# $1000: Latest and Greatest vs. Proven and Stable



## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Right now there's a lot of new tech coming out, the Intel Core i5 CPUs, Radeon 5000 graphics cards... It comes down to whether you want the latest and greatest, or something a bit slower but a bit cheaper and more stable.


Latest and greatest:

Motherboard:
Asus P7P55D Intel P55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131404
$149.99

CPU
Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
$199.99

RAM:
Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 CL9 1.65V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260
$80.99

Graphics card:
PowerColor Radeon HD 5770 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131181
$159.99

Power supply:
Corsair TX650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
$99.99

Case:
Antec 900 mid tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
$99.99

Hard drive:
Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283
$79.99

Optical drive:
Lite-On iHAS124 DVD+/-RW burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
$28.99

Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
$99.99

TOTAL PRICE: $999.91



Proven:


Motherboard:
Asus P5Q Pro Turbo Intel P45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131377
$134.99

CPU:
Intel Core 2 DUo E8500 3.16GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036
$189.99

RAM:
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066 CL5 2.2V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227298
$71.99

Graphics card:
Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102852
$189.99

Power supply:
Corsair TX650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
$99.99

Case:
Antec 900 mid tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
$99.99

Hard drive:
Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283
$79.99

Optical drive:
Lite-On iHAS124 DVD+/-RW burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
$28.99

Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
$99.99

TOTAL PRICE:
$995.91



These two machines are very close in performance. The first one uses the new Core i5 platform and the brand new Radeon 5770 GPU. The second uses the proven Core 2 platform and the high-end Radeon 4890. Aside from the Mobo/CPU/RAM/GPU, these machines are identical. Based on benchmarks I expect these machines to perform to within 5fps of each other in most first person shooter games, a slight advantage going to the i5 build.


The Core i5's quad core CPU will outperform the E8500 in tasks that use four CPU cores, like Photoshop, AutoCAD, video editing, and certain categories of games like real time strategy. The new Radeon 5770 will achieve graphics performance comparable to the Radeon 4890, for $40 less. You can also expect better LGA1156 CPUs further down the line, so there's a lot of room for upgrade there.

However, the i5 platform is far from proven, and DDR3 RAM is slower (by OPS; clock speed is higher but so are latencies) and still less stable than DDR2. You can also expect some strange behavior with the 5770 until ATI smooths out the bugs in the drivers.


The Core 2 build is built to a pattern we here at TSF have found to be rock solid. This build will provide excellent performance with few to no hiccups, and is still very upgradeable, despite peoples' misconceptions. 




If you want the latest technology with the best performance, Core i5 and Radeon HD5000 (/Geforce GTX300? We shall see!) is your best bet. If you want something just as good and more stable, but perhaps a little less upgradeable, then the Core 2 and Radeon HD4000/GeForce GTX200 route is for you.

In the end it's up to you, the consumer. Choose based on your priorities: great stability out of the box, or the best performance and future upgrades.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

very good post and very true too. Just to add that both cpus are overclockable to 4.2 also.


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## Redeye3323 (Sep 20, 2009)

I have a close to the first one PC and I love it, I haven't encounter problems yet and would give just positive feedback to the i5 one, it's a very impressive system and would like to thanks Phaedrus2401 for getting all the specs.

*EDIT* I think this should be a sticky as it has the latest PC specs for the moment. Also if anyone is in the U.K. then you can PM me and I will link you back to my original thread which has the U.K. equivilants and comes to about £750/£760 excluding OS and monitor.


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## Phædrus241 (Mar 28, 2009)

Hehe, thanks for dredging this one up. I'd forgotten about it.



We do have a sticky with various recommended builds, but both that one and this one need to be updated, especially the prices. I posted a few weeks ago as well, comparing Phenom II x4, Core i5, and Core i7 setups. I feel i5 is going to be the new "mainstream enthusiast" platform, for people who want a bang for the buck solution, alongside the current AM3 platform. Core i7 is going to be for professionals and gamers with lots of cash who plan on using CrossFire/SLI setups. 

Core 2 is still a great platform, but it's getting very close to the point where I don't feel I can recommend it to those with a budget of $800 or more. LGA1156 and AM3 are competing with the high end Core 2 Duos price-wise, and the Core 2 Quads performance-wise. If you're building a new performance system now or in the near future, it's probably best to leave LGA775 behind; and I expect that in a few months when i3 is released even on a budget LGA775 will be hard to defend.



To those building a new high-end system: go i5/i7/PhenomII. For those with a mid-to-high-end Core 2 system: upgrade to an E8000 or Q9000 CPU (Microcenter has the Q9550 for $170, that's the best bang for the buck if there's one within a hundred miles of you), and you'll be set for at least a year or two, then it's time to move on.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

*well done!* ray:




if the core 2 system were to use the GA-EP45-UD3L board another $45.00 could be trimmed

and if the core2 system user were to get the 5770 another $40.00 trimmed


that would be a tuff one for the builder on a budget to pass up ?


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