9850/7750 vs i920

ckamc · Post by **ckamc** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:08 am

So I need a new upgrade for this dying setup.

Current:
3800 Sempron 939 socket
2GB ram. 1TB across 3 drives (one the drives needs to be replaced)
Random 939 mobo with a hot south bridge heatsink
8600GTS
Westinghouse 19" 16:9 monitor

I don't play games as often as I used to, this setup kind of limits what I can do at the current moment. Find myself watching more videos and transcoding.

Low heat is one of my main concerns but overall I am on a budget. The savings with DDR2 are quite nice but with heavy transcoding being one of the main things I do should I go intel or will either of these two amd units just fine?

the cost difference is about $350 between the two brands. Money either used to get the better performance or for a new case and a video card.

looking to buy everything next week. If I get the case I am likely to pack a lot of sound dampering. eventually this will just become a htpc.

protellect · Post by **protellect** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 2:26 pm

I recall the i7's being quite warm chips. Phenom's are also supposedly warm, as well, compared to 45nm C2D stuff.

I would consider a 45nm Core2 E8XXX or E7XXX.. both of these would have plenty of power for encoding, gaming, etc, and run cool.

Motherboard for these are inexpensive [good ones are easily found for less than 100$, sometimes 75$ and lower.] You can also stick with inexpensive DDR2 memory with this build.

These chips are also not wasteful in a HTPC. I think a quad-core in an HTPC seems wasteful, though

ckamc · Post by **ckamc** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 5:12 pm

protellect wrote:I recall the i7's being quite warm chips. Phenom's are also supposedly warm, as well, compared to 45nm C2D stuff.

I would consider a 45nm Core2 E8XXX or E7XXX.. both of these would have plenty of power for encoding, gaming, etc, and run cool.

Motherboard for these are inexpensive [good ones are easily found for less than 100$, sometimes 75$ and lower.] You can also stick with inexpensive DDR2 memory with this build.

These chips are also not wasteful in a HTPC. I think a quad-core in an HTPC seems wasteful, though

i was thinking about c2d but with the socket starting to die. same deal with amd. i am going to check two more sites before i rule out any thing but my wallet screams cheap

Vicotnik · Post by **Vicotnik** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 6:03 pm

ckamc wrote:i was thinking about c2d but with the socket starting to die. same deal with amd. i am going to check two more sites before i rule out any thing but my wallet screams cheap

I don't think buying with upgrading in sight makes much sense anymore. It's usually best just to get the best bang for the buck at the time of the purchase, for parts that can do what you need them to do.

When you bought your current system, did you intend to upgrade the CPU later on?

Fast S939 CPUs costs a fortune on eBay today and I find that this is often the case - when the time comes for an upgrade it's usually smarter to build a new system. Things that lasts several "big upgrades" are for me stuff like the case, PSU, TFT, mouse, keyboard. Almost never the motherboard or memory.

ckamc · Post by **ckamc** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 6:03 pm

how much of a heat difference would there be between an E8200 vs a 7750?

still $100 cheaper with amd.... might switch between either one of the two since they are both priced right but as soon as I check out a few more reviews between the two units i will decide since I am going to mate a 9800gtx+ with either one of the two chips

ckamc · Post by **ckamc** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:21 pm

found a good review finally, looks like its a 7750 for sure.

7750 + Consair 650
LIAN LI V1100 + EVGA 9800 GTX+ SC
4GB Kingston ram + 1TB WD HDD
Tuniq Tower

Not bad for $950
going to price hunt beyond newegg

that Linux guy · Post by **that Linux guy** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 10:57 pm

650w is overkill for that type of rig. You won't need more than 500w unless you're having abnormal numbers of harddrives, fans, or opticals.

Isn't the Samsung F1 1Tb drive cheaper than WD's offering? I've heard great things about the F1.

And there are better CPU coolers than the Tuniq Tower for your money available, unless you're getting it for $20 or something. The best bang for you buck right now is the Xigmatek HDT-S1283. They perform very close to the top-of-the-line coolers from Noctua and Thermalright, but with half the cost.

ckamc · Post by **ckamc** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:18 am

i plan to go sli and this unit is more effective and quieter than my current one.

I have only a few experiences hard drive wise, maxtor seagate and wd are what I have personal experience with and WD has been rock solid and in fact I am replacing a 8 year old WD with the new one.

I hated maxtor and seagate seems ok but i need more time to evaluate them since they are the newest brand in my acquired parts.

I am going with the tuniq mainly due to the design, I had a Scythe Ninja and the mounting of the fan always annoyed me especially as it would sit right on my ram sticks. but now I have selected a ZEROtherm NV120 since newegg is giving out a good deal on it.

motherboard is a ASUS M3N-HT 780a for those that wonder.