a c2d - c2q setup or i7 setup?

Perfect_Chaos

Perfect_Chaos

Perfect_Chaos

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I really want an i7 setup just because its the newest tech, but then ive been thinking that i mainly use my pc for gaming

so should i skip the i7 upgrade route for now and just spend a few hundred on c2d? or bite the bullet and get an i7 setup? if i do then ill have to wait a little bit till after xmas.

stuck inbetween, if i did get a c2d setup then i would sell the stuff when i7 becomes a nicer price if its still worth anything

or shall i wait a little bit and just jump straight to i7?
 
I think you should wait a little while longer, i7 is still quite new, and then jump straight to the new platform. That's what i'm planning to do at least.

You could then pick up some c2d or c2q stuff second hand (e.g. q6600 about £100 etc) and let that do you until i7. That way you're not throwing away too much money on outdated tech (not that it's that outdated!).
 
I agree with the above post, but if you get a cheapo cpu to tide you over then in 6 months the 920 and 940 will have fallen to probably nearly half the price, then you can get i7, it'll be better bang for buck and there will be better 3rd party coolers out there.
 
8800GT's in SLI are still pretty formidable, so maybe just a board/cpu upgrade for now and get 4gb ram, and wait a bit?
 
I know to keep my cards for now, im just wondering if its a waste to go i7 or not.

easiest would be to do that and get it out the way, i may have to wait a week or 2 though for full amount of cash
 
Perfect_Chaos said:
I know to keep my cards for now, im just wondering if its a waste to go i7 or not.

easiest would be to do that and get it out the way, i may have to wait a week or 2 though for full amount of cash
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i am wondering the same.... i might sell most of my gear and either I7 or Phenom II...... hmmmm decisions :rolleyes:
 
ive been trying to sell my ps3 at auction but its only going to £250

was hoping to get rid of that to afford the upgrade, last hope is a 1 day listing tonight
 
Perfect_Chaos said:
what do you expect to drop first? and why is almost everyone so sure that prices will drop so soon?
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well, six months is hardly soon, but because if history is anything to go by, then within six months one or two more i7 cpus will have been made. At it's peak, core2 had somewhere in the region of 20 cpus in production. With new cpus coming out the prices of old will drop.
 
I picked up a E6600 the other day second hand for £60. Came with AS5 paste as well. If you shop around there are some bargains to be had.
 
anant_shah94 said:
well, six months is hardly soon, but because if history is anything to go by, then within six months one or two more i7 cpus will have been made. At it's peak, core2 had somewhere in the region of 20 cpus in production. With new cpus coming out the prices of old will drop.
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But the new i7's after current ones will be cheaper, less cache? or less clockspeed one or the other.

How will they cause much price drop?
 
You've had your current PC for a good while so spending £600 on a new CPU mainboard and memory isn't excessive. You could get s775 cheaper but if you want one, just get it.

A decent Quad core is the same price as a low end I7 so you pay a little extra for the board and the memory. The premium is less that £200 so get one and enjoy.... if it lasts as long as you s939 rig that's good value

The only issue you may have is that X58 doesn't yet support SLI with 8xxx cards as yet. And shop carefully for the board as only some support SLI if you were looking at that route.

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Get a decent wolfdale (e8400/8600) and overclock, can usually hit 4ghz quite easily, will tide you over until i7 is more mainstream and affordable.
 
Intel themselves say i7 isnt going to be mainstream til late 2009, and we all know how deadlines are often overshot, so if I were you I wouldnt be expecting any significant price drops any time soon. Either bite the bullet and pay the premium for i7, if you want to be able to say you have latest hardware, or if you want a more sensible approach buy yourself a decent 775 system, OC and enjoy at least 2-3years til you need to upgrade again
 
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When you compare what I7 offers, it's still good value. The low end CPU and Quad s775 and crossfire / sli boards are similar in price. Sure you can save some cash by not buying sli/crossfire boards and a dual core but then you don't have a fair comparison.

S775 - With 2x16 Crossfire and the Quad you'd buy, being only £10 more expensive than the cheapest.

x48cross.jpg




S775 - With 2x16 SLI though from it's reputation you'd really spring for a more expensive board or even the 790i

780sli.jpg





Finally the basic I7 capable of both SLI + Crossfire according to Gigabyte. Also comes with more powerful regs for the CPU voltage than the lower models. 6 phase vs 4 phase.

I7slicross.jpg




When you compare similar systems the I7 with it's multi gpu capabilities is actually a fair price. If you want a cheap system then by all means get a dual core s775 and some 6400 memory but for those looking for a quad and considering multi gpu I'd say it was an easy choice.

(grabs tin hat and runs for cover) :D

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