lardo5150

For someone on a budget, would the i5 be the way to go?

1. Will it overclock as well and easy as the i7?
2. Will we see almost the same performance as the i7?

From what I am reading, the i7 socket is more scalable and future proof. That is fine, but I can save a lot of money going with the i5, but I want to make sure it is going to perform up to snuff.

Quantum Reality

The main issue is the expense of the i5. Consider this:

Even in Canada, an i7 can be had for about $300. An i5 costs $230. A motherboard for either costs about $150-$200.

In short for about the $80 (after tax is factored in) price difference you might as well go i7.

(By contrast, AMD's budget quad core, the Athlon II X4, is $120ish Canadian. Couple that with a decent mobo and you're rockin' and rolling while you wait for the new Phenom steppings to come out.)

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-iceblade^

but you forget to mention Quantum, that the ram for i7 is a lot more expensive.

it's not as clear cut...

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lardo5150

I actually thought about the AMD, but I believe the i7 beats it, and I dont want to get the AMD, then when the new one comes out, have to upgrade the cpu and board again.

lardo5150

Yes, that is true. way expensive, like 150 to 200.

Quantum Reality

Well, both the i5 and i7 can use DDR3, and I know the i7 boards tend to be triple channel. That said, is there any reason you CAN'T use two sticks instead of three on an i7 board?

And yes, if you have the funds for i7 I would recommend i7. I chose to go AM3 partly for idiosyncratic reasons and partly for pure cheap-bastardness. The idiosyncrasy is that I hate LGA* pushpin designs with a PASSION now.

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Dopamin3

but you forget to mention iceblade^, that the ram for i5 also works in i7 because it has a dual and triple channel memory controller.

you could buy either...

ZealotKi11er

You have a Q6700 so no point going AMD. Aslo if you go i7 it will be a X58 so u can cf and sli which is something u cand do for cheap with a p55 and 1366 is more future prof

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HD4870 1GB @ 800Mhz/4Ghz
Q6600 @ 3.8Ghz/1900Mhz

Quantum Reality

Oh crud, wrong thread. Sorry, guys.

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G|F.E.A.D|Killa

i5 OCs alot worse then i7, a good chip will do 4.0 with 1.35 vcore while i7 does it at around 1.25

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I heard Ford is coming out with heated bumpers in 2010 so your hands don not get cold while pushing it.