Yup, another one of those PC threads.

[Crowley]

Oqe so here's the deal. I'm buying a new computer really soon and need some help deciding on what to get.

I've already posted in another thread what I was planning to get:

Spoiler!

Motherboard: Asus Crosshair V Formula
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T @ 3.3GHz
Memory: 12GB DDR3-1600
Video card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6970 x2

But after some thinking I kinda wanna go with something else. If you have any suggestions please do tell me and if you wanna be really helpful go to this website http://www.ascent.co.nz and use the pc builder. My budget is around $4000 (that's NZ dollars, not your fancy USD) but I would probably spend a maximum of $4,500 but that's including keyboard, monitor, speakers and shit. You need an account to use the pc builder so just log on with this

Spoiler!

ID: the-vagabond@live.com
PW: tasdikisugly

[[SD]Twysta]

Why phenom? Intel is so much ahead it's not even funny.

Also 12 GB of ram? You will never use 8 most likely, no matter what you do. Unless you want to run 3 games at the same time, you won't go over 8.

Not sure about the motherboard but it sounds very high-end and expensive. Do you really need that? Compare different versions of motherboards so you know what you're paying the extra $50, or $20 for.

[Crowley]

Why phenom? Intel is so much ahead it's not even funny.

Also 12 GB of ram? You will never use 8 most likely, no matter what you do. Unless you want to run 3 games at the same time, you won't go over 8.

Not sure about the motherboard but it sounds very high-end and expensive. Do you really need that? Compare different versions of motherboards so you know what you're paying the extra $50, or $20 for.

Yeah that's why I was having second thoughts. I've always gone with Intel up to now but the low price of AMD is really attracting me. And after doing some research it still looks like Intel is the way to go.

Getting 12 GB because it literally costs like an extra $20. Yeah thanks, guess I'll go look at some Intel mobo's and use the compare option.

[Macsnow]

Yeah, go Intel since AMD is nothing but crap when compared. As said, I'd get 8GB of RAM since more is unnecessary (in any case, I'd go for better RAM instead of more of it) and also save money on the mobo, put towards a nice SLI or a very good single GPU...

[Key-J]

I always thought that the whole Intel / AMD thing was a Coke:Pepsi thing.

I mean, sure the AMD price is an attraction, but what is it about Intel that makes it just that much more worth it?

[poehalcho]

I always thought that the whole Intel / AMD thing was a Coke:Pepsi thing.

I mean, sure the AMD price is an attraction, but what is it about Intel that makes it just that much more worth it?

indeed?

I'm using the cheapest quadcore amd and I've never even gone over 40%. I do play modern games.
Overall processors have never caused any problems in my games and my experience tells me I don't need anything particularly powerful. Graphic cards on the other hand....... >____________>

[Crowley]

I always thought that the whole Intel / AMD thing was a Coke:Pepsi thing.

I mean, sure the AMD price is an attraction, but what is it about Intel that makes it just that much more worth it?

The way I see it there must be a reason why Intel is more expensive. But iunno, the AMD 8 core is cheaper than an i7 (I know 8 core is pointless but still...)

Been looking around a bit more and came up with this

Spoiler!

Ended up going with 8GB of ram. Saving those extra $20 for porn.

Any thoughts?

[LillDev!l]

I always thought that the whole Intel / AMD thing was a Coke:Pepsi thing.

I mean, sure the AMD price is an attraction, but what is it about Intel that makes it just that much more worth it?

indeed?

I'm using the cheapest quadcore amd and I've never even gone over 40%. I do play modern games.
Overall processors have never caused any problems in my games and my experience tells me I don't need anything particularly powerful. Graphic cards on the other hand....... >____________>

Are you sure you're looking at your CPU / the modern games part?
I'm using an Intel i5 760, slightly overclocked, mine loads upto 90% ish sometimes when for example loading a map on mw3.
Perhaps you don't actually check your CPU while gaming? (as i do through my keyboard LCD).

[EvGa]

Load % means nothing when talking about performance... if the Intel is at 90% usage during your game, but outperforms the AMD that is only using 50% of its resources or vice versa with the intel at 40 and amd at 90... so what? the intel stil outperforms the AMD. But that's unrelated to the OP... I digress.

Tsume, you haven't really said what you want to do with this machine. Why do you want/need more cores? If you don't need 8 cores I would definitely opt for a fewer-core intel model that outperforms the octo or hex core AMD (in gaming). But then again, if price is a concern... AMD packs decent punch given what you spend.

If gaming go with the Intel setup.

[Hapjap]

i have an AMD my roommate runs intel. imo if they're in the same price range the amd will be bit cheaper with almost no performance different.

the motherboard is overpriced. stick with it only ifin the future you think you will be upgrading parts often . mobos are a bitch if they are the bottleneck.

[Gaigemasta]

I don't get people sometimes, they're willing to spend a huge amount of money on everything but ram! I mean ffs its only $40-60 for 8gb, and getting "high performance" ram doesn't make it faster! you send around $100 and have 16gb of ram and be ready for the "future." Ram is dirt cheap so get as much as your motherboard supports! (Typically AMD boards support 32gb of ram even though they say less.) Also I don't see why people get the 1100t...it's the same as the 1090t with just a slightly higher clock speed.....

All I have to say if you have $3457.80 to spend....go intel and cfx those 6970s

[Hapjap]

I don't get people sometimes, they're willing to spend a huge amount of money on everything but ram! I mean ffs its only $40-60 for 8gb, and getting "high performance" ram doesn't make it faster! you send around $100 and have 16gb of ram and be ready for the "future." Ram is dirt cheap so get as much as your motherboard supports! (Typically AMD boards support 32gb of ram even though they say less.) Also I don't see why people get the 1100t...it's the same as the 1090t with just a slightly higher clock speed.....

All I have to say if you have $4500 to spend....go intel and cfx those 6970s

nz dollars...

[Crowley]

I don't get people sometimes, they're willing to spend a huge amount of money on everything but ram! I mean ffs its only $40-60 for 8gb, and getting "high performance" ram doesn't make it faster! you send around $100 and have 16gb of ram and be ready for the "future." Ram is dirt cheap so get as much as your motherboard supports! (Typically AMD boards support 32gb of ram even though they say less.) Also I don't see why people get the 1100t...it's the same as the 1090t with just a slightly higher clock speed.....

All I have to say if you have $4500 to spend....go intel and cfx those 6970s

nz dollars...

Yup, my money is worth less and things are more expensive here because everything is imported. But the 2nd build I posted is Intel with crossfire 6970s and still within my price range. And I could still throw in an extra 4, possibly 8gb of ram as Gaige suggested.

i have an AMD my roommate runs intel. imo if they're in the same price range the amd will be bit cheaper with almost no performance different.

the motherboard is overpriced. stick with it only ifin the future you think you will be upgrading parts often . mobos are a bitch if they are the bottleneck.

This is why I'm so torn between the two. If there really isn't that much of a difference in performance, I'd rather go AMD and save that $200-300.

[Azilius]

i have an AMD my roommate runs intel. imo if they're in the same price range the amd will be bit cheaper with almost no performance different.

the motherboard is overpriced. stick with it only ifin the future you think you will be upgrading parts often . mobos are a bitch if they are the bottleneck.

This makes almost no sense..

performance difference is based on benchmarks as it's more or less the only way to test performance properly (even then it has its limits). In "equivalent" generations for CPU's of intel and AMD, intel has been scoring higher on benchmarks for a very long time. In fact the new bulldozer AMD line gets destroyed by intel equivalents..

And for your second half..motherboards don't (read: very rarely and in very weird situations) bottleneck computers. It's not overpriced, it's an enthusiast motherboard with many more features than lower end motherboards. That being said, if he's asking for advice on a computer build he likely doesn't need those features..

[Toshiharu]

I always thought that the whole Intel / AMD thing was a Coke:Pepsi thing.

I mean, sure the AMD price is an attraction, but what is it about Intel that makes it just that much more worth it?

I remember reading somewhere that the sandy bridge was just far greater than their new bulldozer series that is supposed to fight back and be just as good. Reason why between the two? I don't know. I haven't really kept up between the two for years.

This is why I'm so torn between the two. If there really isn't that much of a difference in performance, I'd rather go AMD and save that $200-300.

Save $200? what. 2500k is like $220. Stop exaggerating.

Anyhow I'm just going to post this in every thread I see now.

Spoiler!

Could always wait til the Ivy bridge, but that is a long time away.

The way I see it there must be a reason why Intel is more expensive. But iunno, the AMD 8 core is cheaper than an i7 (I know 8 core is pointless but still...)

Well video games won't use all 8 cores. I don't know about other things. I guess googling can find out.

[Key-J]

Scanned over the comparison chart you posted, looks awesome. Will definitely study it as im just buying a comp now.

Maybe i will see something in there that changes my mind.

Thanks

[Majorharper]

My 2 cents

[Avalanche]

No matter what you do - get a nVidia card.

[Gaigemasta]

Really? a 56k Modem, and an extra ethernet card? unless there is a specific reason for it.....


second of all WTF IM TRYING TO POST AND THE PAGE 404s -_-"

[MrTwilliger]

$1000 for the GPU? Wow, poor NZ people

I suggest you have a read over that chart that Toshiharu posted, it helped me out a great deal when I built my PC a few days ago and saved me a lot of money on parts I didn't need. Also, I'd greatly suggest something other than the Razer keyboard & mouse. They are so expensive for you, is a gaming keyboard & mouse really worth $500? Perhaps a cheaper alternative, like the Logitech G series, is a bit of a better option. (With that said I'm a big fan of Razer products, I have the Razer Megladon and a Razer mouse and love them to bits).

[Crowley]

$1000 for the GPU? Wow, poor NZ people

I suggest you have a read over that chart that Toshiharu posted, it helped me out a great deal when I built my PC a few days ago and saved me a lot of money on parts I didn't need. Also, I'd greatly suggest something other than the Razer keyboard & mouse. They are so expensive for you, is a gaming keyboard & mouse really worth $500? Perhaps a cheaper alternative, like the Logitech G series, is a bit of a better option. (With that said I'm a big fan of Razer products, I have the Razer Megladon and a Razer mouse and love them to bits).

Yup the prices suck. But nvidia is slightly more expensive than ATI. Not that ATI is cheap, something like $1300 for the 6990. And after looking at benchmarks and reviews and shit I think that cf 6970s it the way to go. They're very highly rated on that chart and compared to a 6990, it's about $100 less and performs better. As for the keyboard and mouse, I'm rocking Logitech atm. The mouse is G500 and forgot what the keyboard is, it's all curvy and shit though.

Really? a 56k Modem, and an extra ethernet card? unless there is a specific reason for it.....


second of all WTF IM TRYING TO POST AND THE PAGE 404s -_-"

Yeah I didn't get that either? Why get that extra stuff?

No matter what you do - get a nVidia card.

Do explain.

Save $200? what. 2500k is like $220. Stop exaggerating.

Well actually the 2500k is around $350 and the 2700k $566. The latest i7 models are $1000-1600.

And thanks for posting the chart, I'm definitely aiming for Exceptional or above

[Avalanche]

nVidia cards are more supported in games and drivers are released more often. My friend opted for the Radeon card because it was cheaper, and he regrets it. He has some graphics problems in games where I don't. Like in SWTOR holograms didn't even work for him, at all. Also nVidia releases performance updates for games like RAGE which looked like sh!t on the pc, but was decent with the nVidia beta driver.

[Majorharper]

My bad I must have pressed the wrong choice these choices and lines way too many and way too small hahahaa

[Toshiharu]

Save $200? what. 2500k is like $220. Stop exaggerating.

Well actually the 2500k is around $350 and the 2700k $566. The latest i7 models are $1000-1600.

And thanks for posting the chart, I'm definitely aiming for Exceptional or above

Sorry I don't know New Zealand's prices, but i5 2500k and i7 2600k are $100 price difference basically just for hyperthreading. Latest models then sure it'll be more expensive. There is a reason why the 2500k is used throughout that chart and used in many computer builds. It's cheap and a very efficient processor. Step it up to i7 equivalent if you're going to use HT if it's just for gaming and basic needs then don't bother.

[Obsidian]

@Tsume
Everything looks good, the only thing I would change would be the keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are simply awesome.
Look into Deck, Das keyboard, Leopold, Filco, etc.

Also, ATI is coming out with the 28nm 7970 Q1 2012, ATI claims each card is as powerful as the 6990 [dual core]
Might be worth waiting a couple months for.

Aside from that the build looks great.

[Ger_slayer]

I always thought that the whole Intel / AMD thing was a Coke:Pepsi thing.

I mean, sure the AMD price is an attraction, but what is it about Intel that makes it just that much more worth it?

The way I see it there must be a reason why Intel is more expensive. But iunno, the AMD 8 core is cheaper than an i7 (I know 8 core is pointless but still...)

Been looking around a bit more and came up with this

Spoiler!

Ended up going with 8GB of ram. Saving those extra $20 for porn.

Any thoughts?

U need a foppy drive man

[Crowley]

^ I'm afraid I just can't afford a floppy drive

Spoiler!

@Tsume
Everything looks good, the only thing I would change would be the keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are simply awesome.
Look into Deck, Das keyboard, Leopold, Filco, etc.

Also, ATI is coming out with the 28nm 7970 Q1 2012, ATI claims each card is as powerful as the 6990 [dual core]
Might be worth waiting a couple months for.

Aside from that the build looks great.

I was thinking either the TRON keyboard or BlackWidow. I searched up some of the ones you suggested but can't find any retailers that sell them in NZ, and international shipping costs too much. And besides, apparently mechanical keyboards are really loud and that's a no-no. As for the card, I might actually end up waiting depending on when I get the money. If I get it this year I'll go ahead and buy it but if I get the monies next year I might actually wait for Ivy Bridge and new GPUs.

[Obsidian]

I can agree with that, a mech keyboard without o-rings sounds like a typewriter. I do enjoy the sound of it though.

As for the CPU/GPU I'm in the same boat, I was going to go for SLI GTX 580s for BF3 but all this new tech is coming out so I'm putting it on hold. Especially since nothing is really out requires that much power currently.
The only problem you may have with that build is the ATI drivers, a lot of people have been having trouble with them lately, especially in XF.

If you're going to be using the PC for gaming and normal use I'd get a 2500k, and get a 64-128GB SSD with the extra money for boot and faster game loads. The only time you'd really see a difference between the 2600k is during video editing/encoding and heavy CPU based programs in general such as Sony Vegas or Photoshop.

Edit: I just noticed that a single 580 is $995 and that an i7 2600k is $501.

[[SD]Twysta]

Obsidian's advice is good. With the keyboards as well. The keyboards he mentioned are by far better for your money than some of the mechanical keyboards that are sold by the familiar brands these days. Most of those are just really bad...

In my opinion even the 2500k is too strong for a gamer that doesn't use it's full power through rendering and such things. I mean if I could go back in time 2-3 years I would not have bought this i7 simply because it's too strong for what I do with it. It's a waste of money essentially and if I could go back in time I would've gone with a high end dual core with just about 1 GHz more (stock) speed per core.

I'm personally using the Zowie Celeritas keyboard now (cherry mx brown switches) and I love it. It feels absolutely amazing and it has great feedback. No audible keys so it sounds great too. Another keyboard I'd recommend looking into is the new Corair one, the Corsair k60 or k90. The k90 has macro keys if you wish to have those. They have mx red switches and come with a wrist support. That wrist support was important for me because I actually have my entire arm on my desk (from the elbow).

I looked into keyboards for ages and I did a ton of research. I always came back to the Filco, the k60 and Das Keyboard in that order. None of them are sold where I live so I ended up going with this Zowie Celeritas and only one shop in holland sells it. One store!!