advice on which bundle

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 13:42

Hello guys im looking to order a new cpu/mobo/ram bundle for my gf's computer which is going to be used for mainly gaming but which bundle is better between:

Argon Intel Core i3 550 3.20GHz @ 4.00GHz Overclocked Bundle

Radon AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.40GHz @ 3.60GHz Overclocked Bundle

thanks in advance

John101 · 26 Jul 2011 at 13:44

The 965, quad core cpu which will be ideal for gaming

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 13:48

so thatll be the best choice for just gaming as she only plays world of warcraft?

stulid · 26 Jul 2011 at 13:55

What if I said neither of them.

Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
Intel Core i5-2300 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £137.99
(£114.99) £137.99
(£114.99)
MSI H67MA-E35 Intel H67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro-ATX Motherboard - (Sandybridge) **B3 REVISION** £59.99
(£49.99) £59.99
(£49.99)
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C7 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (OCZ3P1333LV4GK) £26.39
(£21.99) £26.39
(£21.99)
Sub Total : £186.97
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £39.29
Total : £235.76

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i5-2500-2400-2300_7.html#sect0

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:00

thanks stulid, how would this chip do at overclocking and which heatsink would go well? and how would this perform in wow compared to them bundles?

stulid · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:03

You cant overclock it, you need a "K" variant CPU and a P67/Z68 motherboard for that.

But as you can see its clearly faster than even the AMD 975BE in those charts, so do you need to overclock it? my answer is no.

and which heatsink would go well?

The stock heatsink supplied with the CPU will be perfectly adequate.

and how would this perform in wow compared to them bundles?

Much faster, The new Sandybridge architecture really has made the older CPU designs look slow.

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:07

ok once again thanks you seem to know your stuff as im a complete noob

last thing before i go ahead and order does this support SLI gfx, all im looking to buy for her is cpu/mobo/ram/hdd/case for around £370 so would this be the best choice still?

stulid · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:09

does this support SLI gfx,

Nope, single card only.

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:31

how does this look or should i change anything?

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail

Asus P8H67-M Intel H67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro-ATX Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION **

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX)

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C7 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (OCZ3P1333LV4GK)

OCUK EZCool NA-705 Case - Black (500w PSU)

OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM

sub total incl p+p £359.82

stulid · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:32

You need a P67 or Z68 motherboard if you want to overclock that "K" CPU.

This being the cheapest - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-448-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1906

And the Case+PSU bundle is very very very poor quality and I wouldnt touch it with a 10ft pole.

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:34

ok also whats the differance with a OEM cpu? and what about this chip with that mobo Intel Core i5-2400 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail?

stulid · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:34

jhnsn said:
ok also whats the differance with a OEM cpu?

Doesn't come with a heatsink and only has 1year warranty.

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:36

ok and the cpu i put will that go with the mobo i listed?

stulid · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:37

The 2400 is fine with that board, but why do you want to spend £85 on a H67 motherboard?

Get the MSI I listed.

Or the 2500K and the £69 ASUS P67 I listed.

Will you be using a graphics card? which is why you are looking at getting a H67 board so you get the display outputs for the cpu's inbuilt gpu core?

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:42

im going to be using my old x2 sapphire 5870's for her how would this build pan out?

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail

Asus P8P67 LE Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard - (Sandybridge) ** B3 REVISION ** *LOWEST UK PRICE*

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX)

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C7 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (OCZ3P1333LV4GK) TWICE = 8gb

OCUK EZCool NA-705 Case - Black (500w PSU)

OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM

sub total £370.20

stulid · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:46

Theres no way that PSU in that case will power a 5870, let alone two of them.

Plus none of the motherboards in this thread support dual graphics cards at symmetrical speed, that ASUS P67 le board for example runs the top PCI-E slot at 16X bandwidth and the second slot at 4X bandwidth, I would just run a single 5870 card and get a better case and PSU.

This Bequiet PSU - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-042-BQ&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=1083

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:48

i have a psu already ocz stealth2 700w my old 1

stulid · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:50

jhnsn said:
i have a psu already ocz stealth2 700w my old 1

Good, had me worried for a moment.

Then why not just get a slightly better case that wont rattle/flex and has decent cooling.

jhnsn · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:54

because trying to get best performance possible and just any old case to throw it all in untill we can upgrade this, do the items i listed with the Asus P8P67 LE Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard look ok and how would the performance be in games?

stulid · 26 Jul 2011 at 14:57

It all looks ok, and you wont find a faster CPU for gaming than a 2500K, and overlocking is child's play by just increasing the multiplier of the cpu in the BIOS.