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Which to buy

64bitgeezer

64bitgeezer

64bitgeezer

Associate
Joined
23 Mar 2006
Posts
9
Location
Hampshire
What would you guys recomend??

Intel Core i7 960 3.20Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) - Retail

or

Intel Core i7-2600K 3.40GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM


Cheers
 
Grimley said:
The latter.
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Plec said:
With knobs on.

What will you be using the system for?
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+1

That said, if you what you will be doing won't make use of hyperthreading (like games) then you should consider the i5 2500K. The OEM version of this CPU is currently on offer for £150 and it is very nice CPU that overclocks great (just make sure you pick up an aftermarket CPU cooler like this).

This review shows how the i5 2500K compares the the i7 2600K in a range of games and applications.
 
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The Sandy Bridge chips are cooler, faster clock for clock and also overclock higher. The only caveat if that is they use DMI instead of QPI for the bus interconnect between the CPU and IOH chipset. In real-world benchmarks thus far it doesn't seem to make a difference so you'll be okay.

Get a Sandy Bridge with appropriate motherboard, RAM and cooling and enjoy yourself at 4.5GHz+.
 
I'd probably go with a 2500K instead, save you that bit of money for very little difference in most applications. What'll you be using it for mainly?
 
J-FRO said:
Or on the other hand it could increase or stay the same depending on the performance difference in relation to the price of bulldozer.
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Bulldozer will be faster than the existing Phenom II CPUs at the same price point otherwise there would no point in releasing them. The current Intel CPUs are priced in relation to the competition. So no the price won't increase.
 
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OT

@J-FRO just seen your sig - My brother-in-law had the exact same DELL XPS - it's criminal that they can't be clocked.

His Q6600 was g0 stepping too. So he bought a new case, 2nd hand P45 MB, and nicked one of my old coolers.

He's now got a very healthy clock and a case that he can use in a future build. So his only real outlay for getting his CPU clocked was for the MB which was ~£40 second hand (few months ago).

You can access the MM forum now - perhaps put a wanted add for a cooler and p45 MB (i would buy the case new if you can't pick it up loacally 2nd hand). With a new case (antec 300 say) and 2nd hand components you could have a healthy clock for under £100.

Just a thought and may be worth considering given the grumpy face in your sig.
 
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64bitgeezer said:
Its for a gaming machine ultimately.
Should I get the 2500 OC pre clocked??
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If you don't want to get your hands dirty - then you may as well and get a bundle like this, it's a pretty decent deal with good components. However, clocking it yourself is very simple with these multiplier-unlocked chips and if you do it yourself you get to save a bit of money and can chose which motherboard, RAM and cooler to use.
 
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