Intel i7

[Sanvean]

Yea Microcenter is going after Newegg, that's why the prices are like that. I heard, they will even knock off sales tax.
You can see if there is a store near you by going to the upper right box and scrolling thru the stores.
I have one about 2 hours away in Cleveland.

 

[sygnus21]

Yea Microcenter is going after Newegg,

They can't be going after them that hard because the only "deal" I got was the processor. Their memory & motherboard was higher than New Egg AND Amazon.com.

I guess I can't complain too much... I did save a whopping $31.55 over Newegg

Here's the breakdown...

Micro Center

GA-X58A-UD5 = $299.99 (before $20 dollar mail in rebate)
i7-930 Proc = $199.99
6 gig Corsair Dominator Memory = $249.99

Total = $749.97 (before mail in rebate) + $37.50 taxes (5% state tax) = $787.47

Newegg

GA-X58A-UD5 = $279.99
i7-930 Proc = $288.99
6gig Corsair Dominator Memory = $219.99 (before $20 dollar mail in rebate)

Total = $788.97 (before mail in rebate) + $30.05 (UPS 2nd day delivery) = $819.02

Though I saved $89 dollars on the processor, they made up for it on the memory & motherboard.

As a seperate issue, and this is big with me, I can always do a face to face should I need to return something.

 

[pparks1]

I've got a MicroCenter near me that I have gone too on occasion. Reminds me of the old computer swap meet shows that my dad and I used to go to.

The do have great prices on some items, some times....but it's like they have a pallet of things which fell off the truck. Often times things come out in big cardboard boxes like it's an OEM shipment...parts come in static bags versus retail boxes, etc. I've often felt something a little fishy was going on there.

 

[sygnus21]

Well all of my items were in stock retail boxes or I might of thought twice about making the purchase. In fact most of their stock is retail boxed so...

Now, if we’re talking hard drives, optical, and stuff like that, well yeah, but then you know or should know, it’s oem. I don't see any fishiness going on, and I could make the same argument about online stores so....

I do have a policy of purchasing my motherboards, processors, and memory from a brick and mortar store. I just don’t feel comfortable with purchasing these online as you never know who's return(s) you might get, especially if you buy oem. But that’s me.

And yes, I make online purchases all the time, I just don’t buy those items.

I suppose you cold smell fish anywhere

My side of the story.

 

[Win7User512]

OK, I'm going with the i7 930.

Now I [believe to] have narrowed down the Mobos.

My choices are

Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R

ASUS P6X58D-E

Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD7

And

Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6

Any further suggestions?

I'm partial to the least expensive of the bunch. But please feel free to make a case for others.

Oh and anyone recommend an inexpensive, but cool-looking case?

 

[sygnus21]

If you're going with a i7-930, you can forget the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD7. The 55 is an 1156 socket = i7-800 series, i7-500 series, i7-300 series.

The i7-900 series (i7-930) is a 1366 socket. That's where the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R figures in.

Bottom line...You can't use the i7-930 on the GA-P55A-UD7 board.

 

[Airbot]

Socket, actually.

 

[sygnus21]

Yeah, I meant socket. I was actually writing this when you chimed in

You also need to consider your RAM...

The 55 chipset (1156 processor socket) uses dual channel DDR3 memory i.e 2/4/8 gig = 2 stick sets.

The 58 chipset (1366 processor socket) uses DDR3 triple channel memory 6/12/24gig = 3 stick sets

The X58 chipset is more of a higher end system then the 55 chipset performance wise.

Price wise the 58 system will be more expensive over a similar 55 system. Do your homework and some research.

X58 vs. P55: Explaining Intel's Core i5/i7 Chipsets

 

[Win7User512]

If you're going with a i7-930, you can forget the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD7. The 55 is an 1156 socket = i7-800 series, i7-500 series, i7-300 series.

The i7-900 series (i7-930) is a 1366 socket. That's where the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R figures in.

Bottom line...You can't use the i7-930 on the GA-P55A-UD7 board.

Ah yes, I missed that. Thank you for the correction. This narrows it more.

Down to the first two I listed.

They are both supposed to support 32nm 6-cores -- important to know for upgrading CPU.

 

[sygnus21]

If you're going with a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, again, wait or look for rev 2.0 as these are upgraded boards from the rev 1.0 boards. Gigabyte x58a udr3 Revision 2.0

And if you do go with Gigabyte, here's a good site for tips/help - TweakTown forums - GIGABYTE

They are both supposed to support 32nm 6-cores -- important to know for upgrading CPU.

Most if not all X58's will, you just need to check that the BIOS supports the chips, and if neccessary, do a BIOS update.

I know I had to do a BIOS update right off the bat with mine as it shipped with the basic BIOS (F1) which didn't fully recognize my 930 chip.

I would do some homework on BIOS updates on the board you choose prior to purchase, this way you won't be left in the dark should you need to do one to get your system up and running.

Good luck.

 

[Win7User512]

If you're going with a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, again, wait or look for rev 2.0 as these are upgraded boards from the rev 1.0 boards. Gigabyte x58a udr3 Revision 2.0

And if you do go with Gigabyte, here's a good site for tips/help - TweakTown forums - GIGABYTE

They are both supposed to support 32nm 6-cores -- important to know for upgrading CPU.

Most if not all X58's will, you just need to check that the BIOS supports the chips, and if neccessary, do a BIOS update.

I know I had to do a BIOS update right off the bat with mine as it shipped with the basic BIOS (F1) which didn't fully recognize my 930 chip.

I would do some homework on BIOS updates on the board you choose prior to purchase, this way you won't be left in the dark should you need to do one to get your system up and running.

Good luck.

I can't find Rev 2.0 online anywhere.

 

[sygnus21]

Looks like those things will be harder to find than finding gold in your back yard

 

[Win7User512]

Looks like those things will be harder to find than finding gold in your back yard

It doesn't even seem to be because of high demand. It's not even backordered anywhere.

Guess I'll just have to settle for Rev 1.0.

 

[sygnus21]

You can always call Gigibyte and ask them about it

 

[TVeblen]

It is very common for retailers to hold off stocking or listing upgrade versions of a product until they have sold out (or at least sold down) their current inventory of the older version. It could be just a matter of waiting a couple weeks if that v2 board is very new.

If you have a local computer shop they may be able to order one for you.

 

[Win7User512]

What is the fastest RAM that 930 supports without overclocking?

 

[sygnus21]

That depends on the motherboard and BIOS. My motherboard supports up to 2000MHz.

You need to be aware that such high speeds cost money. Unless you're going to do some serious overclocking, I'd go with DDR3 1600, such as Corsair’s Dominator DDR 3 1600 but that’s up to your wallet

Also, the way I understand it, anything that's above 1066MHz for DDR3 is "technically" overclocked.

Here's one of my discussions

Question/Concern - Welcome to GIGABYTE Technical Support!

Answers - Welcome to GIGABYTE Technical Support! & Welcome to GIGABYTE Technical Support!

 

[Win7User512]

I'm looking at a 930 + ASUS P6X58D-E + OCZ PC3-12800 (which is 1600mhz). From what I've read, the i7's automatically set it at 1066 as default.

My question about the speed limit for that chip was because the Intel site says "800/1066" for memory type. Not sure what those numbers correspond to.

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41447&processor=i7-930&spec-codes=SLBKP

 

[TVeblen]

The lower numbered i7 processors are what Intel calls "Locked processors". These processors are meant to be run only at their stock clocks and speeds - *.

The fastest the memory is supposed to be run at these stock clocks is 1066. Your BIOS defaults will set the memory at 1066 regardless of what speed memory you buy and put on the motherboard. So if you were not going to overclock at all you would buy 1066 memory and save some money.

But what Intel intends and what people do are 2 completely different things. It has always been curious that Intel does not want folks overclocking their stuff. But people do all the time.

*- Asus motherboards have very convenient overclocking features. You can install faster memory for your 930 and set it to run at that higher speed in the BIOS without needing a college degree in electrical engineering. As long as you have the "AI Tweaker" set to Auto it is a one step effort. The memory is overclocked, I believe, by the good ol' bus clocking method.

I have 1333 memory running at 1333 with my i7-920 with no problems. My Asus board has easy settings for 1600, 1800, and 2000 memory also.

Hope that helps.

One important note: When you first set up your rig and test it out, leave everything at the stock, BIOS default, clocks. Load W7 and test everything out first to make sure you are not dealing with issues from some piece of defective hardware. If everything runs well, particularly video, then go in and set the memory to higher speed and test everything again. This method will make diagnosing new-build issues easier, should you have any.

 

[Win7User512]

The lower numbered i7 processors are what Intel calls "Locked processors". These processors are meant to be run only at their stock clocks and speeds - *.

The fastest the memory is supposed to be run at these stock clocks is 1066. Your BIOS defaults will set the memory at 1066 regardless of what speed memory you buy and put on the motherboard. So if you were not going to overclock at all you would buy 1066 memory and save some money.

But what Intel intends and what people do are 2 completely different things. It has always been curious that Intel does not want folks overclocking their stuff. But people do all the time.

*- Asus motherboards have very convenient overclocking features. You can install faster memory for your 930 and set it to run at that higher speed in the BIOS without needing a college degree in electrical engineering. As long as you have the "AI Tweaker" set to Auto it is a one step effort. The memory is overclocked, I believe, by the good ol' bus clocking method.

I have 1333 memory running at 1333 with my i7-920 with no problems. My Asus board has easy settings for 1600, 1800, and 2000 memory also.

Hope that helps.

One important note: When you first set up your rig and test it out, leave everything at the stock, BIOS default, clocks. Load W7 and test everything out first to make sure you are not dealing with issues from some piece of defective hardware. If everything runs well, particularly video, then go in and set the memory to higher speed and test everything again. This method will make diagnosing new-build issues easier, should you have any.

Thanks for all the info!

Just to make sure, running the memory at 1600 will not likely damage it, the board, or CPU right? I haven't heard it does, and thought that speed was normal given just about everyone running between 1333 and 1600. I didn't realize the "i" series was "topped" at 1333 by Intel given that other quad cores before it had similar speeds. Just assumed the technology had advanced further.