Intel Processor Advice

[sanjoseparaiso]

I need help for buying a Intel Processor.

I wanna use it for gaming.

Which one is best?

• Intel i7 870 2.9 ghz

• Intel i7 875k 2.9 ghz = curiousity same as i7 870 specs but higher price. Why?

• Intel i5 760 2.8 ghz

Btw.

What are the advantage of GT/sec Intel®?

 

[profdlp]

You can get some benchmark comparisons here:

PassMark Software - CPU Benchmark Charts

The GT/sec is explained at the bottom of this chart:

Intel® Core™ i7 Processor Product order codes

I'm not up on the latest and most demanding games, but my understanding of the subject is that given a choice between:

A) A good CPU + great Graphics card
or
B) A great CPU + good graphics card

you should go with "A", since the graphics card makes the more significant difference in gaming.

Of course, "great everything" is, uh, great!

 

[Darician]

If I remember correctly, the K has a completely unlocked multiplier. That's the only true difference between the 870 and 875K. Between the i7s and the i5, the main difference is that the i7s have hyperthreading enabled, which make them work out ot having 8 logical cores versus the i5's 4 cores. As far as gaming is concerned, if the game can take advantage of all the threads, the i7s would be better but if not, the i5 would suffice. In the future as threads and cores become more important, the i7s should have a definite advantage.

As far as QPI and GT/sec, this article seems to nail it down pretty good: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/610.

 

[sanjoseparaiso]

On reading the benchmark result it seems AMD Phenom ll X6 Black Edition wins over intel i7 870. Same price processor.

Im very confused!

I cant really decide what is best???


I want majority

 

[Darician]

I would pick the i7 870 as that benchmark test only proves so much but in many other tests, I've seen, the 870 will beat an X6 in certain things.
Gaming CPU Heirarchy Chart : Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: August 2010
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T And 890FX Platform Review: Hello, Leo : AMD Can Do Six Cores, Too

 

[A Guy]

The i7-870 is identical to the i7-875K with the exception of the core being unlocked on the i7-875K (only important if you plan to overclock). The i5 760 has great overclocking potential and is probably $80 cheaper, but has no hyperthreading. A Guy

 

[Hipster Doofus]

I've got the 875k & am very impressed with it. Got nothing to compare it with though. Still, I'm satisfied with the 875k.

All depends on what board you put the processor in as well.

 

[profdlp]

If you are anywhere near a MicroCenter and want to go with a Core i7 system, this is hard to beat:

Micro Center - Intel Core i7-930 Processor Boxed 582759

 

[A Guy]

If you are anywhere near a MicroCenter and want to go with a Core i7 system, this is hard to beat:

Micro Center - Intel Core i7-930 Processor Boxed 582759

Indeed, that's what you'll pay for an i5 750. Great price. A Guy

 

[profdlp]

I got the Core i7 920 there for that same price last summer and it's what pushed me from the budget system I went in intending to buy toward something a little more (almost) top of the line.

 

[thefabe]

My next build I'm going with the i7 930 myself.That's a great price
.That is of course unless I don't have the money when I expect to then I'll see what's out then. Fabe

 

[sanjoseparaiso]

So majority go for intel?

Now here is my problem....

i7 930 is one of the choices here on my thread.. Same price as i7-870.

I ask the Tech here and he doesn't advice for overclocking the CPU which it makes the CPU lifespan less than a year.

i7 930 is 2.8
i7-870 is 2.9

So what would be good?

 

[bobkn]

So majority go for intel?

Now here is my problem....

i7 930 is one of the choices here on my thread.. Same price as i7-870.

I ask the Tech here and he doesn't advice for overclocking the CPU which it makes the CPU lifespan less than a year.

i7 930 is 2.8
i7-870 is 2.9

So what would be good?

Different motherboards. The 930 is Socket 1366, the 870 is Socket 1156. 1366 supports triple channel memory. (It's not required, though.) Potentially higher performance than the dual channel of the 1156, at a higher cost.

Overclocking may shorten the life of a CPU, but to declare that it usually gives a "lifespan less than a year" is overly pessimistic. I've been running an I7 920 for longer than that at 3.8 GHz. (Cooler is a Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120, a large heatsink/fan but not the largest.)

 

[profdlp]

So majority go for intel?...

I went in to MicroCenter intending to get a budget AMD system. It was only when I got a great deal on the 920 that I changed my mind.

This is a generalization, but Intel basically has the performance lead these days; AMD is a better value if you don't need top-end.

 

[Tepid]

I have used and worked on a lot of AMD systems, and Clock for Clock.
Intel just makes better performing processors. But you get what you pay for.

AMD is not bad, they work and are fine on a budget, just not as good as Intel.

You can always find benches that will say one thing or the other.
When it comes to real world uses though, and actually using a system on a daily basis, you pick the one that works for you.

in my case, Intel has always been the best for me. But for others, it is AMD.

Unfortunately, as it goes, you have no idea till you get the system and actually use it for a while.
by then, it's too late to return everything, or it's considered used and you can't take it back.

For this reason alone, I trust Intel over AMD, only because of my experience with many different AMD systems.

And again the devils advocate: the AMD systems I have used and worked on, were not horrible.
And again, they work fine for many many people. But, they are not my first choice.

 

[thefabe]

I ask the Tech here and he doesn't advice for overclocking the CPU which it makes the CPU lifespan less than a year

Maybe if you don't know what your doing and use stock cooling and over volt it. To make a statement like that is just nonsense.
High overclocking when done properly comes with a caution of reducing the lifespan of your CPU but to put a time on it is crazy.
Generally people that are serious overclockers and push their CPU's to the raged edge are constantly upgrading anyway, a stable moderate overclock done correctly will last you till your ready to upgrade.IMO. Fabe

 

[Tepid]

I ask the Tech here and he doesn't advice for overclocking the CPU which it makes the CPU lifespan less than a year

Maybe if you don't know what your doing and use stock cooling and over volt it. To make a statement like that is just nonsense.
High overclocking when done properly comes with a caution of reducing the lifespan of your CPU but to put a time on it is crazy.
Generally people that are serious overclockers and push their CPU's to the raged edge are constantly upgrading anyway, a stable moderate overclock done correctly will last you till your ready to upgrade.IMO. Fabe

But there is a caveat to that.

Yes, you can/will reduce the lifespan, but this does depend on the hardware and how well it handles the heat. Anytime you are adding more power to something to make it run harder than intended will reduce it's lifespan. If you can keep it cool enough to gain a proper amount of speed worth doing so.

The question to ask yourself......

1.) Is the amount of speed gained worth the extra cost of buying an upgraded cooling system?

 

[profdlp]

Anybody ever have a normally clocked CPU die on them? (I'm not talking about when your dog peed on it or you forgot the heat sink, just a natural death from "old age".)

I read a tech analysis once that said the normal lifespan of a CPU was about twenty years. Overclocking could cut that in half. Anyone planning to still be using your current CPU in 2020?

By the way, I agree with thefabe that you do need to be careful. I also agree with Tepid - you can easily end up spending more on cooling than a faster CPU would have cost to begin with.

 

[sanjoseparaiso]

Woa! Intel i7 950 drop almost 50% price luckily i didnt buy yet for i7 870.

Go for i7 950!

 

[A Guy]

Indeed!

Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor BX80601950

A Guy