Feedback on an i5 1st Build.

[Nick T]

Hello guys.
I'm building a computer for my brother. He plays online poker. He plays a lot of tables with programs running in the background superimposing information onto tables. I think he will need a quad core as opposed to a Dual Core.

This is my first build from scratch. I've replaced parts in my computer, installed water cooling so I'm confident in my ability to put this thing together. I've come up with 2 potential builds.

The budget is 1000 after taxes ( 13% taxes in Canada). My supplier will be newegg.ca exclusively. One build is with a combo which brings the price somewhat lower as well as includes a 1.5 TB Drive. The combo included a Micro ATX mobo, I've never dealt with micro boards and do no know how it will affect the overall machine. The second one is with no combos, some discount items. In the second build I've paid attention to each item, in regards to value and reviews. Both systems run under $1,000. Items not included on the lists I do have already ei. HD, Mouse, Monitor etc.

Please, Take a look if the system will be a solid machine. Maybe, some of you know of better value items or know of some issues with any of the parts.

Thank you in advance.

Build 1 /w Combo

Combo i5 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.311727 $551.99
NZXT LEXA S LEXS - 001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750
Seagate Barracuda LP ST31500541AS 1.5TB 5900 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive (AS SLAVE)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W

GFX XFX GS250XZDFU GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $154.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150439

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065


Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B ~30$

before Taxes $767.00
Total $867

+++++++++++++++
Second Build.
GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard w/ USB 3.0 & SATA 6 Gb/s 199.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128409

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 213.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

XFX GS250XZDFU GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card 154.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150439

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

Rosewill Xtreme Series RX750-D-B 750W Continuous @40°C ,80 PLUS Certified, ATX12V v2.2 & EPS12V v2.91, SLI Ready CrossFire
Rosewill Wind Knight Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with pre-installed 2x 120mm Fan, Support up to 1x 140mm top fan COMBO 129.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.324200

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B $30

813.94 Before Taxes 919.75


Any input would be greatly Appreciated. It took me 2-3 Hours to put this together. The extra 40-50 Dollars in the 2nd build and no HD isn't an issue if the build will be more powerful. More Ram would be coming in too i think after a month or 2.

 

[frozendragoon]

In my opinion Quad-core is kind of crazy. I have a quad core gaming rig, and it took Crisis to even attempt at pushing the CPU. Online poker? I don't know, and i don't claim to know, but it seems that quad core, especially i5, is a bit of overkill.

Depending on the program(s) used, I wonder if they are even designed to make use of more than two, if even, cores. From what I've read that seems to be the bottleneck now, waiting for the software developers to catch up.

It just seems to me that would be a bit of overkill. Granted, very cool overkill =P

 

[Wolygon]

The second build will be no faster.

As frozendragoon said a quad could be considered an overkill.

You could go for an i3 530 dual core, this would be a better choice than downgrading to LGA775. $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115222&cm_re=i3-_-19-115-222-_-Product

You could always upgrade to a quad later on.

You don't need 8GB of RAM as you said you will be getting. 4GB is plenty. So you can keep the $100.

I believe you should go for a higher quality PSU such as one from Corsair.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&cm_re=corsair_650-_-17-139-005-_-Product

A HD 5750 is a better choice for graphics, lower power consumption, dx11. Not as much performance in some cases although you didn't say he would be gaming much so it will be a better choice I believe.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448&cm_re=xfx_5750-_-14-150-448-_-Product $144.50


If you don't to get 8GB of RAM or the quad core, then you might think about putting the money towards a better PSU. You can shave off $80 on the 2nd build by going with the same motherboard that is in the combo. But you still need a HDD ($100+) as well so it could end up a fair bit more expensive to go with the better PSU.

 

[Nick T]

Thank you guys.
The programs he will be using eat up cpu and ram so he will need the power. At this moment, im also getting conflicting info in regards to dual or quad cores that pertain to his software. Im willing to spend en extra $ or 2 for the quad so he can use the rig for the next 5 years with no worries and still have room to improve (i7 chip, ram, SLI etc). Maybe in a year put a nice Solid State HD.

@ punkinator. Thanks for the parts advice. Ill look into those this evening. I did think about spending extra 30$ for a corsair PSU knowing how these burn out quiet often.



btw. More input welcome.

 

[Wolygon]

What kind of programs are you talking about, if he is using the computer for programs such as CAD programs, Maya, 3Ds MAX, etc. Then you might want to think about getting a Workstation graphics card instead of a gaming one, this will give you much higher performance in the before mentioned programs although not so good for gaming.

 

[Nick T]

He will not be doing anything gfx intensive by a long shot. CPU + RAM will be loaded up with number crunching as well as HD will be in use quite often as the data has to be written, crunched and super imposed on the tables again. Basically what his poker software does is: While he is playing 20+ tables, he collects information on the players currently on his table, then saves that information in real time on his HD then superimposes that info back onto his many tables, since some players would be playing with him on more then 1 table. It is a legitimate process and is allowed by the poker websites. Is it ethical ? People have lots of opinions on that issue.

I think the quad core will do him good in that regard as well as have him ready for the new generation of software/games to arrive.

I've already ordered up the parts from Build 2, replaced the PSU with a 650W Corsair. Also, Got a solid state HD to have the information written/available lag free.

Thanks to all who have replied.
/cheers