Help me! - Building a Computer, cannot decide which rig

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hachamalele

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Ive decided to build a computer. This is my first time, and I've made two lists, both totalling between 1890-1920 $ NZD. I can't decide which one to buy. I will be using it for everyday internet, homework, gaming (such as COD : MWII) and it'll get a lot of use, 5 hours a day at minimum.
So here are the lists:

i5 750 build

CPU - Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket 1156 Box $323.46
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 $176.63
PSU - Corsair CMPSU-650HX 650W $200.54
RAM - Kingston HyperX DDR3 PC12800/1600MHz CL8 2x2GB $232.62
GPU - Gigabyte Radeon HD4890 Dual-DVI 1GB $285.20
Tower - Antec Three Hundred (Black) $101.80
SSD HDD - Intel X25-V G2 40GB $199.00
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 32MB 500GB $88.82
Optical Drive - Lite-On iHAS324 $38.49
Monitor - ViewSonic VX2233wm 22" $244.96
Total: $1,892.00

i7 930 build

CPU - Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz Socket 1366 Box $477.27
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R $279.00
PSU - Corsair CMPSU-750HX 750W $259.85
RAM - Corsair XMS3 Twin3X DDR3 PC10600/1333MHz CL9 2x2GB $195.53
GPU - PowerColor Radeon HD4870 Dual-DVI 512MB $223.88
Tower - Cooler Master Elite 360 (Black) $97.43
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 32MB 640GB $109.55
Optical Drive - Lite-On iHAS324 $38.49
Monitor - ViewSonic VX2233wm $244.96
Total: $1,926.00

So, which one should I choose? Any alterations / opinions would be most welcome. THanks heaps.
 
I gather you got your costings through PriceSpy.
I doubt you would be able to source either card for those prices (E-infotech has a refurb for $197- probably curbside warranty). CBC has a HD 5770 for $268, or a HD 4870 512Mb from Techmasters for $235- no guarantee there either since they seem to have a record of the old bait-and-switch routine.
I'd check out Trade Me. You would likely pick up a HD 4890/GTX 260/275 for around $230-260 dependant upon how much warranty is outstanding.
From a gaming/general purpose standpoint there wouldn't be much between the P55 and X58- I'd probably go with the P55, but probably with a P55-USB3 ($221) for a better feature set including USB 3.0

Depending on what (if any) more advanced tasks the system will be used for -(i.e. video, music, graphics etc) then this comparison that includes both the 930 and 750 could come in handy for a quick reference.

All the other componentry looks like a good fit.
 
Fellow NZer =D

So then which graphics card would you suggest? 4870/4890?
And also, overall would you choose i7 or i5? It seems the more I ask, the more I get confused.. >_>
 
Fellow NZer =D

So then which graphics card would you suggest? 4870/4890?
And also, overall would you choose i7 or i5? It seems the more I ask, the more I get confused.. >_>
 
Dude, get the i7 for sure, it'll be better if you decide to upgrade components at a later time.
Btw I'm not sure about the psu price it looks a little overpriced.
 
I don't know about those prices, but I like the i5 build much more.

Dude, get the i7 for sure, it'll be better if you decide to upgrade components at a later time.
Click to expand...
Not really...and the i5 comes with an SSD, well worth it.
I don't know if you can customize them, but that would be great if you could get a 5770 instead, or even a 5850.
 
I second HK. The i5 build for me considering the other components.

The HD 4890 is better than the HD 4870. However, I would try to get the HD 5830 instead of the 4890 if possible.
 
hachamalele said:
Fellow NZer =D

So then which graphics card would you suggest? 4870/4890?
And also, overall would you choose i7 or i5? It seems the more I ask, the more I get confused.. >_>
Click to expand...

The Core i5 750 is plenty. Going to the X58 probably isn't going to net you too much more when it comes to performance. I would probably look at investing the same amount of cash that you were going to plunk down on the X58 on a feature -rich P55 board (this coming from someone who has an X58 setup)- such as this Gigabyte P55A-UD4 ($289 inc shipping)- or $233 for the UD3 (slightly worse audio codec, second video card likely to interfere with SATA sockets), or the P55-USB3 budget version I outlined earlier if you want to save a few extra bucks.
The Corsair 650w is plenty for a single card of any type.
The 4890 is the better card, although it's not greatly better than the 1Gb version of the 4870 (such as this). BTW the 4890 gives comparable performance to the 5830 (cheapest NZ price $409 !).
As hellokitty mentioned, the 5770 could make a reasonable alternative ($253), with the option of adding a second card in future which would give similar performance to a 5870 ($600 approx.) at your intended gaming resolution (1920x1080).
 
CPU - Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket 1156 Box $323.46
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-P55-USB3 $214.72
PSU - Corsair CMPSU-650HX 650W $200.54
RAM - Kingston HyperX DDR3 PC12800/1600MHz CL8 2x2GB $232.62
GPU - Gigabyte Radeon HD5770 UD HDMI DisplayPort Dual-DVI 1GB $270.00
Tower - Antec Three Hundred (Black) $101.80
SSD HDD - Intel X25-V G2 40GB $199.00
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 32MB 640GB $109.55
Optical Drive - Lite-On iHAS324 $38.49
$1,688.00

This just in my dad said he'd buy my monitor for my 18th soon xD.
So thats what I have no, look okay? I was hoping to keep my budget below 1,600 but im pretty happy with how it looks, the SSD seems well worth it.
 
It all looks great. You could look to add a second HD 5770 in the near future if you're looking for more gaming power.
 
okay, I have a quick question regarding SSD -
The Intel 40GB SSD 2.5" is $200NZD
-
What do you think of the Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD Server 16MB 150GB ? I understand its 3.5", does this make a difference in regards to the noise level between 2.5 " and 3.5 " (forgive me if I sound like an *****, but im really confused here - the WD 150GB seems to only be $300 at 150GB)

The thing is, The Intel 40GB is quite hard to find here - I've looked in 3 different stores and found nothing, and also im starting to get doubts that 40GB is enough, even if only just as an apps and OS drive..
 
As your OS installation with (more) applications gets older/maturer 40GB can become an bottleneck. There are two ways to tackle the issue.

First, move the OS's paging file to your secondary HDD, hence freeing up considerable amount of space on the SSD.

Secondly, if you want to have an SSD i.e. only 40GB, strictly use it only for OS + some very very frequently used applications (browser / media player etc.), avoid installing larger applications on it, or install remaining applications on a partition on your secondary hard disk.

And lastly that WD HDD is in no way as good as SSD will be (speed wise), if you are unable to find specifically Intel's SSDs, I guess you can check which make/model is available along with its price and come back here for advice. Regards
 
I just got my hands on the WD Raptor 150GB I was talking about.
I bought it at $150 NZD online - cheaper than the 40GB SSD. This should be fine for storing my OS/main applications right? The only reason I'm worried was because it was so cheap - almost too good to be true..

Gah, My first mistake in building a PC.
Oh well, was bound to happen sooner or later.
Thanks for the help.
I'll be back here with more questions every now again through my struggle to build a cost-effective PC.. ugh
 
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