8200 unless it's absolutely necessary with a budget/time issue. That build is ok except for the psu and the cpu cooler.

I know the rosewill psus can be a little sketchy, but I have had good luck with them in the past and I didn't want to spend more than the 50ish range. As for the cooler, I actually have an arctic seven in my build and I have been really impressed with it. My cpu is overclocked from 2 to 3 ghz and rarely gets into the 40's. I have used it on three builds already and as far as budget cpu coolers, that is my favorite.

Oh the Freezer 7 is a fine cpu cooler, it's what I have in my system as well. And 2-3 years ago it was the best one for the price. You could get a better one for the price now imo. As for the PSU, here's an alternative.... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

There's always a way to avoid going Rosewill...

Where are the puppies?!?!?!?!

I'd go for the quad + 4870. Since you'd likely upgrade the vid card in the future, simply because the 775 would be killed off. It is possible to add-on the MHz but not the cores, so I go for the quaddie.

You should never skimp on the PSU!

I agree, and for my own builds, I spend a little more. Since I don't have the same budget as I would for my own machine, the rosewill fit the bill, and like I said, I have used them before for other builds and never had a problem.

If the Rosewill is a newer one, with no little voltage switch and 80+ certification, it is probably at least decent. If it is an older one (with the voltage switch), it is, at best, overrated and inefficient; the sort of thing that gave Rosewill a bad name for PSUs, because at worst it will croak and take other parts of the rig with it. Choose a model from Antec, Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, or Enermax; at least choose one that is 80+ certified, because to pass that testing it had to be able to provide its full labeled output, and do it efficiently. We're not just blowing smoke about PSU quality (cheap ones do that part); read some of the competent technical reviews at www.jonnyguru.com, www.hardwaresecrets.com, or www.hardocp.com.
Otherwise, I agree with skora's last posts. Given that you are limited to LGA775, if at all possible get a Q9xxx. The game you mentioned shouldn't require a particularly powerful GPU. You might even consider a "lowly" HD4670, if only as a placeholder to meet your time requirements, with the intent to get a HD57xx once they're out and the prices have a chance to settle.

I know you said you wanted an Intel chip, but how would you feel about this build?

Awesome little Rosewill case. Used that one in a build for my friend's dad, and it turned out to be a very good buy.
$30

Same Samsung Spinpoint F3
$80

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 motherboard
$80 (with $10 MIR if you bother with them)

Powercolor 4870 1GB
$145 (with $20 MIR)

Mushkin Enhanced Modular 580w PSU w/ Active PFC I have this PSU, and I love it. It's always been stable for me, and it's lasted me through 3 builds, and still going strong.
$80

PNY DDR3-1333 2x2GB Some standard DDR3.
$73

Athlon II X4 620 2.6GHz Read this story. It is on par with/beats the Q8200 in most all benchies.
$99

LG BD Reader / DVD burner Why have two drives when one can do the job?
$105

Some AS Ceramique thermal paste This size of a tube has lasted me maybe 20 builds / reseatings.
$5


Total: $697 before shipping, which should run you between $25 and $35.

If anyone can find a better motherboard / memory combo, then chime in. I'm at work, so I can't spend a lot of time on looking.

The fact that you would cut a corner on your friends PC that you wouldn't do on your own further supports my accusation. While I realize I'm destroying any credibility with you, there's a number of improvements that cost less that could have been used for your build. Knowing the general platform price and what you can get is how I could make a statement like I did without seeing the rest of the build. I guess I'm on the attack cuz I really like puppies. I have 3. They should ALL be saved.

One other question I have is the OS? Is that squared away already?

Good choice on the HDD, that's a great drive for the price.

While the ACF7 had its day a few years ago, the technology of direct touch heat pipe has really made a noticable improvement in cooling performance. Frostytech.com has reviews for most any cooler I've had to look up.

Being that the UD3L is a single PCIex16 mobo, I'd go with jedimasterbens 4870 1gb for $125 amir. Its actually as cheap as the 512mb flavors. That leaves $150-$175 for the CPU. Again, the E8400 or the E7600.

You can still get a Q9400 if you opt for the 4850 1gb for $110 and stay in budget.

it's not cutting a corner, it's fitting a different budget than mine.

that is a good recommendation, thanks, but it's actually cheaper to get the two separate.