Which upgrade bundle? Newbie.

[johnwillyums]

Hi All

I've been lurking around this forum for sometime as I intend to go for one of OCs bundles for an upgrade to i7.

Present system= Q6600 (B3)@3Ghx, Asus P5Q-Pro, 4GB Corsair Dominator RAM@1066, XFX GTX 2660 Black edition, Samsung drives, Tuniq Tower 120 HSF, Cosmos S case(modded to fit Tuniq) Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP.

This is a great system but I figure with the Lynnfield coming out that the i920 won't be around for much longer.
Personally I can't see much point going down the LGA 1166 route when I can get a "proper" i7 for not much more cash. The Lynnfield i7s are way over priced to my mind.
Surely Intel will maintain the LGA 1366 socket as it's high end and the Westmere chip will be for that(?)

By the way my main activities are Photoshop, Gaming, movies, music and general fun. I don't use my PC for any "work" related apps (my job is a pc free zone).

So I'm looking at the two i7 920 bundles available at the moment and intend to order one next week.
I've always been an Asus type of guy but the UD5 gets good reviews so I'm not worried about that so the main issues seem to be the RAM and the cooler. I've always used Corsair so could somebody reassure me about the Patriot RAM?
Also I followed the immensely long and sometimes heated thread about the Corsair H50 and I'm tending toward the Noctua bundle.
The H50 sounds great but seems to work best with extra fan in a push/pull configuration which means more expense and hassle.
However with the 3.8 or 4GB oc the temps in benchmark tests seem very hot to me.
I wish I could use my Tuniq but they don't make a 1366 back plate.

I know I'm buying a Ferrari to go to the corner shop but I'm just a tech addict I suppose.
I'd welcome any comments/suggestions on my choices and reasoning re Lynnfield and the Noctua/Patriot bundle.
Also will Overclockers vary my order if I were to go for a different cooler if you guys recommend one?
Sorry to ramble on but I want to get this right so I can relax for a couple of years.
Thanks for reading, John

 

[Zenduri]

Bear in mind the enxt upgrade to 1366 will be 6core I9 and then your looking at 400+ for a CPU... 1366 will be a VERY expensive upgrade route.

Also the i7 860 1156 outperforms or matches the 920 in a lot of tasks but mainly gaming. Also 1156 seem to be clocking as well as the 1136 and draw less wattage.

 

[johnwillyums]

Thanks for the reply Hybridx.

I agree that I'm going for the most expensive option but comparing the price with an i5 bundle there's not so much in it.
I suspect this a mistake on Intel's part as their i5 and especially i7 870 are priced up there with with 1366 chips.
Also my understanding was that when Westmere comes out next year the die shrink will mean a general drop in i7 prices so I could upgrade there.
By the time 6 core i9 comes along I might have saved up more money

Anyway, as I said I've got that bug that says I've got to get the best I can afford at the time.
Where do you see the Lynnfield upgrade route going from here?

Cheers, John

PS How do I put my spec in and get a cool picture?

 

[Zenduri]

I really dont know matey since its just been released but i know theres a S version of the 750 and 860 being released with a much reduced power draw. I would assume after the 1366 there will be a 6 core 1156.


P.S screenshot in paint and upload to tinypic and link it using

 

[Zenduri]

Just found a roadmap for intel cpu's

the I9 is forcast to be in the $900 region so around £555 just for the cpu, remember its a server/ mad enthusiast CPU essentially.
The I9 is the only forcast chip for the middle to end of 2010 then 2011 will bring Sandybridge 32nm which will mean cooler chips hopefully

Intel Roadmap until 2010 2h

 

[johnwillyums]

I take your point and I certainly don't want to be paying £500+ for a cpu.
However, I'm looking at bang for buck right now.
The i7 860 Lynnfield bundle is £539.99
The i7 920 Bloomfield bundle is £589.99

Surely the advantages of the i7 920 for an extra £50 make it better value?


Also found this on the upgrade path for Intel:

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2370

Cheers, John

 

[Stormar]

don,t waste your money on a bundle,get the parts seperate will save you loads,and there is enought info about to oc yourself

 

[johnwillyums]

It'd certainly feel good to do it myself. I've installed a motherboard and HSF before and overclocked my present CPU.

But if I look at Overclockers prices for the individual items, they are charging £25 and £30 for installing the chip and RAM and then OCing it for me. That seems reasonable for peace of mind.

I looked at the same parts on other sites and the parts alone would come to about £1 less than the bundle.
This would be increased by two separate postage charges and the hassle of having to deal with two suppliers if something goes wrong.

I presume I can just RMA the bundle if something is wrong and also, as you can see from my first sentence, I'm not exactly technoman. For the money it's worth the peace of mind to me.

Thanks for your input, John