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i7 930, 920 or 860?

xe-cute

xe-cute

xe-cute

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Joined
16 Aug 2003
Posts
307
Location
Newcastle [UK]
Just a quick question really.

I'm guessing the 930 is best option and overclocks just as good as the 920?

Also whilst I am here and asking (may as well kill two birds with one stone, so to speak).......

i7 Have a future ahead of it hasn't it?
I mean I don't want to be stuck in a dead end (like what usually happens - Hence why not going for the i5 750).

Then some peeps say for longevity that AM3 socket is way to go over LGA1136.

But now reports are that the 6 core etc are larger than AM3 socket size.

It can get all very confusing. I just want the best path to update & start with a low end chip on that path and then simply add to it and improve it as the years go by and the prices come down.

Thanks for your help over this matter.
 
Buying 1366 now has no guarantee of it working with the next load of cpus even if they use the same socket.

Unless you have somehow got a cast iron guarantee from the manufacturer that they absolutely will make sure the motherboards they make today are compatible with the CPUs being sold in a year or few then 1366 is no safer than 1156.

1156 came out as P55, now its H55 and H57, the newest 1156 chips need the H55 and H57 motherboards.
 
I'm getting confused now.

You reckon I should just go for i5-750 then or something on AM3?

I dunno what to do for my money now.

I've got around £700-£800 and all I need is

CPU
GPU
RAM (the more the better - music production use)
MoBo
Solid State Drive (I'd like to try one for OS [Windows 7] - I've plenty of other normal hard drives)
Case (but no PSU needed as I've already got a Corsair HX 620w which I think will do the job fine?! - I do already have a case but it's like small & 10yrs old with no decent airfllow)

I'm usually too scared to overclock by much too. But will give it a go when I find a nice safe guide.

Don't need a screen (use my 46" HD TV) or DVD RW (have a Sony External one which I love - That baby has been so kind over the years with no probs).


I will be getting a new sound card, but because I do music production I will be getting that elsewhere and with other funding (same as some new active monitors).
 
Of the three chips you list, I agree that the 930 is the best option. It is mighty fast and is based on the generally superior X58 platform.

As for an upgrade path, Intel have confirmed that the 32nm Hex-core Gulftown CPUs will work on X58 boards (after a BIOS flash). However, these chips look like they will be very expensive - the i7 980X looks like it will be just over $1000. A cheaper, multiplier locked i7 970 is expected later in the year. Its price should be around half of 980X - but still an expensive chip.

As Intel upgrades past Gulftown, Its anyone's guess if they will stick with existing sockets and be supported by existing chipsets. Personally, I wouldn't bank on it.
 
Well after buying this I won't be buying anything for a few years.

I am guessing in 3yrs/5yrs time than I Can just pick something up on EBay and slot it in for a quick and easy boost?

In the past I've always made the mistake of buying end of line Technology where I have the fastest CPU already etc. Always means a whole new system when upgrading.

For once I want to start at the bottom of a path so that in a few years I can cheaply increase its power instead of buying a whole new dead end system.

It would be cool in several years time to simply pop in a cheap 2nd hand CPU and double my processing speed. (when that technology is at end of life then).

P.S. Updated my siggy to show my current out-dated system.
 
the thing to do is ask yourself how often you will upgrade, i think an awful lot of people on this forum normally change their motherboard as well when they change their CPU, i know i do but I'm still using a q6600 @ 3.6.
in my opinion unless you plan to change your CPU within 8 months to a year don't worry about the motherboard because you would probably have to change it anyway.
 
I have my eye on this option:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-044-OE&groupid=43&catid=339&subcat=1675

With a Solid State Drive added. (Do I save much money overclocking it myself? - hmmm I'm gonna check the prices of parts)

I dunno whether to risk water cooling option too as I've never done it before.
If I forget to 'top-it-up' could I be in trouble and CPU burn out? (or is there some protection).

I'd love to have a silent system. Makes all the difference when producing music to not have any external noises.


UPDATE: £40 price difference between building it myself and risking an overclock to OcUk doing it for me and secure to know I can hit 4ghz. So I guess it is worth them doing it for me. With this overclock would I ever need to buy the i7 975 in a few years time 2nd hand when it is cheap as chips? Are there any future chips planned?! past the i7 975 that would slot in to that motherboard (Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R)?
 
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Looks like a very nice bundle - you will save yourself a bit of money if you overclock it yourself. However, if you haven't overclocked before then that kit does make things a lot simpler.

However, If you are also wanting a GPU, case and SSD for your remaining budget (£216) then I would suggest you modify your plans somewhat. What will the primary use of the system be? Is it mainly for music production, or will it be for gaming or something else?
 
xe-cute said:
I am guessing in 3yrs/5yrs time than I Can just pick something up on EBay and slot it in for a quick and easy boost?
Click to expand...
Definitely no.
Or it would be "new old" part.

And same applies to both sides. When AMD finally gets over Phenom to something actually new and hopefully faster retaining backwards compatibility would surely cause compromises to performance increase. Things like adding third memory channel would be impossible and already power requirements can change enough to need changes to motherboard. (like in Pentium 4 - Core 2 jump)
 
cmndr_andi said:
If you are also wanting a GPU
Click to expand...


Crap, I completely forgot about the GPU... grrr.

Back to drawing board then.

Hmmm... Would my Radeon x1800xt PCi-e work in the mean time until I can afford a better GPU?!
Don't do much PC gaming these days (have PS3 & Xbox 360). So can get a decent GFX at a later date I think.

Oh actually, Windows 7 has problems with it already as its Legacy support and it crashes with YouTube... oh boy.

Thought I had it almost all tied up there.
 
As previously stated, music production.

Apart from the obvious Internet browsing, emails & YouTube when bored.

Cheers for helping. Be great if I could order this today (been saving up my money for ages).


P.S. Is there any MoBos with a decent on board GFX card built in which is quiet and supported by windows 7 and better than my Radeon X1800XT? Also can you still add in future a PCI-e GFX Card on such a MoBo? Only problem is I guess I have to do the overclocking myself and cross my fingers it can hit 4Ghz.

BTW my current Radeon X1800XT is the loudest thing in my current system. Does my head in!
 
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Leeroy123 said:
You will have to buy a cooler mate if you want to hit 4ghz, the stock won't be able to do that no matter what cpu you get i would'nt think.
Click to expand...

Thats why that OcUk overclocked bundle was my choice.

All done for me so I can;t make a mistake. Just I forgot about the GFX Card & was unsure whether to get water cooling or not (as never had water cooling before & can just see me mess it up or run out of water one day).
 
How does this look?

810i7.png


The GPU will work fine for Win7 and HD video, but I wouldn't test it with any high-end games. The X58 platform doesn't have any option for onboard graphics - so a cheap GPU is the best way to go.

If you make 20 more posts then you get free OCUK deliver when you link your forum account to your shop account.
 
Any idea how quiet that system will be?

I'm guessing the 5450 will be on par or a little better than my X1800XT and yet be much quieter, Which is great if so? (TBH it is not important atm anyway the GFX power - prefer it to be near silent running for current situation, can always upgrade GFX at a later date if I start gaming again on PC).

I'm gonna have to do research in to them case fans and that CPU fan for db levels.
Last thing I want is any noise, does my head in. PC in my front room which also doubles up as a music production studio. Silence is golden.

I keep looking at water cooling, but don't feel confident enough yet.
Will also have to read up more on overclocking as I've only done very minor ones in past as I don't like to touch and voltages in case I break it.

Thanks for your help again. appreciate it.
 
at stock very quiet as you overclock it will have more fan speed and noise you will not need to overclock as it will be very fast without. But I always do free speed for me :)
 
Ah, ofcourse - you will want it as quiet as possible, that makes sense.

In that case, I will modify my spec a bit:

Change the GPU to this Passively cooled 4650.

And for the case fans use two of these.

For the CPU cooler, use this heatsink and this fan (use the black voltage reducer).

I would also suggest not overclocking too high. The higher you overclock, the more heat is produced and the faster the fans spin. I'm sure that 3GHz of i7 power should be enough for your workload.

With these changes you will have a very quiet system without having to go to the expense and effort of watercooling.
 
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