Right, New Build

[nJoyo]

Right, some users may know i've posted relating a new build, and would like to be ready for the purchase, but I don't have much knowledge on which parts to purchase. I would like help from everyone who can give me a build for my new PC. I am willing to spend around £300 for either a intel i3/i5/i7 or moving on to a Quad core processor. personally i don't know which is the better processor but, would like to have your opinion. Thanks in advance if i may not be able to reply but i will be looking at the forums to check

Regards,
nJoyo

 

[Petey7]

I can get you started by telling you that all i7's are quad-core processors, plus they have hyperthreading (computer acts like it has eight cores instead of four). The i7 is the top of the line from Intel at the moment.

 

[nJoyo]

Well. there expensive by looking at the price currently...

 

[nJoyo]

But, which is very good value for money?

 

[nJoyo]

If you could just give me a good build... Like motherboard, and CPU under £300 or just above then I will definitely consider it

 

[TVeblen]

I doubt that anyone here wants to do your shopping for you. What you need to do is get out a fresh pad of paper, sharpen your pencil, brew a fresh pot, and get to work!

It's best to start with the processor decision first, everything else will fall in line.
Your first decision is what level of performance you require (are you planning high CPU demand tasks like video editing?) and how much you want to "future proof" your purchase (trying to stay on the leading edge of the technology). Those are personal decisions.

You will find your best "bang for the buck" deals when buying a slightly older technology platform that provides the same or better performance as the (lower end) of the new technology platform.

This is a good resource for doing so:
Notebookcheck: Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist
(it includes desktop processors too) There are others.
Write down the model numbers of the processors that you are considering for your needed level of performance and then start online shopping. Write down the prices and compare. The decision will make itself.

In a nutshell, Intel's current technology is the Core i series, based on a new architecture different from the older Core 2 and lower lines.
The i7 line is on top: quad core, hyperthreaded (as Petey said)
The i5 line is mid-performance: Dual Core, Hyperthreaded.
The i3 line is low end, consumer grade - the new version of the "Celery" (Celeron). Dual core and "crippled".

As you will see from the above benchmarking chart, many Core 2 processors actually outperform the i3's and even some i5's. As do some of AMD's newer Phenom II's.

It's a little complicated, but just go at it and you will have your buying decision soon. Post what you are thinking of buying and then you will get some better responses and opinions!

Good Luck

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Three hundred pounds is about $460 US dollars.

The choice would depend on if that amount is for motherboard and processor ONLY.

If you just need those 2 components, you can build a very powerful machine.

If you need more than those 2 components, such as new RAM, you will have to scale back on the processor to stay within budget.

Generally--I would investigate Intel i5 CPU series on a socket 1156 motherboard. That would require DDR 3 RAM.

But I have no idea if you need components beyond CPU and motherboard.

If you need RAM, a rough estimate in US dollars within your budget would be:

4 GB RAM: 125
Socket 1156 motherboard: 150
Intel i5 CPU: all remaining money (185)

The i5 650 and i5 750 are about $185. The 650 is dual core; the 750 is quad core. In many situations, the 650 would be faster even though it has just 2 cores.

 

[Bill2]

I can get you started by telling you that all i7's are quad-core processors, plus they have hyperthreading (computer acts like it has eight cores instead of four). The i7 is the top of the line from Intel at the moment.

Well, the core i7 6xxx processors are actually dual core, the quad cores start from the 7xxx series. There are other subtle differences like the amount of cache memory.

Core i5 processors share several features, like turbo boost and dual-channel memory with Core i7 processors. So the difference between Core i5 and Core i7 will boil down to which particular Core i7 one is being compared to Core i5.

Core i5 is meant to be a more mainstream processor than the i7. Its far more cost effective and quite adequare for general needs.


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[nJoyo]

I'm actually thinking to get a Quad core, with the intel as i've never used one before, and would like to see the performance. But still finding that the price are a little high...

 

[nJoyo]

Bill2, which one do you think i should get the intel i5 or intel i7. Looking towards 4 cores

 

[nJoyo]

ignatzatsonic, can you give me a website where i can purchase those products...can you give me a detail?

 

[Bill2]

Bill2, which one do you think i should get the intel i5 or intel i7. Looking towards 4 cores

Really depends on what you plan to use the machine for.

Also, you need to see the fine print. E.g. hyperthreading. Some Core i5 products have this feature, some dont. AFAIK, the Core i5 750 does not have hyper-threading, but it does have four physical cores. OTOH, the dual-core Core i5s do have hyper-threading.

What that means is that no Core i5 has more than four cores, physical or simulated. So, the Core i5 will not be as quick under multi-threaded work loads as i7.

Also, an overclocked core i5 can probably perform better than a stock i7, but an overclocked i7 will beat the hell out any i5.

If you are into gaming or serious video encoding stuff or are generally looking for a high end system, I'd say go for an i7. If you are looking for mainstream, the i5 will be the replacement for the current C2D machines.


​

 

[nJoyo]

Yeah, I do a little gaming but not a lot, but i want a good decent processor which gets the job done quick.

 

[Bill2]

Yeah, I do a little gaming but not a lot, but i want a good decent processor which gets the job done quick.

In that case, get the best i5 you can afford.

 

[nJoyo]

But, which series? like 450? 750?

 

[Petey7]

Based on what you have said so far, it sounds to me that you want something like this:
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80605I5760

Note, you can't buy from that site in the UK. I just always go to it when looking at parts because I know my way around it.

 

[nJoyo]

Thats actually what i was looking at right now!!! Thanks! Petey7

 

[nJoyo]

Thinking of getting:

CPU: Intel Core i5 760 Quad Core
MBL MSI P55A-GD65

 

[nJoyo]

Which is the better processor the things i will do?

Intel Core i5-750 processor
or
Intel Core i5 -760 Processor

 

[Petey7]

They're about the same except for clock rate, the 760 being a little better in that area. You have to ask yourself if the little bit extra processing power is worth the extra cost. We can't spoon feed you what parts you need. It is entirely up to you to decide.