Question about processors, MOBO, and graphics.?

[wetaudid]

I have been out of the computer building thing for awhile, have been reading alot to get up to speed. here are my questions.



Processors: I used to like AMD chips, when I was building them awhile back, but Intel appears to have better specs. Of the intel line it looks like the newer sets are i7 (high end) i5 (medium) i3 (lower) - is this correct?



Motherboards: It looks like the x58 is a little more common (or becoming more common) of a motherboard. Would you think that this MOBO will be good for a year or two? It appears that the i7 line uses a different MOBO, and the i5 has some reduced abilities (outside of OC)



Graphics: I am not a high end gamer. It looks like the newest ones Radeon HD5870 are impressive but costly, would a HD4870 suffice for awhile? I am looking for a HD monitor, poss bluray dvd, and some other features.



PSU: I think, unless I am wrong, that 600w should suffice, and it appears some users are throwing in 800w units into their cases. Back in the ady 300w would have been fine.



background: I will likely use an old ATX case I have lying around. I will likely add about 4-6 gig DDR3 ram, maybe more if a sale. I don't want a top of the line, just made technology unit. I want something that will handle some of my current needs for at least a year and a half.



Maybe this is too much for one question.

[MaskedMusketeer713]

>Of the intel line it looks like the newer sets are i7 (high end) i5 (medium) i3 (lower)

Yes. The i7 is geared at high end / enthusiast and server/workstations.

The i5 is the mainstream option. Generally the best option for gamers because games don't require the perks that i7 offers (triple channel, multithreading etc.) An i5 will suffice for *most* people.

On the other hand, if you intend to use multiple GPU's, the i7 will be a better option because due to the design of the P55 chipset, there is a limit of 8x lanes on each PCIE slot when used in a multiple GPU configuration.
http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=810877

The i3 still isn't here yet, and will probably never be.

As for mobo, there are 2 different chipsets for the 2 procs.
The X58 is for i7 LGA 1366 CPU's whilst the P55 chipset is for i5's that operate on the LGA 1156 socket.

As for graphics, the 4870 (1gb) is powerful enough for a lot of games out there. It's about as powerful as a GTX 260, so considering it's price point of $160 it's a very affordable card and will generally play anything at 1650*1050 (22 inch) resolutions.
However at 1920×1080 you really should be looking at a GTX 275 or Radeon 4890 at the minimum.

PSU: 550 watts will suffice for most rigs. You need to look at how many GPU's you intend to run. If you're not Crossfiring or SLi'ing you would never need beyond 600 watts. >4-6 gig DDR3 ram

Don't forget.
P55 = dual channel RAM (2 or 4 sticks of RAM)
X58 = triple channel RAM (3 sticks of RAM)