Ati 4890 or 5850

[luke_dicko]

hi everyone, im building my first gaming pc and im just getting my head around what parts im going to use. i am on a budget but if spending a little more is better value then im willing to do so. I was going to use the ati 4890 until i read many reviews on how good the 5850 was. The 5850 is $130AUD more. Is it worth the extra cost. And also is it worth spending a decent amount on a PSU any suggestions? Im going to use:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 BLACK EDITION Quad Core 8meg CACHE 3.4Ghz Socket AM3,

Gigabyte Gigabyte GA-MA790GPT-UD3H MB, AM3, 790GX SB750, 5.2GT s, DDR3 1666oc, PCI-E x16, SATAII RAID, USB2, GbE LAN, 8ch Audio, HDMI, ATX, CrossFireX [GA-MA790GPT-UD3H]

Thermaltake. V9 Case

Any advice would be muchly appreciated, thankyou in advance.

 

[Silmarunya]

Yes, get a 5850. It offers far better performance, consumes less power and generates less heat. Get one asap!

CPU: the 955 offers the same unlocked multiplier and all the benefits, at a lower cost. You could save a few dollars there.

Case: that case is huge and expensive. You could use it, or save some dollars and space and get a decent antec case. It's up to you, but the V9 is overpriced and doesn't offer enough imo.

Do you need any other parts? It might help if you'd use the format for asking help specified in the sticky (or at least say what parts you need and which you already have)

 

[jbakerlent]

Edit: didn't refresh
If you can afford it, obviously the 5850, but in my opinion it's not worth the huge overhead (somewhat dependent on your resolution though). Also, just get the 955 and increase the multiplier by one. If you fill out the form in my sig, we can help you with your whole build.

 

[Outlander_04]

Normally I'd agree and say get the 955 BUT there is a new stepping of the 965
Power consumption is lower [ 125 vs 140 ] and it seems to OC higher .
If you can find a 125 W 965 its worth the money

 

[luke_dicko]

thankyou all for the replies, Ive only just signed up and didnt see the building guide but ill get right onto it. Good to know help isnt far away cheers guys

 

[Silmarunya]

Normally I'd agree and say get the 955 BUT there is a new stepping of the 965
Power consumption is lower [ 125 vs 140 ] and it seems to OC higher .
If you can find a 125 W 965 its worth the money

The 955 is a 125W CPU as well, and it's overclocking potential is roughly identical.

 

[akash3656]

Get the X4 955. Although the 965 C3/5 (i forgot) stepping is more power friendly, its basically a X4 955 with a higher multiplier. AND YOU CAN CHANGE THE multiplier of the 955 to a 965 w/o any adding any voltage. So, $$$ value wise, 955 and HD 5850 is a better combo.
Problem, is can you find one in stock (5850)?

 

[Outlander_04]

The 955 is a 125W CPU as well, and it's overclocking potential is roughly identical.

depends on the stepping

125 W running at 3.2 GHz is not the same as 125 watts at 3.4 GHz

Or to put it another way if you take a 125 watt 955 and run it at 965 speeds it becomes a 140 W chip .

Buy a 965 if it can get you the latest 125 w 965 speed stepping . They are clocking higher than previous 965's and 955's

 

[Silmarunya]

True. But the difference is tiny. I'd never overclock my CPU so much that that difference becomes noticeable. Of course, go for it if you're an extreme OC'er

 

[apache_lives]

The ThermalTake V9 is a cheap rubbish rip of the Antec Nine Hundred - its no where near the same build quality of the Antec original, and i have built my clients pcs with both cases and the ThermalTake after a few months begins to have issues like fans rubbing and other various issues - would reccomend against it.

 

[deadcell]

The 955 and the 965 are almost identical, except the multiplier modification and the power rating. The 965 does run at 125W and generated less heat where as the 955 runs at 140W when oced AT THE SAME CLOCK SPEED as the 965. Its all about the OC stepping. The 965 was designed to consume less power, hence generate less heat while expand in the overclocking department, as they say. However, these differences are minimum, unnoicible to some as stated by many in this thread. Many sources do indicaid that the 965 runs cooler, overclocks higher and hence is a better chip than the 955. I don't know too much to dispute that argument. I favor the Phenom II X4 965 BE. However, if there is a $50 price difference or more between the 2 chips, I wouldn't invest in the 965 and pick the 955. Buy the 965, if you can find one close to the price of the 955, if not, save the money and contribute to the 5850 foundation. That card is worth every penny and will sweep the floor with the 4890. As for the chassis, I would go with Antec, the 900II. Real good ventilation provided by all those fans, plenty of room, 9 drive bays, nice finish, clear side panel and real quite too with adjustible fan controls. Excellent ATX mid-tower. I favor this chassis than the V9 anyday.