New build - AMD or Intel

[MarkUK68]

Hello and welcome to my first post here

My AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 1.5GB RAM, GeForce 6200TC system has served me well in the four years I've had it.
But it's time to move on (and up).

I'll outline my computing needs below:

Image editing from my digital photography: I'll mostly be using Nikon's Capture NX 2 software.
Music composition: I use FL Studio for this.
Games: Mostly I do Flight Simulator 2004 (aka fs9). I'd like to get FSX if I can run it 'well'. Other games I intend to play are RPG's like Fallout/Oblivion. My old favorite Operation Flashpoint - and by logical extension Arma II. I'll probably get Crysis too.
Audio/Video editing and encoding: I use Audacity, WinFF, Avidemux, etc (basically well known Open Source software).
Office: Usually Openofficeorg, but I may purchase Office Professional Academic 2010.
Mathematics software: I use Mathematica (very old 3.0 version) and Maple (currently version 12).
3D: Blender, Povray.
Programming: Visual Studio 2010 Professional and some smaller tools.

The above is pretty much in order of importance.

I cannot imagine I would ever go for SLI/Crossfire. Nor do I plan to do any extreme overclocking.
I will be installing Windows 7 Professional 64-bit and some flavour of Linux/BSD.

I have a budget of about 800GBP.
I'll likely start with 4BG RAM (to be increased to 6 or 8 later) and an ATI HD 5770 (which seems a decent card for the price - about 150GBP).

So I'm really finding it hard deciding on which CPU to go with.

I think I've narrowed it down to:
Intel i5-750 or i7-860
AMD Phenom II x6 1055T

I like the Intel's because they have the edge in most tasks. They seem to have a clear edge in gaming.
I don't know how important/beneficial Hyperthreading is to me.
But the AMD comes with 6 cores which might give it an edge in some applications.
(Actually, the only reviews I've seen where the Phenom has a clear advantage - an only in video encoding - are here, and here).
I don't know what upgrade path I have with Socket 1156, whereas with AM3 there is Bulldozer (although I don't know for a fact if Bulldozer will support AM3).

So based in my needs outlined above, which CPU would you recommend for me?
Thanks.
Mark

 

[MarkUK68]

Hmm...I can't seem to edit my own message.
Anyway - maybe hyperthreading isn't that big of a deal.

 

[Emperus]

It looks like gaming is your secondary concern.. Since you can afford an i7 860, better get the i7 930 (Intel) or the Phenom II X6 1090T (AMD) and build accordingly.. Any preferred website for getting the parts??

 

[MarkUK68]

It looks like gaming is your secondary concern.. Since you can afford an i7 860, better get the i7 930 (Intel) or the Phenom II X6 1090T (AMD) and build accordingly.. Any preferred website for getting the parts??

Wow thanks! They differ in price by only 14GBP.
I usually get my stuff from www.ebuyer.com

What puts me off a is the price of the X58 boards.
This is the cheapest.
Would I have to use triple channel memory for the X58 boards?
[EDIT] Answer - no. I just checked on the Asus site.

 

[mruk10]

Don't forget that the 930 uses more power than the 860 (130W vs 95W).
The Phenom have much cheaper boards if that's a concern (as do the socket 1156 CPU's).
The only major downside to the 860 is the lowering of PCIe from x16 to x8 if you SLI/crossfire. You said that you won't, but just keep it in mind.
Also, from AMD, don't discount the 1055T.
But in reality, as you research has shown, AMD cannot match Intel overall.

 

[Emperus]

Its old but a good motherboard for a X58 build.. If you can afford to spend a little extra, i'll recommend this -
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/195331

 

[MarkUK68]

Its old but a good motherboard for a X58 build.. If you can afford to spend a little extra, i'll recommend this -
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/195331

Well with that board, the i7-930, 6GB, the 5770, an HDD and optical I'm already up to 750GBP
Add a case/PSU and it's getting almost 100GBP beyond budget

 

[Emperus]

How about an AMD build then..??

 

[MarkUK68]

How about an AMD build then..??

I'll start with this board
With HDD, 4GB, DVDRW, case and PSU
I'm up to 500GBP.
So I can add the 1055T at 160 or the 1090T BE at 240 and still be within budget
That sounds pretty sweet!
I'll think about it and let you know.
Thanks.

 

[simon12]

Great choice you even have Crossfire option in the future even though you don't want it you won't get that by accident with intel.

 

[Emperus]

I've a list ready for.. Find some time and give a look at this -

ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 890GX Socket AM3 DVI VGA HDMI Out 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/198314

AMD Phenom II X6 Black Edition 1090T 3.2GHz 9MB Cache 125W Retail Box Processor
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/204933

G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw Memory Kit CL7(7-8-7-24) 1.65V
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/180490

LiteOn iHAS324 24x DVD±RW SATA DL & RAM Internal SATA Black Bare Drive - OEM
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/190838

HIS HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 DVI HDMI Display Port Out PCI-E Graphics Card
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/191864

Antec 300 Three Hundred Case
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143854

XFX 650W XXX Edition Single Rail Modular PSU
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/191826

Samsung HD103SJ Spinpoint F3 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173804

 

[marshan10]

Hey Mark
Go with AMD and the 1090T. The 1055 is too budget and doesn't o/c as well.
Those 6 cores will make your 3D and encoding a breeze.
Games will take a minor hit - like a few fps OMG NO! LOL.
Honestly, my 1090T rig and my mates i7 920 rig are so close in games theres no debate.
But in apps like you use - the 1090T owns his Int£l.

 

[MarkUK68]

I've a list ready for.. Find some time and give a look at this -(snipped)

Thanks. That looks pretty good. I'll likely go with that setup, but I have 2 questions.
First question:
I see that with that motherboard, the GPU has to be in the lower PCI-e slot. Now I'll be adding a PCI sound card, which I guess will go in one of the slots below the GPU. Then of course there is the PSU intake fan, which will be facing upwards (as per the Antec manual instructions). So that's two fans, one intake and one outtake with a sound card in between. That's getting pretty crowded, so is that OK with regards to airflow?

Last question:
The Antec case can take 3 additional fans (two front and one side). So that will be 6 in all! I've had a look at the Asus motherboard manual and I'm struggling to see how I can connect all 6 fans (if I choose to use all 6 - but why wouldn't I?).
So can I connect all 6?

Mark.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

I was in your situation a couple of months ago as I needed more CPU power for my photo/video editing.

I went with the 1055T and couldn't be happier, stays cool while overclocked to 3.2 Ghz and pretty much exceeded my expectations. Best part I saved huge chunk of cash on the mobo and CPU... had I gone Intel I's have buyer's remorse.

 

[MarkUK68]

I was in your situation a couple of months ago as I needed more CPU power for my photo/video editing.

I went with the 1055T and couldn't be happier, stays cool while overclocked to 3.2 Ghz and pretty much exceeded my expectations. Best part I saved huge chunk of cash on the mobo and CPU... had I gone Intel I's have buyer's remorse.

LOL! I hear you

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

Hey Mark
Go with AMD and the 1090T. The 1055 is too budget and doesn't o/c as well.
Those 6 cores will make your 3D and encoding a breeze.
Games will take a minor hit - like a few fps OMG NO! LOL.
Honestly, my 1090T rig and my mates i7 920 rig are so close in games theres no debate.
But in apps like you use - the 1090T owns his Int£l.

Oh really.

Could you post us this "ownage"?

In reality.. in apps.. they're reality no different (about the same difference as in gaming).

There is no pwning either way.

Now if both are running the same clocks.. the Core i7 architecture is faster in nearly every single application (games or multi-threaded apps).

Yep.

 

[Emperus]

Thanks. That looks pretty good. I'll likely go with that setup, but I have 2 questions.
First question:
I see that with that motherboard, the GPU has to be in the lower PCI-e slot. Now I'll be adding a PCI sound card, which I guess will go in one of the slots below the GPU. Then of course there is the PSU intake fan, which will be facing upwards (as per the Antec manual instructions). So that's two fans, one intake and one outtake with a sound card in between. That's getting pretty crowded, so is that OK with regards to airflow?

Last question:
The Antec case can take 3 additional fans (two front and one side). So that will be 6 in all! I've had a look at the Asus motherboard manual and I'm struggling to see how I can connect all 6 fans (if I choose to use all 6 - but why wouldn't I?).
So can I connect all 6?

Mark.

My bad, i dint looked into it (and dint knew that you have a PCI sound card to connect also).. Replace the motherboard by the one below.. It misses your budget limit by a very tight margin.. But its an excellent motherboard..

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/218919

 

[MarkUK68]

Oh really.

Could you post us this "ownage"?

In reality.. in apps.. they're reality no different (about the same difference as in gaming).

There is no pwning either way.

Now if both are running the same clocks.. the Core i7 architecture is faster in nearly every single application (games or multi-threaded apps).

Yep.

LOL! Of course he can't post anything. That sort never can. I mean, seriously 'Int£l'

Anyway, I went with the 1090T:

Item: AMD Phenom II X6 Black Edition 1090T 3.2GHz 9MB Cache 125W Retail Box Processor - Qty: 1
Item: G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw Memory Kit CL7(7-8-7-24) 1.65V - Qty: 1
Item: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache - OEM - Qty: 1
Item: LiteOn IHAS124-19 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM SATA - OEM Black - Qty: 1
Item: Xilence Red Wing 120mm Quiet Fan - 3&4pin connection - Qty: 3
Item: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound Thermal paste 3.5gram - Qty: 1
Item: Antec 300 Three Hundred Case - Qty: 1
Item: XFX 650W XXX Edition Single Rail Modular PSU - 13.5cm Fan 6x SATA 4x PCI-E - Qty: 1
Item: XFX HD 5770 850MHz 1GB DDR5 HDMI Dual DVI Display Port PCI-E Graphics Card With Assassins Creed Game - Qty: 1
Item: ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 890GX Socket AM3 DVI VGA HDMI Out 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard - Qty: 1

It should arrive tomorrow.
Thanks for the help.
Mark.

 

[mosox]

Photo editing? Get a quad like the Phenom II 955/956.

Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 870

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition

G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw

Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB

Asus HD 5850 DirectCU 1GB GDDR5

XFX 650W XXX Edition

Thermaltake V9 or whatever

Your current DVD-RW.

£738.17

Optional: Aftermarket HSF.

In the video editing it will be like 20% slower and that's an additional 12'/hour. It will fly in everything else you said.

 

[MarkUK68]

My bad, i dint looked into it (and dint knew that you have a PCI sound card to connect also).. Replace the motherboard by the one below.. It misses your budget limit by a very tight margin.. But its an excellent motherboard..

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/218919

I only just saw your post
It's too late now, as I've gone with the Asus.
I'll try the onboard audio. If things don't work out I can always add a firewire or USB sound device later...actually much later coz now I'm broke
Thanks for your help.
Mark.

 

[MarkUK68]

Photo editing? Get a quad like the Phenom II 955/956.

Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 870

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition

G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw

Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB

Asus HD 5850 DirectCU 1GB GDDR5

XFX 650W XXX Edition

Thermaltake V9 or whatever

Your current DVD-RW.

£738.17

Optional: Aftermarket HSF.

In the video editing it will be like 20% slower and that's an additional 12'/hour. It will fly in everything else you said.

I feel bad now because I've missed some messages and it's too late as I've placed my order.
Ah well. I'm sure I'll be happy with what I've bought.
Mark.

 

[Emperus]

I only just saw your post
It's too late now, as I've gone with the Asus.
I'll try the onboard audio. If things don't work out I can always add a firewire or USB sound device later...actually much later coz now I'm broke
Thanks for your help.
Mark.

Hey don't bother.. That Asus motherboard is excellent.. And the sound card too will fit nicely.. There won't be any heating issues because video cards nowadays dissipate heat towards the back and not the front.. A pointer though.. I think the Antec 300 is quite efficient with the stock fans (my current Antec case keeps my 4870 cool with a single 120mm rear fan).. So you need not put in more fans.. Also, HD 5770 plenty cool to require any extravagant cooling from outside.. At the max, you might want to put a front fan..

P.S. - I am sure you are going to enjoy the build..

 

[ElMoIsEviL]

I only just saw your post
It's too late now, as I've gone with the Asus.
I'll try the onboard audio. If things don't work out I can always add a firewire or USB sound device later...actually much later coz now I'm broke
Thanks for your help.
Mark.

I personally wouldn't go for Firewire or USB sound.

There are some nice cards from Auzentech and Asus which use the PCIe slot. Lower latency and overall less demanding on system resources imho.

My personal favorite candidate would be the Auzentech Forte 7.1 PCIe Sound Card... not too expensive and has support for nearly every single sound engine available.

 

[MarkUK68]

Ah joy of joys
The system is built and althoug I've never builtone before it went well.
I feared the Samsung spinpoint was DOA, but there seems to be an issue with it and my motherboard. A quick BIOS adjustment sorted it all out.

Wow, is this thing fast though! It tears through batch processing NEF (that's Nikon's proprietary RAW format) to JPEGS, and the flightsim performance is way beyond my dreams.

Sadly, my old soundcard didn't fair so well. It's not really any better than the on board, so I'll do with that for now, then save up and get something nice for a PCIe slot, as ElMoIsEviL suggested.

So I'm chuffed to bits with my new 'toy' and once again, thanks to you all for your time and help.
Mark.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

"chuffed to bits"?

Lol...., you must be on that side of the pond then.