Which of these two PC Builds would you invest in?

[Eel O'Brian]

So I'm building a PC because my old one has depreciated itself out of tax write off territory.  My brother tells me if I build one I can write off everything except the GPU, so hey, (sort of) free PC.  I've narrowed it down to a choice between these two different builds, one Intel I-5 760 and one AMD Phenom x4.  Both have their strengths and weaknesses.  With Rebates the Intel build comes to around $734.  The AMD build comes to $688 with rebates.   That's a $46 difference, but the Intel build leaves a little room to grow with another 460 in SLI when prices come down next year.  The AMD is...fucking cheap.

INTEL BUILD:



AMD BUILD:

[demi]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Van Cruncheon]

i say go intel

[Eel O'Brian]

also i sold my RoG laptop so i don't have any kind of gaming pc anymore

[Akala]

Your build made me curious...I'm out of the loop on current pc builds. You talking about SLI'ing 2 fairly big cards on a Micro ATX board made me want to look at it!

Anyway, for the intel build, did you notice the complaint that kept popping up in the reviews about limited RAM compatibility? Didn't see the RAM on your build on the list, but I may be blind...

http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=YwO7uzOlu1js0TqM&templete=2 (Memory support List Tab)

Not sure if it would even matter or not, but worth checking out.

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

I haven't been keeping up on how the new Phenom chips are now but unless they've made some significant progress over the past year or so, I'd always choose Intel over AMD.  Worth the extra money, imo.

[Eel O'Brian]

Your build made me curious...I'm out of the loop on current pc builds. You talking about SLI'ing 2 fairly big cards on a Micro ATX board made me want to look at it!

Anyway, for the intel build, did you notice the complaint that kept popping up in the reviews about limited RAM compatibility? Didn't see the RAM on your build on the list, but I may be blind...

http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=YwO7uzOlu1js0TqM&templete=2 (Memory support List Tab)

Not sure if it would even matter or not, but worth checking out.

The 6GB pack version of the RAM I got is on the list, should be okay. 

I think you might be right about SLI size issues on that motherboard, I need to look into that and change if necessary, thanks for pointing that out.

[Van Cruncheon]

the new phenom chips offer good bang for the buck, but they are still on the old m2+ socket. although intel changes socket types like paris hilton changes herpes medications, there's a still a strong upgrade path if eel wants to upgrade the mid-range core-i5 to a faster lynnfield-based proc when prices on them drop in a year or so.

edit: lemme recant -- the mobo is LGA 1156 only, not LGA 1366, which kinda limits the upgradeability. hm, in this case, it's kind of a draw. the core i5 should be a thousand-ish pc marks faster, though.

[Eel O'Brian]

yeah, just about all the comparisons i read about the i5 versus the phenom x4 is that in games it is kind of a wash (phenom runs faster on some, i5 runs faster on others), but the i5 does most everything else faster

[Eel O'Brian]

with an amd build, i'd likely have to go with an ati card if i ever wanted to use more than one vidcard (crossfire)

there are amd motherboards made which support sli for nvidia cards, but they all seem to be very buggy and unreliable in performance

consensus seems to be that sli doesn't play that well with an amd config, so i'd be trading a cheaper initial investment for expandability

what i am looking at with an intel build is the ability to drop another 460 in there sometime next year when the prices drop to around $100-125, and according to benchmarks tests have performance comparative to (even surpassing in some games) a GTX 480

[demi]

Could just flip a coin. You'll probably sell this thing down the road anyway

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

It's shameful that someone is openly admitting to defrauding the government of tax revenue for a gaming PC.

[Tieno]

Who are you again?

[Eel O'Brian]

You can't afford this computer so try living within your means.  Hope that helps!

no, i sold my laptop and i can write off most of the cost in addition to that, so i can totally afford it

since summer started i've been pretty lucky with having extra money, but you are correct, otherwise i would not be able to

i'm just trying to get the most bang for the buck/lasting value while i do have the money on hand

you're a fucking asshole, by the way, in case you weren't aware

[Van Cruncheon]

ignore these pedant fucks

i prefer ati cards these days, btw; the 5770 and 5850 are great great budget cards

[Eel O'Brian]

i work like a goddamned dog and receive very little in the way of benefits for it, so i guess i can live with someone accusing me of fraud even though what i am writing off is perfectly legal (everything except the vidcard)

you know what?

you can all kiss my fucking ass

[demi]

I didn't mean anything personal... I'm just saying. PCs get outdated within a year.

Either one of those will be fine for playing games, so why the indecision?

[Van Cruncheon]

i make bank and i write off my pc as well. until the government gets some sanity regarding its taxation priorities -- i don't see these asses giving their jobs the heave-ho because their corporate bosses only pay < 10% and stick the rest of us with the tab -- i have no problem using perfectly legal loopholes to get some money back, myself.

[CajoleJuice]

I need to get in on this free PC stuff

[Eel O'Brian]

start your own business

of course, you'll be trading things like the occasional "free" pc for extremely long and weird hours, reams of paperwork, mystery taxes, and no other benefits whatsoever including retirement and health care

[CajoleJuice]

How does Prole write off his PC?

(also, I'd offer advice if I knew anything about PCs nowadays)

[Dickie Dee]

How does Prole write off his PC?

(also, I'd offer advice if I knew anything about PCs nowadays)

I assume he's an incorporated contractor

[demi]

I need to get in on this free PC stuff

"work for yourself" - Prole writes reviews for some mags I believe, so he's technically a "contractor" and can write it off

[CajoleJuice]

I need to get in on this free PC stuff

"work for yourself" - Prole writes reviews for some mags I believe, so he's technically a "contractor" and can write it off

Ah, ok.

[Dickie Dee]

He's probably getting paid as a contractor instead of a salaried employee even while working for one company - which alot of engineers and the like often do.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

i make bank and i write off my pc as well. until the government gets some sanity regarding its taxation priorities -- i don't see these asses giving their jobs the heave-ho because their corporate bosses only pay < 10% and stick the rest of us with the tab -- i have no problem using perfectly legal loopholes to get some money back, myself.

That is because you're part of the upper class and are used to finding ways to get out of paying taxes.

[OptimoPeach]

Damn T EXP is pissy today. Are you a Raiders fan too?

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Damn T EXP is pissy today. Are you a Raiders fan too?

Nah, just trolling for my amusement.

I don't really care about tax write offs and how they may be used.  Given my download history of roms and mp3s throughout the years, I don't really have room to talk about defrauding revenues from anyone anyway.

[Tauntaun]

Intel and Nvidia, DO EET! 

[D3RANG3D]

I didn't mean anything personal... I'm just saying. PCs get outdated within a year.

Either one of those will be fine for playing games, so why the indecision?

And the 360 was obsolete the day it was launched.

[demi]

But it's not a PC 

[fistfulofmetal]

I would go with an AMD video card, tbh.

[D3RANG3D]

I would go with an AMD video card, tbh.

GTX 460 are overclocking beasts! IMO the best bang for your buck in midrange cards.

[fistfulofmetal]

midrange? lmao. when it comes to PCs you go big or go home. Wait for the Radeon 6870 or don't waste your time.

[D3RANG3D]

midrange? lmao. when it comes to PCs you go big or go home. Wait for the Radeon 6870 or don't waste your time.

You forget he is on a budget and those don't come out till like mid next year...

[Brehvolution]

Intel build

[Eel O'Brian]

I put together an AMD build with an SLI motherboard for $649 after rebates, then I came up with this configuration as the final Intel build, which comes to $699 AR (like I will ever see a rebate check, haha).  That's about as low as I could get it, and puts it at just $50 more than the AMD build:

[Brehvolution]

Everyone here that bought SC2 was given a few trial codes to pass out. I'm sure some nice EB'er will PM you a code and save you $6.

[Eel O'Brian]

it comes free with the card, it just shows up in the cart

[OptimoPeach]

Gigabyte GTX 460 vs MSI Hawk GTX 460, anyone? Would I even notice the difference?

[Van Cruncheon]

Dude let me save you the cost of the hard drives, pm me

[Eel O'Brian]

Gigabyte GTX 460 vs MSI Hawk GTX 460, anyone? Would I even notice the difference?

I have been reading tons of reviews, and the MSI Cyclone OC GTX 460 seems to be a winner in low temps, speed, and the ability to overclock even further than it already is.  They have a 768mb and a 1GB version, if you are planning on SLI at some point the 768 is a better bargain