i5 or i7 better for a friend?

[Greenlepricon]

I'm helping my friend build a pc but I'm not really sure which processor would be better. I can help him decide on the gaming front, but he also plans to do a lot of content creation. The programs he told me he'll use are Autodesk, Maya, Cubebase 7, fl studio 10, kontak 5, and nuke compositor. He has the money for as much as the 3770k, but would like to avoid spending the extra cash for the i7 if it won't really benefit him. Since I have no idea about most of these programs, I thought I would ask you guys. Thanks and I appreciate any help you can give.

 

[ultimatebob]

That software can use the extra CPU horsepower. Go for the i7 3770.

 

[Phynaz]

What's his cost/performance desire?

A 3770K is very good for those apps. It's up to him if the extra 10% - 20% performance is worth the price difference from a 3750K.

If it's his job to use those apps where time = $, then he should really consider a 3970K.

 

[CurrentlyPissed]

What's his cost/performance desire?

A 3770K is very good for those apps. It's up to him if the extra 10% - 20% performance is worth the price difference from a 3750K.

If it's his job to use those apps where time = $, then he should really consider a 3970K.

I agree 100%, but I doubt he's gonna leap for a 3970. Just get the 3770k it'll be just fine.

 

[Soulkeeper]

I tell everyone that a build starts with a budget

buy the best cpu you can afford with your budget.
If you have no budget then deciding on components is like hitting a moving target

 

[Greenlepricon]

What's his cost/performance desire?

A 3770K is very good for those apps. It's up to him if the extra 10% - 20% performance is worth the price difference from a 3750K.

If it's his job to use those apps where time = $, then he should really consider a 3970K.

He doesn't have a ton of money right now though since he's still taking classes, so that's the only problem :\. We're still figuring it out but the processor is definitely his main concern. His current pc is garbage, which is really why he needs to upgrade. I'll ask how much cash he wants to devote for that extra bump in power once he has a final budget. Thanks for the advice though I'll keep that in mind!

 

[Greenlepricon]

I tell everyone that a build starts with a budget

buy the best cpu you can afford with your budget.
If you have no budget then deciding on components is like hitting a moving target

His budget is more or less $1700 by the way, but he needs a new monitor and wants to game a little. I'm definitely trying to leverage that and his school/work needs, and want to focus on the cpu. I have until this weekend till he wants to start ordering parts so I'm working on finding the best deals for his needs pretty quickly.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

3770 is in budget for a 1k+ budget

 

[Phynaz]

With a $1700 budget, and running professional apps, he should get a Sandy E.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...6819116492&CMP

 

[videogames101]

3770k is a go (or SB-E)

 

[Greenlepricon]

Alright sounds like 3770k or SB-E (if it works in the budget) will be the best! Thanks for all the help

 

[Sleepingforest]

With a budget that big, going for an i7-3770 makes sense, though maybe not the i7-3770K version (you may not want to overclock if accuracy and stability are major concerns). Extra money should really be put into quality peripherals or just saved to pay off student debt.

This should give those RAM and core hungry programs plenty to use:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Biostar H77MU3 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($178.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($42.39 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $959.30 before taxes
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-14 23:30 EST-0500)

I tried to minimize cost where it doesn't matter--he may benefit from adding in a graphics card in Autodesk Maya, but even a Quadro 2000 (the cheapest recommended card) is $400. It's up to him.

 

[Greenlepricon]

With a budget that big, going for an i7-3770 makes sense, though maybe not the i7-3770K version (you may not want to overclock if accuracy and stability are major concerns). Extra money should really be put into quality peripherals or just saved to pay off student debt.

This should give those RAM and core hungry programs plenty to use:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Biostar H77MU3 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($178.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($42.39 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $959.30 before taxes
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-14 23:30 EST-0500)

I tried to minimize cost where it doesn't matter--he may benefit from adding in a graphics card in Autodesk Maya, but even a Quadro 2000 (the cheapest recommended card) is $400. It's up to him.

Oh wow thanks for that! Like I said he does want to game a little so I was hoping to get him a radeon or gtx gpu. I'll talk to him about that but I think I'm knowledgable enough with those. I know it isn't as good as the workspace gpu's for what he does, but that's the best I can think of for him... Otherwise you're right about the peripherals. I don't want him getting some cheap monitor just because he wants better hardware.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I believe that the last generation (Fermi) of Nvidia CPUs is better for Autodesk Maya, and Autodesk generally seems to prefer Nvidia CPUs for their CUDA cores. You can find 580s on Ebay for around $300 (less if you do well on a bid), while 570s sit around $200.

 

[DominionSeraph]

GTX 570 for $150 after rebate, new!
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...e_GTX_570_1280MB_GDDR5_PCIe_20_x16_Video_Card

 

[MisterMac]

a GTX 580 \ 570 + 3770k seems the cheapest option for both game \ professional work.

If the budget includes it - he will gain alot on the rendering from going 3930k tho.

 

[DominionSeraph]

If the budget includes it

I tried and can't fit in a SSD.

PCPartPicker part list /

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($560.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme6 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.72 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($97.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.28 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $1467.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 07:07 EST-0500)

Memory: Corsair 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)

CAS 11

 

[DominionSeraph]

Here you go:

PCPartPicker part list /

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.72 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($172.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1193.61


(edit, now with SSD. Duh)

 

[Sleepingforest]

That looks like a solid build. The only thing I would change is that there is a cheaper Hitachi 2TB drive from Microcenter and he could probably work with a smaller power supply (Newegg has a solid 500W one for $50 after rebate).. Every bit is helpful for poor college students!

 

[DominionSeraph]

That looks like a solid build. The only thing I would change is that there is a cheaper Hitachi 2TB drive from Microcenter and he could probably work with a smaller power supply (Newegg has a solid 500W one for $50 after rebate).. Every bit is helpful for poor college students!

Listed seek time on that Toshiba is 14ms. That's horrible. Also, it concerns me that I can't tell what the heck that drive is. Two Newegg reviews say it comes up as a Hitachi HDS723020BLE640. This says that the HDS723020BLE640 is a Toshiba DT01ACA200. I can't find a single review of a PH3200U-1I72.

And Anandtech's test system pulls 400W with a GTX 570. A 500W Builder Series when a 650W modular 80+ Gold is only $15 more doesn't make much sense.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Ah, okay then. It's up to the OP and his friend to decide whether it's worthwhile. I, in light of these revelations, would say it's worth the extra $25.

 

[2is]

His budget is more or less $1700 by the way, but he needs a new monitor and wants to game a little. I'm definitely trying to leverage that and his school/work needs, and want to focus on the cpu. I have until this weekend till he wants to start ordering parts so I'm working on finding the best deals for his needs pretty quickly.

For $1700 you can configure a system that does all those things exceptionally without compromising on any of them.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Well, with the builds that have been posted, he has $500 or so for peripherals. That'll allow for a $400 Korean 1440p monitor or a Monoprice 1440p monitor, a cheaper mechanical keyboard (like a Rosewill 9000BR) and a basic wired mouse. I recommend getting a solid keyboard and monitor because that'll be the most interaction you have with a working computer; you may want a mouse with adjustable DPI so you can turn it down for high accuracy (slow polling means the cursor moves more slowly on screen).

 

[Greenlepricon]

Wow guess I have a little to look into tonight! He has a pretty nice keyboard but his mouse could definitely be better. He is trying to save every dollar he can without compromising since he doesn't have a steady job and at the moment works on production projects that come and go.

If you guys don't mind me asking, is it worth getting the sandy bridge i7, ivy bridge i7, or xeon 1230? I can overclock for him, although I'm not going to go crazy with it since it's his system and as someone said it needs to be extremely stable. Just another factor to wonder about...

 

[crashtech]

Xeon E3-1230V2 is Ivy Bridge. Not many here recommend it, but it fares well against its nearest competition on a price/performance basis, and will work in virtually any motherboard that supports Ivy Bridge CPUs.

I don't think Anand has it in the benchmark database, this may explain the lack of recommendations.