Is the Upcoming i7 930 worth the wait?

[edifice]

Hey guys,

I am just posting this as a complete noob in the hope that someone can help!!!

I am wanting to upgrade my current system to a core i7 CPU rig and I just want to know if whether or not you seem to think that the difference betweeon the i7 920 and the supposed upcoming 930, is great enough to warrant the wait? And more to the point, is the 930 due to be released as I keep seeing on the 28th of February? As other than various forums and from what I can gather there is no official news from Intel and the release date is a little over a week away?!

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks!!!!

 

[4trees]

Hey guys,

I am just posting this as a complete noob in the hope that someone can help!!!

I am wanting to upgrade my current system to a core i7 CPU rig and I just want to know if whether or not you seem to think that the difference betweeon the i7 920 and the supposed upcoming 930, is great enough to warrant the wait? And more to the point, is the 930 due to be released as I keep seeing on the 28th of February? As other than various forums and from what I can gather there is no official news from Intel and the release date is a little over a week away?!

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks!!!!

You might as well wait for the 930, it will be available on 2/28 (already been released for sale at many Frys stores for several weeks). If you are not planning to overclock at all then I would buy the 930 for the increased freq of 2.8 assuming the price difference, if any between the 920, isn't too great. Otherwise you are ignoring .2ghz for no extra cost. The 930 should be priced the same as the 920. If you have a Microcenter store around you definitely go there they will likely be $200 plus tax same price as the 920 currently. Most retailers are selling the 920 for about $280 vs. Microcenter's great deal.

If you plan to overclock...
If you can find a golden 920 D0 for sale buy it but you will probably find it to be $350 or more and used. Chances are you won't find that to be a practical choice considering the money and unknown condition. Results so far don't show the 930 overclocking any better than the 920 would. Same chip with one more multiplier unlocked basically, so don't expect huge upgrade. And the extra mulitplier makes it an even 22x which is not typically stable for overclocks so you would end up using the 21x multiplier anyway which puts you back to a 920 chip. This is early on in the release of this new chip so who knows what people will get with the 930s in the future, could be great.

You sound like you are ready to buy now which makes my final point useless...
If you waited and closely watched the overclock reviews in the next 6-12 months you may see a batch of 930 chips performing extremely well with low voltage overclocks. If this is the case you would be smart to buy one of those specific batch # chips. That may never happen though.

If you are comfortable with your current system and can wait a year or so it would be best to hold out for the mainstream 6 core 32nm chip that will be released (hopefully, intel is very wishy washy about it atm). The new extreme 6 core is going to be a ridiculous price for most users $1000 or so. If AMD can throw in some kind of competition soon then intel will hopefully fire back with an affordable 6 core 32nm architecture. Time will tell. But when that happens you would need to change out your mobo and ram again to buy that new chip so if you upgrade now (assuming you are investing in new mobo, ram, cpu) you would have to do it all over again in a short period.

Recent 930 oc result that Ive seen:
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1022012 (With HT OFF!!!)

It is pretty much the same as any typical 920 D0 when it comes to overclocking, nothing extraordinary so far.

 

[edifice]

Hey 4trees,

Thanks for thr response it really helped!!! And my current rig is a Q9300 with 4gb DDR2 Geil Black Dragon on a X48 motherboard and a 9800gx2, so as I am a complete noob, I dont know how much longer this will be able to cut it for?

After reading your response, coupled with the fact that I have ssen several English websites (I live in the U.K) post the 930 on their websites, I will be going for that CPU, however if like you say I can hold out for the next 12 months or so, maybe I will be able to afford the upcoming 6 core processor?

I also have if you can please give me your opinion, some conflicting advice on Graphics Cards?! On one hand after speaking with some other guys such as yourself and explaining my set up to them, they informed me that all I needed was a much more powerful graphics card with my current setup? On the otherhand my good friend, who actually works for a company and builds bespoke models to order, told me that a 9800GX2 is equivalent to say a GTX 260, and if I were to splash out on say a top end ATI card, all that would happen is my system would severely bottleneck as my current CPU would not be able to keep up?

If you have the time I would appreciate your opinion, as I really dont have a clue , and if by buying a very good GPU would greatly increase my systems performance, it would obviously save me a considerable amount of money too!!!

Thanks for your response!!!

 

[4trees]

A couple ways to look at it. If I were you I wouldn't invest a lot in my current system and I would wait for the affordable 6 core when it comes out. I would consider some changes to your current rig.
1. BUY AN AFTERMARKET COOLER AND OVERCLOCK
Buy an aftermarket heatsink for your Q9300 (see this link for reviews http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm but make sure it matches your socket 775 and don't spend over $80) and overclock it. This review manages to play crysis with an oc q9300 @3.4ghz and an 8800gt at respectable frames per second up to x1200 resolution then it gets choppy. http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/intel_q9300/
2. WAIT FOR GTX 480/470 IN APRIL
Buying the top of the line 5970 video card or anything over $300 seems short sighted considering we are so close to getting benchmarks on the GTX 480 & 470 cards in April. They could be superior in every way and you may be kicking yourself in just 2 months if you buy the best ATI now. Anyway based on Tom's charts the 9800gx2 is a decent card and shouldn't require replacing just yet. You could overclock it a small margin just to gain some more performance while waiting to see what the GTX 480/470 look like in benchmarks and pricing. Buying the best video card soon wouldn't be a mistake if you have the money and see the value in it, you can always transfer it to your future upgraded setup and not worry about buying a new video card at the same time as everything else. Subjectivity is all over when describing what video card is reasonable or not. It depends on so many variables... resolution, type of game, quality of monitor, preference of gamer, high fps and lesser graphics.
3. START TRAINING YOURSELF IN OVERCLOCK NOW
If you take this advice and wait for the 32nm 6 core you will have the hardware with potential to overclock to great limits (i hope). So now is the time to get familiar with overclocking so you are ready to do so proficiently when you get that 32nm chip. Regardless if the 32nm turns out to be great you at least gain performance now at little extra cost.

To answer your questions:
Your current graphics card is an appropriate fit with your current setup without overclocking.
Yes a top o the line ATI like the 5970 would be leaving processing power on the table with your current cpu (depending on the application).

Just so you know Im not waiting for the 6core, Ive been waiting long enough. See my sig I have a dual core amd 3800x2 (2.0ghz pre overclock). Im getting the 930 tomorrow. I probably won't upgrade for another 4 years or more. Just bad timing for me not falling in with the 6core but that will always be the case.

 

[edifice]

Hey 4trees,

Thanks SO VERY MUCH, your advice is awesome, and I will do as you said and look at keeping my current rig as it is for as long as possible. And will look into potentially overclocking too, and please let me know what you make of the new 930, as I have been keeping my eye on the launch date too!!!

Good luck and thanks again for all your sound advice!!!!!

 

[capt_taco]

I would not bother replacing the Q9300. It's close enough to the performance of the i-series that I don't think it's worth the money for a new motherboard and a new CPU for the performance you'd get. That's plenty for the next year or two unless you're trying to set some kind of benchmark record.

Personally, I'd wait for the 6-cores too, although they're probably be crazy expensive for several months after they first come out, so you're looking at more of an 18-month to two-year window realistically unless you want to drop a boatload of cash.

But even if you were buying now, I'd say it couldn't hurt to wait for the 930 ... not because the 930 would be a huge step up over the 920, but because every time a brand-spanking-new CPU comes out, it tends to immediately knock a significant amount off the price of the previous top-of-the-line CPU. So waiting for a 930, the major benefit would be that you'd potentially save a lot on a 920.

 

[JohnieReb]

A couple ways to look at it. If I were you I wouldn't invest a lot in my current system and I would wait for the affordable 6 core when it comes out. I would consider some changes to your current rig.
1. BUY AN AFTERMARKET COOLER AND OVERCLOCK
Buy an aftermarket heatsink for your Q9300 (see this link for reviews http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm but make sure it matches your socket 775 and don't spend over $80) and overclock it. This review manages to play crysis with an oc q9300 @3.4ghz and an 8800gt at respectable frames per second up to x1200 resolution then it gets choppy. http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/intel_q9300/
2. WAIT FOR GTX 480/470 IN APRIL
Buying the top of the line 5970 video card or anything over $300 seems short sighted considering we are so close to getting benchmarks on the GTX 480 & 470 cards in April. They could be superior in every way and you may be kicking yourself in just 2 months if you buy the best ATI now. Anyway based on Tom's charts the 9800gx2 is a decent card and shouldn't require replacing just yet. You could overclock it a small margin just to gain some more performance while waiting to see what the GTX 480/470 look like in benchmarks and pricing. Buying the best video card soon wouldn't be a mistake if you have the money and see the value in it, you can always transfer it to your future upgraded setup and not worry about buying a new video card at the same time as everything else. Subjectivity is all over when describing what video card is reasonable or not. It depends on so many variables... resolution, type of game, quality of monitor, preference of gamer, high fps and lesser graphics.
3. START TRAINING YOURSELF IN OVERCLOCK NOW
If you take this advice and wait for the 32nm 6 core you will have the hardware with potential to overclock to great limits (i hope). So now is the time to get familiar with overclocking so you are ready to do so proficiently when you get that 32nm chip. Regardless if the 32nm turns out to be great you at least gain performance now at little extra cost.

To answer your questions:
Your current graphics card is an appropriate fit with your current setup without overclocking.
Yes a top o the line ATI like the 5970 would be leaving processing power on the table with your current cpu (depending on the application).

Just so you know Im not waiting for the 6core, Ive been waiting long enough. See my sig I have a dual core amd 3800x2 (2.0ghz pre overclock). Im getting the 930 tomorrow. I probably won't upgrade for another 4 years or more. Just bad timing for me not falling in with the 6core but that will always be the case.

I have never overclocked and Im totally ignorant to why you would. Can you tell me why I would want to OC and what the benefits are?

 

[JohnieReb]

You can buy at 920 at Microcenter for $200 if you have one near you. I just picked up one. I could still return it as I havent built my system yet, but IMO I dont think buying a 930 warrants the extra $100 I would spend.

 

[Rehnquist-]

You can buy at 920 at Microcenter for $200 if you have one near you. I just picked up one. I could still return it as I havent built my system yet, but IMO I dont think buying a 930 warrants the extra $100 I would spend.

I think the difference is more or less negligible (not anything you would notice at least) between the 920 and 930. The 930 might be a little better at overclocking but nothing worth paying an extra $100 and certainly not worth waiting for if you don't have to. That said, if I didn't have a Microcenter nearby, I would opt for the 930 because it's newer and it's only $10 more.

I am hoping to buy a 920 from Microcenter within the next month or so.. Hopefully they don't run out of stock by then.

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

I have never overclocked and Im totally ignorant to why you would. Can you tell me why I would want to OC and what the benefits are?

a reason why some people choose to overclock is because they can not afford to upgrade so they overclock to achive slightly better performance..
another reason why some people over clock is because they want to increase the size of thier virtual ****, and get slightly better frame rates...
so there is your reasons. Do i overclock? no i believe my warranty is more important on my individual parts to risk voiding it for slightly better frame rates....


my rig: phenomII x4 deneb 3.0ghz (95w version)

gigabyte ud4 board sata 3.0 and usb 3.0

Thermaltake evo blue 750w power supply

Hd5770 xfx

150 gig velociraptor main drive (they were good when i bought it)

500 gig western digital caviar slave drive

23" 1920x1080 acer wide screen monitor

Adata 2x2gb ddr3 1600 ram

Pioneer dvd multi

old modded colorlit case w/ 2 vantec tornadoes and 2 ultra quiet roswell blue led fans, all on a fc1 fan controller

no need to overclock plays crysis on all high w/aa on 4 x and 30 plus fps on stock settings......

 

[4trees]

Hey 4trees,

Thanks SO VERY MUCH, your advice is awesome, and I will do as you said and look at keeping my current rig as it is for as long as possible. And will look into potentially overclocking too, and please let me know what you make of the new 930, as I have been keeping my eye on the launch date too!!!

Good luck and thanks again for all your sound advice!!!!!

Well changed my plans at the last minute. I didn't get the 930 because it was $349 normal retail price at Microcenter. At that price I couldn't justify paying $150 more than the 920 since they are practically the same chip. So I picked up a 920 for $200 and built my system.

Very happy i got the 920, no disappointment at all. Ive been toying with my BIOS and have achieved all that I will want to use for 24/7 operations. So far ive got 3.8, 3.9, & 4.1ghz stable options to choose from. The highest oc ive got was 4.447 and thats huge for me, coming from an old amdx2 3800 @2.7

Glad you are satisfied too.
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=1053978

 

[coldsleep]

Go to newegg or another computer hardware store!

Why? If he can get the i7-920 for $200, but the cheapest he can find the i7-930 for is $290 (at newegg) or $350 (at microcenter), there's no reason to go for the 930. If your only option is newegg though, it's worth it, as the i7-930 is only $10 more than the i7-920 right now.

 

[4trees]

I agree if it was a $10 difference between the 920 and 930 I would definitely get the 930.

I love newegg but getting the 920 for $200 from Microcenter vs. Newegg's $280 just isn't worth it to me. Another positive about Microcenter is I can review the differenet batch numbers they have in stock before buying. I know a D0 is all newegg would have right now but its still reassuring.

 

[4trees]

That is pretty funny.

Do you ever notice when searching price watch sites that some will have items for sale that are extremely low priced or extremely high. Like a gtx260 for $450!!! Come on, is that a typo or did someone not have a clue. Seems crazy.