[Solved] Sub $900 i5 build

Hi, this is my first build but I've been researching for a while now. It goes something like this
Its a bit for gaming, and a bit for heavy apps like photoshop and flash. Theres a chance for things such as 3d rendering and what not

CPU and MoBo
i5
ASUS P7P55D Pro Socket 1156 P55 ATX
http://www.microcenter.com/special [...] orei5.html
$320

and Ram
not sure about this one, maybe ?
2x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB DDR3 1600 CL7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231279
$190

or
CPU
i5
http://www.microcenter.com/single_ [...] id=0317379
$160

Ram and Mobo
GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.264219
$215
Additional Ram
$95

Then theres the:
GPU
XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150436
$120 (i got it when it had a rebate)

Case, PSU, and HD
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM
Antec Twelve Hundred 750 Blue Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Antec TruPower 750W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.273738
$250

CD/DVD burner
isn't necessarily needed, but I suppose I'll keep an eye out for one

Ive got a couple questions:
Any suggestions between the Motherboards?
Any suggested Optical Drives?
Should i get a CPU Cooler? and if so what kind
I was also thinking about getting 8gigs of mem

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by GoldenStake on 10-13-2009 at 02:45:10 AM

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Message edited by build on 10-12-2009 at 08:32:35 PM

Reply to build

Both options look good - you found some good combo deals.
Are you sure the CD is optional? How do you plan to load the OS and applications? Or did you have an old one you can use?

Reply to rockyjohn

well I've got an old one, but Its pretty slow. I basicly jsut realize that i dont even use it, and when i do need to i use my laptop and convert it to in ISO, It probalby wont hurt to have one though, I guess ill take a look

Reply to GoldenStake

What resolution is your monitor and what games do you play?

Do you plan to go Crossfire/SLI in the future? If not, then that 750W PSU is overkill.

Reply to build

I'd stay away from s1156 until the capacitor blowing issues are addressed by Intel.

Reply to zipzoomflyhigh

Yeah I got the feeling that 750W was more than enough too, but I figure it comes in a nice combo deal, and I could always have the option for Crossfire/SLI.

I thought the capacitor problem was only for ASRock and MSI mother boards.

Message edited by GoldenStake on 10-13-2009 at 02:41:51 AM

Reply to GoldenStake

Best answer

GoldenStake wrote :

Any suggestions between the Motherboards?

I prefer Gigabyte – but its just a personal choice. ASUS is good too. This THG article reviews 5 mobos including both you are looking at so you can compare features and select the one that is best for you.

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2436.html

GoldenStake wrote :

Any suggested Optical Drives?

Are you going with HD? An HD reader cost about $100 and an HD writer about $250. A standard DVD writer is only about $30 and there are a lot that are fairly generic. Pioneer, Sony, and LG are all good brands. I suggest just checking one of the standard THG builds and going with what they have. Just check to make sure it has the formats you want and look at the read and write speeds.

GoldenStake wrote :

Should i get a CPU Cooler? and if so what kind

If you are not going to OC then the stock HSF that comes with the CPU is fine. If you want to OC then yes get a better one. Unfortunately I am not up on the requirements for i5 builds.

GoldenStake wrote :

I was also thinking about getting 8gigs of mem

Reviews show that few applications make full use of 3 GB so 4GB is generally the recommended safe amount for now. I suggest getting it as 2 x 2 GB and leaving 2 slots open to double up later when memory prices should be lower and the memory is actually useful as programs demand more.

Reply to rockyjohn

It was Asrock, ECS, and MSI. Im sure there's others with the same problems like foxconn, biostar, etc because they are built from Intel spec.

Not to mention I'm sure the other brands (asus, gigabyte) may have the same problem maybe it will just take longer to show.

There's been a lot of posts on here lately about overclocked i5's that worked fine for aweek and now they wont boot or they are experiencing crashing.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] t#t1846440

Message edited by zipzoomflyhigh on 10-13-2009 at 05:08:46 PM

Reply to zipzoomflyhigh

Hmm alright, I've decided on the Gigabyte Mobo and the 4 gigs of ram. Keeping an eye out for lower priced mem in the future.

A cooler however i couldn't really find one that i thought was worth it. I supose I'll leave it not OCed until some more cooling systems are out. Unless someone can suggest one that I over looked.

And seeing as im not OCing anything, ill probably stick with the i5 (cuz its too late to back out now), and hope for an update in the future.

unless someone sees some, problems or contradictions in my build, ill order the rest of the parts.

Reply to GoldenStake

im surprise nobody say anything about throwing that 4870 away..go with the 5770 same performance but future prof for Dx11
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102858

------------------------------ MSI-790FX-GD70
X4 955 @ 3.756 1.45v
Corsair H50
A-Data DDR3 1600 @ 8.8.8.28 1.7v
Reply to snakej

The 4870 is faster than the 5770. By the time DX11 is mainstream, he will have upgraded to a new card.

From THG:

Quote :

Available for $145 online, and with consistently better performance than the 5770, ATI’s Radeon HD 4870 remains a good buy.

Message edited by zipzoomflyhigh on 10-15-2009 at 02:18:50 PM

Reply to zipzoomflyhigh

oh c'mon zip, you saw the review, they so close together, its basically the 128-bit Memory interface thats holding it back, but the 5770 consume less power you can overclock better than the 4870 without worrying of over heating, at stock clock the 4870 might out perform the 5770 but dont forget that with ATI tools its just matter of raising a bar.
I wish ATI just put a 256-bit on this, with the 800 stream processors it would have been no threat to the 5850 and would have outperformed almost all of the 4000 series, making it extremely attractive. But like i said if you need an energy friendly card and want moderate power, then this is def something to look into. The eyefinity and DX11 make it a viable option for casual/mid-performance gamers.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ MSI-790FX-GD70
X4 955 @ 3.756 1.45v
Corsair H50
A-Data DDR3 1600 @ 8.8.8.28 1.7v
Reply to snakej

I apologize if this is off-topic but snakej did you post that review of the Sapphire 5770 on newegg or did you copy and paste from it? I noticed that what you said above is exactly the same word for word as the one on newegg

Reply to build

snakej wrote :

oh c'mon zip, you saw the review, they so close together, its basically the 128-bit Memory interface thats holding it back, but the 5770 consume less power you can overclock better than the 4870 without worrying of over heating, at stock clock the 4870 might out perform the 5770 but dont forget that with ATI tools its just matter of raising a bar.
I wish ATI just put a 256-bit on this, with the 800 stream processors it would have been no threat to the 5850 and would have outperformed almost all of the 4000 series, making it extremely attractive. But like i said if you need an energy friendly card and want moderate power, then this is def something to look into. The eyefinity and DX11 make it a viable option for casual/mid-performance gamers.

I would consider the 5850 mid performance...no one buying a 5770 is going to be using eyefinity lol.

From the benchmarks I've seen the 4870 beats the 5770 by a considerable amount in some games.

To the OP: Stick with 4gb total..no need for 8gb currently, and you can always upgrade the memory easily down the line if necessary.

Message edited by cory1234 on 10-15-2009 at 08:22:03 PM

------------------------------ Q6600 @ 9x333, 500gb barracuda 7200.10
Gigabye DS3R P35, Evga 8800 gt
4x1gb Super Talent 800 3-3-4-8, OCZ 850w, Win 7 64

Reply to cory1234

lol zip, i expected better from you..here is the review of the 5770
http://www.guru3d.com/article/rade [...] ew-test/15

you can see how it out performs the 4890 in high res( look page 15 of review)
cory,hmm, he been on some threats i been, nobody really consider his opinion, not gonna waste my time.

lmao yah, thats my cousin who wrote that review in newegg, i told him that, when we spoke in the phone....lmao he actually wrote it, sound as if he was smart.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by snakej on 10-15-2009 at 10:39:56 PM

------------------------------ MSI-790FX-GD70
X4 955 @ 3.756 1.45v
Corsair H50
A-Data DDR3 1600 @ 8.8.8.28 1.7v
Reply to snakej

snakej wrote :

you can see how it out performs the 4890 in high res( look page 15 of review)

Talk about abuse and misrepresentation of reviews - or selective reading.
If you just turn the page to page 16 you see the 4870 besting the 5770. If you go to the last page for the summary, you can read "The product positions itself in-between the Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 performance wise, yet has a far more advanced feature set. " The review you selected clearly states that the 5770 underperforms the 4870. You only embarrass yourself with the misrepresentation and all that other blither.

------------------------------ There are 10 kinds of people in the World...Those who understand binary, and those who don’t!
Reply to rockyjohn

like i said, in some game not all, why you have to offend me, do you accomplish something that way?

isnt it true that in page 15 it outperformed the 4890? yes or not, i never said over all.

I dont know why people talk like only they are right!!

instead of offending me like an as*hol% why dont you point me out the facts, seem like you just repeating what other stated, you point me out where im wrong we all learn, instead of undermining my intelligence, like if humans make no mistakes.

besides look:

Quote :

The bottom line is really simple: With the Radeon series 5700 products, and in specific the 5770 -- ATI brings an intensely feature rich product to the market that offers plenty of performance for current and modern games. It has good cooling and offers less noise compared to a 4850. So if you are in the mid-range market right now seeking a new graphics card, we can recommend it wholeheartedly.

he clearly didnt compare it to a 4850, simple he said the noise is less, of course it consume less power.

Quote :

So if you are in the mid-range market right now seeking a new graphics card, we can recommend it wholeheartedly.

he did how ever, recommended for mid-range which is what we where trying to recommend the OP, or am I wrong, if not go for the 5850/5870 and end of discussion.

although you guys are right cuz i missed this completly:

Quote :

This series is the first ever mid-range DX11 class product series that is affordable, comes with a great feature set, and is highly competitive performance wise. The product positions itself in-between the Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 performance wise, yet has a far more advanced feature set.

people on this threat, do not forget this is not for me, this is all about the OP if im to be wrong in something dont argue my ignorance, or better yet say it, and show how im wrong, instead of offending me, there is no need to go there, besides I hate to fight in a forum( cant use my actual fist) and getting mad over this is not good, its just rises my blood pressure, so remember it isnt about my opinion, it what the OP need that matters, if im wrong just disregard my comments.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by snakej on 10-16-2009 at 01:59:38 AM

------------------------------ MSI-790FX-GD70
X4 955 @ 3.756 1.45v
Corsair H50
A-Data DDR3 1600 @ 8.8.8.28 1.7v
Reply to snakej

I did point out the facts. My tone was a response to yours - starting with your expressing surprise that no one suggested throwing out the 4870 - like everyone else made a mistake but you had the only right info. The when Zip reported the simple fact that the 4870 was faster - you responded with a condescending "Aw c'mon zip" implying that he was still wrong. Followed in the next post by "lol zip I expected better from you" and stating the misleading fact "that it outperforms the 4870 in high res". you said see that one page - but that was an example not a qualifier. You mislead and condescend towards others then whine when I call you on it. You can't play innocent with all your posts hanging above. Don't cop an attitude multiple times then play innocent and falsely accuse me of it when all I did was state the facts. You did abuse and misrepresent the reviews. Readers desreve to know that when considering your comments.

Message edited by rockyjohn on 10-16-2009 at 02:07:27 AM

------------------------------ There are 10 kinds of people in the World...Those who understand binary, and those who don’t!
Reply to rockyjohn

snakej wrote :

like i said, in some game not all, why you have to offend me, do you accomplish something that way?

isnt it true that in page 15 it outperformed the 4890? yes or not, i never said over all.

I dont know why people talk like only they are right!!

instead of offending me like an as*hol% why dont you point me out the facts, seem like you just repeating what other stated, you point me out where im wrong we all learn, instead of undermining my intelligence, like if humans make no mistakes.

besides look:

Quote :

The bottom line is really simple: With the Radeon series 5700 products, and in specific the 5770 -- ATI brings an intensely feature rich product to the market that offers plenty of performance for current and modern games. It has good cooling and offers less noise compared to a 4850. So if you are in the mid-range market right now seeking a new graphics card, we can recommend it wholeheartedly.

he clearly didnt compare it to a 4850, simple he said the noise is less, of course it consume less power.

Quote :

So if you are in the mid-range market right now seeking a new graphics card, we can recommend it wholeheartedly.

he did how ever, recommended for mid-range which is what we where trying to recommend the OP, or am I wrong, if not go for the 5850/5870 and end of discussion.

people on this threat, do not forget this is not for me, this is all about the OP if im to be wrong in something dont argue my ignorance, or better yet say it, and show how im wrong, instead of offending me, there is no need to go there, besides I hate to fight in a forum( cant use my actual fist) and getting mad over this is not good, its just rises my blood pressure, so remember it isnt about my opinion, it what the OP need that matters, if im wrong just disregard my comments.

Kid, besides mistaking "thread" for "threat" your not worth my time.

For the lower mid range I still recommend the 4870 over the 5770...some people can't get over the fact that their judgment might be wrong.

$35 cheaper and better performance in most games...not really understand logic on buying an inferior card just to run dx11 when only what 2 games barely even scratch dx11 features? I don't see anyone turning on those dx11 features to slow fps down even further on this card.

------------------------------ Q6600 @ 9x333, 500gb barracuda 7200.10
Gigabye DS3R P35, Evga 8800 gt
4x1gb Super Talent 800 3-3-4-8, OCZ 850w, Win 7 64

Reply to cory1234

I agree. Snakej, your completely wrong. Like I said word for word from Tom's Hardwares test "conclusion" page.

Quote :

Available for $145 online, and with consistently better performance than the 5770, ATI’s Radeon HD 4870 remains a good buy.

Message edited by zipzoomflyhigh on 10-18-2009 at 05:48:57 PM

Reply to zipzoomflyhigh

Focus On

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