CPU choice.

Hey guys,

I'm putting together a new rig.
i'll be using it for:
- Gaming (Looking at Battlefield 3 and Arma 3, so next gen gaming basicly)
- Video editing.
- Recording gameplay.
- Blueray films and such.

I'm currently looking at the AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition but i'm not sure this is one of the best on the market for that price range (150-300). Also would it be worth moving on to the Hexacore systems yet?
I don't mind if it's an intel or AMD processor but i noticed that the prices on AMD side are alittle lower then intel. (no fanboy replies i want the best choise not the brand you like the most)

Anyway thanks for the help in advance.

Next generation gaming will require next generation hardware to play with good effects.

So your destination is Bulldozer on AMD side or Sandy Bridge on Intel side. Sandy Bridge is already out and is pin compatible with the next version, Ivy Bridge, due out first half of 2012. You could also wait for Sandy Bridge E (SNB-E) the new enthusiast line ($$$) due out Q4 2011 from Intel.

On the AMD side Bulldozer isn't yet out, but is pin compatible with current chips. You'll want to wait for 990X motherboards to release (within a couple months I'd say) buy just enough of a Phenom to get you by until BD is released (Q3 2011) then drop the BD in it's place to be set for your games.

Intel you can have right now with top performance, but costs a little more. AMD might improve on it's performance with Bulldozer, but you'll need to wait a short time before you can begin assembling that rig. Building a Phenom rig right now isn't very smart. Bulldozer looks to maintain AMD's high performance for the dollar, and it remains to be seen if it will best Sandy Bridge in it's current incarnation, but you certainly can't go wrong with aiming for BD.

Maxvla said:

Intel you can have right now with top performance, but costs a little more.

Click to expand...

Which CPU's that intel has released would you say will work for the next generation?

I'm currently running these specs:
Motherboard: Rampage II Extreme
Processor: Intel i7 920 @3.7GHz (OCed)
Gfx: ATI 5870
and 6gigs of ddr3 RAM.

On the new games that came out (Crysis 2, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead) I'm already forced to turn down my settings so i'm sure i'll be forced to play on low/medium when battlefield 3/arma 3 comes out and this is something i don't want, so would you say wait with building a new rig or actualy updating my current rig (seems odd since alot will need replacing anyway, no?)?

I've been looking for a little while now and i'm getting lost in all the tech out there :S.

Your video card is what is causing you to turn down settings, I'd wager, and you'd need to replace it for BF3/Arma 3, yes. However that is something you can do later if you want even if you went with a current Sandy Bridge platform now.

The nice thing about Sandy Bridge is that you have an upgrade path for Ivy Bridge you can access now instead of having to wait for 990X motherboards to come out to ensure later compatibility with the second generation of Bulldozers.

There should be a new lineup of graphics cards debuting in Q3 or Q4 you can take advantage of at the same release window as BF3. I'm sure nVidia and AMD will make sure to have a new product on the market for BF3's release. Until then you can make do with your 5870 and a slightly better cpu/mobo setup (not all that noticeable really from a 920). Or you can just hang on to your entire system and replace it all at once later on. Up to you.

Now i'm thinking of upgrading my mobo and cpu to these:

CPU: Intel Core i7 2600K € 247,90
Mobo: Asrock Fatal1ty P67 Professional (B3) € 184,-

Let me know if you know a beter upgrade with about the same price range as those 2 above. I do need a SLI/Crossfire supported (might be running this in the future), USB 3.0 and SATA-600 mobo.

Let me know what you think so i can get to work
Thanks for all the help you have been giving me so far.

Asrocks are good boards, but I'm less familiar with the selection since there are so many versus only a few cpus to keep track of. I haven't shopped myself for a SNB motherboard so I don't know what to recommend there. Gigabyte and Asus always have top quality boards. Take a look at the Z68 chipset also. I believe it's newer than the 67.

As far as the CPU you can save yourself some money going with the i5 2500K if you want. It will be just as good as the 2600K for gaming, but will lag behind a bit on encoding/editing. The price difference is substantial but you'll have to decide if the money is worth the boost for non-gaming tasks.

Just hang on to cpu/mobo you have now, at 3.7Ghz it will run any game that's going to come out in next year or even two perfectly with good gpu, your slowdowns in games are caused by gpu get a better one now and you can always drop it into new system you build when bulldozer or ivy comes out, plus you will get desired performance in your games right away since gpu is the problem not CPU, so logical upgrade for now is gpu, to get noticeable performance gain from 5870 you need to get something like 6970 or Gtx570, 580 if your budget allows

Upgrading video right now is not a smart move. Both companies should have new products out around the time BF3 releases. Better to wait and see.

Same thing can be said about CPUs, especially when his is i7 [email protected], even 2600k won't give him noticible performance gain, especially in games since gpu is bottlenecking cpu

Which is why I already said it

"Or you can just hang on to your entire system and replace it all at once later on. Up to you."

Unlike video cards, it does make sense to get his platform down if he's itching for a change. At least the 1155 has an upgrade path at minimum a year long if not much longer. The cpus are all the same family unlike the video cards which will be completely new chips from the previous (current) generation.

Yes but replacing gpu would help him now, replacing cpu would not

+1 for a new gpu now something like a 6970 u can pick them up cheap. u can sell your 5870 so a new gpu wont cost much . and see whats about in a year or so for a new mobo and cpu as we dont know how good Bulldozer or Ivy Bridge will be . e.g wich one to go for

i would say a new gpu and or an ssd...
the ssd will give noticable performance....

I'll sit it out till the new GPU's hit the market. If i can go for it i will otherwise i might get the cheapers ones that are out now (6970/GTX580) and put them in Crossfire/SLI for a performance gain there. The ssd will have to wait since my current system does not support SATA-600. Then when we know more about Bulldozer/Ivy Bridge i will make my choise and upgrade my system to my needs if it's even needed because i don't know how my system will take the new games coming out.

Thanks for all the help it's been very usefull

vdgamer said:

Yes but replacing gpu would help him now, replacing cpu would not

Click to expand...

He can already play the games he's playing. Why waste the money on a new card when he'll have to replace it in 4-6 months??

like i was saying a 6970 is a quick fix . so he dosen"t have to lower the spec in games like he is doing now . and he could cf when he gets his new rig