Core i7/i5?

S

sdsmods

New Member
From what I've read, it looks like the Core i7 is more of an enthusiasts CPU, and the i5 is the mainstream equivalent with less features. I'm looking forward to grabbing a new machine in the next week or so, and would like to know.

I'd happily pay the extra cash for an i7 instead of an i5 if there's going to be any significant difference in performance. Planning on overclocking (seen the i7 920 @ 4Ghz on air) with two GTX3xx in SLi when they're out (GTX280 for now). A few hours of gaming a week, lots of 3D rendering, and modding (obvious from the name, no?).

I heard that socket 1366 is lined up for a 6-core i7 later this year. I'll have to have one, so I'm tending to lean towards the i7.

But, with money as no object, what do you guys recommend? Thanks :)
 
Last edited:
I would go with the i7. I think on air the record overclocked was 4.7Ghz. Correct me guys if i'm not right but isnt the i7 overclocked performing better than the i5 overclocked? :)
 
sdsmods said:
I'd happily pay the extra cash for an i7 instead of an i5 if there's going to be any significant difference in performance. Planning on overclocking (seen the i7 920 @ 4Ghz on air) with two GTX3xx in SLi when they're out (GTX280 for now). A few hours of gaming a week, lots of 3D rendering, and modding (obvious from the name, no?).
Click to expand...

For High end gaming with Multiple Video Cards in SLI - the x58 1366 motherboards let you run them at 2x16 - while the x55 chipset for the core i5 will limit you to 2x8.

I heard that socket 1366 is lined up for a 6-core i7 later this year. I'll have to have one, so I'm tending to lean towards the i7.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is true. There should be 2 versions of the 6 core CPU coming out this year.
But, with money as no object, what do you guys recommend? Thanks for the help here.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a core i7 is a no-brainer for your needs.
 
Well, I've got an Antec 900 for now, but I might sell that to my brother and upgrade to an Antec 1200 for supreme cooling - still not sure I'd push it to 4.7Ghz though. Depends on how it runs. I'm also looking at this:

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev 2 Heatpipe CPU Cooler
http://www.ebuyer.com/176157

Yeah, I'm UK (hence Ebuyer). Any recommendations on something better than that? I want this to run as cool as I possibly can for maximum potential.

Core i7 is really looking like the way forward - probably with an i7 920 @ 2.66 to be OC'ed, but I'm undecided so suggestions MUCH welcome.

Other than that, I've nearly got a full rig sorted out, so I'll post some specs when I'm done if someone doesn't mind taking a look? I'm deffo going for a really, really nice X58.
 
Last edited:
sdsmods said:
I'm deffo going for a really, really nice X58.
Click to expand...

Then you're going with a Core i7 9xx

The core i7 860 is a Socket 1156, the Core i7 9xx is a socket 1366 chip.

If you went with the 860 - you can't get the 6 core CPU when it comes out. ;)

Make sure you get the D0 step - since you want to Overclock - they run a bit cooler than the C0 step and can overclock a bit more b/c of it. Although I'm guessing the C0 step have worked their way through inventory by now so you'll probably get the D0 step.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, sorry about that - it was listed as 1366 on the review site, but not at Ebuyer. . . As for the i7 920 - D0, 8MB, OEM I think. Any ideas how that cooler will keep up with the 920's track record for OC'ing?

As for the X58 board, I'm looking at one of the following:

ASUS Rampage II Extreme @ £263.26
http://www.ebuyer.com/160932

Asus P6T7 WS SuperComputer X58 @ £354.83
http://www.ebuyer.com/176008

I'm liking the look of the P6T7 for the obvious workstation abilities, and the Tri-SLi at x16. So it would work better with Tri-SLi and a PhysX card like I want to do at the end of the summer. And I think that the P6T7 would probably last longer (I'm hoping to get 2-3 years of good work out of it, and still be able to keep them upgradeable).

I could buy the £350, but if I don't really need it, I'll get the £250.

As for RAM, one of these looked like a nice set to start off with:

Crucial 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ballistix CL8 @ £135
http://www.ebuyer.com/166998

Corsair 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz XMS3 CL9 @ £135
http://www.ebuyer.com/152640

Suggestions and changes welcomed. Thanks again.
 
Last edited:
sdsmods said:
As for the X58 board, I'm looking at one of the following:

ASUS Rampage II Extreme @ £263.26
http://www.ebuyer.com/160932
Click to expand...

Pureoverclock.com Review

Tweaktown Review

Anandtech Review

TomsHardware Review

Asus P6T7 WS SuperComputer X58 @ £354.83
http://www.ebuyer.com/176008
Click to expand...

Full Review
ASUS - P6T7 Review

you might consider reading some more detailed reviews than a product page you listed. I've posted a few I found online - that you can read in detail and see which one best fits your PC needs.
 
Read every review for both boards on the first page of search. I don't really need the P6T7, so I'm opting for the Rampage II Extreme and I'll put the cash towards something else.

Basically, I've just gotta pick one of the RAM configs from above, and the biggest CPU cooler I can find, then I'll post some specs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top