CPU and memory advice

[georgiosd]

Hello,

I'm about to build a new system - I'm a power user/developer and play with virtual machines a lot.

I was considering the Intel i5 - I can't imagine using all 8 virtual cores of the i7 - is Nehalem really that much faster?

Also, I'm utterly confused about memory... what memory do I need to get for the i5 or i7, with a Gigabyte P55M series motherboard?

I am NOT going to overclock as I am aiming towards a QUIET system - may perhaps overclock lightly if system temperatures allow.

Thanks for the guidance.

 

[droyden]

i5 is dual channel, i7 is triple channel.
how many virtual machines do you plan to run concurrently?

 

[Danny_75]

It depends on what CPU your going for. I7 triple channel I5 duel.

I would just stick with the Dom Cas 8 1600mhz then just pick duel or tripple.

 

[Admiral Huddy]

Depends on you budget really. AMD are offering some decent bargain chips at the moment, such as the Athlon II X4 620. 2.6Ghz out of the box and easily overclockable should you choose to. All for under £80.

Careful when choosing DDR3.. There are two types using different voltages. I5/I7 and AMD Phenom use 1.65v and 1.8v respectively.

 

[Danny_75]

+1 on the AMD if your working to a budget. The big advantage to Intel is its OC. But as your not going to bother AMD makes a lot of sence.

 

[georgiosd]

Thanks for the replies.

I've ruled AMD out of the equation - Intel performs much better in most cases from what I've seen and I can afford it.

My only question is whether to go for i5 or i7.

Could someone give me a brief explanation of the dual-triple channel business? Does it mean that if I go for i5 I should install memory in pairs (e.g. 2x4GB modules) and if I go for i7 in triplets (e.g. 3x2GB) ?

I won't be running virtual machines concurrently ALL the time - when I do play with VMs, it's usually 2, or 3 tops.

 

[Admiral Huddy]

eh intel fan boy. When talking price over performance, your presumption isn't always an accurate one.

i7 triple channel provides extra bandwidth over the i5 dual channel which to be honest, unless your video encoding you'll never fuly utilise. The I7 has an advantage that the socket 1366 has a future for future chips. I'm not sure where the 1156 is going?

 

[Danny_75]

If it was me i would stick with Intel they are better in many more ways.

As you can see with my Sig i would get the i7 the i5 is little old plus the 860 is faster than the 920 and the Ram is less

 

[Martini1991]

If it was me i would stick with Intel they are better in many more ways.

As you can see with my Sig i would get the i7 the i5 is little old plus the 860 is faster than the 920 and the Ram is less

Want to know the irony of your statement?
In a game running at 1920x1080 (Where our CPU's will perform the same regardless of clock) which doesn't suppose Xfire.
My rig would be better.
Fanboyism = fail.