I'm really confused now

c19lck · 26 Jun 2013 at 21:23

Hi guys, after speaking to a few people, I'm being told buying an intel i7 gaming set up is a waste of money for what I want??? more & more people are telling me to go down the AMD route as it's so much cheaper & just as good for games, I just want to know if this is correct??

Could one of you guys please spec me up a AMD rig that could play any game on ultra settings on my 42" led tv

p.s I will only be using the pc for games & movies not much more.

Cheers guys Chris

RJC · 26 Jun 2013 at 21:30

Do you have a budget in mind?

Some of your last threads you were specced micro system, is this still on the cards, but generally a Intel i5 will be fine.

c19lck · 26 Jun 2013 at 21:37

RJC said:
Do you have a budget in mind?

Some of your last threads you were specced micro system, is this still on the cards, but generally a Intel i5 will be fine.

yes as it's in my living room I want it as small as possible so the mini itx would be perfect, BUT if the AMD system works out £££ cheaper & just as good for gaming I'm willing to go to a small tower ATX IS IT???

I don't really want to spend more than a £1000 if I can help it but it must be better than the next gen consoles to make it worth while

RJC · 26 Jun 2013 at 21:49

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game £194.99
1 x VTX3D HD 7870 X-Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £189.95
1 x Gigabyte Z87M-D3H Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £97.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 350D Micro ATX Case - Black £84.95
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £74.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) HDD £49.99
1 x Thermalright True Spirit 140 CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £28.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £936.82 (includes shipping : £12.50).

AMD:

YOUR BASKET
1 x VTX3D HD 7870 X-Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £189.95
1 x AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 8350 Black Edition 4.00GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail £149.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 350D Micro ATX Case - Black £84.95
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £74.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) HDD £49.99
1 x Asus M5A78L-M LE AMD 760G (Socket AM3+) DDR3 MicroATX Motherboard £44.99
1 x Thermalright True Spirit 140 CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £28.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £838.81 (includes shipping : £12.50).

The AMD board is quite cheap and not sure on performance, I cant see any M-ATX boards on the 900 chipset.

Akagi · 26 Jun 2013 at 21:54

3570K vs FX8350 (scroll to the bottom for game performance comparisons) http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/701?vs=697

Thats why AMD is a bad choice for a gaming PC. The 4670K will be quicker than the 3570K as well.

RJC · 26 Jun 2013 at 21:58

Intel mini-itx:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game £194.99
1 x VTX3D HD 7870 X-Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £189.95
1 x Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £119.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £74.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £69.95
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) HDD £49.99
1 x Thermalright True Spirit 140 CPU Cooler (Socket 775 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2) £28.99
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £942.91 (includes shipping : £11.75).

Would spec a mini itx system but the boards are non existent

c19lck · 26 Jun 2013 at 22:01

Thanks guys, so if I can afford it it's best to stick with the i7 then?

RJC · 26 Jun 2013 at 22:02

c19lck said:
Thanks guys, so if I can afford it it's best to stick with the i7 then?

/ i5 - yes

c19lck · 26 Jun 2013 at 22:04

RJC said:
/ i5 - yes

Ok that's settled, thanks for your input mate

RJC · 26 Jun 2013 at 22:09

I have changed the cooler:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game £194.99
1 x VTX3D HD 7870 X-Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £189.95
1 x Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £119.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £74.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £69.95
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) HDD £49.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H40 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011 / 1366 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / AM2 / AM3 / FM1) £38.95
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £952.87 (includes shipping : £11.75).

c19lck · 26 Jun 2013 at 22:11

RJC said:
I have changed the cooler:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game £194.99
1 x VTX3D HD 7870 X-Edition 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £189.95
1 x Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £119.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £74.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £69.95
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) HDD £49.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H40 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011 / 1366 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / AM2 / AM3 / FM1) £38.95
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £952.87 (includes shipping : £11.75).

Will this set up play any game on high settings mate?

RJC · 26 Jun 2013 at 22:24

c19lck said:
Will this set up play any game on high settings mate?

Oh Yes, just seen a cheaper GPU (Sorry prompted

)

The 7870 can be overclocked to almost 7950 speed and will give these a run for there money

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game £194.99
1 x MSI HD 7870 Black Knight 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (R7870-2GD5T/OC) £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £119.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £74.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £69.95
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) HDD £49.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H40 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011 / 1366 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / AM2 / AM3 / FM1) £38.95
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £930.91 (includes shipping : £11.75).

Akagi · 26 Jun 2013 at 22:56

What happened to that 7870 Tahiti LE (boost/XT) thing? That was fantastic value for money and now its disappeared :confused:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/VTX3D/Radeon_HD_7870_XT_Black/

Can be had for the price of the regular 7870 in RJC's spec

stulid · 26 Jun 2013 at 23:09

acme15 said:
What happened to that 7870 Tahiti LE (boost/XT) thing? That was fantastic value for money and now its disappeared

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/VTX3D/Radeon_HD_7870_XT_Black/

Can be had for the price of the regular 7870 in RJC's spec

All gone.

What RJC has spec'd is excellent.

honosuseri · 26 Jun 2013 at 23:15

acme15 said:
What happened to that 7870 Tahiti LE (boost/XT) thing? That was fantastic value for money and now its disappeared

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/VTX3D/Radeon_HD_7870_XT_Black/

Can be had for the price of the regular 7870 in RJC's spec

I had a post edited yesterday by mods when discussing those 7870 LEs

Tiny Tom Logan did an "All AMD rig" with the 8350 (@4.6Ghz) and a 7970. That was beaten in both benching and gaming by the intel 3570K @4.6Ghz with a MUCH cheaper GPU.

In short the AMD 8320/8350 are only really worth considering if you have a mobo already that can take it as an upgrade. Their APUs are great for budget builds but that's not what the OP is after. For a new build go intel, the i5K overclocked draws less power than the AMD CPUs at stock speeds too. Haswell has even better power saving and better clock for clock performance than Ivy. Only real issue is that voltage unlocked mini-itx mobos aren't cheap

I've already done somes specs for the OP so hopefully he is on track now with what to do. TTLs Youtube channel (TimeToLiveCustoms) has some great reviews including the AMD and Intel CPUs and he has done a nice guide to overclocking with the 1155 intel socket too. His videos are quite long but he covers everything you really need to know.....well worth a sub

stulid · 26 Jun 2013 at 23:16

honosuseri said:
I had a post edited yesterday by mods when discussing those 7870 LEs

Yes because it broke forum rules.

c19lck · 27 Jun 2013 at 19:23

RJC said:
Oh Yes, just seen a cheaper GPU (Sorry prompted )

The 7870 can be overclocked to almost 7950 speed and will give these a run for there money

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game £194.99
1 x MSI HD 7870 Black Knight 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (R7870-2GD5T/OC) £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87N-WIFI Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £119.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x Plextor M5S 128GB Solid State Drive - (PX-128M5S) £74.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £69.95
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) HDD £49.99
1 x XFX Pro 550W Core Edition '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £49.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H40 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Socket LGA2011 / 1366 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / AM2 / AM3 / FM1) £38.95
1 x OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £19.99
Total : £930.91 (includes shipping : £11.75).

Thanks for all your help guys, it's helped me out no end, I'm 100% going the intel route now, just one thing, with this set up above would it run even better with an i7 haswell chip?? because I wouldn't mind spending the extra to get it. Cheer Chris

RJC · 27 Jun 2013 at 19:29

c19lck said:
Thanks for all your help guys, it's helped me out no end, I'm 100% going the intel route now, just one thing, with this set up above would it run even better with an i7 haswell chip?? because I wouldn't mind spending the extra to get it. Cheer Chris

At the moment not many games make use of the i7, but at the end of the day the decision is yours, the items specced will take the i5 or i7 without issue and no other changes would need to be made.

c19lck · 27 Jun 2013 at 19:34

RJC said:
At the moment not many games make use of the i7, but at the end of the day the decision is yours, the items specced will take the i5 or i7 without issue and no other changes would need to be made.

Happy days thank you

time to get ordering

p.s I plan on buying a asus titan gpu around Christmas time