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Can't decide which CPU to get (MOBO/CPU)

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Crowskick

Crowskick

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Aug 3, 2009
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Pittsburgh
Alright, well I'm building a new rig for school. I'm looking to keep MOBO/CPU combo under $300 (is this reasonable)? I have everything but my MOBO and CPU cause I can't quite determine which I want.

I am currently thinking of the following 4 processors (Prices from Newegg):
$160 - AMD Phenom x4 II 955 Black Edition @ 3.2 GHz
$177 - AMD Phenom x4 II 965 Black Edition @ 3.4 GHz
$180 - Intel Core i5 650 @ 3.2 GHz
$208 - Intel Core i5 660 @ 3.33 GHz

The other components in my rig include:
Seagate 80 GB 7200 HDD
EVGA GeForce GTX 460 - 768 MB GPU
CoolerMaster 750 W PSU
4 GB (2x2GB sticks) Patriot G Series Sector 5 DDR3 @1333

I am not looking to over-clock anything. Getting this rig mostly for gaming but I do some video encoding and lots of file conversions. I also kind of want this to be able to upgrade over the years, add more RAM, better PSU, better CPU since I don't have a lot to put up right now, and maybe SLI at some point.

As of now I am leaning towards the i5 650. Since it uses the same socket as i7 eventually I'd be able to bump up to that and since I'm not planning on over-clocking I don't see the need to get an unlocked processor.

As for the MOBO... I really don't care what it is, just has to work with I have and have an ATX form factor. ASUS and Gigabyte seem to be shoe ins but like I said, I don't need anything super fancy. Just something to let me run my components ha.

Thanks in advance!!!
 
Your only upgrade path with S1156 at this time is I7 860 and 870. The only difference between those chips are HT and clockspeed, so Imnot certan thats the best upgrade path. You may want to jump into S1366 and an i7 920 which has HT already. Then when/if cheaper Hhex cores come out you can drop that in.

If you go with AMD however and get the right board, you can upgrade to AMD's Hex core. If you go AMD, get the 955. No reason to pay $17 more for nothing really.
 
Crowskick said:
Alright, well I'm building a new rig for school. I'm looking to keep MOBO/CPU combo under $300 (is this reasonable)? I have everything but my MOBO and CPU cause I can't quite determine which I want.

I am currently thinking of the following 4 processors (Prices from Newegg):
$160 - AMD Phenom x4 II 955 Black Edition @ 3.2 GHz
$177 - AMD Phenom x4 II 965 Black Edition @ 3.4 GHz
$180 - Intel Core i5 650 @ 3.2 GHz
$208 - Intel Core i5 660 @ 3.33 GHz

The other components in my rig include:
Seagate 80 GB 7200 HDD
EVGA GeForce GTX 460 - 768 MB GPU
CoolerMaster 750 W PSU
4 GB (2x2GB sticks) Patriot G Series Sector 5 DDR3 @1333

I am not looking to over-clock anything. Getting this rig mostly for gaming but I do some video encoding and lots of file conversions. I also kind of want this to be able to upgrade over the years, add more RAM, better PSU, better CPU since I don't have a lot to put up right now, and maybe SLI at some point.

As of now I am leaning towards the i5 650. Since it uses the same socket as i7 eventually I'd be able to bump up to that and since I'm not planning on over-clocking I don't see the need to get an unlocked processor.

As for the MOBO... I really don't care what it is, just has to work with I have and have an ATX form factor. ASUS and Gigabyte seem to be shoe ins but like I said, I don't need anything super fancy. Just something to let me run my components ha.

Thanks in advance!!!
Click to expand...

The PhII is the better choice with no oc. for the money a 890 gx combo should do you. But wanting an i7 this may do ya.

http://www.techreaction.net/2010/08/09/review-asus-p7p55d-e-pro-a-step-above/
 
EarthDog said:
Your only upgrade path with S1156 at this time is I7 860 and 870. The only difference between those chips are HT and clockspeed, so Imnot certan thats the best upgrade path. You may want to jump into S1366 and an i7 920 which has HT already. Then when/if cheaper Hhex cores come out you can drop that in.

If you go with AMD however and get the right board, you can upgrade to AMD's Hex core. If you go AMD, get the 955. No reason to pay $17 more for nothing really.
Click to expand...

???? the i7 1156 have HT the i5 x4 does not. Also 875K is an option.
 
Yes, but he i5 he mentioned up top and that does not have HT. That is what I was referring to. ;)
 
Last edited:
Okay. He mentioned the dual i5 that does have HT and I saw no mention of anything else other than AMD and the i7. There again I could have missed it.
 
Archer0915 said:
Okay. He mentioned the dual i5 that does have HT and I saw no mention of anything else other than AMD and the i7. There again I could have missed it.
Click to expand...
I see I made a mistake. What he needs to do on that platform, now that I understand it...:p, is to get an I5 750 (native quad no HT), then he has a minimal upgrade path to a quad with HT on S1156.

There. :fight:
 
EarthDog said:
I see I made a mistake. What he needs to do on that platform, now that I understand it...:p, is to get an I5 750 (native quad no HT), then he has a minimal upgrade path to a quad with HT on S1156.

There. :fight:
Click to expand...

I can definitely agree with that. In games the 660 is just about neck and neck with an AthlonII X4 @ 2.6 where multiple threads are used. A real Intel quad for the same money as the dual would do a lot better in games that are CPU intensive and multithreaded.
 
If I go the i7 route then what MOBO would should I be looking into? The i7 920 is currently out of stock on Newegg so I can't see their pricing but Amazon has it listed at $270... Then back on Newegg the cheapest, reasonable MOBO I can find is $180. (Foxconn FlamingBlade X58)

That results in about $150 more than what I was anticipating... I can swing it but is it really going to help my future upgrades that much?
 
Dont get the 920, get the 930. And if you have a Microcenter around you, the 930 could be had for $199. ;)

BUT, in this case, I almost think AMD is really the best route...it may save you a few dollars and allow a better upgrade in the future (to native Hex thats inexpensive, vs native hex thats probably way expensive).
 
Last edited:
You really need to get off of dual cores or dual's with HT since you say you encode and do file manipulation.

Native quad or Native quad with HT is the best route for you to go IMHO.
 
Ok... Census seems to definitely go with the native quad and my upgrade options would be limited by going native quad intel so going with the Phenom II x4 955

Now the MOBO... needs SLI, isn't it hard to find AMD boards that support SLI?
 
Old vs new in a very basic response. Get the newer one. Be sure to check the MFG website to see if that board supports HEX cores.
 
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