CPU

[sayantan]

Considerations:

1.Overclockablity
2.Price to performance ratio
3.Gaming performance

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

I voted for the core i5 because motherboards can support both xfire and sli.

 

[gkay09]

i5 - For the reasons above and also newer socket
X4 955 - A solid CPU with nice overclocking ability and even with a $80 mobo can overclock well...
X3 720 - If mainly for gaming, then no doubt this is the best value - So with the money saved, buy a faster graphics card...

 

[MadAdmiral]

955 for the price/performance. I almost don't consider the i5 at $199.99 as under $200 because the GOOD motherboards are typically more expensive.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Alright. Fixed my previous post. Better?

 

[nofun]

This post is stupid, tell us what you want to do with the machine and your overall budget and then we can answer more objectively.

Those are all good processors, but it depends on the price point you're trying to match

 

[sayantan]

This post is stupid, tell us what you want to do with the machine and your overall budget and then we can answer more objectively.

Those are all good processors, but it depends on the price point you're trying to match

hey I want to spend around $800(max) for upgrading of my system...I am considering to spend those bucks only on cpu,mobo,ram and a graphics card...but I have fixed my gfx to be a HD 5850...Hope this is helpful

 

[MadAdmiral]

So $400 for the CPU/Mobo. Still a stupid topic.

If it's just gaming, i5 all the way. No need for any of the options besides the 955.

 

[sayantan]

So $400 for the CPU/Mobo. Still a stupid topic.

If it's just gaming, i5 all the way. No need for any of the options besides the 955.

oops u forgot the memory

 

[MadAdmiral]

No I didn't. RAM won't cost more than $100. The 5850 should be around $300. $800-300-100=$400 for the CPU/Mobo.

 

[nofun]

hey I want to spend around $800(max) for upgrading of my system...I am considering to spend those bucks only on cpu,mobo,ram and a graphics card...but I have fixed my gfx to be a HD 5850...Hope this is helpful

Sorry, I've been having one of those mornings. The only stupid question is the one which isn't asked. Thank you for the information, though, with this we can better assist you in maxing out your performance for that price window.

Will you be looking to crossfire down the road? This is important because if the answer is a definite no, then we can reduce the cost of your mobo considerably.

 

[sayantan]

Sorry, I've been having one of those mornings. The only stupid question is the one which isn't asked. Thank you for the information, though, with this we can better assist you in maxing out your performance for that price window.

Will you be looking to crossfire down the road? This is important because if the answer is a definite no, then we can reduce the cost of your mobo considerably.

Well I am not lookin for a CF config as I change my system after every two years or so ..

 

[nofun]

Well I am not lookin for a CF config as I change my system after every two years or so ..

Oh wow, well in that case sir, check out this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-p55-motherboard,2436.html

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 & i5-750 Combo $320
■i5 because Hyperthreading doesn't really help all that much in gaming. Maybe in a few years we will see this technology incorporated into games, but right now an i7 doesn't really do anything for you besides give you a little bit faster clock speed (but the i5 still OCs like a champ).
■The GA-P55A- series supports USB 3.0, Sata 6, and has a Lotes Socket, as opposed to a Foxconn socket on the GA-P55- series. Otherwise it's the same board.

XFX HD-585A-ZNDC Radeon HD 5850 $340
■Double Lifetime Warranty, so you can resell later if you want to

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB DDR3 1333 (7-7-7-21) $100


Grand Total: $760








You can certainly get away with an AMD build and get the HD 5870 instead. That will actually probably give you better gaming performance. The i5 is a better chip.

 

[nofun]

No I didn't. RAM won't cost more than $100. The 5850 should be around $300. $800-300-100=$400 for the CPU/Mobo.

Btw man, congrats on getting Regular!

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

All those processors can be fit with motherboards that support xfire and sli. LOOL

Perhaps I should have been more clear. Certain core i5 boards can support BOTH x-fire and SLI. where amd boards will support one or the other.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

That's not true. Only AMD motherboards with an Nvidia chipset support SLI.

Not all LGA1156 and LGA1366 motherboards support SLI. Nvidia charges for SLI certification, so the cheap boards don't support SLI.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Just because it has two PCI-E slots doesn't mean it supports SLI. It's a given that it supports Crossfire, but the board has to specifically state that it supports SLI. Like I said, Nvidia charges a licensing fee for SLI certification. The cheap LGA1156 and LGA 1366 boards don't support SLI.

Do some Google searching if you don't believe me. I thought that was pretty common knowledge.

Take the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R as an example. There is an SLI and a non-SLI version available.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Sure, you may be able to hack a BIOS on some boards, but are you really basing your information off of Newegg reviews?

Go buy this motherboard and try to run SLI on it. Let me know how that works out for you. It WON'T work, no matter what you say.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386&cm_re=asus_x58-_-13-131-386-_-Product

http://www.trustedreviews.com/motherboards/review/2009/06/11/Asus-P6T-SE/p1

"The P6T supports both SLI and CrossFire X but the P6T SE does away with SLI support and only supports CrossFire X. This change means that Asus doesn't have to pay a license fee to Nvidia and as a result the price dips below £160."

http://tech-reviews.co.uk/reviews/asus-p6t-se-x58-i7-motherboard-review/

"The SE was designed to be a cheaper alternative to the original P6T and was made possible by removing SLI support (so CrossFire only)"

 

[jbakerlent]

Shortstuff is correct, some motherboard manufacturers choose not to buy the rights to SLI from Nvidia for some boards. How many PCI-e x16 slots the board has, and what some people on newegg say is irrelevant.