Curse

chocodiledundee · Dec 07, 2010, 12:05 PM // 12:05

I am getting ready to buy a new pc & need help I have two candidates lined up but I'm not sure which to go for.

The specs are below.

Computer 1:

Intel core i5 760 on a intel H55 motherboard
4gb RAM
500gb HDD
GeForce GT430 1gb Graphics card
Windows 7 Home Premium

Computer 2:

Intel core i7 870 on a intel H55 motherboard (assumed)
4gb RAM
500gb HDD
ATI Radion 512Mb HD5450
Windows 7 Home Premium

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Elder III · Dec 07, 2010, 02:02 PM // 14:02

well, neither video card is going to be very good for gaming, but if I had to choose between the two I would get the i5 system with the GT430; I'd bet it's a bit cheaper then the i7 and will perform just as well for the average user. If you find the gaming capabilities are lacking, then you can use the money saved and buy a better video card in the future.

bsoltan · Dec 07, 2010, 02:28 PM // 14:28

Pretty much what Elder III said.

Where are you buying from? Hopefully you're getting Win 7 64 bit as well to take advantage of the RAM.

chocodiledundee · Dec 07, 2010, 03:03 PM // 15:03

Compter 1 is from novatech.co.uk made from barebones bundle. so I could switch out most components including the graphics card.

Computer 2 I found on Amazon.co.uk and is compete.

both come with win7 64bit

Quaker · Dec 07, 2010, 03:29 PM // 15:29

I agree with Elder. The main difference between the i5 and i7 is that the i7 has "Hyper Threading" (HT) and a small speed increase. HT is not of much use to the average user, especially when you have 4 cores to begin with.

The money saved can be put towards a better video card.

chocodiledundee · Dec 07, 2010, 03:33 PM // 15:33

Okay so sticking with the i5 computer what kind of graphics card would you suggest?

tijo · Dec 07, 2010, 04:25 PM // 16:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by chocodiledundee

Okay so sticking with the i5 computer what kind of graphics card would you suggest?

Something along the line of a nVidia GTX460 or an AMD (ATI) HD6850/6870. Make sure the power supply you selected is adequate as well.

chocodiledundee · Dec 07, 2010, 04:29 PM // 16:29

It's a 750 Watt PSU.

Having looked at those cards they are way out of my price range. any other (chaper) suggestions as I have a budget of £500.00 - £600.00 GBP

I will be using it as an upgrade for GW2 as my current system is getting out of date & my girlfriend is still running a pentium 4 so my old rig will go to her.

bsoltan · Dec 07, 2010, 04:40 PM // 16:40

What are you hoping to get out of the machine? Play games? At what resolution and what kind of games at what detail setting?

Can you link to the deals that you've posted, what is your overall budget?

chocodiledundee · Dec 07, 2010, 05:40 PM // 17:40

Overall budget is £500 - £600 pounds.

The aim for this is the best computer I can get for the money, which must run guild wars 2.

chocodiledundee · Dec 08, 2010, 10:48 AM // 10:48

I have made the decision to go with either a GTS 450 1gb or a ATI HD 5770 1gb. I am having trouble deciding between the two.

I can get both of these without sacraficing the mobo however having looked around I cannot decide which would be best.

bsoltan · Dec 08, 2010, 11:11 AM // 11:11

They are pretty close. You can see a review of the GTS450 here with benchmarks and they compare it against the 5770.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/gra...s-450-review/1

chocodiledundee · Dec 08, 2010, 11:21 AM // 11:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsoltan

They are pretty close. You can see a review of the GTS450 here with benchmarks and they compare it against the 5770.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/gra...s-450-review/1

It's very close to call & everywhere I look I can't find a difinative answer.

I have been reading hundreds of reviews that say the same thing as your's.

Would the Nvidia run better with the i5 processor?

Iron Monkey · Dec 08, 2010, 11:56 AM // 11:56

It's a myth, the only thing is SLI / Crossfire support.

Note that there is a gap in performance between a HD5770 / GTS450 and a GTX460 / HD6850.

These last two are the best bang for buck. It's just a question if you have enough to invest in one of these.

Elder III · Dec 08, 2010, 03:01 PM // 15:01

get whichever is cheaper, or if they are the same price go for a better brand, or aftermarket cooler.

Lourens · Dec 09, 2010, 08:07 AM // 08:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by chocodiledundee

I am getting ready to buy a new pc & need help I have two candidates lined up but I'm not sure which to go for.

The specs are below.

Computer 1:

Intel core i5 760 on a intel H55 motherboard
4gb RAM
500gb HDD
GeForce GT430 1gb Graphics card
Windows 7 Home Premium

Computer 2:

Intel core i7 870 on a intel H55 motherboard (assumed)
4gb RAM
500gb HDD
ATI Radion 512Mb HD5450
Windows 7 Home Premium

Any thoughts much appreciated.

I would go for option 2 and buy a hd6870 and put it in there

KZaske · Dec 11, 2010, 04:15 AM // 04:15

I have to agree with Lourens (how strange is that?), go with option 2 and save your money for a better video card later on. But Intel uses tripple channel memory so 4GB is hard to believe. Are you sure it is not 6 or 3GB for the i7?

I have not browsed this forum for a while, sorry.

Here are my reasons, the i7 includes Hyper-threading which allows it a few special memory modes. While most games don't use it, YET. We do know that Guild Wars 2 is being designed for multi-core systems which means that like many multi-core based games it will use it. Windows 7 does fully support Hyper-Threading. The HD5450 is a good entery level card, it will get you by for most current games. That said, you will want to upgrade the card fairly soon if you play any higher end games.
The i5 is a solid performer, but I would advise you check out a few reviews and compair the processors before you spend your hard earned money. The GT 430 is an almost humorious joke. If you do anything other than spead sheets you will be sadly disappointed. You would need to turn Guild Wars down a coupld of notches to get the frame rates up to playable at 1440x900. I ended up getting a refund for the one I got for my wife.

To sum things up, which computer do you want to be using in three to five years?

Quaker · Dec 11, 2010, 05:01 PM // 17:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by KZaske

But Intel uses triple channel memory so 4GB is hard to believe.

Not all i7s are triple channel - just part of Intel's aim to totally confuse things. The i7-870 is socket 1156 and dual channel.

KZaske · Dec 11, 2010, 08:02 PM // 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quaker

Not all i7s are triple channel - just part of Intel's aim to totally confuse things. The i7-870 is socket 1156 and dual channel.

Cool. One of the major reasons I went with an AMD system is I wanted a hex core but not triple channel. Dual channel was already pushing my budget.