# Intel Coreâ„¢ i7 Processor vs AMD Phenom II 955 Black



## Further (Apr 22, 2009)

I'm looking to build a new machine and I'm trying to decide what to build it around.

Suggestions would be nice!


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## lilEmber (Apr 22, 2009)

Well, if you go with the i7 you -have- to get DDR3 and your montherboard will support both ATi and Nvidia chipsets, so it will allow greater flexibility and upgrading potential.
It will be slightly more powerful up to much more powerful depending on what i7 you do get.

The Phenom II will give you much more bang for your buck, will cost less and deliver not much less power and performance than the lowest i7 core. You can have DDR2 ram, saving you a bit more cash, and if you put it together with a 4870 or 4870x2 ATi video card, it will purr nicely and play even Crysis on the highest settings.

I personally would go for the i7, means top of the line socket and motherboard, DDR3 memory, more upgradeable and future proofing included. Only if you have the cash.


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## Further (Apr 22, 2009)

> Well, if you go with the i7 you -have- to get DDR3 and your montherboard will support both ATi and Nvidia chipsets, so it will allow greater flexibility and upgrading potential.
> It will be slightly more powerful up to much more powerful depending on what i7 you do get.


The "low end" one $285 is all I can afford, from what I've seen the phenom 955 black is running anywhere between 250 - 350 dollars either way still a good price and it's superior in all marks save the L3 cache. Unfortunately since it came out just yesterday no benchmarks have been made on it yet. So we will see 




> The Phenom II will give you much more bang for your buck, will cost less and deliver not much less power and performance than the lowest i7 core. You can have DDR2 ram, saving you a bit more cash, and if you put it together with a 4870 or 4870x2 ATi video card, it will purr nicely and play even Crysis on the highest settings.


I like purring =^-^=! From what I've seen the specs by the 955 black does beat out the lowest i7 if only by a little, and from what I've seen it's overclocks by as much 1ghz (if I said that correctly sorry new at this) easily which I'm also interested in :3.

The 955 actually comes with AM3 support that's the reason I've waited until now to get it which means DD3 support, from what I've heard there is only a 5% performance increase between DDR2 and DDR3 and so the price isn't worth it for DD3 right now BUT this leaves room for expansion so it wont become obsolete with in the next two years :3. 

*Please educate me on video cards!* I hear the crossfire is a nice feature, but that it's been causing a lot of software issues. I've heard it equated to you left and right brain acting like they can't communicate with each other.




> I personally would go for the i7, means top of the line socket and motherboard, DDR3 memory, more upgradeable and future proofing included. Only if you have the cash.


I think it's very obvious that the i7 is the superior processor but damn i don't have 600 dollars (for the step up) or 1k (for the best) I are poor kitty ;-; (it's because I'm 17 XP (I work *hard *though and make much more than most people my age)) Like I said earlier phenom 955 is DD3 compliant with the new AM3 chipset. So the upgradeabiltiy doesn't seem to be an issue for either.

So to me it would seen the phenom is the way to go, unless some uber uber proccesor guru can tell me the low end i7 will perform better because it has a larger l3 cache, or if the phenom wil lbecause it's native run state is 3.1 ghz (compare to the 2.66 ghz low end i7), and it can overclock easily!

Please respond and feel free to show me my stupidity :3 as I am new at this and everything. (but be gentle i'm sensitive )

=^-^=
-----------------------
Side Conversation:

You're from newfoundland!!!! COOL  *huggles* I just wuv wuv WUV Newfoundland dogs ^-^ they're so big and cuddly and BIG :3.

P.S Thankyou for your comments sir ^-^ would you help me develop my machine :3


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## Sam (Apr 22, 2009)

This^


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## lilEmber (Apr 22, 2009)

Well there are other people on the forums better suited to assist you in a build, but going by what you were just saying I don't suggest getting the i7, but instead the phenom II.

Crossfire is a lot like SLI, Crossfire is ATi's way of basically making two video cards work together, and SLI is Nvidia's way of doing it; crossfire does work better than SLI, and ATi cards are cheaper, giving more bang for your buck (AMD does it this way).

You said you didn't have a large amount of cash so you don't need to worry about crossfire or SLI, you'll only want one videocard, and honestly I would suggest a ATi HD4870 1Gig (750 clock, 780 clock, 4870x2 (basically two GPU's (graphic processing unit, core of a videocard) together, so it's more expensive but is almost the same as having dual 4870's on crossfire, in one card).

I highly suggest the 780 clock, or the 4870x2 if you can afford it and the Phenom II CPU.
I would also suggest Corsair dominator ram, depending on your price range DDR3, but most likely DDR2 will suit you just fine. DDR3 is much faster, and cooler though.

I have no idea what motherboard to suggest, but maybe somebody else can assist further.


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## Further (Apr 22, 2009)

Thankies thankies THANKIES :3 *hugtackles yoush to the floor*

Good to know what SLI was (has been google lazy about it )

I'm probably going to get a ATi graphics card simply since a game I want will be designed around ATi cards but which one :O thanks for helping me with it.

I can save up the cash for a higher end Graphics card ^-^ I don't eat breakfast or lunch anyway so it'll only take about two weeks  (that's like 10 dollars a day right there !):3, plus my birthday is sunday so I'll have and extra shot of cash the too :3.

From what I hear DD3 isn't worth the price just yet like Solid state hard drives (faster but not worth the price when 10,000 rpm 1.5 tera byte ahrd drives function almsot as well. for a quarter of the price and 3 times the storage space.)

SO so SOOOOO excited did I thankyou yet THANKYOU XP, hehee I tackled a draggie to the floor X3.


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## lilEmber (Apr 22, 2009)

Well the price difference between DDR2 and DDR3 isn't vast, but I would suggest this RAM, same exact stuff I use and there's four gigs of it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145197

I linked three videocards in my last post for you to look at as well, just in case you missed them.


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## Further (Apr 22, 2009)

I saw I saw thanks again ^-^ :3

But before I buy the ram I gotta find a mobo that supports AM3 first

and I'll need information on buying a proper power supply!

Aahh it's all so exciting (feints (into newdraggies arms *cough*))


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## lilEmber (Apr 22, 2009)

Well, as for a power supply I suggest Antec, as well as the case; 650 watts should be more than enough, and cases aren't too expensive. Hopefully somebody cn suggest a really nice motherboard, but with that ram, that cpu, and a 4870 you'll have no issue playing any game, especially if you get a 4870x2, crysis will even be at your mercy at the top possible settings.

:3 <3


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## Runefox (Apr 22, 2009)

Actually, there is a new ATi video card out there now, the 4890, which should provide better performance than the 4870 series, and it happens to be around the same price. The 4870 X2 is still faster, but a LOT more expensive. I'd recommend the 4890 right now, since you're not going to see a huge performance difference between it and the 4870 X2, since the 4870 X2 is essentially single-card Crossfire. It does perform better, but it isn't worth the extra cost if you're on a budget, and two 4890's will blow it away. My recommendation would be a 4890 now (which should handle everything you throw at it), and another later if needed (and they should be cheaper then, too).

If you don't want to go with ATI, the nVidia GeForce GTX 280 would be what you should set your sights on. Slightly more costly, but it'll give you great performance. You'll need an SLI-capable motherboard to use this in a multi-card configuration, though - Look for the SLI logo when selecting a motherboard. Similarly, you'll need a Crossfire-capable board to use ATI cards in multi-card; Look for that logo, too. If you decide to go with an Intel CPU, a motherboard using the Intel X58 chipset supports both.

I would also recommend the Phenom II, along with DDR3 memory, unless cost is a huge concern, in which case, seriously consider dropping something down before considering DDR2. Getting DDR2 now is like getting a DDR-based 939 system back when the AM2 chips were coming out - It's going away, and fast. Factories are being re-tooled for DDR3 chips, and rest assured that DDR3 modules will very soon become more prevalent than DDR2. It didn't take long for DDR2 to break into the market and blow DDR away. Don't lock yourself in like so many of our customers did with 939 stuff that disappeared virtually overnight.

For the motherboard, grab ASUS's M4A79 Deluxe (ATI) or M4N82 Deluxe (nVidia) for your Phenom II, or ASUS' P6T Deluxe V2 for your Intel Core i7. They represent one of the most feature-packed motherboards for each platform, and the motherboard is something you do NOT want to skimp on. Intel motherboards right now and in recent history are typically more expensive than the AM3 boards; Many AM3 parts are the same as the old AM2 parts (like the slot itself), so there isn't a major shift there, making costs lower overall.

For a power supply, you can look at Antec; I'd also recommend Silverstone, Fortron Source, PC Power & Cooling, and Thermaltake; And power supplies based on them (like OCZ (Fortron) and Corsair (Seasonic; Also decent)). Be mindful about the maximum amperage on the 12V lines ("rails"). You can find that information in the specifications of the power supply. The higher the amperage, the more stable you'll be running with multiple graphics cards (maybe a concern now or down the road). You'll want around a 650W or 750W power supply, probably won't need a 1000W unless you have a bunch of hard drives, want to overclock, and want to pop four cards in there.

EDIT: I should mention that Crossfire/SLI do dip down in performance significantly in certain applications; Source games are one example. Most other games by all accounts don't typically show a HUGE performance benefit (certainly not 100%), but do increase in performance. There are some issues with SLI/Crossfire, too; Sometimes it's necessary to disable it outright in order for some applications to work properly. New driver updates constantly fix this sort of issue, though, so as time goes on, things should level out.


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## Further (Apr 22, 2009)

> Actually, there is a new ATi video card out there now, the 4890, which should provide better performance than the 4870 series, and it happens to be around the same price. The 4870 X2 is still faster, but a LOT more expensive. I'd recommend the 4890 right now, since you're not going to see a huge performance difference between it and the 4870 X2, since the 4870 X2 is essentially single-card Crossfire. It does perform better, but it isn't worth the extra cost if you're on a budget, and two 4890's will blow it away. My recommendation would be a 4890 now (which should handle everything you throw at it), and another later if needed (and they should be cheaper then, too).



Umm...so if I buy two 4890's it'll be cheaper and faster than one 4870 X2?

I'm a little confsued forgive my ignorance  I try hard not to be honest ><!

perhaps you could list it in order of performance (I can determine price on my own  )




> If you don't want to go with ATI, the nVidia GeForce GTX 280 would be what you should set your sights on. Slightly more costly, but it'll give you great performance. You'll need an SLI-capable motherboard to use this in a multi-card configuration, though - Look for the SLI logo when selecting a motherboard. Similarly, you'll need a Crossfire-capable board to use ATI cards in multi-card; Look for that logo, too. If you decide to go with an Intel CPU, a motherboard using the Intel X58 chipset supports both.



NO it will be ati :3 thanks though ^-^



> I would also recommend the Phenom II, along with DDR3 memory, unless cost is a huge concern, in which case, seriously consider dropping something down before considering DDR2. Getting DDR2 now is like getting a DDR-based 939 system back when the AM2 chips were coming out - It's going away, and fast. Factories are being re-tooled for DDR3 chips, and rest assured that DDR3 modules will very soon become more prevalent than DDR2. It didn't take long for DDR2 to break into the market and blow DDR away. Don't lock yourself in like so many of our customers did with 939 stuff that disappeared virtually overnight.



What do you mean dropping something down? I thought the phenom had DDR2 modules in it as well. So I wouldn't have to drop down or anything because I can always just upgrade to DDR3 later, but if cost are relative it wont realy matter much to me ^-^...SO I am thinking I could either get DDr3 and never wory about it again for a while OR get cheaper DDR2 sticks to save money now and then alter when the price drops on DDR3 upgrade to that with no problems.



> For the motherboard, grab ASUS's M4A79 Deluxe for your Phenom II, or ASUS' P6T Deluxe V2 for your Intel Core i7. They represent one of the most feature-packed motherboards for each platform, and the motherboard is something you do NOT want to skimp on. Intel motherboards right now and in recent history are typically more expensive than the AM3 boards; Many AM3 parts are the same as the old AM2 parts (like the slot itself), so there isn't a major shift there, making costs lower overall.



Ok quick question does it have some kind of on board HD out? and does it have pci express 16x? Are there gonig to be standards updates anytime soon that perhaps I should wait for the new  PCI express ports to be integrated into a motherboard? OH and are there anymotherboards you know of that are usb 3.0 "ready". Again I pleade ignorance heh!



> For a power supply, you can look at Antec; I'd also recommend Silverstone, Fortron Source, PC Power & Cooling, and Thermaltake; And power supplies based on them (like OCZ (Fortron) and Corsair (Seasonic; Also decent)). Be mindful about the maximum amperage on the 12V lines ("rails"). You can find that information in the specifications of the power supply. The higher the amperage, the more stable you'll be running with multiple graphics cards (maybe a concern now or down the road). You'll want around a 650W or 750W power supply, probably won't need a 1000W unless you have a bunch of hard drives, want to overclock, and want to pop four cards in there.



So I assume the higher the wattage the higher the energy cost right? (science! X3) pehaps you can help me make sure it will work before I buy the parts ok pweasee ^-^

You guys are so so so helpful to me! Furries are so nice ^-^!!!


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## Runefox (Apr 22, 2009)

> Umm...so if I buy two 4890's it'll be cheaper and faster than one 4870 X2?


Well, it's not cheaper right now. A 4870 X2 is around $400, and will be a bit faster in some cases. The 4890 is faster overall than the 4870 (non-X2), and putting two together would be faster than the 4870 X2. Since they cost around $250, you're looking at a bit more for two of those. My recommendation is to go with the 4890, single-card, but it's really up to you. If you've got the extra cash, get a 4870 X2; If not, get a 4890. If money is no object, grab 4x4890's. =D



> What do you mean dropping something down? I thought the phenom had DDR2 modules in it as well. So I wouldn't have to drop down or anything because I can always just upgrade to DDR3 later, but if cost are relative it wont realy matter much to me ^-^...SO I am thinking I could either get DDr3 and never wory about it again for a while OR get cheaper DDR2 sticks to save money now and then alter when the price drops on DDR3 upgrade to that with no problems.



Not entirely true. The CPU supports both types, but whether the computer will support DDR2 or DDR3 will be dependent on what motherboard you get. The motherboard I recommended(*) for ATI cards (the M4A79 Deluxe) uses only DDR3; There are versions (slightly cheaper) that support DDR2, but I wouldn't recommend it. There isn't really a huge cost difference between DDR2 and DDR3 nowadays, anyway. Long story short, DDR2 and DDR3 won't go into the same slots.



> Ok quick question does it have some kind of on board HD out? and does it have pci express 16x?


You mean HD audio or HD video? The video card would deal with the HD connections (it should come with a DVI to HDMI converter, if it doesn't have an HDMI port on it, as well as a breakout cable for the multi-purpose S-Video port for Component Video); HD audio is typically found on most boards nowadays, and this one is no exception.



> Are there gonig to be standards updates anytime soon that perhaps I should wait for the new PCI express ports to be integrated into a motherboard?


Mm, well, there's going to be a new PCI Express standard sometime in the future, but for now, it makes use of PCI Express 2.0, which is the latest revision. 3.0 is in the works, but I don't think it's going to be released anytime soon.



> OH and are there anymotherboards you know of that are usb 3.0 "ready". Again I pleade ignorance heh!


XD; Nah, USB 3.0 isn't yet ready; We should see USB 3.0 support sometime in 2010 or so. I'm not sure much will use USB 3.0 within the first while it exists, so I'd say you should go with a USB 3.0 (PCI-E?) card if you need it, and when they're released.

(*) Actually, I should note that I gave the wrong link - The motherboard I meant to link to was the ASUS M4A79T Deluxe


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## Further (Apr 22, 2009)

> Not entirely true. The CPU supports both types, but whether the computer will support DDR2 or DDR3 will be dependent on what motherboard you get. The motherboard I recommended(*) for ATI cards (the M4A79 Deluxe) uses only DDR3; There are versions (slightly cheaper) that support DDR2, but I wouldn't recommend it. There isn't really a huge cost difference between DDR2 and DDR3 nowadays, anyway. Long story short, DDR2 and DDR3 won't go into the same slots.



I'm so stupid sorry ;-; I knew this >< I should've thought harder before I posted forgive my stupidity and not my ignorance in this case heh ^-^.

that makes sense duh so just go DDR3 either way o I don't fall behind ^-^ so that settles that thankies :3

Graphics cards handle HD kk....pci has no near future updates kk.......usb 3.0 (same answer I get everywhere just buy 3.0 pci cards ^-^ sounds GREAT!!!!

Ok I am of sound mind about putting this bad boy together would you pretty please help me compile a list ^-^


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## Runefox (Apr 22, 2009)

Alright, let's see... Well, before compiling a list, One thing that hasn't been brought up was the chassis or hard drive(s)/optical drive(s). I'm not sure what you're thinking about in this area; Also, are you looking for Blu-Ray support for HD video? Blu-Ray recording for backup? Or would a DVD burner be good enough? How much room are you looking for in a case? How much storage do you think you'll need?

Also, one thing about power supplies, whatever you decide to go with, I'd recommend looking for the 80PLUS logo (and anything I recommend would hold this logo). What this means is that no matter how much power is being drained from the wall, it will be within 80% of what's actually being used. Older power supplies were less efficient and drew much more power than necessary to drive the computer, making for higher energy bills and a bigger "carbon footprint". Newer 80PLUS PSU's guarantee that you're getting a very efficient power draw, thus keeping your power bill as low as possible for your machine. The wattage rating, I should note, isn't that the computer will draw at any given point in time - Only what the power supply is capable of. More than likely, your computer will be using around 400 watts of energy. The extra overhead increases efficiency (as it nears the maximum power draw, a power supply becomes less efficient and less reliable) within the power supply and gives you growing room.


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## Further (Apr 22, 2009)

I'm trying to go low profile so Heat will also be a factor that I hope you can help me with that too ^-^. Blue ray would be nice! I can just get an external burner though so lets go read only on blue ray if it's cheaper but if it's a few dollars more for the burner it's fine. If I can get a floppy in there that would be cool, but unnecessary if for the sake of Small form factor chassis. I will not cheap out on my power supply I will buy the best one I don't wanna faux around with that so I'll get whatever you recommend really ^-^.

does that answer your question Mr.fox ^-^


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## Runefox (Apr 22, 2009)

Small form factor, huh? You'll still have to keep the full-width case, and you'd need something capable of taking a full-size ATX motherboard. That said, you should be fine with the Antec 300, which should give you the cooling capacity and the space you need. It's also rather inexpensive. You'll probably want to add some fans into the front, though, pointing inward, to increase the intake of cool air.

The LG GGC-H20L can read any kind of disc (Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, DVD, CD) and burn CD's and DVD's. It's fairly low-cost for its kind, and most Blu-Ray players are around $99. For an extra $70, you can get the LG GGW-H20L, which reads Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, DVD, and CD, and burns Blu-Ray, DVD, and CD. If these are both too expensive, you can go for a DVD burner, any brand of which should cost around $25 (I do recommend LG or Lite-On).

For your power supply, I can't really recommend the PC Power & Cooling S75QB any more for what you're doing, with 750W continuous power at 40*C (825W peak), 60 amps on the 12V rail, 83% efficiency and a 5 year warranty. If you feel you should get something a little more powerful (I'm fairly sure the 750W will do you), then the PC Power & Cooling PPCT860 will give you 860W of continuous power at up to 50*C (930W peak), and a mean time between failures of 200,000 (twice Antec's), 64 amps on the 12V rail, and 84% efficiency. Even further is the PC Power & Cooling T12W, which is 1200W continuous (1300W peak) with 90A on the 12V, but it costs $500. Lots to munch on, but I'd definitely recommend this company. The 750 or 850 are what I'd recommend to you (you'll be fine with the 750), but it's your dollar.


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## LotsOfNothing (Apr 23, 2009)

I'm going with the new Phenom II when I build my new PC.  But the new AM3 model, not the AM2+.  From what I've been reading it's a major improvement over the old Phenoms, and it had much more overclocking potential.  Also it's cheaper and AMD's got a history of durability in my records that Intel has failed to reach yet.


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## Runefox (Apr 23, 2009)

So, to recap:


*CPU*: AMD Phenom II 955 Black Edition
*Motherboard*: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe
*RAM*: Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) kit / 8-8-8-24 triple channel kit / Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) kit / 8-8-8-24 triple channel kit* (high end)
*Case*: Antec 300 - Optionally, add two 120mm fans to the front, facing inward. Recommend Thermaltake or Vantec.
*Optical*: LG GH20NS30 (DVD-RW/low-cost) / LG GGC-H20L (BD-ROM)* / LG GGW-H20L (BD-RW)
*Video*: Radeon HD 4890* / Radeon HD 4870 X2 (high end)
*Power Supply*: PC Power & Cooling S75QB* / Power & Cooling PPCT860* (high end) / PC Power & Cooling T12W (if you're crazy; Your dollar)
*Hard Drive*: WD Caviar 640GB 7200RPM/16MB Cache (low-cost, good performance, decent capacity) / Seagate 1.5TB SATA 7200RPM/32MB Cache* (high end)
*Floppy*: Sabrent CRW-FLP2 Multifunction Internal Floppy+Card Reader (black) (may need a 3.5" to 5.25" bracket to mount!)
*Operating System*: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM (64-bit needed for >4GB RAM)
*CPU Cooling*: Cooler Master V8 (well-rated all over the web) - Probably not necessary, but since you're running the Black Edition, you may want to overclock it; This'll help tremendously.

(* = Recommended)


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## Further (Apr 23, 2009)

*drools* :O

Will post more later, still have a few questions, thankies yoush!


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## Further (Apr 23, 2009)

OKAY! So I have a question about noise how loud would that many fans be? Is the case made out of aluminum? I'm interested in keeping the machine as quiet as possible ^-^

I think I'll buy the Radeon HD 4890 it makes the most since to me  and I think i'll get the S75qb power supply as it is significantly cheaper and meets needs well enough ^-^.

I want the 1.5 terabyte sata HD but I can hold off on that for a while since I have an unused 320gb one already (I had my uncle build me a computer years ago that was damage by the post office so there are parts on there I can salvage (graphics cards and Hard drive and dvd burner). So I can cut cost on the front end and have plenty of room for upgrading down the road! Would you help me see if the parts I have now are compatible with the mother board :3

I jsut wanna huggles yoush for all your helps ^-^

Oh I have more questions. I will be buying a new power supply, but I have this "old" 450 watt power supply do you know where i can reycle it or soemthing it's still usable! I also have an athlon 64 proccesor and "old" mother board and some ram that I need to dispose of properly. as well, including the flismy case it came in :|

Another question: It's actually a 200gb DiamonMax 10 PATA133 HDD will this work with the motherboard you suggested? (model #:6L200P0)

And also: I have this Nvdia (i think) GF FX5500 256MB DDR TV DVI video card thaat still works I was wondering if this would work as well! If it does it will save me money in the front end!

Thnkyou so so sooooooooooooooooooo much mr runefox I don't know how I can repay you and newfdraggie :3


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## Runefox (Apr 23, 2009)

> So I have a question about noise how loud would that many fans be? Is the case made out of aluminum? I'm interested in keeping the machine as quiet as possible


The fans in the case are relatively quiet, and they have speed controls, so you can turn them up as high or low as you need. The CPU cooler, though, will blow pretty hard. What you might want to look into would be using what's called ASUS Q-Fan and AMD Cool 'n' Quiet (both options you can set in the BIOS of that motherboard). That should ramp down the fan when not needed and make it more bearable, while bringing it up to speed when you really need it.



> So I can cut cost on the front end and have plenty of room for upgrading down the road! Would you help me see if the parts I have now are compatible with the mother board :3


Sure, but realize that older parts are more prone to failure than newer ones. It's good for now, but, say, the hard drive you should use a utility like Norton Ghost or Acronis TrueImage to clone the old one onto the new, just so you're not still running your system off the old drive. In addition, the old drive will definitely be slower than a new one (even if it was never used; Also, it may also have been damaged - It's one of the more sensitive parts to that sort of thing).

I really do recommend grabbing the $70 640GB Western Digital drive instead if you can afford it. You'll have a much more reliable (and faster) starting point.



> Oh I have more questions. I will be buying a new power supply, but I have this "old" 450 watt power supply do you know where i can reycle it or soemthing it's still usable! I also have an athlon 64 proccesor and "old" mother board and some ram that I need to dispose of properly. as well, including the flismy case it came in



Why dispose of it? Maybe you could make it into a media center PC? Pop a decent TV tuner (I recommend an ATI TV Wonder) into it, and you can make a really nice PVR out of it. That should have plenty of power for that kind of stuff.

That said, I'm not aware of any places you can go to recycle this stuff, unfortunately, and it's not safe to throw away in regular trash.



> Another question: It's actually a 200gb DiamonMax 10 PATA133 HDD will this work with the motherboard you suggested? (model #:6L200P0)


Yyyyyeeeeess, but Maxtor hard drives have an incredibly bad service record. I wouldn't personally trust it with anything important.



> And also: I have this Nvdia (i think) GF FX5500 256MB DDR TV DVI video card thaat still works I was wondering if this would work as well! If it does it will save me money in the front end!


No, that FX5500 would be either PCI or AGP, which won't really work so well (or at all) with the new motherboard. If it's PCI, you might be able to get away with it, but it will definitely be very slow. For graphics-intensive games and things like that, you'll have frame rates similar to what your old PC was like (not to mention it can't run Vista Aero, meaning your desktop will be sluggish, too). If it's AGP, motherboards aren't being made with that sort of slot anymore, so it won't work (or fit) at all.



> Thnkyou so so sooooooooooooooooooo much mr runefox I don't know how I can repay you and newfdraggie :3



No problem. =D


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## Further (Apr 23, 2009)

Basically I'm out of luck lol. The computer I'm using right now would be the media Center PC if anything, the other one Is all chopped up and I don't feel like touching it anymore since I'm still really pissed at the USPS for dropping it >:O, which is why I bought the machine I'm suing in the first place, because it won't boot anymore >:O!!!! (it's either the processor or the mobo) So it's basically rubbish....

Oh well... ok so I'm buying everything new then It seems... OK THEN!!! I think that settles it.



*CPU*: AMD Phenom II 955 Black Edition
*Motherboard*: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe
*RAM*:Corsair Dominator 6GB (3x2GB) kit / 8-8-8-24 triple channel kit (high end)
*Case*: Antec 300 - Optionally, add two 120mm fans to the front, facing inward. Recommend Thermaltake or Vantec.
*Optical*:  LG GGC-H20L (BD-ROM)* / LG GGW-H20L (BD-RW) (debateable)
*Video*: Radeon HD 4890 You said two of these cross-fired were better than the 48720x2 so it makes more sense for me to get one of these than another in the futurem but ou can cross fire two 4870x2 which is better than two cross-fired 4890....IF there is a 4890x2 (which there seems to be) I will get that if not I'll bite the bullet and just go with the 4890..hmm..
*Power Supply*: PC Power & Cooling S75QB
*Hard Drive*:  Seagate 1.5TB SATA 7200RPM/32MB Cache :3
*Floppy*: Sabrent CRW-FLP2 Multifunction Internal Floppy+Card Reader (black)
*Operating System*: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
*CPU Cooling*: Cooler Master V8
*Bakes you a cake* ^-^ Thank you :3


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## Runefox (Apr 23, 2009)

> You said two of these cross-fired were better than the 48720x2 so it makes more sense for me to get one of these than another in the futurem but ou can cross fire two 4870x2 which is better than two cross-fired 4890....IF there is a 4890x2 (which there seems to be) I will get that if not I'll bite the bullet and just go with the 4890..hmm..



Well, I don't think there's a 4890 X2 just yet (it's in the works; These cards will have 2GB to 4GB of GDDR5 RAM on-card), but two 4870 X2's... As far as I know, only the newest games developed to take advantage of multi-GPU will give you a big boost with two of those. If you want the best performance, the 4870 X2 is still one of the better cards out there (actually better overall in most benchmarks than two 4870's in crossfire), but the 4890 will definitely do the job for now and the future, and will also be about $100 or so easier on the wallet. It's your call.

So if you're looking for raw power, the 4870 X2 is a beast, no doubt, but we might see a 4890 X2 in the coming months, so if you want cutting edge, you might want to get something like a 4850 (~$140) to tide you over until the 4890 X2's released. Either one of them will do you for quite a while, though, and I wouldn't be too concerned with being left behind using a 4870 X2 or a 4890.


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## Further (Apr 23, 2009)

You're not making this easy for me foxie ><

What would you do knowing that both a new series, and a price drop are in the works for this upcoming fall.


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## Runefox (Apr 23, 2009)

Further said:


> You're not making this easy for me foxie ><
> 
> What would you do knowing that both a new series, and a price drop are in the works for this upcoming fall.



Considering fall is two or three quarters away, I'd say go with the 4890 as planned.


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## hollowx64 (Aug 7, 2009)

Runefox said:


> So, to recap:
> 
> 
> *CPU*: AMD Phenom II 955 Black Edition
> ...




preety much the PC of my dreams XD


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