Intel or AMD?

[elmasloco]

I had these parts in mind. I did my best at trying to figure out compability. I also wanted to ask if this CPU would bottleneck the video card, I will be playing BF3. Or if the CPU is good at all for BF3 multiplayer without unlocking cores. And also, is the 1GB difference for the 6950 a big deal for 1080p? Now here is my first world problem...Should go with an i5 processor and get a cheaper video card, say a 6870 or go with this 960t 69501gb build? 800 is my max, and of course I won't mind spending less then this if you guys can come up with a rig that will run BF3 on high settings and 1920x1080. I had a rig in mind for a couple hundred less but it involved a i3 2100 and 6850 or 6870 and from what I understand multiplayer would be horrible without quad core. Also, would this be a bad time to buy all this stuff? Should I wait until after christmas or until new hardware comes out so prices go down. Thanks for any help and sorry if this is a hard read .

DVD burner: LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98B

Monitor: Acer S231HLbid Black 23" 5ms HDMI LED-Backlight LCD monitor Slim Design

MOBO: ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Video Card: GIGABYTE GV-R695OC-1GD Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16

PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified

Case: Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 960T Zosma 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W

RAM: PNY Optima 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)

Total: $793

 

[elmasloco]

Forgot to ask, is it possible to do a slight overclock and/or unlock cores on the stock cooler of this processor?
And more importantly, will I be able to do either of those things with that motherboard?

 

[elmasloco]

Anyone? I have run out of ideas...first build and I'm sure I'm doing something wrong or inefficient here.

 

[elmasloco]

Someone have any experiences with that CPU? Specifically with BF3?

 

[Guest]

Get an i5 and a nice Nvidia video card. More often than not, that is a winning combination.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130661
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131759
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

 

[elmasloco]

Thanks for the reply. 2 Questions, what is the benefit of having that $170 motherboard instead of a $100 motherboard? Say, this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128520

 

[Pinhedd]

That video card will run BF3 terrifically but I would suggest going with an i5/i7 over a Phenom II x4. It's a bit pricier but the extra performance is well worth it.

 

[elmasloco]

Are you referring to the video card greeneman510 suggested or the 6950? Because I definately can't get both a 6950 and an i5/i7 and stay within my budget. I guess the real question is, 6850 or 6870 and i5, or 6950 and an AMD processor under 150. Or an Nvidia card as greeneman510 suggested

 

[thesnappyfingers]

the 6950 and the 560 ti both are good gpus that perform very similarly.

I don't think your budget will allow for the typical i5-2500k go to gaming build, not when you have to buy a monitor as well, you could opt to use a tv for your monitor if that is an option to shuffle some funds around.

What is your budget?

 

[elmasloco]

$800 including monitor. Unless there is a comparable monitor for less than $130, the rest of the parts have to fit into $670. I know it's not that much for a "decent" system which is why I have been on newegg for hours trying to find combo "deals".

 

[thesnappyfingers]

sorry, your budget was in your first post, didn't see it, typically skim read.

I did not see a HDD either, so do you need one? b/c that is going to really hurt your budget at the moment due to Floods in Thailand.

Are you dead set on any of your components (mainly case)?

Also do you live next to a microcenter???

 

[elmasloco]

Fortunately, I won't be needing a HDD. Unfortunately I don't live near a Microcenter. I'm not set on any of my components. In fact, some of them I picked because they were part of a "combo" and they seemed good choices. I'm open to any suggestions.

 

[thesnappyfingers]

could not keep it under 670 with the i5 2500k,

total amounted to about 770.00 without rebates, roughly 730.00 with rebates. I also had to downgrade your gpu to a gtx 560 oc edition from gigabyte. if system dowgrades to a i5-2400 you would save an additional 30

sorry.

edit, i'll post it anyways. gpu was hypothetically purchased from tiger direct.

 

[elmasloco]

What do you recommend if not an i5 2500k? I mostly want this system for gaming, specifically Battlefield 3, nothing too fancy.

 

[thesnappyfingers]

Hopefully the link is not secured

2500k build

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=17950972

total is 556.94 before MIR, 486.94 after MIR.

GPU is from tigerdirect 200 before mir, 154.99 after mir and extra savings (coupon code) I personally own this gpu, and have no issues with it, would not be able to max out bf3, could most likely run it on high.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1284271&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=Es5Ekr9eEBk-yollqsyNtxkFJL9I2GyAt

total cost for i5 2500k build about 760.00 before all mir, about 650.00 after.

you could downgrade to an i5-2400k and save an additional 30 bucks.

 

[elmasloco]

Thanks for your help, but the first link took me to the log in page and I couldn't see the parts. Guess the link was secured

 

[value21]

If you cant afford to upgrade to 2500k build then dont bother. The performance to value is unmatch. Anything less and its just a waste of money at this point. New processors and video cards are coming very soon. Your better off waiting.

 

[thesnappyfingers]

how bout now

secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=17950972

 

[value21]

AMD phenoms Blackeditions processors were good value/options before sandy bridge arrived. But Now even the low end i3 sandy bridge puts those to shame.

 

[elmasloco]

Wait to get the new hardware or wait until current hardware prices go down due to new hardware? Because my budget ain't getting bigger. How much do prices normally drop with new stuff? I'm not going to wait half a year to get the 2500k for 180 instead of 220...

 

[elmasloco]

Yes, it works now thesnappyfingers. Thanks for the help. And value21, to my understanding, an i3 wouldn't perform very good with multiplayer in Battlefield 3. But my understanding is limited so I don't know. If I replaced the 2500k with an i3 and used the extra $100 or so to buy a 6950 or comparable video card there would be no change in performance? Because I don't mind having an i3 instead of and i5 if there is no change with current gaming. But if the i3 will bottleneck the system then no way.

 

[thesnappyfingers]

Elmasloco, christmas time might have some good deals, but I purchase my PC couple weeks before black friday and cyber monday and I didnt miss out on much. However, I shopped, and cherry picked for deals.

Price fluctuations are not that extreme.

 

[value21]

Your better off getting a sandy bridge i3 then. When the time comes you could just buy the 2500k to upgrade. That cpu is going to be great for years to come.

 

[buu11235]

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.63 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 PRO3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 6950 1GB Video Card ($235.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.82 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Acer V213HBJbd 21.5" Monitor ($123.46 @ Amazon)
Total: $804.84
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

This is the best I could come up with. I'm not sure how good the motherboard is. The price is also $840 if you can't get to all the best outlets.

If you go with a 6870, it's this.

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.63 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 PRO3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.82 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Acer V213HBJbd 21.5" Monitor ($123.46 @ Amazon)
Total: $708.84
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-12-11 02:53 EST-0500)

$745 if you can't find the right outlets.

 

[value21]

Basically for your gaming needs for BF3 at 1080 i or 1900x1020. A i3 with a 560 ti playing on medium detail would run very smoothly. PS 560 ti is cheaper than 6950 and almost as fast.