A little advice needed.

Associate
Joined
10 Mar 2010
Posts
54
Location
Keele, Staffs
Hi folks, I'm on the verge of scratching an upgrade itch I've had for a while and I've hit a bit of a brick wall over the final details. So I'd appreciate some suggestions.

Ok so I'm currently running this:

Phenom II x2 555 @ 3.8GHz
Sapphire HD5770 1024


+2 x 2GB DDR3/SSD/Xonar etc.

Now I have ~£300 - 375 to spend and I'm torn between upgrading to either:

i5 2500k + P67 Mobo and a 2nd 5770/6770 in CF

or

a Phenom II x 4 965 or up and a Geforce 560ti plus a couple o' sticks o' RAM

This is all based on the assumption that any other parts will play nice with any upgrades.

Now, I know the 2500k reigns supreme as far as CPUs go, and from what I've read a CF 5770/6770 ~ 5870 ~ 560ti but I am a little wary of CF - I've never had a multi GPU setup before and you hear stories, y'know?

Anyway, any words of wisdom appreciated! ;)
 
As far as I'm aware in recent years CF support has improved...

If you can fit it in get a z68 Mobo...

Another option would be get this:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £167.99
1 x OcUK GeForce GTX 560Ti 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with FREE Batman: Arkham City PC game** £159.98
1 x Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £119.99
Total : £459.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).




And try selling of your existing 5770 - they seem to be going for about £40-50 which would bring cost down to say £400 - still overbudget I know, but thought I'd suggest it

kd
 
Thanks KD, this is the 'having your cake and eating' solution - which I am very tempted by, but the delayed rebate from selling the the old parts makes it a bit tricky in the short term for me financially.

What are the advantages of the Z68 platform over P67? I'm a bit behind with the tech as I've been in Africa for the past wee while (this upgrade is something of a coming home treat!). I thought the only difference was the Z68 had video outs for the onboard GPU and something to do with using an SSD as a cache for a home made hybrid-drive?

Thanks again, I'm in a real quandary over this and no mistake!
 
That's about it really. There are other differences but most won't know/use them.
Z68 is of course more 'current' i guess.
I run a P67/i7-2600k at work and a Z68/i7-2600k at home.
Both are great.
 
Thanks KD, this is the 'having your cake and eating' solution - which I am very tempted by, but the delayed rebate from selling the the old parts makes it a bit tricky in the short term for me financially.

What are the advantages of the Z68 platform over P67? I'm a bit behind with the tech as I've been in Africa for the past wee while (this upgrade is something of a coming home treat!). I thought the only difference was the Z68 had video outs for the onboard GPU and something to do with using an SSD as a cache for a home made hybrid-drive?

Thanks again, I'm in a real quandary over this and no mistake!

Tbh, that is pretty much it :p As above, it's slightly more up to date, but not much benefit. I'm actually running a P67 board myself...

I purposefully picked an SLI mobo, but if you didn't want an SLI mobo then you'd have the option of:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £167.99
1 x OcUK GeForce GTX 560Ti 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **Supplied with FREE Batman: Arkham City PC game** £159.98
1 x Asus P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
Total : £419.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).




That would be closer to your target budget?

kd
 
@numatic.nathan oh yes, many a tweak and a bios update and much hair pulling ensued but the 555 stayed resolutely dual core.

@KD keep this up and I'm going to be swiftly bankrupt! :D that's certainly more attainable, and tempting!

I am leaning towards the 2500k/Z68 now (Z68 seems a bit more future proof), with a 6770 in CF. If the CF doesn't work out I can try to sell one or both the 5770/6770 (which could recoup the 6770 initial cost) and see about a single card solution early next year.

Probably.

Thanks for the help!
 
Back
Top Bottom