I need a new mobo - stick with i7920(x58) or upgrade both?

[413x]

think this might be better in here then general hardware

basically i have a dead x58 mobo so i was wondering if it would be better to replace it and keep the x58/i7920 or move up to something newer?

either way i need a new board

the pc will be used for
photo editing..sometimes quite heavy work
modelling (statistics)
bit of coding
gaming with xfire

so, replace x58 or go something else
i should say 8 threads would be a must

 

[cmndr_andi]

Hi there,

This really boils down to your budget. X58 is so old now that retailers don't tend to stock X58 boards any more, and if they do then they tend to be far overpriced. This means that you really need to go second-hand where X58 boards seem to be selling for around £50.

Obviously, for £50 you will not be able to get anything more powerful.

If you are looking for a decent upgrade then your best bet is with an i7 4770K and a Z87 motherboard. This upgrade will cost around £350. Here is a chart which shows how the i7 4770K compares to the i7 920 in a range of tasks.

Another option would be an AMD Piledriver Hex core, as a FX 8350 costs £140 and decent AM3+ boards (900 series) start at £50 (so £200 all in). Here is a chart which shows how the FX 8350 compares to the i7 920 in a range of tasks.

 

[413x]

interesting

The i7 920 i could quite easily get to 3.4GHz happy and content
the figures dont actually look to be as different between the amd option, i suppose this gives intel a practical monopoly on CPUS in consumer market

350 is quite a substantial amount, im trying to figure out if it is justified

I should add i will be doing a fair bit of transcoding blu rays too

 

[JimboJet]

I would try and grab a secondhand x58 for now and keep the i7 920.

I have the i7 930 and am holding off until the z99 boards and intel CPUs come out in a few months time. I was very close to upgrading to i5 4670k and z87 but feel that the jump is not worth it yet when I have a stable 3.8Ghz overclocked quad i7 processor.

Countering what i've just said, the new tech will no doubt come with a premium so perhaps if you're budget limited the amd option may be worth looking into.

 

[413x]

the amd option really looks to offer little tbh, from the spec sheets anyway. I would go the 4770k i feel if i upgrade

 

[JimboJet]

Of course with a replacement x58 mobo, you could always invest in some better cooling (maybe an SSD too if you dont currently have one) and overclock your chip a good deal to prolong its lifespan. If you can fit something like the i100 All in One cooler you'll be able to stick that on your new machine when you later upgrade.

 

[413x]

i am really struggling to find a nicely priced x58 motherboard.
the bay prices are tbh amazing! almost all seem to be 100!

im not paying price of a brand new z97 board for 4 yr old platform!
i may have to buy something slightly more common as a bundle for those prices!

was wanting a new cooler too

 

[Draeger]

Keep your eye on the MM or put up a 'Wanted' thread for an X58. They are as you say, like gold dust and the bay is full of people willing to bid silly money for them for good used examples. I think that goes someway to explaining why the X58 is so sought after and is still a viable option for the basis of a powerful system.

I'm running an i7 920 D0 @3.6Ghz, it'll sit at 4.0Ghz all day but everything I need it to do it does at the slightly lower clock speed of 3.6. Overclocking these things is so easy its silly. However good cooling is a must. I've got a Hyper 612 with 2 120mm fans in push/pull and it sits at around 38 deg under normal use, under load it varies but it still runs very cool. It's gobbled up everything I've thrown at it recently gaming wise like Wolfenstein New Order and Watch Dogs coupled with an R7850 2Gb and 16Gb Vengeance RAM. Can't see me wanting to move on and upgrade as yet, I'll wait till the Z99 boards start becoming viable options on the second hand market I think.