860 vs 920- Is it worth the $ difference?

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Ma3s7ro

Ma3s7ro

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Hi, i'm making a new desktop computer. I'm mostly a gamer, using sometimes the computer for some video encondig (divx to dvd and the other way around).

I'm looking @ 2 choises

1st build

Intel i7 - 920 (probably won't overclock it)
MOBO - Rampage II Gene
6Gb Ram

2nd Build

Intel i7 - 860 (won't overclock it either)
MOBO - Asus P7P55D PRO
4 Gb Ram


Both will have two Radeon Asus EAH5850 in crossfire and a 700 psu (Super silent pro bla bla bla bla)

First of all, for what I've discovered in wonderland google, ram @ 1333 or 1600 makes practicably no difference (1 or 2 FPS difference @ gaming) is that true? Keep in mind i only care about gaming, really don't care about video stuff.

Second, is it true that for i7 - 920 the third ram channel (dnt really know much so excuse me the n4b language) goes only to 1333, making 3 x 1600 useless?

The difference between both systems is about 80€ (around 119 USD) being 860 built the cheaper one. If i want for the same 920 price (almost the same) i can get 8Gb in 860.

What do you advise? Which one?

Thanks in advance you guys :hello:

PS: I did consider AMD 965 but i'm more inclined to Intel, since for what i understood 965 doesn't come with a stock cooler and have to buy one myself, which makes it almost the same price as Intel, thus losing interest.
 
tecmo34

tecmo34

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If you are not planning on overclocking as you stated, I recommend the i7 860 build since it has higher stock speeds and turbo mode. At stock speeds, the i7 860 out performs the i7 920.

The only reason I would be consider the i7 920 is since you plan on running two higher end cards, you will not be getting 16x, 16x support. LGA 1156 boards run at 8x, 8x.
 
tecmo34

tecmo34

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Sorry for the lack of clarification. I would recommend the i7 860 for your needs. With 8x, 8x... you still won't run into bandwidth restrictions.

I have not heard about the third slot being limited. I'll have to check my RAM after work to see. I'm pretty sure it runs at correct speeds. There is little difference between 1333 and 1600. You'll have bigger increase by tighter (lower) timings than RAM speed. Also for gaming, there isn't much difference, if at all, once you get above 3GB, so 4GB will be fine on the i7 860.
 
Ma3s7ro

Ma3s7ro

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You were faster than me tecmo :)

The board i present here goes for 8x 8x.

My main problem is that i seem some contradictions and some things unclear.

1st I'm trying to find again the forum where the so called "1600 third memory goes only to 1333"

2nd I will crossfire, not triple crossfire. I say this because (again a contradiction) people say that i7 920 its only better for triple crossfire (3x 5850 for instance) while others say it helps in simple crossfire.

3rd I've also seen ppl saying that 920 will behave better in DX 11 (again, i'm n4b so i really don't know the why's and the how's) becasue of the 3 memory lanes.

4th For what i've been told by tecmo34 and some googling 8x 8x isn't really a problem since not even the 5850 @ crossfire would get bottlenecked by it.

5th Since processors have a life expectancy of 2 to 4 years i've wonder about the next processor sockets. From what i've read i9 will be 1356 socket. If 1356 is like 775 that lasted years and years tha upgrading will be easier. Since i'm not buying low-end boards i think thats something to in account as well. I'm trying to resist the BUY-NOW-SILLY since i'm waiting for the 5850x2 and 5870x2 (5950 and 5970 from what i've seen) so the prices drop.

6th The RAM question, tecmo, 1333 with lower latency will be better than a 1600 with higher latency, right?

I'm going crazy with the waiting...:p
 
J

jbakerlent

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1. I've never heard of that problem before, what motherboard was it?
2. Yes, P55 boards don't support 3 cards in crossfire, but some 1366 boards do.
3. Not true, the memory channels have no relationship to DX11.
4. True, you will lose a few FPS but nothing really noticeable.
5. Yes 1366 does have a better upgrade path.
6. Yes.
 
nofun

nofun

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A lot of good info in this thread.

Search through Tom's Hardware, there are some great articles comparing 16x/16x to 8x/8x, and comparing triple-channel to double-channel. The presiding wisdom, though, is that there is little noticeable difference.

Read through this entire article as it very nicely sums up the differences between the older i7's and the newer P55-based ones: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i5,2410-5.html
One thing that stood out for me was this quote regarding the new P55 architecture:
"Intel is nevertheless confident that its DMI link won't be saturated. The math doesn't lie, though. With the right combination of add-in storage and SSDs, it wouldn't be difficult to jam things up there."

Also remember that the 860 and the P55 architecture sheds a lot of power usage, which means you don't need such a large PSU, and should reduce overall system heat (meaning you can build a cooler, quieter system).


I am in the same boat as you, my friend, I think I will be going for the 920, as the 1366 boards have been around longer, and the 1366 socket shows the promise of being more future proof.
 
tecmo34

tecmo34

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Sonic-Boom... the board only has 2 PCI-e 2.0 slots for graphic cards... http://www.newegg.com/Product/ImageGallery.aspx?CurImage=13-131-601-TS&SpinSet=13-131-601-RS&ISList=13-131-601-Z01%2c13-131-601-Z02%2c13-131-601-Z03%2c13-131-601-Z04%2c13-131-601-Z05&S7ImageFlag=1&Item=N82E16813131601&Depa=0&WaterMark=1&Description=ASUS%20SABERTOOTH%2055i%20LGA%201156%20Intel%20P55%20ATX%20Intel%20Motherboard
 
sonic-boom

sonic-boom

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Ah, you are right. Newegg has it listed wrong
Features
Features Supports the Intel Core i7 and Intel Core i5 Processors in the LGA1156 Package
Intel P55 Express Chipset
CeraM!X Heatsink Coating Tech.
CoolMem! Fan Frame
E.S.P. [Efficient Switching Power]
TUF Caps. & MOSFETs
Supports NVIDIA Quad-GPU SLI Technology
Supports ATI Quad-GPU CrossFireX Technology
 
tecmo34

tecmo34

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I bet those statments are related to Nvidia's GTX 295 or ATI's 4870x2, which two would be Quad-GPU SLI / Crossfire
 
Cades

Cades

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So I have been wondering about this, everyone says there is little to no noticeable difference between dual channel/triple channel memory and x16/x16 and x8/x8.

But what about the not so noticeable difference between and 860 and 920?

Does the difference in better performance on triple channel and x16/x16 offset the difference between 860 and 920?

And basically the only thing being actually different is the price, which isn't that much, anyways.
 
A

akash3656

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Since you only care about games more, the i5-750 is worth it. Because HT doesn't help much in games. But video encoding depending on the application your using, may give you some gains. But I would go with the i5 because it has a nice performance/$$$ ratio.
 
Ma3s7ro

Ma3s7ro

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I'm just plain curious...no one confirmed or denied that X4 965 situation...

Does AMD x4 965BE really come with no Heat Sink + fan? No cooler comes from stock?

It has been a long while since i saw a cpu being sold with no colling system.

@ akash

i5 is not an option because according to microsoft and some devolepers DX11 will make a greater use of multi-threading, thus making hyper-threading a + for gaming in the future i believe
 
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Sertac

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well ther both good and they will do your job, get the cheaper one and use the rest on your money for a gpu card
 
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Sertac

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Ma3s7ro

Ma3s7ro

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@Sertac

I had that impression two, yet if u google a 5850 crossfire you will see the difference, Even benchmarks with a 5770 crossfire is a beast. I thiink legion fórum has a good review with both of them The gains in the new games (Crysis, Farcry2 and so on) are not 1 or 2% is a 50%+ of FPS gain. Right now i'm not @ home and don't have here the pages bookmarked, yet in 1 min if you put 5850 crossfire in google i'm sure u'll find it really soon. Plus, has for power usage in thoses reviews you can see that they had a power usage of <500 @ full load. In fact:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-5850,review-31692-13.html

If i can, i rather have 2gpu in single card, but that depends on the money AMD is going to ask for it.

I blame nvidia for this...GREEN TEAM HURRY UP...and get the red team to lower their prices :p

@tecmo

Thx m8, i had spent lots of time in pixmania(european dealer) and they didnt specify that info. Had googled it but didnt find any clear answer, so cheers!!
 
Ma3s7ro

Ma3s7ro

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Right, so i've been dwelling about this and this is what i realized so far

1st - If you thinking of buying a i7 920 configuration just because of future upgrades, don't. Why? Simple, by the time the gultown processor comes next year PCI-E 3.0 and USB 3.0 should be coming to town as well

http://www.pcisig.com/news_room/faqs/pcie3.0_faq/

Asus already anounced an incoming board with this. So, probably when you change your system again, you'll probably want the new goodies as well. So, you'll end up changing everything again.

2nd - According to the review posted (kindly enough) by Sonic-Boom the difference between PCI-E 2 x 2.0 16 (16/16) against 2 x 2.0 8 (8/8) slots isn't that significant. I don't go as far as saying that it can be ignored since in some examples you have a 15% lost in performance, and thats quite a bit. Plus, the article uses a 4870x2 and says that with the new "incoming" GPU's there might be some difference.

Well the new GPU's are here, and results showing crossfire (5850x2; 5870x2 and the newly presented 5970x2) are astounding (except for the 5970 scaling doesn't seem to produce significant effect 3 to 4%). The fact is that i couldn't find (yet) a review with a 5850 or 5870 crossfire with a i7 860 so i can compare with the i7 920 5850 and 5870 crossfire review. As soon as i find one, and as long as i can see that the 8/8 solution doens't hurt that much, i'll go with the 860. Otherwise 920 it is.

BTW heres the 5850 and 5870 crossfire review. (ready your heart plz!)

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_5870_CrossFire/7.html

Edit: If anyone find a review using a i7 860 (attention, the 860, not the 870!) and a 5850 or 5870 crossfire plz do post it here.

Again, thanks in advance ppl
 
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