Purely gaming --> i5 + 5970
Graphics card is more important for games than CPU.
Graphics card is more important for games than CPU.
i7 or i5.. I can't decide!
Gone back and forth a few times now. Already ordered the PSU for the new build. (Corsair 750)
i5 - $150
i7 - $200
Can get an i5 board (Gigabyte) for ~$100 or so. An x58 board of comparable quality is almost 2x. 4GB DDR3 = $100 vs 6GB DDR3 = $140+.
So all in all, i7 would cost me about $200 more.
So, it's basically i5 + 5970 or i7 + 5870.
Any thoughts? Purely for gaming (in terms of what I need the power for) and I am planning on going 3x screens later on as an upgrade. (Either 3x1680x1050 or 3x1920x1200)
Any thoughts? Need to decide for sure by Friday, for obvious reasons.
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i5 - $150
i7 - $200
Can get an i5 board (Gigabyte) for ~$100 or so. An x58 board of comparable quality is almost 2x. 4GB DDR3 = $100 vs 6GB DDR3 = $140+.
So all in all, i7 would cost me about $200 more.
So, it's basically i5 + 5970 or i7 + 5870.
Any thoughts? Purely for gaming (in terms of what I need the power for) and I am planning on going 3x screens later on as an upgrade. (Either 3x1680x1050 or 3x1920x1200)
Any thoughts? Need to decide for sure by Friday, for obvious reasons.
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But he is asking for gaming.
I think I would agree with the i5 and the 5970.
Originally Posted by Mygaffer  i7 as a platform is just much better. I would spring for the i7, you'll get better performance overall. |
I think I would agree with the i5 and the 5970.
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for multiple card crossfire/sli* add that in
Originally Posted by Mygaffer He may be asking for gaming, but I still think the Bloomfield is better. GPU bandwidth is greater and even if he is primarily gaming its nice to have the extra power and extra bandwidth for the future. I wouldn't go for lynnfield for my main rig, personally. |
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If you run single card, use your rig primarily for gaming, and plan on upgrading your entire rig within the next two years, there is no point spending the extra on Bloomfield IMO.
People say that 1156 is a dead end, but it doesn't matter to me because usually a CPU upgrade means an entire platform upgrade as a matter of habit.
Also, 1156 power management is far superior to 1366 (not important to everyone, but important to me).
A good portion of 1366 platform owners use single card only, bought the platform because it was the "best", and probably hurt themselves in the GPU department because of that. Another $200 saved by going 1156 towards GPU budget can go a long ways. It's the difference between 5870 and 5970.
Originally Posted by Mygaffer He may be asking for gaming, but I still think the Bloomfield is better. GPU bandwidth is greater and even if he is primarily gaming its nice to have the extra power and extra bandwidth for the future. I wouldn't go for lynnfield for my main rig, personally. |
People say that 1156 is a dead end, but it doesn't matter to me because usually a CPU upgrade means an entire platform upgrade as a matter of habit.
Also, 1156 power management is far superior to 1366 (not important to everyone, but important to me).
A good portion of 1366 platform owners use single card only, bought the platform because it was the "best", and probably hurt themselves in the GPU department because of that. Another $200 saved by going 1156 towards GPU budget can go a long ways. It's the difference between 5870 and 5970.
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Yeah, this pretty much the conclusion I've come to.
GPUs I may upgrade, but when I do a CPU, it's generally an entirely new platform - meaning motherboard as well.
So, I'm going with i5/5970. (i5/8800 Ultra until I sell my laptop to offset the 5970...) Already have the TX750.
My only issue now is the motherboard. I was going for the Gigabyte P55-UD2, then I read something about bad PCI-e controllers on the earliest P55 chipsets... and so I gotta think about which one.
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Bad thing is the P55-UD2 is only $100...
Originally Posted by iandh If you run single card, use your rig primarily for gaming, and plan on upgrading your entire rig within the next two years, there is no point spending the extra on Bloomfield IMO. People say that 1156 is a dead end, but it doesn't matter to me because usually a CPU upgrade means an entire platform upgrade as a matter of habit. Also, 1156 power management is far superior to 1366 (not important to everyone, but important to me). |
GPUs I may upgrade, but when I do a CPU, it's generally an entirely new platform - meaning motherboard as well.
So, I'm going with i5/5970. (i5/8800 Ultra until I sell my laptop to offset the 5970...) Already have the TX750.
My only issue now is the motherboard. I was going for the Gigabyte P55-UD2, then I read something about bad PCI-e controllers on the earliest P55 chipsets... and so I gotta think about which one.
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Not worth it anymore IMO (IF a full build is required).
An i5 is cheaper than 45nm C2Qs, P55s are cheap, and DDR3 prices have leveled out with (rising) DDR2 prices...
Originally Posted by G|F.E.A.D|Killa if its just games do 775 and a 5970 |
An i5 is cheaper than 45nm C2Qs, P55s are cheap, and DDR3 prices have leveled out with (rising) DDR2 prices...
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Thought about it. But I want a quad core. The only ones I'll consider at this point really are the Q9550/Q9650 - both of these are more expensive than the i5 750 (I have a Microcenter here...).
So, why would I bother? A decent 775 mobo is going to run me the same as a decent P55. The only cost difference will be the RAM, which is less than the difference between the i5 750 and the Q9x50s.
Originally Posted by G|F.E.A.D|Killa if its just games do 775 and a 5970 |
So, why would I bother? A decent 775 mobo is going to run me the same as a decent P55. The only cost difference will be the RAM, which is less than the difference between the i5 750 and the Q9x50s.
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Why, he can get a i5 which is much faster. Especially with it's onboard PCI-E controller.
you basically said "oh hey, yes, I'll get that compact that's 1000 dollars cheaper than that sedan I've always dreamed of, it's the new 2010 model but I don't want to spend 1000 more because the compact is not what I want and it's worse than the sedan, but it's cheaper!! ! ! ! ! ! !"
Originally Posted by G|F.E.A.D|Killa if its just games do 775 and a 5970 |
you basically said "oh hey, yes, I'll get that compact that's 1000 dollars cheaper than that sedan I've always dreamed of, it's the new 2010 model but I don't want to spend 1000 more because the compact is not what I want and it's worse than the sedan, but it's cheaper!! ! ! ! ! ! !"
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