AMD or Intel Build? $1200

[da_truest_moo]

AMD build.

Case - NZXT Lexa S Mid Tower Case – 109
Cooling - CoolerMaster Silent 140mm Blue LED Fan – 19
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition – 219
HDD - Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HD103SJ – 109
MB - Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P Motherboard – 109
RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH (2x2GB) DDR3 – 140
GPU - HIS Radeon HD5770 1GB -185
PSU - APEVIA 600W Dark Side Power Supply – 95
Monitor - 23” 5ms DVI Acer X233 HB – 156 after 39 cashback
Desktop - GK-KM6150 – 17
Speakers - Gigabyte S4600 – 10
Lighting - Bitspower Dual 30cm Cold Cathode Kit Blue - 19
Total - 1160



Intel Build.

Case - NZXT Lexa S Mid Tower Case – 109
Cooling - CoolerMaster Silent 140mm Blue LED Fan – 19
CPU - Intel Core i5 661 - 259
HDD - Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB HD103SJ – 109
MB - Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4 Motherboard - 195
RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH (2x2GB) DDR3 – 140
GPU - 1GB 9800GT Gigabyte - 154 (SLI mode, already have another of the same card)
PSU - APEVIA 600W Dark Side Power Supply – 95
Monitor - 23” 5ms DVI Acer X233 HB – 156 after 39 cashback
Desktop - GK-KM6150 – 17
Speakers - Gigabyte S4600 – 10
Lighting - Bitspower Dual 30cm Cold Cathode Kit Blue - 19
Total - 1282


I wont be overclocking and this will be primarily for gaming (WoW, HoN, Crysis, etc). I want this thing to be able to last at least a few years, and i will probably not be overclocking. Another concern of mine is that will 600w be enough, i pretty much chose the PSU because it suits the case, lol, and if i do SLI will the two cards have to be the same brand? (theyre both 9800 GT of course.)

Im leaning toward the AMD build because $1200 is still straining the budget.

 

[p55ibexpeak]

This game? Very low requirements. Crysis is the only demanding one out of your list.

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/specs_pop.html

The PSU is a question mark. Can't you get a good brand? Antec, Corsair, OCZ, etc.?

The rest is good, but you can do better with $1200 including a $200 monitor. What currency is it? The ram is a ripoff. Dump the HSF if you ain't overclocking.

 

[da_truest_moo]

its all in AU dollars, absolute cheapest prices i can find anywhere, do you think the second build with a HD5770 GPU would be better for SLI upgradablity in the future? And do you think/know if 600w is enough, i can get a different brand, that just seemed like a decent offer.

 

[cobot]

Well, up to you, really:

2x9800gt will be faster that a single 5770. but will lack DX11 support. Do you you need/want DX11? You should definately choose another PSU if you go for the SLI option.

The i5 will be a little bit faster, but the difference is rather neglectible. In most games, the performance will be limted by the GPUs you have chosen - you will probalby not even notice any difference between the two. On the other hand, the i5 will provide a small advantage in CPU-intensive tasks other that gaming.

BUT! it is hard to recommen the 965 over the 955 as it is exactly the same chip - just clocked at different speeds. You might as well get the 955 BE and overclock it a bit.

 

[da_truest_moo]

Best answer selected by da_truest_moo.