- Feb 27, 2010
- 5
- 0
- 18,510
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Approximately one month from now or sooner BUDGET RANGE: Less than $800 after rebates (Slightly negotiable based on CPU pricing. I'm not going to make needless sacrifices to get a better CPU).
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: moderately demanding gaming, highly demanding gaming, general internet use
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers/headset, OS (I don't have all these things, but I'm keeping these costs separate)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.newegg.com, www.microcenter.com, (open to others) COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU, ATI GPU
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (probably not since I don't know how and I want this PC to last) SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe (Probably will do so eventually, maybe not immediately)
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Functionality is key. I don't need a shiny case. I don't need more than 750 GB on my HDD (I currently use less than 200). Despite my gaming emphasis, I doubt I'll need a powerhouse card right off the bat. I'll probably add another card later. I need 4 GB of RAM at least (DDR3 preferred, but not required).
Okay, so this is my first time building a PC. I have enough knowledge from swapping a few parts around in other machines that I believe I'm up to the task. Anyway, I've found most of the parts that I'm pretty much set on (see below), I mainly seek approval on them. What I need help with is choosing the right CPU and subsequently the right motherboard (and possibly RAM on that note).
The obvious processor that comes to mind is the i5 750, but I also have access to a Microcenter and therefore the i7 920 at $200 and the i7 860 at $230. So I'll address my concerns with each one in the next few paragraphs.
i5 750
Despite the i7 920 being only $20 more (i5 750 at Microcenter is $180), the i5 750 still has both other processors beat in the price game due to the need of a less expensive motherboard. It's also still an excellent performer and from my understanding it is definitely on par with both the i7 920 and i7 860 for gaming.
i7 860
While being $30 more than the i7 920, this would still be cheaper overall with most motherboards but only by a very insignificant amount. The clear advantage over the i5 750 to me is the hyper-threading. I worry that the i5 750 will become obsolete quicker than most CPUs have due to its lack of HT. My fear is that more games and applications will take advantage of HT technology and having an i5 750 would cause me to suffer because of this. This is really the only reason I can see for getting the i7 860 over the i5 750, otherwise they seem to be very similar.
i7 920
I doubt I'll ever upgrade the CPU on this machine, but the option would be nice which is part of the reason why I'm considering the i7 920 (since it would need an LGA 1366 motherboard). From my understanding performance-wise the improvement of the 920 is marginal (including no improvement in gaming). It does have hyper-threading, though. The problem with buying this processor isn't the cost of the CPU itself, but the motherboards are so much more expensive (though they are better). I also have some concern since I was told that the i7 920 would require 2 GB RAM more than the i5 750 or i7 860 with no increased performance.
Pricing Breakdown
All numbers in here include the final cost to me including approximate sales tax (~8%) and shipping. At Microcenter I would have to pay sales tax, at newegg I would not.
i5 750
$195 (CPU) + $103 (MOBO) = $298
i7 860
$249 (CPU) + $103 (MOBO) = $352
i7 920
$216 (CPU) + $127 (MOBO) = $343
After that, the i7 860 seems kind of like a pointless buy since I wouldn't get the good motherboard the i7 920 combination has (even though it is open box it should be fine). I mainly kept it in here in case I'm missing some reasoning and you want to convince me otherwise. But, as far as I can see it, my choice is that I can get the i5 750 with a decent motherboard for $298 or the i7 920 for $45 more. I'm beginning to lean heavily toward getting the i7 920, but I worry that I'll need 2 GB RAM more to be on par with the i5 750 at 4 GB RAM, which would be lots of money I don't want to spend.
Everything else I've selected, though I'm posting it here for approval since this is my first PC to build and I'm still learning when it comes to knowledge of PC component specifications. Please point out anything that you think is a poor choice or is incompatible with something else. All prices listed are the prices for that specific part, not my budget for it. I'm also leaving a special section open for graphics cards despite the fact that I've already chosen one since I expect to have lots of feedback on that choice.
CASE $100
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
HDD $60
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3750528AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
MEMORY $105
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
DVD BURNER $30
LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Writer - Retail
GRAPHICS CARD $160
SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
Right now I only plan on buying one card. I don't play lots of demanding games like Crysis, so I never will need the best graphics card. I feel this one suits me perfectly - it is a great value. However, as far as doing Xfire, I'm unsure. I've never run two cards before, but it is tempting. Feel free to suggest either another card along with my current or another pair. I'd like not to spend more than $160 on either card, though. It's not likely I'll buy both now if they combine to be over $200 (but that doesn't mean don't suggest ones that cost more than $200, please do).
Thanks a bunch for reading this. I know it was long-winded, but my processor dilemma has been consuming my thoughts. I really and truly appreciate any feedback on any part of my build.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: moderately demanding gaming, highly demanding gaming, general internet use
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers/headset, OS (I don't have all these things, but I'm keeping these costs separate)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.newegg.com, www.microcenter.com, (open to others) COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU, ATI GPU
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (probably not since I don't know how and I want this PC to last) SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe (Probably will do so eventually, maybe not immediately)
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Functionality is key. I don't need a shiny case. I don't need more than 750 GB on my HDD (I currently use less than 200). Despite my gaming emphasis, I doubt I'll need a powerhouse card right off the bat. I'll probably add another card later. I need 4 GB of RAM at least (DDR3 preferred, but not required).
Okay, so this is my first time building a PC. I have enough knowledge from swapping a few parts around in other machines that I believe I'm up to the task. Anyway, I've found most of the parts that I'm pretty much set on (see below), I mainly seek approval on them. What I need help with is choosing the right CPU and subsequently the right motherboard (and possibly RAM on that note).
The obvious processor that comes to mind is the i5 750, but I also have access to a Microcenter and therefore the i7 920 at $200 and the i7 860 at $230. So I'll address my concerns with each one in the next few paragraphs.
i5 750
Despite the i7 920 being only $20 more (i5 750 at Microcenter is $180), the i5 750 still has both other processors beat in the price game due to the need of a less expensive motherboard. It's also still an excellent performer and from my understanding it is definitely on par with both the i7 920 and i7 860 for gaming.
i7 860
While being $30 more than the i7 920, this would still be cheaper overall with most motherboards but only by a very insignificant amount. The clear advantage over the i5 750 to me is the hyper-threading. I worry that the i5 750 will become obsolete quicker than most CPUs have due to its lack of HT. My fear is that more games and applications will take advantage of HT technology and having an i5 750 would cause me to suffer because of this. This is really the only reason I can see for getting the i7 860 over the i5 750, otherwise they seem to be very similar.
i7 920
I doubt I'll ever upgrade the CPU on this machine, but the option would be nice which is part of the reason why I'm considering the i7 920 (since it would need an LGA 1366 motherboard). From my understanding performance-wise the improvement of the 920 is marginal (including no improvement in gaming). It does have hyper-threading, though. The problem with buying this processor isn't the cost of the CPU itself, but the motherboards are so much more expensive (though they are better). I also have some concern since I was told that the i7 920 would require 2 GB RAM more than the i5 750 or i7 860 with no increased performance.
Pricing Breakdown
All numbers in here include the final cost to me including approximate sales tax (~8%) and shipping. At Microcenter I would have to pay sales tax, at newegg I would not.
i5 750
$195 (CPU) + $103 (MOBO) = $298
i7 860
$249 (CPU) + $103 (MOBO) = $352
i7 920
$216 (CPU) + $127 (MOBO) = $343
After that, the i7 860 seems kind of like a pointless buy since I wouldn't get the good motherboard the i7 920 combination has (even though it is open box it should be fine). I mainly kept it in here in case I'm missing some reasoning and you want to convince me otherwise. But, as far as I can see it, my choice is that I can get the i5 750 with a decent motherboard for $298 or the i7 920 for $45 more. I'm beginning to lean heavily toward getting the i7 920, but I worry that I'll need 2 GB RAM more to be on par with the i5 750 at 4 GB RAM, which would be lots of money I don't want to spend.
Everything else I've selected, though I'm posting it here for approval since this is my first PC to build and I'm still learning when it comes to knowledge of PC component specifications. Please point out anything that you think is a poor choice or is incompatible with something else. All prices listed are the prices for that specific part, not my budget for it. I'm also leaving a special section open for graphics cards despite the fact that I've already chosen one since I expect to have lots of feedback on that choice.
CASE $100
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
HDD $60
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3750528AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
MEMORY $105
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
DVD BURNER $30
LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Writer - Retail
GRAPHICS CARD $160
SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
Right now I only plan on buying one card. I don't play lots of demanding games like Crysis, so I never will need the best graphics card. I feel this one suits me perfectly - it is a great value. However, as far as doing Xfire, I'm unsure. I've never run two cards before, but it is tempting. Feel free to suggest either another card along with my current or another pair. I'd like not to spend more than $160 on either card, though. It's not likely I'll buy both now if they combine to be over $200 (but that doesn't mean don't suggest ones that cost more than $200, please do).
Thanks a bunch for reading this. I know it was long-winded, but my processor dilemma has been consuming my thoughts. I really and truly appreciate any feedback on any part of my build.
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