maledragger
New Member
what do u guys think of switching procesor to a i7 950
A total noob looking for guidance to build a new gaming pc
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maledragger
New Member
getting a new mobo, save some money cause 950 is cheaper I mean how is it compared to 875k I save $10 going the 950 build
maledragger
New Member
What does it exactly mean by unlocked, my friend who works at intel himself said it was no big deal and can overclock my 950 for me no problem and told me not to worry about it, also for the new motherboard it is about 40 extra dollars but than I saved 50 dollars getting the processor so I still have a net save of 10 dollars.
Also would this setup be able to run starcraft 2 on ultra and fps like black ops on at least high settings?
Also would this setup be able to run starcraft 2 on ultra and fps like black ops on at least high settings?
Last edited:
Drenlin
Active Member
Yes, it'll run SCII just fine.
To explain unlocking, I have to explain how processors get their clock speed. I'll use the current AMD setup for example since I know it from memory, but Intel is much the same.
You start with the base clock frequency of the north bridge, which is the interface between the processor and the rest of the motherboard. On AMD systems this is always 200MHz. However, the CPU has a "multiplier" in it that does just what it sounds like. The Phenom II 955 has a multiplier of 16. Thus, 16 x 200Mhz = 3.2GHz, the 955's clock speed. In most setups, you have to change the base frequency to overclock. Doing so also overclocks the RAM, so both the mobo and the RAM can be a limiting factor. However on an unlocked processor, you can change that multiplier. Bumping the 955's multiplier up by one point yields 3.4GHz, the same as the 965, which is amusing, I think.
That's not the whole story though, because if you overclock your cpu by only using the multiplier, then you don't get any RAM speed increase, so what most people do is mix the two. You generally get a better result than by just using the nb.
However, that 950 should overclock just fine. People regularly get them to 4GHz or more.
As for the mobo, you said it was $40 cheaper? Very strange...x58 motherboards are usually significantly more expensive. Which one is it?
To explain unlocking, I have to explain how processors get their clock speed. I'll use the current AMD setup for example since I know it from memory, but Intel is much the same.
You start with the base clock frequency of the north bridge, which is the interface between the processor and the rest of the motherboard. On AMD systems this is always 200MHz. However, the CPU has a "multiplier" in it that does just what it sounds like. The Phenom II 955 has a multiplier of 16. Thus, 16 x 200Mhz = 3.2GHz, the 955's clock speed. In most setups, you have to change the base frequency to overclock. Doing so also overclocks the RAM, so both the mobo and the RAM can be a limiting factor. However on an unlocked processor, you can change that multiplier. Bumping the 955's multiplier up by one point yields 3.4GHz, the same as the 965, which is amusing, I think.
That's not the whole story though, because if you overclock your cpu by only using the multiplier, then you don't get any RAM speed increase, so what most people do is mix the two. You generally get a better result than by just using the nb.
However, that 950 should overclock just fine. People regularly get them to 4GHz or more.
As for the mobo, you said it was $40 cheaper? Very strange...x58 motherboards are usually significantly more expensive. Which one is it?
maledragger
New Member
mobo is $40 more expensive
950 is $50 less expensive than 875k
I save $10 total
950 is $50 less expensive than 875k
I save $10 total