Spec a system from MM

Soldato
Joined
29 Jan 2007
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Chelsea
Hi guys

I have a Q6600 and 4890 on an old IP35 board. I am looking to upgrade for BF3 but want to try and get it in the most cost effective way.

I want to get my parts second hand from members on here to keep the cost down.

I was thinking:

CPU
i7 920/i5 750 (or a 2500k if they are a worthwhile step up in performance?

Mobo
Appropriate mobo (need suggestions for oc'ing and stability, preferably Gigabyte due to UK based CS and solid caps)

Not too worried about multiple gfx cards as it never really works out, as by the time I get around to it, the next gen cards will be cooler and less leccy for almost same performance as multiples.

GFX
I am not bothered about which camp, just best performance for money, don't care about the relative arguments about ati drivers and nvidia physx.

I just want the best bang for buck card for £130ish that will be much faster than my 4890 and be able to play BF3 on 1920x1200. May push the boat out a bit further if I can sell the 4890 for more than expected.
Thinking 470 or 6850/6870?

I have a Vapour X at the moment and it is very quiet, so would like something similar again, which has upgraded cooling and quietness.

RAM

Kind of missed the boat with DDR3 and why some have triple channel and some double? Anyone got a quick answer? Anyways, not less than 4Gb as that is what I have now. Does latency matter more than frequency?

Got everything else and a hefty PSU from corsair so not too bothered about not having enough juice and an ssd already.



Any help would be appreciated :)
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
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Location
Chelsea
I always thought it was acceptable to discuss rough prices, e.g. pick up one of X from MM for £Xish pounds.

If not, then:

Is there a big jump in performance between i5 750 and 2500k?

What is an appropriate board to go with it?

Same again for GFX as above.

Same RAM questions as above.
 
Caporegime
Joined
17 Jan 2010
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weston-super-mare
Its asking for prices of second hand parts that is against the rules, like when someone wants to sell his current rig.

Finding and talking about the replacement parts shouldn't be an issue.
 
Soldato
Joined
23 Apr 2009
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11,973
Location
Cheshire
Hi there, if you are upgrading in time for BF3 then you may want to hold off a bit longer. I say this because AMD Bulldozer and Intel Sandy Bridge-E are about to be released - which means a fair number of people will be selling on their current kit on the MM for the latest and greatest.

As for what CPU to go for the i7 9xx and i5 7xx are both great options and it really depends on individual prices for CPU and mobo as to which is the better bet. Push-comes-to-shove I would go for the i5 as it is just as quick in games, tends to be a bit cheaper all-in and is easier to cool.

As for the GPU, I would be tempted to go for a new card - since GPUs have a tendency to fail - so a proper warranty is worthwhile. A HD 6870 would be a good deal, though I would suggest spending a bit more on something like a HD 6950 2GB, since with an i5/i7 CPU you will be limited by the graphics card in modern games.

For the RAM, I would suggest buying 1600MHz, a good brand, low profile, new and the lowest price at the time. At the current minute, I would go for this kit.
 
Soldato
Joined
23 Oct 2008
Posts
5,032
whats your budget?

the dual channel/triple channel ram is just dependent on the chipset, the 1366 mb support tripple channel while 1156 and 1156 mb support dual channel. don't ask me why it is as couldn't tell you(or the benefit/downfalls etc), intel in their wisdom decided it so thats what it is :)

performance difference between cpus and gpus have a look at


cpu: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/2

gpu: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU11/188
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
29 Jan 2007
Posts
3,596
Location
Chelsea
Wait for Bulldozer - seriously it may effect both AMD and Intel pricing and there will be loads more choice in the 2nd hand market too as people sell up to upgrade.

Cool, that is what I have been reading in the CPU forum.

Also quite cool to know that my Q6600 at 3.8 is still very capable :D Best cpu I have ever bought!

Hi there, if you are upgrading in time for BF3 then you may want to hold off a bit longer. I say this because AMD Bulldozer and Intel Sandy Bridge-E are about to be released - which means a fair number of people will be selling on their current kit on the MM for the latest and greatest.

As for what CPU to go for the i7 9xx and i5 7xx are both great options and it really depends on individual prices for CPU and mobo as to which is the better bet. Push-comes-to-shove I would go for the i5 as it is just as quick in games, tends to be a bit cheaper all-in and is easier to cool.

As for the GPU, I would be tempted to go for a new card - since GPUs have a tendency to fail - so a proper warranty is worthwhile. A HD 6870 would be a good deal, though I would suggest spending a bit more on something like a HD 6950 2GB, since with an i5/i7 CPU you will be limited by the graphics card in modern games.

For the RAM, I would suggest buying 1600MHz, a good brand, low profile, new and the lowest price at the time. At the current minute, I would go for this kit.

Thanks for the tip on the RAM, its sooo cheap compared to what I am used to :)

GPU I am happy to buy new, but to be honest anything over 130 ex vat is a bit much for me, will see how much 6950 go for in MM.

I think I will try to pick up a 2500k when bulldozer hits if it is still worth it.

whats your budget?

the dual channel/triple channel ram is just dependent on the chipset, the 1366 mb support tripple channel while 1156 and 1156 mb support dual channel. don't ask me why it is as couldn't tell you(or the benefit/downfalls etc), intel in their wisdom decided it so thats what it is :)

performance difference between cpus and gpus have a look at


cpu: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/2

gpu: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/GPU11/188

Thanks for the bench marks, I don't really have a budget, just want to optimise value for money.


Thanks for the input, may just buy a GFX for now and wait for full release of BF3 and BD to happen!

:)
 
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