Having trouble deciding which gaming pc to build

[ryanlok15]

hi guy my name is ryan and ive recently posted up a thread about making a gaming computer but seeing that my budget has sort of expanded i have come up with 2 different systems one being AMD and the other being Intel i7

AMD CPU $
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 965 3.40GHz 8MB Cache (AM3) - Black Edition $225
AMD 940pin DDR3 Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P Motherboard pretty sure crossfire ready but check $168
RAM: 4G DDR3 1600 Patriot-Viper $159
VIDEO: PowerColor Radeon HD5770 1GB Crossfire or dont up to you $193
POWER: CoolerMaster Silent Pro M500 $124
OPTICAL: Sony AD7240SGB 20X DVDRW Black OEM $ 39
STORAGE: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB WD5001AALS $ 72
CASE: CoolerMaster CM 690 with window $115
FLOPPY: 8 in 1 Internal USB Card Reader - Black $ 10
Monitor: AOC 2236VW 21.5in Widescreen LCD Monitor $179

Total: $1284

INTEL CPU
CPU: Core i7 920 $352
Intel Socket 1366pin DDR3 Motherboard: ASUS P6T-Deluxe $368
RAM: 4G DDR3 1600 Patriot-Viper $159
VIDEO: PowerColor Radeon HD5770 1GB Crossfire or dont up to you $193
POWER: CoolerMaster Silent Pro M500 $124
OPTICAL: Sony AD7240SGB 20X DVDRW Black OEM $ 39
STORAGE: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB WD5001AALS $ 72
CASE: CoolerMaster CM 690 with window $115
FLOPPY: 8 in 1 Internal USB Card Reader - Black $ 10
Monitor: AOC 2236VW 21.5in Widescreen LCD Monitor $179

Total $ 1611



so those are the two systems im thinking of, now ive also heard that AMD can use ram over 1333 even if i get 1600 is this true? and as you can see its about a 300-400 price difference but what do you guys recommend? do you think i can do better with my systems? also all prices are in Australian dollar ($AUD)

Ryan

 

[arges86]

I like the intel setup much better.
I've always been a fan of AMD (and my next cpu will be a Phenom Xii, but its an upgrade)
but the i7 is more bang for your buck @ your price range. W/ the X58 chipset on your motherboard, you can take full advantage of 2 top of the line graphics cards (although @ the moment thats a little overkill i think, for just one monitor).
double check your PSU requirements here
http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html
If your going w/ DDR3 memory i recommend 3 sticks of 2 GB each (anything over 6 GB isn't worth it yet).
if you go w/ the Intel, your CPU has been easily overclocked to nearly 4 Ghz on air cooling (just don't use the factory cooler, buy an aftermarket one).

other than that their both good builds and should be relevant systems for a long time

 

[hundredislandsboy]

Forego the Intel and use the Intel budget to upgrade your small monitor and then get the HD 5850 videocard. You'll get faster framerates with the AMD.

But if you're going to encode video or edit video, then get the Intel which the apps can task all of its 8 threads.

 

[MadAdmiral]

You would probably get the best available build if you were to post according to the guidelines from the link in my signature. If you gave us a budget and other preferences, we could put together a build that is much more specific to your needs...

BTW, those prices must be really old. Everything up there is a good 10-20% cheaper now, possibly more.