First Build opinions

[johnny1934]

I plan on building an AMD rig that WILL NOT be for gaming. I do have a flight simulator but that's about it for graphics. I do tend to have a lot of things open at once; music, internet, Excel, etc. so I thought the quad core CPU would keep things from stalling or slowing me down.
With the help of this forum, I think I have come up with good components, but I haven't decided between 2 mobo's. Any input would be appreciated. I'd also like input on compatability issues I'm not seeing.

Motherboard:
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD
Newegg.com - ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

or
GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition Deneb 3.5GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDZ970FBGMBOX
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition Deneb 3.5GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDZ970FBGMBOX

Memory:
Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT25664BN1337

Case: (also considered the Antec 900)
COOLER MASTER HAF 922
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

PSU:
Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91
Newegg.com - Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

Video Card:
HIS iCooler V H583FN1GDG Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16
Newegg.com - HIS iCooler V H583FN1GDG Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6402AAEX 640GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6402AAEX 640GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

CD/DVD Burner:
LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Writer
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Writer

OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit


.......TIA

[Nuclear Krusader]

A quad-core CPU is pretty pointless if you're not going to be gaming or running applications that take advantage of multi-threading. It will NOT help you with having more programs running at the same time: for that you need more RAM, not more cores.

You don't mention which programs you use, so I would assume that it's M$ Office and E-mail and the likes of programs for SOHO and say that 4 GB of RAM is enough.

[Nikon]

educate me on that statement krusader.

"A quad-core CPU is pretty pointless if you're not going to be gaming or running applications that take advantage of multi-threading. It will NOT help you with having more programs running at the same time: for that you need more RAM, not more cores."

the OS would assign different threads to different cores yes? if one thread pulls 90% of a cores power, the system freezes up until the load drops on a single core system, but continues running on a multicore system. ( i have experienced this using a program called phun)

ever since the mainstream introduction of multicore processors, that has been the biggest selling point. 'multitasking' has intel/amd and everyone else been lying to us for the last 5 or 6 years?

[Nuclear Krusader]

If the OS supports multi-threading, then it's possible that I'm wrong and the CPU can help with multitasking. I hope somebody else who knows the truth anent this pops in and disabuses us.

On the app side, an application has to be written for multithreading in order to take advantage of it, otherwise only one core will be used (taxed even) whilst the other ones just sit there idling.

[Nikon]

windows xp supports up to 4cores i believe, and i know vista and 7 support atleast 8, if not 12 cores. my i7 machine shows up as 8 (4 phyical cores hyprethreaded into 8 logical cores), and i see threads distributed along all of them regularly. an app's threading allows that particular app to run on one, or more cores, but the OS will sperate high demand apps and run them on different cores, giving each app as much power as possible.

[johnny1934]

I was really looking for input on the compatabilty of the components I've selected.
I am now leaning more toward the Intel Core i7-860 CPU and an ASUS P7P55D-E mobo.
Any comments are greatly appreciated.

[glc]

I don't recommend Ballistix ram - if you want Crucial, get the standard stuff.

[Nikon]

the i7-870 is only 10 bucks more, why not go with that one?

[Kidd]

Originally Posted by johnny1934 I was really looking for input on the compatabilty of the components I've selected. I am now leaning more toward the Intel Core i7-860 CPU and an ASUS P7P55D-E mobo. Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Based on your AMD build, you didn't receive a lot of input because you selected good components your first time around. ASUS motherboards are recommended over Gigabyte around here, but plenty of builders use them without issues. For more on component quality go HERE. The WD Black HDs are highly recommended here as well. I am not the expert, but everything looks compatible, and it looks like you've done your homework prior to posting. Definitely use GLCs advice on your RAM selection.
My $.02 about the case: for my first build I used the Antec 300, and I've really liked it. It was roomy enough to move around in easily, and is large enough to expand quite a bit later.

About the multi-core argument: I agree with Nikon, I seem to get much better overall performance when many separate applications are open simultaneously on a multi-core CPU. It will not make a sole program run faster unless that specific program was designed to use multiple cores, and those programs are rare. NK's RAM argument is very sound, however. For what programs you've described, 4 GB should be plenty, but definitely get the 64 bit OS you've listed for your computer to utilize all 4 GB.

Also, for running several programs simultaneously (simple stuff like what you've listed), that AMD CPU is more than enough. You're now considering going to an i7-870 (because, yeah, for $10, you may as well skip the 860), and building a computer way more powerful than what you'll need. That's irrelevant if this is specifically what you want, but I really liked building with AMD for my first. The lower price point on a build you may be a little unsure about putting together, as well as a heat sink design I feel is much easier to install properly are certainly factors I consider. If you are still leaning toward Intel, an i5-760 should serve you very well in this machine, but others' advice on Intel (especially GLC's) takes precedence over my opinions and limited experience.

I hope that helps .

[johnny1934]

Thank you Kidd and everyone else. Your help has been very valuable and is very appreciated.