i7 860 2.8GHz or i7 920 D0 2.66GHz?

[paulpicks21]

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.

Yeah I was surprised! Even the i5 650 is only £20 cheaper than the i7 , weird eh.

 

[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.

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.

You're welcome, Paul. It is correct that it works out as £33 more, but that is compared to the combination you suggested. However, when compared to the possible maximum budget, it is only £13 more. In my opinion, this is well worth it.

 

[Fumz]

While the i7 might be almost as cheap as the i5, you've got to remember the platform isn't. Good X58 boards can be pricey, whereas you can get a really good P55 for ~ $100.00.

As far as being able to "take advantage" of triple channel, if it's games we're talking about, they don't really take advantage of it. Again though, if your bud uses apps that are memory intense and can use hyper-threading, go for it... but if not, it's really money that could be pumped into a better graphics card.

Yes, the X58 platform is better than the P55; however, in terms of gaming performance, the difference is almost negligible... certainly not worth the increased costs, imo.

 

[Airbot]

Since no one seems to have mentioned it, if you've considering the i7 920, I'd go with the i7 930 for the consideration instead. It's newer than the 920, out to replace it. Has a higher stock clock - 2.8 vs. the 920's 2.66. And it's the same price.

 

[paulpicks21]

Thanks again to everyone for their help and advice.

I guess really I wanted to make sure neither of them were versions of the i7 to avoid.

A bit like my Q8300 lol.

I have discussed things with him and he decided to go with option 1 which was


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

Placed the order earlier , delivery tomorrow then the build on saturday

I am sure he will be more than happy with his new setup.


Cheers

Paul.

 

[Fumz]

I am sure he will be more than happy with his new setup.

Oh there's no doubt he'll be happy.

 

[paulpicks21]

Just to let you know , I finished the build for him about a couple of hours ago.

He is very happy , its running sweet.

Winsat mem score 17980

WEI scores -

CPU 7.5
Mem 7.5

Graphics have gone up by a notch on both counts as well


Jobs a goodun

Cheers

Paul.

 

[blackroseMD1]

Just to let you know , I finished the build for him about a couple of hours ago.

He is very happy , its running sweet.

Winsat mem score 17980

WEI scores -

CPU 7.5
Mem 7.5

Graphics have gone up by a notch on both counts as well


Jobs a goodun

Cheers

Paul.

Congrats man. Nothing like the feeling you get after a successful build.

I would have expected the CPU score to be a little higher, as my i5-750 gives me a 7.5 as well but, if your friend is happy, that's all that matters. Thanks for coming back and letting us know how it went.