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Core 2 Quad q8400 vs I5 2500k

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Suppressor1137

Member
Joined
May 4, 2011
I have a conundrum.

I have finally reached the threshold of the core 2 duo's maximum output, and new programs tend to run about 27 frames on average, with minimums at 11, max at 43. My video card is the GTX 260, which i will eventually replace with a 560 ti.

I have two options:

Core 2 Quad Q8400

Core I5 2500k

I know for a fact that the core I5 is leagues better than the q8400 in terms of price/performance, But it is a double edge sword.

Getting the I5, i would also have to buy a new Motherboard, AND new ram.

Total for this is ~$500.

Cost for the Q8400 is =$160.

I could buy the three now, but be left with like $3 for a month, or even buy the parts individually across three paychecks.

It isn't necessary for an immediate purchase, but regret will be had later on as the months pass, and new *budget* stuff becomes available.(such as new chipsets, new processors, or even different ram)


Core I5 2500k($230)

Corsair XMS3 1600 cl9 2x4gb ($90)

Z68 motherboard(haven't decided 100% on what one i would use, one with 2x pcie 2.0 x16 slots for future upgrades.)

Or use my current setup

Corsair XMS2 800ms cl5 2x2gb

Asus Pk5-se/epu Mobo

Core 2 Quad q8400...

how much of a difference in processing power is there?(out of curiosity)

The verdict?(buy individually for much better performance(with chance of new tech putting it to shame)or get the 775)

The geek in me says the i5, the realist in me says the q8400.
 
Personally, I would take the risk and buy a second hand Core 2 Quad. I recommend you replace the GTX260 with a 2GB 6950 and flash it to a 6970, or get another GTX260 and go SLI if your motherboard supports SLI.
 
I wouldnt put any more money in to S775 if you can afford an i5 setup. Thats a no brainer to me.

I wouldnt worry about different stuff coming out across 3 paychecks.. what is that 6 weeks at most? Or are you monthly? Any reason you cant rock what you have and buy each part individually?
 
500 a month, 150 into monthy living expenses, 350 to play with, 150 left over from last month as of today. And the only reason i hate to buy separate, is because of my morale gets slapped in the face every month i dont have the new parts :p

As for the AMD vid card, Not a fan to the limited anti-ailising capabilities, and lack of dedicated shader cores. FPS means nothing if the image itself looks less than what it could be.

As for flashing cards...HELL NO. I can't afford $250 paperweights.

EDIT: I am a Nvidia fan, the only time i ever used AMD cards was back in the athlon XP days(single core overclockers paradise) when i was like 14 years old :p When everything was hand-me-downs. Not to say they are bad, i just prefer nvidia.




UPDATE: Just bought G. skill cl8 1600 2x4gb memory, it was cheaper than the cl9's available, so i just decided, hey, what the hell; decided to go the pay as you go route...can't wait for next month's paycheck XD

I'll run any Mobo's by you guys in a new thread in a few days, going to get the mobo b4 the processor, due to the chance of a new i9 MIGHT come out(a rumor, don't get your hopes up people)
 
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As for flashing cards...HELL NO. I can't afford $250 paperweights.

The reference 2GB 6950 cards have a dual BIOS system so if the BIOS flash goes bad you still have a backup BIOS, and the BIOS flash is reversible as well.

Don't forget about the warranty either.
 
The 2500k is a beast, but the E8400 can still play moost games on medium to high settings, so I would go with the E8400 just because its so much cheaper.
 
Radioactivaa said:
The 2500k is a beast, but the E8400 can still play moost games on medium to high settings, so I would go with the E8400 just because its so much cheaper.

From what i read, the maximum anti-ailising possible even with the most recent AMD cards is 8x, much MUCH lower than the x32 possible in Nvidia cards. That being said, you REALLY can't compare performance abilities of the two cards, they are in leagues of their own. For gaming, nvidia is the way to go in my eyes, in Graphic design and video rendering/encoding, AMD cards lead. The different features they offer have strengths in different areas.

What i would love to see eventually is a "marriage" of AMD and nvidia for putting their strengths together, to make the ultimate card. AMD for the extreme amount of cores, And Nvidia for their anti-ailising and shader cores. While competition is good for prices and the general public, co-operation is great for advances in technology. Wishful thinking on my part.

If i'm wrong about the anti-ailising, correct me. Its just what i've heard repeatedly from about 6 sources.

to Radio, Already bought the new RAM for the setup, CL8 1600 2x4gb gskill ripjawsx for $80. $10 cheaper than the CL9's, besides, I want future proof. Regardless if i did buy the q8400, i would have just turned it into a server later on cause i was going to get the 2500k later on anyways. XD :p
 
If you notice the difference between 16x (which is what ATI cards can do, if not more) and 32x, I'll buy you a beer.

So if ATI cant do 32xAA, you arent going to notice a difference, I promose.
 
If you notice the difference between 16x (which is what ATI cards can do, if not more) and 32x, I'll buy you a beer.

So if ATI cant do 32xAA, you arent going to notice a difference, I promose.

Yeah, but then you also have a lack of shaders. Again, it boils down to personal preference. I like nvidia cards more than ATI cards, both are great, don't get me wrong, but i prefer nvidia.

Gaming Resolution would be 1650x1050 due to monitor constraints(previous generation 22 inch wide screen) Extra memory offered in the ATI cards wouldn't be utilized, even in 3D(which it doesn't even support).

Anyways, I declare this thread dead to me, as my question has been answered.
 
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