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Help choosing between two setups

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So I'm going to build a gaming rig, but I want to know which one would be a better buy; I need them within same price.
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Amd:
G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Ripjaws X Series (1600 MHz)

Cooler Master HAF 912

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W

ASRock 970 EXTREME3

AMD Phenom II X4 965

Cooler Master Computer Case Cooling R4-LUS-07AR-GP

Cooler Master 120mm Red LED Case Fan

Bgears b-Blaster 120mm (2)

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6870
(about 611 total amazon)
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Intel:

Cooler Master 120mm (4 in 1 pack)

Corsair Builder Series CX V2 430-Watt

Cooler Master HAF 912

Corsair Vengeance Blue 4 GB

Cooler Master Hyper 212

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850

ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3

Intel Core i5-2500K
(628)
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I included the fans just for price comparison. I need to know which one is better. Give me your honest opinion please.

More about : choosing setups

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What's your budget? I would definitely go with the Intel build over the AMD build but I wouldn't trust either PSU you picked out. You don't need the extra fans as the 120mm ones won't improve your air flow at all.
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64bitgenius said:
My budget is 630 dollars. Amazon puts discounts on a lot of items, so it helps me out.
Edit: WOW. I could not have thought of that.


Yeah before you pick parts for an air cooled PC I'd heavily suggest reading this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-hea...

It's saved me on more than a few occasions.

For a ~$650 build here's what I would suggest:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 - $59.99
PSU: Corsair CX600 V2 - $69.99 ($20.00 MIR)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77X-DS3H - $99.99
CPU: 3.3GHz Intel Core i3-2120 - $129.99
RAM: 8GB G.Skill Ripjaw X 1600MHz 1.5V - $46.99
HD: Seagate SV35 Series ST3500411SV 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $89.99
Optical: Lite On DVD Burner - $17.99
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 - $149.99 ($15.00 MIR)

Total: $659.92 - $30.00 MIR = $629.92

To answer your question, they are somewhat comparable.
The graphics cards are the real engine of gaming.
In this case, the 6870 is slightly stronger than the 6850.
But, the 2500K is considerably stronger than the X4 965.

Here is an article which compares sub $200 gaming cpu's.
It shows the i3-2120 to be a very capable gaming chip.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-cor...

Spending less on the cpu and more on the graphics card will result in better gaming.

Look for a GTX560ti, or a 7850 for a stronger graphics card, and better gaming balance.

You can save a bit on the case with a Antec 300 illusion model. It comes with all the fans you need, and free shipping.
$50 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

geofelt said:
To answer your question, they are somewhat comparable.
The graphics cards are the real engine of gaming.
In this case, the 6870 is slightly stronger than the 6850.
But, the 2500K is considerably stronger than the X4 965.

Here is an article which compares sub $200 gaming cpu's.
It shows the i3-2120 to be a very capable gaming chip.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-cor...

Spending less on the cpu and more on the graphics card will result in better gaming.

Look for a GTX560ti, or a 7850 for a stronger graphics card, and better gaming balance.

You can save a bit on the case with a Antec 300 illusion model. It comes with all the fans you need, and free shipping.
$50 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


I definitely agree about the GPU but on a $650 budget the 560TI and 7850 aren't obtainable. If the budget were increased a quad core and 7850 would be easily recommended.

ug. I'm stuck on either the i3-2120, or the amd phenom II x4 965. I wish they would make a processor that has 4 cores, AND the performance of the i3, for about the same price.

Edit: I got the phenom build a 7850 OC edition, but with decreasing the ram by 4 gigs, is it worth it?
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