Upgrading from Core2 Quad?

paradigm

paradigm

paradigm

Caporegime
Joined
26 Aug 2003
Posts
37,508
Location
Leafy Cheshire
The time has come for me to upgrade from my current setup (frequent crashes, and the time to format = convenient time to change hardware), however I'm struggling to decide which is the best path?

Do I either go nehalem and socket 1366 i7 (920) with 12GB of RAM at a total cost of around £250, or do I go i5 2500k (sandybridge) with 8GB for around £300?

All I need it CPU and RAM, as I'm fortunate enough to have a DDR3 based C2Q setup, but which path?

Is sandybridge enough of a reason to lose Hyper-threading and tri-channel RAM?

Answers on a postcard, but asap as I want to sort this today!
 
Real hard one, both have their advantages. I'm going to say SB, only because i think a few years down the line you will probably get better resale value.
 
RAM is fine, it was only bought last year and was i7 compatible then (currently running at 1.5v).

And resale value isn't of importance, as I never sell on.
 
Get Sandy Bridge, s1366 is pretty much dead now. Overclocking the i5 will make up all the difference you need, but if you really need hyperthreading, save up a bit more for the i7 2600K, or cheap out and get the Phenom II X6.
 
It's not really about "saving up" or "cheaping out", it's about a smooth transition from what I already have, with decent bang for buck.

Smooth transition = requiring to be able to run my current 6-disk RAID 5 array, which means an intel ICH is the best bet for compatibility. I'm slightly concerned by the SATA layout on the sandybridge boards, what with most of them having 4x SATA 3Gb/s and 2x SATA 6Gb/s ports. Are these on the same controller? Can they run a single array across all 6 ports?

If the answer is no, then I'll have to go 1366 for the 6x SATA 3Gb/s and 2x SATA 6GB/s ports.
 
What kind of ram usage and cpu usage are you hitting up now? I'm inclinded to go with a healthy overclock of a sandy bridge tbh. Think it will draw at worst unless against a well optimized HT program. The fact you are running a q6600 at 3.7Ghz suggests you'll put the 2500k through it's paces so I'm assuming at least 4.5ghz (which is child's play). You could run 4.7ghz stable 24/7 quite easily. I'm not sure what the max 24/7 stable overclock is, probably depends more on luck.
 
paradigm said:
It's not really about "saving up" or "cheaping out", it's about a smooth transition from what I already have, with decent bang for buck.

Smooth transition = requiring to be able to run my current 6-disk RAID 5 array, which means an intel ICH is the best bet for compatibility. I'm slightly concerned by the SATA layout on the sandybridge boards, what with most of them having 4x SATA 3Gb/s and 2x SATA 6Gb/s ports. Are these on the same controller? Can they run a single array across all 6 ports?

If the answer is no, then I'll have to go 1366 for the 6x SATA 3Gb/s and 2x SATA 6GB/s ports.
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If it's about bang for buck, get the i7 2600K. If you're going to seriously challenge a hyperthreaded processor, it's the obvious option and will vastly outperform the i5 for the money. 1366 is dead in the water, you're better off paying for 8GB sticks of RAM, or using *gasp* all 4 RAM slots- it doesn't affect overclockability now.

As for the SATA problem, just look it up. There will be a s1155 motherboard that suits you.
 
He already had 8gb of ram. so if he goes sb all he needs do is buy the mobo and cpu. I would agree that if you need HT then the 2600k is a very good choice, will blow anything else away. However if the work isn't that HT intensive I would stick to the 2500k. Then again sometimes I wonder if I should have just got a 2600k because I could, would have added another few inches to my e-peen.

It would be a terrible oversight of intel to not make 6hd's raidable. Then again that might be another reason for why the z68 is poping out so soon ;)
 
Every board I've read the manuals for on OcUK's sandybridge section seems to imply that you can only create 1-4 disk arrays.

Oh well I've gone the 920 route, it'll more than do me for now for £200.

Eventually it'll replace my spare rig (C2D 8GB DDR2), and I'll go sandy bridge for the main PC.
 
paradigm said:
Every board I've read the manuals for on OcUK's sandybridge section seems to imply that you can only create 1-4 disk arrays.

Oh well I've gone the 920 route, it'll more than do me for now for £200.

Eventually it'll replace my spare rig (C2D 8GB DDR2), and I'll go sandy bridge for the main PC.
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I doubt you'll notice the difference between sb and 920, though I would say that now upgrading to a SB would be pointless and you should definitely wait for at least ivy.
 
Just thought I'd update this. The day I made the thread, I drove down to OcUK and picked up a B-Grade Asus P6X58D-E motherboard, and a clearance i7 920 (D0).

It's now all nicely set up (cooled with an Antec Kuhler, idling at 35ºc~, and 100% load at 70ºc, are these temperatures ok?), and running at 4GHz, which is giving me a nice performance boost for the most part.

I'm happy, and I still think it was a good bang for buck at £200 :)
 
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