A bit of a dilemma

[Mark O]

Hello everyone.
While flicking through so of the posts here (and impatiently waiting for pay day to come) I'm torn between these two specs (both have the silver warranty):-

Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5-760 Quad Core (2.80GHz, 8MB Cache) + Turbo Boost
Motherboard
ASUS® P7P55D-E PRO: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, CrossFireX™ / SLI SUPPORT
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX460 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
640GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD6402AAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NONE
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET PSU (£76)
Processor Cooling
TITAN FENRIR EVO EXTREME HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£39)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI CARD (£16)

£904 inc. VAT

and

Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD PHENOM II X6 1090T (3.20GHz/9MB CACHE/AM3/) - (Special Offer)
Free Item
FREE STORMRISE Game (RRP: £29.99) with any AMD® Phenom™ II X6 Processor!
Motherboard
ASUS® M4A89TD PRO/USB3 : DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD 6870 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
640GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD6402AAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET PSU (£76)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI CARD (£16)

£925 inc. VAT


The second one is a little bit more money but the processor is faster and you get a free game.
Plus I have put the Titan cooler on the first one, I could possibly strech to putting the Titan on the second one but that would be pushing it.
Far too much choice on here!! haha. Plus i have too much time on my hands at the moment lol
Once this is all done and dusted, I get my new PC (which ever one I decide ), I plan on posting some pics of it.

Thanks in advance.

Mark.

 

[Phoenix]

I'd go with the second build, an additional 2 cores is a nice way of future proofing a system. The second build also has a better graphics card which will provide you with more performance in games. The standard CPU cooler is fine, there's no need for the Titan Fenrir if you're not overclocking so don't worry about it.

 

[PCS]

I'd have to agree that the second spec is best on this occasion. Although I have not seen a direct comparison between the GTX460 and 6870, I'm pretty sure the 6870 is quite a bit faster...

 

[Mark O]

Great stuff. Second build it is then! Thanks guys.
Pheonix, did you mean the STANDARD cooler would be ok or the SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19) option? I won't be overclocking, but I don't mind paying extra if it means the CPU will run more efficiently.

 

[Phoenix]

Yes the standard cooler will be fine, but you can upgrade to the triple heatpipe one if you want a quieter cooler.

 

[Mark O]

Excellent. Thanks again.

 

[Sleinous]

Yup, triple heat pipe would be a nice final addition. Providing you dont need the CUDA cores for fast video conversion etc, or the Physx then the ATI card will serve your purpose.

 

[Mark O]

God I'm so indecisive! :S I'm now thinking of having the AMD PHENOM II X4 970 (3.50GHz/8MB CACHE/AM3) - BLACK EDITION.
It does bring me back down to my original budget of £900. Plus I don't think I'd ever use extra cores of the 1090T for what I actually do on the computer.
Correct me if I'm wrong, is the 970 slightly faster?
Also, for the sake of £19 I will add the triple heat pipe cooler, thanks Sleinous. I won't be video converting, I'll mainly be using it for gaming, mostly WoW and sometimes EVE, but thats pretty much it, for now anyway.

Thank you for your patience lol

 

[Phoenix]

The 970 does have a higher default clockspeed but the 1090t does have turbo boost and is the overall better CPU. World of Warcraft only uses 2 cores (cataclysm may use more) so both CPU's will be more than enough for it.

 

[Mark O]

After much deliberation and from the advice of you guys, this is the final spec I'm going to choose.


Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD PHENOM II X6 1090T (3.20GHz/9MB CACHE/AM3/) - (Special Offer)
Motherboard
ASUS® M4A89TD PRO/USB3 : DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
1GB AMD RADEON™ HD 6870 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
640GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD6402AAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TX SERIES (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET PSU (£76)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI CARD (£16)
USB Options
USB BLUETOOTH ADAPTER (£9)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard & Mouse
Logitech® Internet 350 USB Keyboard (£9)
Mouse
Black Logitech® Optical Wheel Mouse USB (£5)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £944.00 including VAT and delivery.

Thanks very much to everyone that posted, I'm very greatful. I shall be posting pictures once I get it.

Mark.

 

[PCS]

Great spec