Which build? i5 750 or Phenom II X4 ?

HookeyStreet · Sep 28, 2009

Im building a new media centre system for a friend, but I dont know which of these 2 systems to go for:

Intel rig:

CPU: Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket LGA1156 8MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor

MoBo: Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 iP55 Socket 1156 8 channel audio mATX Motherboard

RAM: OCZ 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Obsidian Triple Channel Memory Kit CL9(9-9-9-24) 1.65V

Case: Extra Value Black Cube Case With 650W PSU - No Side Window

DVDRW: LG GH22NS50 22x SATA DVD±RW Dual Layer & RAM Black Bare Drive - OEM

GFX: Asus HD 4350 512MB DDR2 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Low Profile Graphics Card

HDD: Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB SATAII 7200RPM 16MB Cache - OEM Caviar Blue

Total: £445.46

AMD Rig:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz Socket AM3 6MB L3 Cache Retail Box Processor

MoBo: Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H 785G Socket AM3 DVI VGA HDMI Out 8 Channel Audio MATX Motherboard

RAM: OCZ 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Obsidian Triple Channel Memory Kit CL9(9-9-9-24) 1.65V

Case: Extra Value Black Cube Case With 650W PSU - No Side Window

DVDRW: Sony AD-7240S 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM Internal SATA Black Bare Drive - OEM

GFX: Asus HD 4350 512MB DDR2 DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E Low Profile Graphics Card

HDD: Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB SATAII 7200RPM 16MB Cache - OEM Caviar Blue

Total: £411.71

So which one would be the best value for money? I want to build him a decent rig, with some uptodate parts for as little as possible (the budget Ive been given is £500 but whatever I save him is a bonus)

This system will be used as a general Media Center connected to a 42" LCD 1080p TV and not for gaming.

PS: I will be installing either Vista Ultimate x64 or Windows 7 Ultimate x64 as the OS.

PPS: if you notice any conflicts or problems with any of the parts that Ive chosen, please let me know as I havent built a new system in a while lol

EDIT: the HDD for either system will be the 'Seagate ST3500418AS 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache - OEM' not the WD one above.

radeon747 · Sep 28, 2009

You have listed triple channel memory for AMD p2 945 and core i5,i7 P55 chipset are dual channel

HookeyStreet · Sep 28, 2009

radeon747 said:
You have listed triple channel memory for AMD p2 945 and core i5,i7 P55 chipset are dual channel

Sorry, I meant to mention that I know this. My m8 wants at least 6-8GB of ram and isnt bothered about dual/triple channel. I would be, but he isnt lol

radeon747 · Sep 28, 2009

HookeyStreet said:
Sorry, I meant to mention that I know this. My m8 wants at least 6-8GB of ram and isnt bothered about dual/triple channel. I would be, but he isnt lol

Dont be sorry, also ill have a look at some ram and where are you getting price list from newegg

Inioch · Sep 28, 2009

Is there a spesific reason for including a gfx card in the amd setup? The integrated hd4200 should handle all media center functions just like that. (I can tell you more tomorrow or the day after once my own board arrives)

Also, if it won't be used for gaming, then consider the Phenom II X3 705e or X4 905e, even the Athlon II X4 series. They consume a lot less power, are still able to everything asked of them and cost the same (X4) or less (the others).

You could use the money saved for a bigger HDD, for example a WD Green 1TB

This is the setup I'm getting for the exactly same use.

$0.02

HookeyStreet · Sep 28, 2009

Inioch said:
Is there a spesific reason for including a gfx card in the amd setup? The integrated hd4200 should handle all media center functions just like that. (I can tell you more tomorrow or the day after once my own board arrives)

Also, if it won't be used for gaming, then consider the Phenom II X3 705e or X4 905e, even the Athlon II X4 series. They consume a lot less power, are still able to everything asked of them and cost the same (X4) or less (the others).

You could use the money saved for a bigger HDD, for example a WD Green 1TB

This is the setup I'm getting for the exactly same use.

$0.02

I did notice that the AMD mobo has an HDMI port built in, but I felt bad not using a seperate GFX card, even if it is basic lol.....onboard GFX usually cuts into the system RAM doesnt it, which I know wont be major because he wants 6-8GB of RAM anyway.

Good idea about the HDD space, because Im sure he would like more space to play with

radeon747 said:
Dont be sorry, also ill have a look at some ram and where are you getting price list from newegg

Im in the UK so Im using ebuyer.

erocker · Sep 28, 2009

Inioch said:
Is there a spesific reason for including a gfx card in the amd setup? The integrated hd4200 should handle all media center functions just like that. (I can tell you more tomorrow or the day after once my own board arrives)

Also, if it won't be used for gaming, then consider the Phenom II X3 705e or X4 905e, even the Athlon II X4 series. They consume a lot less power, are still able to everything asked of them and cost the same (X4) or less (the others).

You could use the money saved for a bigger HDD, for example a WD Green 1TB

This is the setup I'm getting for the exactly same use.

$0.02

I completely agree with this. 4gb of dual channel ram will be plenty for the build as well.

TheLaughingMan · Sep 28, 2009

I have to agree the HD4200 IGP on the AMD build will handle everything he would need in a HTPC setup. 6 GB of RAM is completely pointless and he would benefit more from Dual Channeling being on than more RAM. Hell an HTPC will not really need more than 2 GB, 4 GB would be more than enough.

Inioch is right, the 705e or 905e would run cooler, thus fit into a smaller case. I would go with the Athlon II X4 620. It is Quad core, low heat and much cheaper.

Also some of the IGP now have 128 MB of "sideport" memory which is memory dedicated to the IGP and nothing else. It will not use system memory unless you set it higher than 128 MB. You should look into the HD4200 (785G), it is obvious far more powerful than you thing.

HookeyStreet · Sep 28, 2009

TheLaughingMan said:
I have to agree the HD4200 IGP on the AMD build will handle everything he would need in a HTPC setup. 6 GB of RAM is completely pointless and he would benefit more from Dual Channeling being on than more RAM. Hell an HTPC will not really need more than 2 GB, 4 GB would be more than enough.

Inioch is right, the 705e or 905e would run cooler, thus fit into a smaller case. I would go with the Athlon II X4 620. It is Quad core, low heat and much cheaper.

Also some of the IGP now have 128 MB of "sideport" memory which is memory dedicated to the IGP and nothing else. It will not use system memory unless you set it higher than 128 MB. You should look into the HD4200 (785G), it is obvious far more powerful than you thing.

Cool, I will look into it

erocker said:
I completely agree with this. 4gb of dual channel ram will be plenty for the build as well.

I know this, but he has a 'thing' about wanting loads of RAM (no matter what I say lol)

BUT, Im gonna go with some fast Dual Channel RAM and use 4GB instead of 6GB....he will come round to it, because like you say, it will perform better.

TheLaughingMan · Sep 28, 2009

And while a nVidia 9300 doesn't have sideport memory, it should be in the same performance range as the 785G, so the GPU in that build is pointless too.

HookeyStreet · Sep 28, 2009

TheLaughingMan said:
And while a nVidia 9300 doesn't have sideport memory, it should be in the same performance range as the 785G, so the GPU in that build is pointless too.

Im scrapping the Intel built and focusing on the AMD route. BTW on the Intel build I used a GFX card because the motherboard doesnt have HDMI built in

JrRacinFan · Sep 28, 2009

Media rig? A Regor chip would function beautifully with a 785G board. You can go relatively inexpensive on this and still be very very worthwhile system. But definitely 4GB would be plenty enough. Oh and I wholeheartedly agree with erocker, the onboard functions of the HD4200 on a 785G would be just fine. So in the end, I guess you should look at an AM3 build, if it was a gamer, my thoughts would change.

HookeyStreet · Sep 28, 2009

JrRacinFan said:
Media rig? A Regor chip would function beautifully with a 785G board. You can go relatively inexpensive on this and still be very very worthwhile system. But definitely 4GB would be plenty enough. Oh and I wholeheartedly agree with erocker, the onboard functions of the HD4200 on a 785G would be just fine. So in the end, I guess you should look at an AM3 build, if it was a gamer, my thoughts would change.

If I was buiding this for gaming I would go Intel instantly

radeon747 · Sep 28, 2009

Well if your going amd i cant help you as i only use inel good luck anyway hope someone helps.

ToTTenTranz · Sep 29, 2009

Either one of those CPUs are a complete overkill for a media center...

An Athlon II X4 is more than enough for every Media Center task.
Even for encoding jobs, the only CPU that would make a substantial difference would be an i7.

Furthermore, if the AMD system is using a 785G motherboard, there's no point in spending more in a discrete HD4350. The 785G's IGP already has full hardware decoding for h.264 with almost no CPU utilization, and it has an integrated 7.1 LPCM HDMI audio codec.

I'd go for the AMD system, with an Athlon II X4 620/630, a 785G motherboard with GDDR3 Sideport memory and 4GB DDR3 -> with this setup, a ~350-400W PSU is adequate.

I would spend a lot more in the hard drives, though.
I've built some media centers in the past, and I can say that most of the "jams" I've seen is because of hard drive performance.

With the money saved from a cheaper CPU, no discrete graphics card and less RAM, I'd rather get a small SSD (32GB) for the OS and a second 500GB hard drive.

Gjohnst4 · Sep 29, 2009

best answer ^

Wile E · Sep 29, 2009

I also say the lowest powered AMD quad on a 785G board with sideport memory, and if he really must have a shit ton of ram, grab 8GB of DDR3 with the money saved by skipping on the gfx card and the high end cpus.

1Kurgan1 · Sep 29, 2009

Gonna agree with the rest here, cut some costs and go with a Athlon II 620, will be more than enough for what this things gonna do.

HookeyStreet · Sep 29, 2009

ToTTenTranz said:
Either one of those CPUs are a complete overkill for a media center...

An Athlon II X4 is more than enough for every Media Center task.
Even for encoding jobs, the only CPU that would make a substantial difference would be an i7.

Furthermore, if the AMD system is using a 785G motherboard, there's no point in spending more in a discrete HD4350. The 785G's IGP already has full hardware decoding for h.264 with almost no CPU utilization, and it has an integrated 7.1 LPCM HDMI audio codec.

I'd go for the AMD system, with an Athlon II X4 620/630, a 785G motherboard with GDDR3 Sideport memory and 4GB DDR3 -> with this setup, a ~350-400W PSU is adequate.

I would spend a lot more in the hard drives, though.
I've built some media centers in the past, and I can say that most of the "jams" I've seen is because of hard drive performance.

With the money saved from a cheaper CPU, no discrete graphics card and less RAM, I'd rather get a small SSD (32GB) for the OS and a second 500GB hard drive.

Thanx for the advice, it does make sense

Ive opted for this setup:

MoBo: Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H 785G

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 620 2.6GHz AM3

RAM: Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 XMS3 DHX

HDD: Hitachi DeskStar 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache

ROM: LG GH22NS40 22X SATA DVD±RW/DL/RAM

CASE: Black Cube With 650W PSU

Wireless Card: Netgear WG311 Wireless-G PCI Card

Fan: AKASA 120mm Amber series 3pin Ultra quiet case fan

Grand Total: £371.37 (including VAT & shipping)

Inioch · Sep 29, 2009

Looking very good I'd say. I still have to root for a WD Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB for the HDD, it is one of the cheapest 1TB drives around and it performs very well. It would also be quiet and energy efficient.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Gigabyte board doen't have Sideport memory, not that I believe it makes a difference in mc use. Just a note.

HookeyStreet · Sep 29, 2009

Inioch said:
Looking very good I'd say. I still have to root for a WD Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB for the HDD, it is one of the cheapest 1TB drives around and it performs very well. It would also be quiet and energy efficient.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Gigabyte board doen't have Sideport memory, not that I believe it makes a difference in mc use. Just a note.

The Hitachi 1TB HDD is £10 cheaper

Ive read the reviews also and everyone is saying its cool & quiet

Im not sure about the sideport mem on the motherboard, I will go and check before making the order

EDIT: yep, your right about the sideport memory, oh well.

TheLaughingMan · Sep 29, 2009

Sounds like you got it down now. Don't sweat the Sideport. While it does help, Gigabyte makes great boards and this build will be great.

LittleLizard · Sep 29, 2009

i wont go ram 1600 as you will have to overclock the cpu to use it at stock. look for cheaps loads of ddr3 1333

1Kurgan1 · Sep 30, 2009

Looks like a solid build, but you might want to think about picking up the cheapest 1TB HDD with 32MB cache. I'm not sure what it would be over there, that would be my only suggestion.

Wile E · Sep 30, 2009

Why wireless internet? And if he must go wireless, why not use the money saved by going with the cheaper components to move to an N wireless setup? The really do completely shame G wireless. With the right components, it will easily beat a hard wired 100Mb network in true throughput, not just benchmarks and theoretical throughput.

But overall, if HD streaming is in the cards, wired is the best bet.

System Name	RADEON747
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0Ghz
Motherboard	ECS G41T-M V 2.0
Cooling	Stock Intel
Memory	Corsair PC2-8500C5D 2x2GB @800 Mhz
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Radeon HD 4890 1GB @ 925x1050
Storage	Seagate Barracuda 500GB
Display(s)	Sony Bravia KDL-40EX700 LED LCD
Case	Thermaltake Spedo Advance Full Tower
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000w Modular Power Supply
Software	Windows XP Sp3 32Bit
Benchmark Scores	Furmark v 1.8 640x480 No MSAA Score: 10542 Temp 73 degrees celsius min 146 max 259 avg 176 FPS @925

System Name	RADEON747
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0Ghz
Motherboard	ECS G41T-M V 2.0
Cooling	Stock Intel
Memory	Corsair PC2-8500C5D 2x2GB @800 Mhz
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Radeon HD 4890 1GB @ 925x1050
Storage	Seagate Barracuda 500GB
Display(s)	Sony Bravia KDL-40EX700 LED LCD
Case	Thermaltake Spedo Advance Full Tower
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000w Modular Power Supply
Software	Windows XP Sp3 32Bit
Benchmark Scores	Furmark v 1.8 640x480 No MSAA Score: 10542 Temp 73 degrees celsius min 146 max 259 avg 176 FPS @925

System Name	I can't believe I bought that / HTPC
Processor	i5-750 @ 3.5GHz 1.27v / P II 705e @ stock
Motherboard	Asus P7P55D-E Evo / Asus M4A785D-M PRO
Cooling	Corsair H100i / Air
Memory	4x2 Geil DDR3-2133 @ 1755 / 2x2 DDR2-800
Video Card(s)	Asus GTX660 TI / Asus HD6670
Storage	Crucial MX100 512GB + Spinpoint F1 750GB / Crucial m4 128GB + WD Green 1TB
Display(s)	HP w2408h / Samsung 55" HDTV
Case	CM 690 II Advanced / Silverstone GD02
Audio Device(s)	Integrated
Power Supply	Corsair AX850 / OCZ ModXstream 500W
Software	Win 7 / Win 7

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard	ASUS TUF x670e
Cooling	EK AIO 360. Phantek T30 fans.
Memory	32GB G.Skill 6000Mhz
Video Card(s)	Asus RTX 4090
Storage	WD m.2
Display(s)	LG C2 Evo OLED 42"
Case	Lian Li PC 011 Dynamic Evo
Audio Device(s)	Topping E70 DAC, SMSL SP200 Headphone Amp.
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti PRO 1000W
Mouse	Razer Basilisk V3 Pro
Keyboard	Tester84
Software	Windows 11

System Name	ODIN
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2
Cooling	Dark Rock 4
Memory	G Skill RipjawsV F4 3600 Mhz C16
Video Card(s)	MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ventus 3X OC LHR
Storage	Crucial 2 TB M.2 SSD :: WD Blue M.2 1TB SSD :: 1 TB WD Black VelociRaptor
Display(s)	Dell S2716DG 27" 144 Hz G-SYNC
Case	Fractal Meshify C
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Audio
Power Supply	Antec HCP 850 80+ Gold
Mouse	Corsair M65
Keyboard	Corsair K70 RGB Lux
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores	I don't benchmark.

System Name	Dual Build Streamer
Processor	Ryzen 7900x3d : Ryzen 4600G
Motherboard	AsRock B650E Steel Legend : Giga B450i Aorus
Cooling	Custom Water 1x420 : Stock
Memory	32GB T-Force Deltas : 16GB Dominator Platinums
Video Card(s)	PowerColor 7900 XTX Liquid Devil: iGPU
Storage	20+ TB
Display(s)	Sammy 49" 5k Ultrawide
Case	Custom White Painted Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2
Audio Device(s)	Onboard : Onboard
Power Supply	EVGA 1200W P2
Mouse	Corsair M65 RGB Elite White
Keyboard	Hyperx Origins 65
Software	Windows 10

Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro
Cooling	AiO 240mm
Memory	2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast 3600MHz CL18
Video Card(s)	Radeon RX 6900XT Reference (amd.com)
Storage	O.S.: 256GB SATA \| 2x 1TB SanDisk SSD SATA Data \| Games: 1TB Samsung 970 Evo
Display(s)	LG 34" UWQHD
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi XtremeMusic + Gigaworks SB750 7.1 THX
Power Supply	XFX 850W
Mouse	Logitech G502 Wireless
VR HMD	Lenovo Explorer
Software	Windows 10 64bit

System Name	Girlfriend Likes My Spedo
Processor	Phenom II 965 3.6 ghz
Motherboard	MSI 790FX-GD70
Cooling	Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme Edition {5x Turbine 120mm, 2x Windtunnel 140mm, 1x 230mm Speedo Side fan}
Memory	OCZ DDR3 1600 8GB Dual Channel
Video Card(s)	Sapphire 5870 1GB Crossfire
Storage	2x 640 gb 7200 rpm 32mb cache raid 0, Seagate Momentum X Hybrid 500gb boot drive
Display(s)	YAMASAKI 27" IPS
Case	Thermaltake Spedo Advance
Audio Device(s)	Creative Fatal1ty Platinum> Musiland Monitor 02> Little Dot MKIII> Audeze LCD-2
Power Supply	Antec Quattro 850
Software	Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
Benchmark Scores	3Dmark 06: 21,989

System Name	The ClusterF**k
Processor	980X @ 4Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 BIOS F12
Cooling	MCR-320, DDC-1 pump w/Bitspower res top (1/2" fittings), Koolance CPU-360
Memory	3x2GB Mushkin Redlines 1600Mhz 6-8-6-24 1T
Video Card(s)	Evga GTX 580
Storage	Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB, 2xSeagate 320GB RAID0; 2xSeagate 3TB; 2xSamsung 2TB; Samsung 1.5TB
Display(s)	HP LP2475w 24" 1920x1200 IPS
Case	Technofront Bench Station
Audio Device(s)	Auzentech X-Fi Forte into Onkyo SR606 and Polk TSi200's + RM6750
Power Supply	ENERMAX Galaxy EVO EGX1250EWT 1250W
Software	Win7 Ultimate N x64, OSX 10.8.4

System Name	My Comp \| Fiancees Comp
Processor	i7 5820k @ 4.6Ghz 1.285v\| i5 2500k
Motherboard	MSI x99 SLI Plus \| AsRock Z77 Pro 3
Cooling	Watercooled
Memory	16GB DDR4 2400 @ 2666 \| 12GB DDR3 1600
Video Card(s)	AMD R9 290x \| MSI 5850 OC
Storage	128gb SSD + 2x 2TB \| 2TB
Display(s)	Asus 27" LCD \| 25" Hanns G
Case	CM Storm \| CM Elite 430
Audio Device(s)	Creative Recon 3D PCIe
Power Supply	Enermax Galaxy 1250W \| Rosewill 630w
Mouse	Logitech G700s \| Logitech G100s
Keyboard	Logitech G901 \| Logitech G105
Software	Win 8.1 Ultimate x64 \| Win 8.1 Ultimate x64
Benchmark Scores	3D Mark - Fire Strike Extreme - 4403

System Name	The Lizard v2.4
Processor	Intel Celeron G1840 (for the time being
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-H81-S2PH
Cooling	Intel Stock Fan
Memory	16GB Kingston HyperX 1600
Video Card(s)	MSI Gaming GTX 750Ti (For the time being)
Storage	500GB Samsung F1, 160GB Maxtor "Older than god"
Display(s)	AOC 28' LCD
Case	Coolermaster N200
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Antec VP500P
Software	Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Benchmark Scores	No crashes in the last 24 minutes.

Which build? i5 750 or Phenom II X4 ?

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