Computer Upgrade Input

Technology and Gaming
#1

So I’m hitting that 3 year life cycle for my computer and am looking to upgrade some of my parts. Here’s a note of what I plan on replacing:

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2.2GHz
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2

And this is what I’m looking to upgrade to:

ASUS P6T SE LGA 1366 Intel X58
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz
OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3

Those 3 = $630

My question is, would I be better off going with the new i7 or sticking with something like this:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz

  • Whatever 775 mobo
  • Keep my current memory (add another 2 sticks)

Those 3 = $490

Future proofing isn’t a huge deal to me, because usually a new architecture comes out by the time I upgrade my computer again. My budget is anything up to $650. I usually would be able to handle this on my own, but I made myself stay out of looking at hardware for the last 3 years after being short on cash.

I know that really no games take advantage of 4 cores entirely, so that makes me wonder if I can get away with getting the LGA 775 socket without having to worry about a performance impact and save a good $150 (but lose 2gb of RAM).

Does anybody have some good info on this Q9650 vs the 920 i7 issue? I did a bit of googling and found that people say there is virtually no difference in gaming between the two in certain situations. I do use other productivity apps in my spare time, but honestly, either CPU will feel a hell of a lot snappier than my current X2 4200+. More than likely I’ll be running a single GPU setup, and from what I understand that the Q9650 would be close to the 920 in that regard.

#2

whats your GPU?

#3

Currently a meager EVGA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB (Had to replace a failing 7950GT in February). Which has me leaning to the Q9650.

Not sure if I have plans to upgrade my GPU along with this solution. If I did, I may get a new GPU at Xmas. In which case, the i7 could be better.

#4

If your staying with the 9800 GT then get the Q9650. With that card, an i7 wouldn’t give you a preformance increase worth the price of the CPU.

#5

I would stick with AMD for the Price.

AMD Phenom II 940 3.0Ghz Think about it, 190$ versus 330$ same size and speed, better price. The only difference is the size of the Cache which frankly I wouldn’t pay 140$ more just to say I have 4 more megabytes.

You said you would be only using one video card, so one of these would probably be best:

Asus M4A78 Pro (For Hybrid Crossfire) 100$

or

Asus M4N78 Pro (For Hybrid SLI) 100$

and for RAM

OCZ 4gb combo (800mhz DDR2) 46$ x2 = 92$ for 8GB ram

total: 382$ for ATI and Nvidia Setup, can’t beat that price for a 3Ghz Quad core setup

#6

i suggest consulting guru3d for every part that you want , it’s a big gamble in compatibily , i’d go for that amd instead of intel

#7

When 2x 4gb combos lower in price, you could even upgrade to 16gb if you want. :slight_smile:

#8

Very interesting input there Joe… Definitely something I can consider and well within my price range. It’ll keep me from spending my saved tuition money for college, so that’s a plus… lol

To be honest… I don’t indulge in many video games. I’m confined to World of Warcraft (go ahead, throw your stones :stuck_out_tongue: ) And source engine games. Once and awhile I’ll go and pick up Crysis or some game based on the UT3 engine (which my current computer doesn’t have much problems with). Other than that, I browse the interwebs, run photoshop, dreamweaver, etc. while I’m designing/coding stuff. So the AMD solution sounds great to me. The extra RAM and more CPU power will really aide my multitasking, and perhaps leave me enough buying room for another LCD screen :stuck_out_tongue:

#9

Yup, no problem, glad to help. Here in Canada it’s even more of a difference, (over here the Phenom II 940 is 260$ and for the Q9650 it’s 450$)

If you’re planning to upgrade the video card later on, you could go with the M4A78 pro and wait till the 4850 or 4870 lowers in price even more (you can still use your card on that motherboard).

#10

AMD isn’t a bad option at all, but be aware that the chips aren’t necessarily equal just because they’re clocked at the same speed (even ignoring cache size). With Intel you generally get more performance at the same clocks, but with AMD you generally get higher clocks for less, so it’s kind of a toss-up. Barring costs I would go with an intel over an AMD, but you should look at some specs and tests first. I recommend Tom’s Hardware.

#11

The Ars Technica System Guides can be a pretty handy baseline for identifying what’s good at a given pricepoint, worth a look: https://arstechnica.com/guides/

#12

Final List
AMD Phenom II X3 720 - $139.00
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 - $59.99
ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 - $139.99
XFX HD-485X-ZDFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB - $139.99

Total cost = ~$479

Not too shabby considering a similar parts replacement build for the i7 would have costed me upwards of $900. And that’s without a new video card.

#13

Cool! Great Choice! Sweet motherboard too, you can upgrade the bios without even having to access windows, you can access the internet in the Bios with a browser called “Express gate”.

#14

The one problem I have with ATI cards is that I’ve never followed their counting system, and I don’t know how their cards stack up compared to their own or any nvidia cards. I know their 4850 is the top of the line, but no idea where it goes from there.

#15

GTX260 and the Radeon HD 4850 are in the same market, the GTX260 does preform better however in certain games.

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