i7 860 2.8GHz or i7 920 D0 2.66GHz?

[paulpicks21]

Getting a new processor for a friend tomorrow , could anyone advise me on which of these 2 is better.

The choice based on his price range is either the Intel Core i7 860 2.8GHz Socket LGA 1156 or the Intel Core i7 920 D0 2.66GHz Socket 1366.

He will be getting a new motherboard and memory at the same time so the socket type is not important.

It WILL be overclocked in the future so please bear that in mind.


Whats the general feeling of these 2 cpu's? Is one better than the other?


Many thanks


Paul.

 

[wullthebull]

get the i7 920

 

[paulpicks21]

Could you elaborate on that at all bud?

Like a reason why that one is better.

Cheers

 

[fishnbanjo]

17 860 supports dual channel memory and the 17 920 triple channel and multiple CPU's if neither of the 17 920's advancements mean anything to your friend the 17 860 is a good performer.

 

[paulpicks21]

Thanks for the info fishnbanjo , I will have a word with him about that.


Cheers

Paul.

 

[Fumz]

If the reason for this purchase is to overclock, I'm not sure I'd get either. The 860 doesn't have a lot of headroom and the 920 starts to get real hot at 1.35 volts. If forced to chose though I'd say the 920.

If gaming is the primary function, then I'd get the 860, because it has turbo boost. If you know you're getting two video cards, then obviously the 920 is the way to go.

How's that for a completely evasive answer!

 

[fishnbanjo]

If the reason for this purchase is to overclock, I'm not sure I'd get either. The 860 doesn't have a lot of headroom and the 920 starts to get real hot at 1.35 volts. If forced to chose though I'd say the 920.

If gaming is the primary function, then I'd get the 860, because it has turbo boost. If you know you're getting two video cards, then obviously the 920 is the way to go.

How's that for a completely evasive answer!

Totally agree with what Fumz added, if Overclocking is what your friend is desiring to do the other variable is a mobo that will support this function as some do not and others provide every possible user changes like FSB speed, voltages and etc. IF your friend is a serious gamer, or PhotoShop user that processes large amounts of photos they would certainly benefit from the better i7 CPU's like the i7 975 Extreme and i7 980.

 

[Dwarf]

What is his price range for the motherboard/processor/memory?

I too would go for the i7 920 version. The reason for this is the memory interface. Basically, the 860 has dual-channel whereas the 920 has tri-channel memory. Scroll down to Memory Specifications in the links below.

i7 860 Intel® Core™ i7-860 Processor (8M Cache, 2.80 GHz) with SPEC Code(s) SLBJJ

i7 920 Intel® Core™ i7-920 Processor (8M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 4.80 GT/s Intel® QPI) with SPEC Code(s) SLBCH, SLBEJ

 

[paulpicks21]

Thanks for all the info/advice guys.


Ok the budget for mobo/cpu/mem is a max of £440.

He uses it primarily for gaming.

He would not be looking at crazy overclocking , I would say perhaps max of 3.2ghz if that makes any difference.

I have made up 2 choices for him on ebuyer , let me know what you think of the combo

1

ASUS P7P55D-E P55 Socket 1156 8 Channel Audio ATX.. | Ebuyer.com
Intel Core i7 860 2.8GHz Socket LGA 1156 8MB L3 Cache.. | Ebuyer.com
G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw.. | Ebuyer.com

2

ASUS P6T SE iX58 Socket 1366 8 Channel Audio ATX.. | Ebuyer.com
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz Socket 1366 D0 stepping 8MB.. | Ebuyer.com
Same memory as 1

Cost for either is between £430-£440


Tricky decisions eh!

He is coming from a Q6600 with DDR2 memory etc


Cheers

Paul.


Edited to add - Should have said , reason we are ordering from ebuyer is the next day delivery to workplace thing. We are doing the build this weekend and will struggle to get the stuff from elsewhere by then.

 

[Fumz]

If the primary use for the machine is gaming, then you must consider the advantages and disadvantages of hyper-threading.

For all intents and purposes, the i5-750 is identical to the i7-920, with the exception of hyper-threading: the i5 does not have it. However, unlike the i7, the i5 does have Turbo Boost. When 4 cores are in use it runs at 2.8GHz; 2-3 cores, 3.2GHz; 1 core, 3.4GHz. It's very sweet.

In a perfect world, games would be properly coded to take advantage of hyper-threading; however, most, if not all games to date do not. In many cases, you find that you get increased game performance by disabling hyper-threading. If you have to disable it, why pay for it?

Knowing that in advance gives you another option to consider (a less expensive option): i5-750. It has Turbo Boost like the 860, but it has more overclocking headroom. I've found that I really don't even need to OC the i5. There isn't a game out that taxes the cpu.

You could apply the money saved elsewhere.

Read these: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/core-i5-gaming,review-31673-4.html

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2832/16

Having said all that, for sure there are apps that really take advantage of hyper-threading (gaming just isn't one of them), and if your friend uses them, enough to justify the cost, then by all means go for a chip that has hyper-threading.

 

[paulpicks21]

Very interesting info there fumz , thankyou.

I think he has his heart set on an i7 , so I may have trouble convincing him to get an i5 lol.

I am starting to get the feeling that the 860 would be fine for him , I am sure once I tell him about the turbo boost then he may suddenly feel there will be no need for overclocking.

I mean the 860 will be miles better out the box than his old Q6600 which incidentally we can't seem to overclock at all with any stability (it turns out it was the bad revision of it).

You say there won't be much headroom for overclocking , I would hope at least 3ghz would be possible from it seeing as its 2.8 already?

Cheers

 

[paulpicks21]

Just had a look at those benchmarks , quite amazing really seeing as the i5 is a cheaper cpu.

Arhh the dilemma lol

 

[Dwarf]

If you decide on the i7 920, then I would choose some alternative memory such as OCZ 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Obsidian Triple.. | Ebuyer.com OK, so this would be slightly over budget (by just under £13), but running dual-channel memory on a processor/motherboard capable of utilising tri-channel will cost a lot in performance, even when overclocked.

As a result, I therefore now recommend your first option, the i7 860 combination.

Alternatively, if going for the i7 920, you might like to take a look at this alternative for the memory: G.Skill 3 GB PC1600 CL9 3x1GB Triple Channel KIT DDR3: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo This means that you will be able to utilise the tri-channel mode and still remain within budget, at the slight cost of a reduction in memory of 3GB as opposed to 4GB.

 

[Fumz]

3GHz is no problem, the 860 will do that on its own. What I mean by overclocking is going beyond what the chip naturally does with Turbo Boost. You often find though that it's a bit pointless. You're not going to notice the increase in fps going from a Turbo Boosted 3.2GHz chip to a manually OC'd 3.6GHz chip. About the only thing you will notice is heat and power consumption increases.

If you think those i5 results are impressive, read this: Intel Core i7-975 EE and Core i5-750 in Contemporary Games - X-bit labs

 

[Dwarf]

As regards overclocking, just remember and note that not all processors are capable of being overclocked. Even processors whose dies were neighbours on the same wafer when they were manufactured can have different overclocking capabilities. Some might not be overclockable at all, whereas others can, with care, be overclocked by as much as 15-20% or even more.

 

[paulpicks21]

If you decide on the i7 920, then I would choose some alternative memory such as OCZ 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Obsidian Triple.. | Ebuyer.com OK, so this would be slightly over budget (by just under £13), but running dual-channel memory on a processor/motherboard capable of utilising tri-channel will cost a lot in performance, even when overclocked.

As a result, I therefore now recommend your first option, the i7 860 combination.

Alternatively, if going for the i7 920, you might like to take a look at this alternative for the memory: G.Skill 3 GB PC1600 CL9 3x1GB Triple Channel KIT DDR3: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo This means that you will be able to utilise the tri-channel mode and still remain within budget, at the slight cost of a reduction in memory of 3GB as opposed to 4GB.

A very good point there Dwarf , it would be silly not to take advantage of the triple channel. Sadly I work it out as being £33 more and the budget just won't stretch that far.

It could be possible to do it the other way on your 2nd link , perhaps buy 3 gig now and add another 3 gig in a month or 2 when more funds are available.

I get the feeling he will go with the 860 and 4 gig ram tho.

I really need to have a good chat with him before we order.

Thanks for the help

Paul.

 

[blackroseMD1]

I have to agree with Fumz. The i5 750 is more than capable of playing all the top games today, especially when combined with a good graphics card, and the overclocking abilities of the i5 750 makes it on par, if not better than, most of the i7 chips. I've had mine clocked up to 3.8 (from 2.66) stable with my Corsair H50 cooling system.

In my opinion, you should save a few bucks and go with the i5, and pour the extra money into a top end video card, which would help with gaming and Photoshop.

 

[paulpicks21]

3GHz is no problem, the 860 will do that on its own. What I mean by overclocking is going beyond what the chip naturally does with Turbo Boost. You often find though that it's a bit pointless. You're not going to notice the increase in fps going from a Turbo Boosted 3.2GHz chip to a manually OC'd 3.6GHz chip. About the only thing you will notice is heat and power consumption increases.

If you think those i5 results are impressive, read this: Intel Core i7-975 EE and Core i5-750 in Contemporary Games - X-bit labs

Just had a quick look at it , will give it a good read later , but its really shocking how close the i5 is to the i7 on modern warfare 2.

 

[paulpicks21]

I have to agree with Fumz. The i5 750 is more than capable of playing all the top games today, especially when combined with a good graphics card, and the overclocking abilities of the i5 750 makes it on par, if not better than, most of the i7 chips. I've had mine clocked up to 3.8 (from 2.66) stable with my Corsair H50 cooling system.

In my opinion, you should save a few bucks and go with the i5, and pour the extra money into a top end video card, which would help with gaming and Photoshop.

Thanks for the info blackrose.

Now seeing as everyone is recommending the i5 750 i thought i would check the price on ebuyer to see how much cheaper it is :shock:

Its actually only £6.67p cheaper than the i7 920 lol so whats with that?

 

[blackroseMD1]

Thanks for the info blackrose.

Now seeing as everyone is recommending the i5 750 i thought i would check the price on ebuyer to see how much cheaper it is :shock:

Its actually only £6.67p cheaper than the i7 920 lol so whats with that?

Really? That's crazy...over here there is usually at least a $50 difference...eh, if it's only that much more expensive, might as well go for the i7.