Mobo/CPU/Ram questions

[Tialee]

Getting a little confused around the new i5/i7 lines, and figured I'd come to the experts. I'm only looking to upgrade mobo, proc and ram, but am concerned what I'm looking at won't work. So with that, here's the template, I await responses.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 2-3 weeks. BUDGET RANGE: (600-800) Before Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Netflix, Web/Email.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Only need CPU/Mobo/Ram **Have a 750w PS, forget model** Have an Nvidia 285 GTX.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: No Preference COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type Intel i5/i7, Corsair or Kingston Ram. Mobo I'm not as concerned about, but I don't want throw aways.

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: One Day

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200, maybe some 1080p at some point.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Primarily having a hard time understanding if I'm stuck with 6gb or 9gb of ram based on certain proc / mobo choices. I'd like to get to 8gb ram (or higher) as I'm going with Win 7 Ultimate 64.

 

[dndhatcher]

You are unlikely to use more than 4GB RAM when gaming anyway. It wont make your machine faster to have unused RAM, just burns a bit more powers and generates a bit more heat.

With a P55 motherboard and an i5 750 (which is the most cost effective gaming choice for a single graphics card system) you get either 4 or 8 GB RAM.

 

[Tialee]

So what would your mobo/ram/proc (I see you indicate the 750) recommendation be? I ran into concerns when the Ram I was looking at was rated 1600, but the mobo was "dual channel 1066/1333" and wasn't sure if there was an issue there?

Also, I assume that a proc that says "dual channel" needs a mobo and ram that is "dual channel"? This is my biggest confusion. I had looked at a 920, and it said something about 3 channel memory, which made me think the "dual channel" ram and board I had looked at wouldn't work. Am I missing it, or on target?

Bottom line: What Mobo and 4g or higher ram would you recommend with that 750? I want to be able to sustain 40fps out of a 285 GTX.

 

[dndhatcher]

The i7 920 is a socket 1366 CPU that fits in X58 motherboards. They are unique in having triple channel memory (3 sticks in a kit so yo uget 6GB or 12GB)

The i5 750 and i7 860 are socket 1156 CPUs that fit in P55 motherboards. They use the same dual channel like every other current architecture.

Isnt it wonderful how intel has numbered the new stuff i7 9xx series that fits in different motherboards than i7 8xx and i5s that are dual core with hyperthreading and then the i5 750 that is quad with no hyperthreading.

For a P55 motherboard the Gigabyte P55A-UD4 (P55A is gigabytes newer mothebroards with USB3).

The gaming FPS you get out of your 285 is not processor dependent except in a few games like Crysis and GTA4. Most of the time a 3 core CPU would perform as well. There are no intel 3 core CPUs and the intel i series is clock for clock faster than AMDs Phenom II series. What game, resolution and settings level do you want 40FPS for?

 

[Tialee]

Aion with 1920x1200. Potentially will port out to 1080p at some point in the future, but no care there at this time.

 

[dndhatcher]

Aion doesnt look to be that demanding. Can you not get 40fps at ultra high settings in Aion with the 285 in your current computer?

 

[Tialee]

Where there aren't many objects, yes. Once I go into a town though, it drops to 15-20. I was quite surprised, so decided I had to have a mobo/proc/ram issue of some sort (no way it's the vid card). Thus this saga.

 

[Tialee]

Best answer selected by Tialee.