Planning on getting new PC - tell me wat u think of this one

[ATARI800XLfan]

I haven't purchased anything yet... from the same site, what do you guys think of this one?

That is actually a good deal. More then enough power and my brothers has a Phenom II X4 the same size plus a 6780 and he can play any game at max settings including Mass Effect 3 and Grand theft auto 4 and still get above 45 frames easily. Just remember to stick with AMD. Has the best price to performance ratio. With intel your are just paying more for the name. With the 700 watts it comes with you could stick in a AMD 6850 without upgrading the power supply which is still considered a very good mid range card even for today's modern games. your case should also be long enough. Mine is 4 inches or so shorter so the biggest I could fit would be a AMD 6770, otherwise it would be over half the length of my case. I would not recommend going above the 6850 though as you always want at least 75 extra watts left over on the power supply for fluctuations and safety.

Plus this AMD 6850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814125353

Would equal 390, without the rebate. Which leaves you with 110 for the operating system. My computers is using a 760G still, and I can play Star Trek online decently.

[sabrage]

Just bear in mind that the Phenom, while a more powerful processor, is a lot more outdated than the Athlon in my link and consumes a lot more power (and runs hotter too).

[ATARI800XLfan]

Just bear in mind that the Phenom, while a more powerful processor, is a lot more outdated than the Athlon and consumes a lot more power (and runs hotter too).

his is also a bigger case. That already has 2 fans on it plus the side vent. I would not really say outdated. The Athlon II just runs cooler with less heat. The phenom II for just pure gaming still kicks the Athlon II's ass. Then again the new intel's do not run any cooler then the CPU's they replaced.

[sabrage]

I understand the allure of a more powerful processor, but the Phenom consumes almost twice as much power as the Athlon under load for a comparitively small increase in performance. When Supreez starts living on his own, that's going to be an important consideration. It also means that, should he so choose, the Athlon has a higher ceiling for overclocking.

[isiolia]

Just remember to stick with AMD. Has the best price to performance ratio. With intel your are just paying more for the name.

Intel CPUs have been significantly more powerful of late. The only reason to settle for AMD would be because gaming is often more GPU limited. Benchmark games at something less than 1920x1200+ with full settings and the relative power tends to show, ie here. Keep in mind when looking at that, the FX-8150 is a $199 CPU. Not far behind an i5-2500k in price, and more expensive than an i5 2400, which would still spank it handily in nearly any task.

I don't mean to be a fanboy or anything. I've built with both brands over the years. AMD just doesn't usually make sense now, at least not for current products. Buying old tech for cheap, different story perhaps.

[ATARI800XLfan]

Actually I was mistaken. My brothers system with the same CPU and a AMD HD 6870 gets over 60 frames per second while using fraps on Mass Effect 3 maxed. Which is a nice program for displaying frames though you do loose a few while using the program.

[ATARI800XLfan]

Just remember to stick with AMD. Has the best price to performance ratio. With intel your are just paying more for the name.

Intel CPUs have been significantly more powerful of late. The only reason to settle for AMD would be because gaming is often more GPU limited. Benchmark games at something less than 1920x1200+ with full settings and the relative power tends to show, ie here. Keep in mind when looking at that, the FX-8150 is a $199 CPU. Not far behind an i5-2500k in price, and more expensive than an i5 2400, which would still spank it handily in nearly any task.

I don't mean to be a fanboy or anything. I've built with both brands over the years. AMD just doesn't usually make sense now, at least not for current products. Buying old tech for cheap, different story perhaps.

Buying the best you can within a tight budget and still getting a decent gaming system overall is a good reason for AMD. I do not see the point of spending more on the Intel if the person can't afford a good GPU because of it. The op already said he is on like a 500 dollar budget. Which the system he listed and A 6850 make a system that is plenty for what he is looking for. The wattage difference might add up but very little. Being old does not mean it is not good anymore.

[ATARI800XLfan]

I understand the allure of a more powerful processor, but the Phenom consumes almost twice as much power as the Athlon under load for a comparitively small increase in performance. When Supreez starts living on his own, that's going to be an important consideration. It also means that, should he so choose, the Athlon has a higher ceiling for overclocking.

a good point. Though I have always been against overclocking as it shortens the life of the product.

[sabrage]

I don't think the extra $130 justifies an older (not outdated or useless) CPU, a $75 hard drive, a smaller case and a $20 DVD drive. I'm honestly not confident about the quality of either PSU, so I'm not going to factor those in because I would recommend buying a different one anyways. Newegg has a nice, though very conservative Antec for $20 today, so that's one possibility (though I'd recommend something in the 550w range to be safe). I know that the case in the ECS bundle doesn't have any fans, but I have a spare 120mm that I could ship you should you go that route, Supreez.

Generally, I would only recommend overclocking near the end of a part's lifespan anyways.

[ATARI800XLfan]

I don't think the extra $130 justifies an older (not outdated or useless) CPU, a $75 hard drive, a smaller case and a $20 DVD drive. I'm honestly not confident about the quality of either PSU, so I'm not going to factor those in because I would recommend buying a different one anyways. Newegg has a nice, though very conservative Antec for $20 today, so that's one possibility (though I'd recommend something in the 550w range to be safe). I know that the case in the ECS bundle doesn't have any fans, but I have a spare 120mm that I could ship you should you go that route, Supreez.

Generally, I would only recommend overclocking near the end of a part's lifespan anyways.

The CPU alone still costs $120. Though I do admit A Athlon II X4 would be enough for what he wants to do. Those cost around 100 for a 3.0Ghz. The second case listed while shorter is also longer and wider plus 2 fans. Both are good options depending on how much of the parts he wants to find himself and add and how much power. I would still recommend at least 600 watts if he goes the Athlon II route and a AMD HD 6850. One thing my IT certificate has taught me is you always want some extra power just in case. If I could though I would upgrade to a AMD Phenom II X6 before they sell out. Probably wont though. Do not need one that big if all I have is a HD 6770-7770