Which Intel CPU to go for?

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30-08-2010, 02:15 PM
DenSweeP

Which Intel CPU to go for?

I might hopefully be upgrading soonish(if the buyer takes my last lung and my other kidney).

As the title suggests, I'm looking at Intel. Now I'm fairly 98% certain I'm going to go with a Core i7 870, but was just wondering about the Core i7 930/940. Anybody have some topical and valid arguments for either?

And please, let's not turn this into a AMD/Intel topic. If anyone has some good references to AMD, fine, but please let us refrain from making this into a fanboi thread.

What would be interesting is if some of you with similar Intel rigs could post some of your own benchmarks here? Hell, AMD benches also welcome for comparison purposes.
30-08-2010, 02:54 PM
Voicy

Apparently the 970 I7's are going for cheap cheap... R2700 each.

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthre...he-Time-To-buy!
30-08-2010, 03:07 PM
DenSweeP

Well I've discovered this: http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/d...High,2418.html

That price drop is on the i7 950 which still comes in below the i7 870 on that comp chart. Yes, I know it's a tad more expensive, but I'm upgrading now for the next 2 years hopefully. Well, my mobo, cpu and ram at least. Gfx card will probably need to upgraded a week after I buy my new one.
30-08-2010, 04:23 PM
to0kenZA

Ok dude, excuse me, not trying to derail of start a fanboi discussion but- maybe wait for the AMD Bulldozer 8 core that's coming soon. Maybe it will perform really well against some of the high end Intel CPUs. Don't make a decision that you will regret now though. Intel CPU cost a lot of money and it might be worth waiting just a little while. If it's not good enough for you then you can always go Intel with peace of mind.
30-08-2010, 04:28 PM
Tank

dunno much about intel but the 950 looks like a good buy
30-08-2010, 04:55 PM
Neo

What's your budget dude? I'm also slowly upgrading, but I'd rather not think about the costs.
30-08-2010, 04:59 PM
DenSweeP

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neo

What's your budget dude? I'm also slowly upgrading, but I'd rather not think about the costs.

Depends how much I get for my kidney. I budgeting abt R15k, but that includes chassis, psu, mem, mobo, cpu, HDD, dvd, screen. But I have one small advantage in that I work in distribution, so I get cost price on most items...

As for the AMD CPUs coming out, is there a release date?
30-08-2010, 05:04 PM
Neo

I cannot take you seriously if you're considering an AMD CPU. :(

My upgrade is consisting of an Asus Rampage 3 Extreme motherboard (best mobo Ive seen lately)
Intel 980X CPU (6 cores, costs a fortune, but will last longer than 3 years I think).
12GB of DDR3 Ram - that should be enough until Windows 7 SP2.

what do you do with your old parts? I have no idea what I'm going to do with the stuff that I'm replacing and it's flippen annoying.
30-08-2010, 08:18 PM
DenSweeP

Keeping them. Hence the new PC. Not really considering AMD. I'm not partial to any brand other than those that perform the best.
31-08-2010, 09:45 AM
Neo

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenSweeP

Keeping them. Hence the new PC. Not really considering AMD. I'm not partial to any brand other than those that perform the best.

The best advice I can give you is probably some that you already know: Try and get a CPU and Mobo that allows you to do some aggressive overclocking. That way you'll score a lot more for your bucks.
31-08-2010, 09:49 AM
DenSweeP

I do not believe in overclocking. Not a supporter of it.
31-08-2010, 11:00 AM
to0kenZA

Den, check this out

http://www.techradar.com/news/comput...in-2011-663795

It's coming out early next year, but I suppose you don't want to wait that long :p
31-08-2010, 11:50 AM
Neo

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenSweeP

I do not believe in overclocking. Not a supporter of it.

But why?!?!

You know your CPU is made to be pushed further than stock speeds, right? It' not the overclocking of 10 years ago. These days it's sort of expected?
31-08-2010, 11:54 AM
niftyshorts

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neo

But why?!?!

You know your CPU is made to be pushed further than stock speeds, right? It' not the overclocking of 10 years ago. These days it's sort of expected?

The only thing you can expect when you overclock, is your PC to overheat and burn your house down.

Thank you.
31-08-2010, 01:30 PM
Strategist01

Actually, most new Intel CPUs overclock and underclock automatically as the need varies. So your brand spanking new Intel CPU already overclocks itself. I haven't seen any reports of fires from houses burning down from the new CPUs, have you? Also, all CPUs have an inbuilt temp threshold - when this is reached, it shuts itself off, no warning! It a very good fail safe.
31-08-2010, 02:16 PM
DenSweeP

Say what you will, but you are definitely shortening the life span of any product by overclocking it.
31-08-2010, 02:46 PM
to0kenZA

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenSweeP

Say what you will, but you are definitely shortening the life span of any product by overclocking it.

Yes but it will still last many years, by which time you would have upgraded again. It's just getting more out of what you payed for.

I overclocked my 965BE to 3.8Ghz, and NB to 2.6Ghz and the CPU temperatures never exceed 33-35 degrees Celsius even under load. If this lasts me 3 years (which it surely will) that's awesome because I'll definitely upgrade by then.
31-08-2010, 04:17 PM
Weasley

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...70,2698-6.html

if follow there thinking the core i5 760 is the best one to get
31-08-2010, 04:19 PM
Weasley

And i heard roomer that end of the year Intel is releasing 2 new sockets
31-08-2010, 04:44 PM
DenSweeP

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weasley

And i heard roomer that end of the year Intel is releasing 2 new sockets

Roomer?

Isn't that the name of Bruce Willis' and Demi Moores' kid? :D

Been checking and It would be between the i7 870 and the i7 950 for me, but I think I will opt for the 870 as it will remain slightly cheaper and the motherboard I like is also a fair bit cheaper. And then the memory also works out cheaper due to only needing to buy in pairs as opposed to buying in 3s. yes the triple channel might be better, but in terms of performance the 870 is often better and in my opinion is better value for money.

I will not overclock as I've stated, I do not believe in it despite what many think or say. You don't go souping up your Mercedes or Audi, so why your CPU? As for AMD, they have nothing currently that comes close in overall performance and their Bulldozer of next year looks promising now, but the game changes so quickly that Intel will simply bring out there new offering whatever it may be at the same time and most likely knock AMD down again.

I think many people make the mistake of when upgrading to wait just a week or a month because the new GPU/CPU/HDD will be released next month. True, but that is always going to be the case with technology, so I say determine your budget now and buy the best you can now. If a better CPU is released tomorrow, so be it.
31-08-2010, 10:08 PM
Neo

I agree with you DenSweep. You have to buy what you can afford now and make the best of it because technology moves so fast it's silly to wait for the "next" big thing. I've taken the same approach with my upgrade, unfortunately it's happening in phases due to the costs but I am getting my motherboard tomorrow :D