Maxing out my Z77 Mobo with 'which' CPU?

ussff · 15 May 2012 at 19:45

I've had my Extreme 4 sat in the cupboard waiting for my next ££'s to arrive... and today's the day!

Gaming CPU time!

Last time I looked here a week or 2 back, IB was running hot and it was a 50/50 choice with the SB 2500k... now the TIM issue is out in the open I'm less inclined to go IB.

However, I don't upgrade often and was going IB 3750k to get the most out of the PCIe 3.0 slots - which also looks like a fizzle instead of a bang!

I'm now considering a cheaper i3 to get me going and waiting to see if there is a newer release of Ivybridge 1155 before Haswell kills off the socket? I know if I put a 2500k in now I will never justify the upgrade path.

Regardless of the TIM issue, does Intel generally roll out an intrim model CPU to keep the market moving?

the_director · 15 May 2012 at 20:04

The 3750k or 2500k will both be fine and won't need upgrading for a long time.

If you buy the I3 you'll be tempted to upgrade down the line when you could have just got an I5 to start with.

ussff · 15 May 2012 at 20:10

the_director said:
If you buy the I3 you'll be tempted to upgrade down the line when you could have just got an I5 to start with.

...I was buying an i3 with the sole intention of upgrading

but it is the best part of £85 wasted.

My choice is currently a SB 2500k, if I pull the trigger now with an Antec Kuhler H2O 920.

the_director · 15 May 2012 at 20:30

I haven't had any issues with my 3570K and it clocks to 4.5 without any issues, which is nearer 4.7/8 Sandy and not every 2500k is going to be a great clocker. For me if the price was similar then I would choose the 3570k each time. If the price gap was significant or I decided to get a 2500K second hand then I would be getting the 2500K.

It is a tough choice but you can't go wrong either way really.

Doomedspeed · 15 May 2012 at 20:35

the_director said:
I haven't had any issues with my 3570K and it clocks to 4.5 without any issues, which is nearer 4.7/8 Sandy and not every 2500k is going to be a great clocker. For me if the price was similar then I would choose the 3570k each time. If the price gap was significant or I decided to get a 2500K second hand then I would be getting the 2500K.

It is a tough choice but you can't go wrong either way really.

I agree. If you can get a 2500k for £120-£130 its an absolute steal. If your buying new go for the 3570k.

ussff · 15 May 2012 at 20:41

...does anyone have a 2500k wedging open a door atm? I've looked on an auction website and found one that has a mint retail fan, cos it was watercooled from purchase - never been overclocked! :rolleyes:

...looks like a bargin

I think I'll go with the Intel Warranty.

olivier renault · 16 May 2012 at 00:04

watercooled + never been overclocked? Doesn't compute.

Ollie1132 · 16 May 2012 at 00:24

olivier renault said:
watercooled + never been overclocked? Doesn't compute.

This.

ussff · 16 May 2012 at 00:57

...Its ok guys - I didn't buy it! :cool:

...tempted NOT!

ussff · 16 May 2012 at 01:04

In all honesty, the SB is cheaper and cos I'm planning on buying an Antec Kuhler H2O 920 I can look at oem prices - from what I've learnt recently its the Monitor and GPU that I need to find the extra few inches... currently the HD 7850 (longest thread I've ever read

) and the Dell U2412m is looking like the perfect partners for an i5 2500k :cool:

on my rig - if I have the cash later in the year, 2 more dell's and CF will do nicely!

Ollie1132 · 16 May 2012 at 01:09

Id go retail even if you get an aftermarket cooler. 3 year warranty vs 1 year. Also your paying for closed water loop cooling when high end air costs about the same and is more efficient.

Krono5 · 16 May 2012 at 01:36

ussff said:
In all honesty, the SB is cheaper and cos I'm planning on buying an Antec Kuhler H2O 920 I can look at oem prices - from what I've learnt recently its the Monitor and GPU that I need to find the extra few inches... currently the HD 7850 (longest thread I've ever read ) and the Dell U2412m is looking like the perfect partners for an i5 2500k on my rig - if I have the cash later in the year, 2 more dell's and CF will do nicely!

Get high end air and retail 3570k as Ollie suggested. Also, you may want rto look at a 120Hz monitor if it's for gaming, it's a lot smoother and I must say I play a good bit better because of it in FPS games. The reason to go for the dell though is to get that extra little bit of inmage quality and are not as fussed about smoothness.

Energize · 16 May 2012 at 01:41

In terms of performance there's nothing between sandy and ivy, just get which ever is cheaper.

winter zombie · 16 May 2012 at 01:52

i have a ivy and its great

ussff · 16 May 2012 at 08:31

Krono5 said:
Get high end air and retail 3570k as Ollie suggested. Also, you may want rto look at a 120Hz monitor if it's for gaming, it's a lot smoother and I must say I play a good bit better because of it in FPS games. The reason to go for the dell though is to get that extra little bit of inmage quality and are not as fussed about smoothness.

I have gone with the dell for two reasons IPS over TN and prefer the 16:10 1920x1200 size, it will be doing work (spread sheet/word etc) from home too

I'll re-look at air for the cpu - but I've been a bit worried abiut hanging a huge block off my motherboard and clogging air flow, as I have 200mm front grill fan and 200mm top of case exhaust fan (HAF 912+) and a 140mm in the side panel blowing onto GPU's, having seen the size of some monster air coolers that would be required for a modest OC, especially if I go IB - I'm not sure I have the space

Dervious · 16 May 2012 at 10:29

winter zombie said:
i have a ivy and its great

I have Sandy, and it is also great.

I, as a recent SB buyer have stated my reasons for making that decision. There are others (plenty) who chose IB and have stated why they made the decision. Just saying that your CPU is great does not really help someone deciding which to go for.

FWIW, I wouldn't have saved an extra £20 to get a used SB, as you never can be sure of what you are getting (see non-overclocked but water cooled as an example). If the asking price for a new SB & IB is the same, then the argument sways towards IB (but still isn't a done deal). The less the asking price for SB over IB, the more the appeal of SB.

As always, if you are lucky and get either CPU that overclocks well, then you've done OK. A good IB will always be better than a poor SB and vice versa.

As I`ve said many time, the other thing to consider is that if you are going to "push" you CPU, it is likely that you will have to spend more on cooling an IB than a SB.

Dervious · 16 May 2012 at 10:34

Energize said:
In terms of performance there's nothing between sandy and ivy, just get which ever is cheaper.

I think you also need to factor in IB's PCIe 3.0 support, lower power consumption and better IGP. If these things are significant to you, then it might be worth buying the IB, even if it is more expensive than the SB.

I believe the IB is a bit faster than the SB at the same clock speed. Again, if you really need that extra speed, the IB is the one to go for.

the_director · 16 May 2012 at 11:16

I just sold my Q6600 on an auction site. I was honest about overclocking it, included details of voltage / temps and even provided a screenshot of it stress testing. I got a fair price and probably attracted more bids because I was honest with people.

I got £90 for my old DFI x48 motherboard which has made my upgrade less painful.

Ollie1132 · 16 May 2012 at 13:49

ussff said:
I have gone with the dell for two reasons IPS over TN and prefer the 16:10 1920x1200 size, it will be doing work (spread sheet/word etc) from home too

I'll re-look at air for the cpu - but I've been a bit worried abiut hanging a huge block off my motherboard and clogging air flow, as I have 200mm front grill fan and 200mm top of case exhaust fan (HAF 912+) and a 140mm in the side panel blowing onto GPU's, having seen the size of some monster air coolers that would be required for a modest OC, especially if I go IB - I'm not sure I have the space

with high end air so long as you don't over tighten the screws everything is fine. Your airflow should also be perfectly good in the HAF 912+ with those fans. My Storm Trooper has a top 200mm exhaust 140mm exhaust and two 120mm intakes at the front and my airflow seems perfectly fine to me.

ussff · 16 May 2012 at 21:33

WRT a cpu choice, I've slowly been going off the IB option, I'm going HD 7850 (option to CF is also on the cards) and the PCIe 3.0 option that the IB opened up for me is around an extra 1 or 2 fps from the reviews I've read. Add to that I can cool a modest OC on a 2500k much easier... yes power is a small issue - but I've saved loads with the HD 7850 :cool:

so 2500k is still a neck ahead.

With Sapphire HD7850's and a HAF 912+ with a couple of 200mm fans, all running from a NZXT fan controller I'm aiming for shhhhh quiet modest OC....

I'm hearing very good things about the Arctic Cooling Freezer i30 Cooler, as I will be avoiding the bleeding edge overclock with the need for a NOCTUA or other equivalents that come with higher noise at high speed.