Want to upgrade to i7 but when?

[Calneon]

I just finished my A levels and i'm heading to university this september, and I wanted to upgrade to i7 at some point before then. Currently I have:

E6400 (OCed from 2.13 to 3.2)
GTX280 (602 to 650)
Asus P5B Motherboard
4GB GeiL DDR2 PC6400 (4x1GB)
520 Watt Corsair PSU
1920x1200 Resolution

I think an i7 920 D0 will be a huge step up from my current CPU, I will obviously be keeping the same GFX card which I got about a year ago. I'm looking to buy a mid-range motherboard and 3x2GB sticks of RAM, and the i7 920 D0 CPU. I'm also going to get a bigger HDD because the one I have at the moment is only 300GB.

I haven't been keeping up with new releases so I don't know whether I should wait for the price to drop (if it is going to) or buy it soon. Also, will I need a new PSU? I assume I will. Also, what is the best mid-range motherboard, I'd like to get over 4Ghz on air.

Thanks for any help!

 

[cmndr_andi]

If you are set on getting an i7 - I don't expect the prices to drop too significantly in the coming months. As intel is preparing to release i5 soon they will want to push i7 fully into the enthusiast category (mainly by taking away the £220 price bracket). Here is a solid spec based on the i7 920:

I would say 520W for a 4Ghz i7 and a gtx280 is not enough - so I included a very solid PSU in that spec.

The cooling system TRUE + noctua p12s is among the very best and should allow you to achieve your overclock relatively coolly and quietly.

The motherboard I picked is a reasonable price but is a proven overclocker and should take you to 4GHz +

 

[Plec]

If your current spec does all that you still ask of it i would wait - as you still have a very capable rig.

 

[mkfk1]

cmndr is a good sales man.

But honestly, I wouldnt upgrade now. It is too close to an intel price drop. Wait 3-6 months. And see if your needs are met with the "i5". If not then get a "i7" then. I suspect 1366 mobo will have a price drop then.

 

[siumatfung]

yup i agree the longer you wait the cheaper it'll however be aware that they are talking about stopping the production of the 920/940 models and these will be replaced with i5s allegedly

i would think that if the cpu fell below 200£ it would be the right time to buy:

 

[Caracus2k]

as above rumors are that the cheaper I7's (920 and 940) will be discontinued and that the cheaper motherboards will start to dry up for I7 to represent its 'premium' status.... doubt the 920 will drop much below £200 before it goes altogther and doubt there will be any motherboards cheaper than around £160 given the pricing for the chipset

 

[smelly]

as above rumors are that the cheaper I7's (920 and 940) will be discontinued and that the cheaper motherboards will start to dry up for I7 to represent its 'premium' status.... doubt the 920 will drop much below £200 before it goes altogther and doubt there will be any motherboards cheaper than around £160 given the pricing for the chipset

it wont dry up, i7 is a bargan for high end work station considering i7 920 performs close to the i7 high end processor