Upgrading my old build

[ajrunke]

Hi guys,

I have a little decision to make and I love to hear all different types of input. Currently I have:

Core2Duo 2.4GHz
Asus P5B
EVGA 8800gt KO
Win 7
4 GB Adata PC26400
450W continuous

I'm planning to upgrade the power supply, Ram, Mobo, and CPU and at a later date my gfx card.

My main questions are regarding the cpu and the mobo. I'm looking at getting the Core i5 661 and an the Asus Maximus III Gene (There's the Maximus Formula for roughly $80 more, but I don't think it's worth it). Are these good options? I'd like feedback from either side. Eventually I'd like to upgrade my gfx card to incorporate a DX11 crossfire/sli set up, but I'm not worried about that at this point. There's not enough options and my 8800gt is sufficient enough for now....

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[zach538467]

Don't get the i5-661, get a i5-750 instead. The main market for the new i5-i3's are htpc's and pc's where a low power draw are required, and or integrated graphics are needed. The i5-750 beats it in any bench that is CPU bound.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-clarkdale-core-i5-661,2514.html

Read through to the conclusion. The 661 is a good cpu, but the 750 is better for the same price.

 

[ajrunke]

Don't get the i5-661, get a i5-750 instead. The main market for the new i5-i3's are htpc's and pc's where a low power draw are required, and or integrated graphics are needed. The i5-750 beats it in any bench that is CPU bound.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-clarkdale-core-i5-661,2514.html

Read through to the conclusion. The 661 is a good cpu, but the 750 is better for the same price.

Thank you for the link. That article did change my mind. Any thought on the mobos?

 

[zach538467]

I'm sure that ASUS is a good MOBO, but I know a lot of people have been going with this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128404

 

[ajrunke]

Thanks once again.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131599&cm_re=asus_maximus_gene-_-13-131-599-_-Product
This is the mobo and under the specs for the memory standard, it states: DDR3 2133(O.C.)/2000(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066

The 2133 and 2000 say O.C., does this mean that if I were to purchase these speeds, that I would have to change the bios to accept that speed, or OC my CPU to allow it to run faster? I'm going to assume that I can choose 1600 without any overclocking?

Am I way off base here?

 

[zach538467]

You're not too far off. 1066 is stock speed, any memory that rated at higher speeds will have to be overclocked. All a 1600 or 2000 memory speed rating means is that the memory manufacturer has tested the stick that you are buying to be stable at those speeds. You don't necessarily have to overclock the cpu to reach these speeds. But you'll want to overclock a i5-750 anyways, it would be a tragedy not to

 

[brown63]

DDR3 2133(O.C.)/2000(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066

Yes, the board will run at the OC speeds but you wil have set this in the bios. If you are not a poweruser/overclocker then DDR31333/1600 ram will be sufficeint for you, and the bios will be set automatically.

 

[rodney_ws]

The Gene is an exceptionally good board... I paid $185 for mine. However, if you're buying a new gaming rig in 2010, I find it hard to believe you're considering a dual core... even if it is the best dual core out there.

 

[ewood]

zach made some very good recommendations. I would go with that gigabyte board if you don't have any need for full atx board. If you decide to oc the i5 you will be changing the memory speed anyway so don't worry too much when it said (O.C.) it wont affect you unless you want to never have to enter the bios what so ever. Don't skimp on ram. Since you wont be able to raise the voltage too much on the ram due to Intel's 1.65v limit, crappy ram may hold you back once you decide to OC.

 

[ajrunke]

The Gene is an exceptionally good board... I paid $185 for mine. However, if you're buying a new gaming rig in 2010, I find it hard to believe you're considering a dual core... even if it is the best dual core out there.

I'm not anymore, I'm going with the i5-750 thanks to the input on this forum.

 

[ajrunke]

One final thing; does the i7 860 justify the extra 80 bucks? I've been looking through some bench marks and would like to hear other people's opinions. I understand the hype threading aspect, but how much of a difference does it really make?

 

[zach538467]

It's faster, but not that much faster. Really, if you've got the budget its a good chip but in games there will be no noticeable difference. Now as far as everyday tasks go it is faster, but again, not mind-blowingly so.

 

[ajrunke]

I decided to go with the full atx board; ASUS P7P55D, and the core i7 860.

Thanks for the help!

 

[rodney_ws]

Unless you do video encoding, the 860 isn't worth the extra scratch. Some gaming benchmarks show better results with hyperthreading turned off... that might change with newer games, but that one thing was enough to steer me down the i5-750 road. I didn't mind paying a premium for a premium product... I just didn't feel the i7-860 was THAT premium.