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i5 2500k system

ussff

ussff

ussff

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Joined
11 Jan 2007
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287
So, you've won me over... an AMD enthusiast converted - Sandybridge wins! :cool:

....never thought that would happen! :eek:

So the AMD gaming 4800+ skt 939 rig gets an Intel rebuild;

CPU is a no brainer - i5 2500k

MOBO was a harder choice, I've gone mid table as I've seen Z79 recalls and Z68 gen3 is now 'last year'... ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 has become my price point mobo for sub £120 board - it gives me some future to slap in the 'sweet' ivybridge when it emerges...

RAM is even harder :p but I've worked out that 1600Mhz is the sweet spot for Sandybridge... with some headroom to OC, so; Crucial 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz Ballistix Tactical Memory Kit CL8 (8-8-8-24) 1.5V at sub £45 seems to be my goal.

It will run stock on arrival and then next month I will cool with a H100 and see if 5ghz is attainable.

I'm going to put my curent SLI combo of 9600GSO xxx in for the time being... given 6 to 12 months there will be a new set of gfx cards in play!

Your wisdom - as ever - is appreciated before I hit 'pay'

:D
 
Ram... Corsair Vengance at CL9 vs the Crucial at CL8 for £5 more + the heat sinks are smaller giving me a larger scope IF I opt to air cool... Which isn't really the plan.

Plus I'm future proofing and planning on going 16Gb of Ram - so my theory was that short heatsinks and using a H80/H100 style cooling solution was the best way of not 'clashing' on the mobo...
 
beejjacobs said:
The RAM is specced is low profile so won't affect air coolers
Click to expand...

I've avoided the super heat spreaders, such as the Corsair Vengeance :rolleyes: just in case it starts to get tight, dependant on my after market choice of cooling solution, which is not fixed in stone yet. The i5 will be on its stock cooler until I've seen the motherboard for myself :)

The other ram issue I've "ummed and arrghed" over... 8Gb or 16Gb. 8gb is todays answer, but as I want this to last a while is it worth getting the 16gb of matching ram now. I very nearly (still might after you answer below) went with GSkill Ripjaws Z Series 1600 CL 9.0 16GB Memory Kit - Red (4x 4GB, DDR3, Quad Channel, Intel XMP Certified) which is also Z77 approved but opted for the faster Ballistix dual 8gb set and then slap in another 8gb in a couple of months time, whilst I can still source the same model.

beejjacobs said:
Also, paying more for lower timings isn't necessary with Sandybridge [are you going to be waiting for Ivybridge? If so, it might be a different story]
Click to expand...

Previously I've built AMD systems and always specced low cas, high quality ram, but thanks for the info ;) I wasn't aware that lower timings were of no value in the case of the sandybridge, although I'd read that it does like speed, 1600 being the sweet spot?

...as for Ivybridge - its the reason I've gone Z77 instead of a 67/68 chipset motherboard. I want this rig to see an upgrade or 2 in its life :cool: but I'm no top end cash rich gamer, so I'll be waiting for a price drop and lots of reviews to find the ivybridge that stands out as the i5 2500k successor :D Back to the point - So will tighter memory spec's be a factor for the future? Cos I'm split over the 16Gb Ripjaws Z CL9 set that comes in at £80 and the Ballistix CL8 which I can buy in 2x 8Gb at £88?
 
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Paused over the 'buy' button for an i5 2500k. Have prices tumbled significantly on the release of a next generation CPU in the past? Cos I'd kick myself if Ivybridge arrived and the i5 dropped...
 
I'm so tempted but my +4800 939 is still plodding on :) The Samsung ram will go on the shelf, along with the Haf 912+ and Sentry 2. I'm assuming IF I've spotted my Z77 Mobo at a price I like... that's not really gonna matter?
 
Its a waiting game now... :p I'm looking to see IF the 2500k drops in price or which is less likely an Ivy Bridge arrives and out performs the 2500k at a similar price point...
 
It doesn't matter that I bought the Samsung green with low profile for possible Air Cooler clearance... the RAM was good value, low height and low voltage with proven overclocking but after reviewing cooling and considering my case I'm aiming at a corsair H80 - its only problem was noise, so I'll up-rate fans to Scythe Gentle Typhoo AP-15 as other wiser people than me have :D so the ram could have had 5inch heat spreaders on for all I care!
 
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...from what I'm reading on this forum - Ivybridge is no great gain over sandybridge, maybe 5% :( lets hope sandybridge cpu's don't jump UP in price after the release date...

I have an AMD skt 939 and was waiting for the release of Bulldozer so I could hunt for a Phenom II (steal) deal... untill the world caught on that AMD Bulldozer was a flop and phenom II's became the 'golden egg' CPU!
 
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pastymuncher said:
Not a particularly good offer though. Thought they would have matched a competitor at least.
Click to expand...

:( I'm not going to get a good 2500K price here... and don't want an eBay one either, christ knows what voltage it might have had shoved through it be for it comes up for re-sale! :rolleyes:
 
Well my budget has gone North of the plan! Cos I'm learning fast that there is little point in doing all of this... with my Neovo monitor maxing out at 1280x1028 :(

To try and save some cash I've looked down the product line below the i5-2500k and I'm not finding the 'k' :rolleyes: appearing anywhere.

I've thought about the i3-2100 as a starter CPU and then wait to see further Ivy releases, for an upgrade. The i3 would be cheaper and save me a few quid with regard to the after market cooler (was planning a H80) as well, cos I'd have to run it stock. It may yet drop further in price come next week...

Its not my ideal solution, but most current i5-2500k owners are not planning to upsize to the current Ivy chip from what I've seen, at least I'd get a speed hike that would make updating much more relavent, as the Ivy matures with further releases? Only real question is will the i3 cut it as a budget games CPU?
 
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Well the i3 does still 'slam dunk' any of the AMD's I was looking at (before I was converted) and its looking very cheap here too!
 
The i3 won't last me long enough to warrant the £84... FEAR3 recomments an Intel quad core at 2.66Ghz or a dual at 2.9Ghz
 
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