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CPU question

ray168

ray168

ray168

Associate
Joined
9 Dec 2010
Posts
286
Hello :)
I am thinking to build a computer i7 950 but need to do some research before i decide to go ahead with it.
My current cpu is X9650, is this actually the Q9650? are they the same CPU's? they seem to have the same specs.
Will the i7 950 be much of a difference from my current cpu/setup?
My motherboard is asus exteme striker 2 with sli cards, 4gb memory, cpu watercooled.
Many thanks.
 
Hi there,

May I ask what you do with your system?

Looking at your current spec I would strongly suggest you to wait - the jump from Q9650 to i7 950 is not a huge one and Intel's next generation CPUs (called "Sandy Bridge") will be with us in less than a month (January 9th). I would certainly wait until then before upgrading your system.
 
The QX9650 is an extreme processor with an unlocked multiplier. They are very good CPU's and are very easy to overclock. That being said if you are able to overclock your CPU to a respectable 4GHz, which should be pretty easy with that CPU then there is really no need to upgrade at this time. As an overclocked to 3.6GHz QX9650 is the equal of a stock i7-950 so obviously if your CPU is clocked to 4GHz then it will be ahead of the 950 CPU.

The next generation of Intel sockets are near at hand - and that would make a worth while upgrade for you.
 
Thankyou for the replys :)
I use mainly for work CAD, drawings and photoshop not so much of gaming now.
I have my setup overclocked to 3.8 (most stable i can get at the moment) but the main problem is my motherboard. I've had trouble with it since it was released never really managed to get it 100% stable on stock or clocked.
The reason why I thought it would be a good time to build a i7 950 setup now was because the prices falling and with the VAT increase soon....
Thanks
 
Ah I see what you mean.

Right the i7-950 at the current special price is a winner. You do not need anything flash when it comes to a X58 motherboard, I would recommend this board which is a good over clocker with all the features you could want. The Gigabyte GA-X58-UD3A. It has SATA3 and USB3 and 10 SATA connectors. The build and feature set coupled with the after market support that exists if you ever need it make it my number one choice for work/game motherboard in the X58 chipset. If you were a hard core bencher or someone who wanted both the SLi and crossfire option I would say the UD7. Now I own 2 Rampage Extreme III boards and a UD9 board for benching but I use the UD3 for my daily system and bench with the UD7 - simply because both just do the job without any fuss.

Get a 3 x 4GB ram kit do not worry about the frequency too much as you would never really notice the difference between 1333MHz and 1600MHz in real life anyway. But you will notice the difference between 12GB and 6GB when using Maya or some other heavy graphic rendering type application.
 
Yes if you doing a lot of graphics works it might well be benafial to upgrade to an i7. As said by 1Day go for a 3x4gb set the new stuff from corsair looks a good price at the min.
 
Thanks for the info, very helpful. I've heard a lot of good things about the gigabyte boards, i've only actually used asus boards before and i was looking more towards the sabertooth or the rampage III Extreme which is still expensive and not really sure if its good idea to spend that much on this motherboard.
I will look more at the gigabyte boards and then hopefully decide which board to buy soon.
Thankyou all for the help. :)
 
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