i7 3820 / X79-UD3 / 16GB or i7 3770K / Extreme6 / 16GB

Craterloads · 22 Apr 2012 at 00:09

Bit of a dilema deciding between these two bundles! Got a good price for my P67 SB setup and looking to upgrade/sidegrade to one of the following setups. Which one would you go for and why?

X79 System

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-391-IN - £229.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-057-AK&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2174 - £167.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-310-CS - £89.99

Total - £487.99

or

Z77 System

i7 3770K - £270ish ?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-062-AK&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2261 - 169.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-310-CS - £89.99

Total - £530

Will be under water if that makes any difference paired with a GTX 680. Im leaning toward the X79 ATM as is cheaper + at least my WC setup will be put to use. Hoping to keep system for a few years so want to be future proof as possible.

Usage - Gaming, Light photoshop and lightroom ( i mean light)

beejjacobs · 22 Apr 2012 at 00:12

Is this just for gaming?

Craterloads · 22 Apr 2012 at 00:15

beejjacobs said:
Is this just for gaming?

see edited above

beejjacobs · 22 Apr 2012 at 00:29

As the 2600K is on par with the 3820 [roughly, see here] I'd guess the 3770K should be better. Of course we will have to wait and see, but it seems likely.

So, why not get a cheaper Z77 motherboard and go with the 3770K?
Such as these:
Asrock Z77 Extreme4
Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H

Craterloads · 22 Apr 2012 at 00:32

beejjacobs said:
As the 2600K is on par with the 3820 [roughly, see here] I'd guess the 3770K should be better. Of course we will have to wait and see, but it seems likely.

So, why not get a cheaper Z77 motherboard and go with the 3770K?
Such as these:
Asrock Z77 Extreme4
Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H

Could go with a cheaper one no problem, but has to be darkish color scheme to go with my build hence why looking at the Asrock boards.

Overclocking is something that is important for me and all the neg reviews regarding OCing on the 3770k's is putting me off a bit. Will have to see when full reviews are out though.

beejjacobs · 22 Apr 2012 at 00:38

Craterloads said:
Could go with a cheaper one no problem, but has to be darkish color scheme to go with my build hence why looking at the Asrock boards.

Overclocking is something that is important for me and all the neg reviews regarding OCing on the 3770k's is putting me off a bit. Will have to see when full reviews are out though.

To be honest, I'm surprised at the cost of the X79, which in this case makes it a real contender. I think it's most certainly best to wait for some solid reviews on the 3770K and overclocking

Out of interest, have you seen this RAM?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-002-SA&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813
It overclocks very well

See this thread about it. Might be something to consider.

Craterloads · 22 Apr 2012 at 00:45

beejjacobs said:
To be honest, I'm surprised at the cost of the X79, which in this case makes it a real contender. I think it's most certainly best to wait for some solid reviews on the 3770K and overclocking

Out of interest, have you seen this RAM?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-002-SA&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813
It overclocks very well See this thread about it. Might be something to consider.

Yep looks like awesome ram, deffo considering it but no cool looking sinks!

beejjacobs · 22 Apr 2012 at 00:50

Craterloads said:
Yep looks like awesome ram, deffo considering it but no cool looking sinks!

Yeah it's shame, good for people with air coolers but I guess you can have nice high RAM as you have a WC set up

It's more like stealth RAM!

Craterloads · 22 Apr 2012 at 01:07

lol stealth ram

PCZ · 22 Apr 2012 at 07:21

Going with X79 and a 3820 is an option.
It isn't as expensive as most imagine as your shopping basket indicates.

However i would not go with the GigaByte UD3 especially with a 3820 as you need a board which runs well at 125Mhz BCLK.
Everything i have heard about the UD3 leads me away from it and puts it firmly in the 'to be avoided' category.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-057-AK&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2174
Would be a much better option. and i can from personal experience recommend it for use in a gaming PC in combination with a 3820.

Z77 will also work for you but the IB chips aren't released yet and there are a few unknows still, particularly OC abilities and thermal envelopes.
You would get to play with the latest thing but that novelty soon wares off.

Craterloads · 23 Apr 2012 at 20:37

Hey, since Ivy reviews are out ill re ask. So what do you guys thinks now, Ivy or X79?

Dumping the Gigabyte UD3 for the asrock from advice above and reading end user reviews.

edit: I actually ordered an X79 bundle this morning and paid for it but then had them cancel order and refund payment!!

Oh and if anyone got a spare 10% voucher please huck a brother up!

///Rage · 23 Apr 2012 at 21:15

Subscribed.

Could IB-E prove a much better overclocker seeing as it dumps the graphics core?

cmndr_andi · 23 Apr 2012 at 22:08

Looking at the reviewed performance of the i7 3770K and the fact that it will be priced $19 cheaper (wholesale) than the i7 2700K then I would personally go for that option over a X79 system.

I say this because per-clock it is a bit faster than sandy bridge (and a sandy bridge quad core), does well in photoshop (see here) and with water cooling you should get a nice overclock out of it.

If you are looking for a dark motherboard, then I would recommend the Asrock extreme4 or the Gigabyte UD3H.

///Rage said:
Could IB-E prove a much better overclocker seeing as it dumps the graphics core?

I wouldn't imagine so, since Sandy Bridge E dumped the graphics core too and doesn't overclock any better than mainstream sandy bridge. That said, we will have to wait until it comes out to be certain, as there is always the possibility of a new stepping or overclocking gains due to a more mature process.

SD2k · 24 Apr 2012 at 14:27

I'm interested in this as well, if anyone has any input

Thinking X79 for more PCIe lanes (x16/x16) and cheaper, but if a 3770k OC'd performs much better than a 3820 OC'd I'd rather get the 3770k and a G1.Sniper 3 (also does x16/x16, and hardwareheaven got 5Ghz out of a 3770k on it). I'm worried about temps like everyone else, though :/

eyetrip · 24 Apr 2012 at 14:47

For me going 3820 and X79 was supposed to be because it was cheaper than simply upgrading my 2500K to 3770K once I had sold everything.

With the UD3 being rubbish (worst board touched in years!) I was left in position of again deciding whether to just get 3770K to go in system had before, or getting better X79 board.

Landed up going with the X79 again after checking some reviews on Ivy, as I am still hoping that Ivy-E will be worth upgrading to in future.

It's now cost me far more getting an Asus Rampage Formula IV, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

May seem off getting cheap processor and expensive board, but I am looking at the 3820 as a place-holder until Ivy-E. It is plenty powerful enough for my current needs.

Craterloads · 24 Apr 2012 at 14:48

Its rather annoying, cant make my mind up.

Ivy-B is 5/10% faster clock for clock but now is a dead socket + poor overclocking. Energy savings.

X79 is cheaper + Ivy-E coming down the line, so a nice upgrade path. PCi-e lanes but thats not going to bother me as i never run sli.

Craterloads · 24 Apr 2012 at 14:49

eyetrip said:
For me going 3820 and X79 was supposed to be because it was cheaper than simply upgrading my 2500K to 3770K once I had sold everything.

With the UD3 being rubbish (worst board touched in years!) I was left in position of again deciding whether to just get 3770K to go in system had before, or getting better X79 board.

Landed up going with the X79 again after checking some reviews on Ivy, as I am still hoping that Ivy-E will be worth upgrading to in future.

It's now cost me far more getting an Asus Rampage Formula IV, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

May seem off getting cheap processor and expensive board, but I am looking at the 3820 as a place-holder until Ivy-E. It is plenty powerful enough for my current needs.

Exactly what i was thinking but looking at the Asrock Extreme6/MB motherboard with the 3820.

SD2k · 24 Apr 2012 at 15:25

eyetrip said:
For me going 3820 and X79 was supposed to be because it was cheaper than simply upgrading my 2500K to 3770K once I had sold everything.

With the UD3 being rubbish (worst board touched in years!) I was left in position of again deciding whether to just get 3770K to go in system had before, or getting better X79 board.

Landed up going with the X79 again after checking some reviews on Ivy, as I am still hoping that Ivy-E will be worth upgrading to in future.

It's now cost me far more getting an Asus Rampage Formula IV, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

May seem off getting cheap processor and expensive board, but I am looking at the 3820 as a place-holder until Ivy-E. It is plenty powerful enough for my current needs.

What made you go for the Rampage over, say the P9X79 Pro? I can see there's loads of features but was there any specific reason?

eyetrip · 24 Apr 2012 at 15:31

Yeah, purely the spacing between the pci-e slots...

It's one of the reasons the UD3 was seemingly perfect. Got monster DCU II cards in crossfire, the layout on these boards still allows spacing between cards.

pyropetepete · 24 Apr 2012 at 15:59

CPU is £300!!!