Help with building a gaming computer

[madmadmad]

Going with AMD over Intel because your worried about it being outdated is a load of crap. AMD switches sockets just as often as Intel. Going with an AMD over the Intel will only give you a less powerful PC.

Ok guys im really new at this stuff. Should I go with intel or amd. And please don't say its your preference because I don't have one.
Also I though $1500 was pretty reasonable if its not can you guys give me a rough estimate on what will give me a really good system?
Finally how much ram should I be getting 4GB, 6GB, or 8GB and what is the difference between DDR2 &DDR3.

 

[farinha]

Right now Intel has the performance trophy. If I were you I would buy the i7 920, best performance you can get! The AMD 965 has similar performance than i5 750 from Intel which is the 3rd fastest cpu from Intel (which is worth buying), so you can see how much AMD is behind when considering performance. AMD has te best performance/price ratio but if you're looking for performance Intel is the way to go!

If you choose Intel you should get 6GB to take advantage of triple channel. If you choose AMD you should get 4GB and upgrade to 8GB if you need to.

 

[madmadmad]

Right now Intel has the performance trophy. If I were you I would buy the i7 920, best performance you can get! The AMD 965 has similar performance than i5 750 from Intel which is the 3rd fastest cpu from Intel (which is worth buying), so you can see how much AMD is behind when considering performance. AMD has te best performance/price ratio but if you're looking for performance Intel is the way to go!

If you choose Intel you should get 6GB to take advantage of triple channel. If you choose AMD you should get 4GB and upgrade to 8GB if you need to.

So if I go with teh Intel i7 920 is there a differece between it and the Intel i7 920 X58PROE-BNDL other than the extra $200 dollars i would have to pay.

Is the 920 the best i7 I can get? (Is 2.66 GHz good?)

 

[farinha]

Link for the i7 920 X58PROE-BNDL?

Yes it is. You have also the i7 i7 960 and 950, with higher frequency, but they don't worth the extra money because with a little OC you can put the i7 920 working with the same frequency.

 

[Muffin Man]

i7 920 X58PROE-BNDL

that's not a different cpu, that just looks like some kind of bundle deal that includes a motherboard.

the cpu would still be the same i7 920 though.

Is the 920 the best i7 I can get? (Is 2.66 GHz good?)

no it's not the best, but it is the smartest, and probably the most recommended, choice out of the i7 9xx series.

cpus have come a long way, so you can't just compare them based purely on clock speed. while it may run at 2.66ghz, overall it would still be faster than amd's top cpu which runs at 3.4ghz.

 

[madmadmad]

Sorry don't know how to make it a hyper link or whatever but here it is the link

intel i7 920 price - Google Product Search

All I did was type in intel i7 920 price into google then clicked Shopping results for intel i7 920 price and then it's the 3rd or 4th one down.

How safe is OC and how hard is it to lurn how to do?

 

[madmadmad]

that's not a different cpu, that just looks like some kind of bundle deal that includes a motherboard.

the cpu would still be the same i7 920 though.



no it's not the best, but it is the smartest, and probably the most recommended, choice out of the i7 9xx series.

cpus have come a long way, so you can't just compare them based purely on clock speed. while it may run at 2.66ghz, overall it would still be faster than amd's top cpu which runs at 3.4ghz.

THX muffin- I didn't see your post when I made my last one.
Anyway how hard is it to lurn to over clock and what are the risks involved

 

[farinha]

It's pretty straightforward. Here's a guide made from Slaymate:
http://www.techist.com/forums/f10/i7-overclocking-guide-224693/

 

[madmadmad]

Ok so I think I've settled on the i7 920 is there any spacific mobo i should get or just get a bundle that comes with the 920?

What kind of graphic cards should I be looking at?

 

[qblake]

I would go with the i7 920, definitely. Like farinha said it is very easy to OC, and OCs very well. It is a solid choice. although if you are going to OC I recommend buying a new cooler. Stock coolers don't keep the temps down enough to OC.

And if you don't know, OC=Overclocking