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Quick question: i7 970 + gtx470 or i7 930 + 5970?

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Sorry for the long-winded post :o  , but I'm bored at work :D  I'm in a bit of a bind here while looking for parts... Anyway, right now, assuming that the new 6-core i7 970 retails for ~$600 (probably a big stretch, though $562 according to wikipedia), I could buy the i7 970 and the first non-reference gtx 470 (galaxy gtx 470 gc) along with my other parts for $2200. However, on the other hand, I could get the i7 930 and a 5970 for $2200 or alternatively the i7 930 and gtx470 for $1840. Because I haven't had a powerful desktop in over half a decade, I guess it comes down to the novelty and desire of owning the latest Intel 6core (excluding 980x/990x). Though, I really don't want to limit myself just to gaming (though atm, that is mainly what I do) and I really would like to keep the upgrades to a minimum for the next few years, so I feel that maybe it would be better to have a 6 core processor at the expense of having a weaker graphics card, since I can always upgrade the gpu later and games like BC2/MOH Beta seem to stress CPU far over GPU.

Also, with yesterday's news that the i7 950 will fall in price in Aug., I feel like the 930 may become irrelevant in the i7 product line. However, should I choose to go the 4 core route, the i7 950 will unlikely be $200 at microcenter, which rules this option out. This is another factor that leads me to the 970. Would it just be better to invest in the 970 when it comes out hopefully in Aug./Sept? When I make expensive tech purchases, I'm one of those people who gets upset when I invest in somewhat oldish technology (i7 930) and something better (i7 970) within *relatively* the same price range comes out the next month. Again, I haven't owned a desktop since mid-2004 and am looking towards minimal upgrades in the near future and i feel a 6core i7 would help accomplish that, somewhat. Either way, I will not actually have the $2200 in-hand until the first week of August. Before I get criticized for focusing on the # of cores, and how that supposedly does not matter, again, keep in mind I am looking towards not having to upgrade mobo/cpu for about 4 years or so and new games seem to use more and more cores/proc, etc.

What should I do: 4core 930+gtx470 or 6core 970+470 or 4core 930+5970?

edit: this is the newegg wishlist so far (I'm not getting an i7 960, but only put it in the list because its price is around the rumored price for the i7 970; i'm also not considering that evga gtx470 but newegg doesn't carry the galaxy gtx 470 gc)

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx...

More about : quick question 970 gtx470 930 5970

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Short Answer: 4-Core 930 + 5970, in my opinion.

Games are currently being designed with 2 cores in mind, since a good portion of the gaming market is still using only 2 core processors. I'd expect games to start hopping on the 4 core wagon pretty soon, but they are still a long way off from 6 cores. Games typically trend to stay one generation of cores behind in order to appeal to as many people as possible, rather than focusing on the top-of-the-line gamers. Buying a 4 core right now could last you a solid 4 years in gaming (by then you'll want to upgrade your pc regardless of having 4 or 6 cores).

The thing about buying a 6 core now is that you won't get any (logical) use out of the extra cores for upwards of year(s), unless you are doing rediculous multitasking while gaming or cpu intense programs (that are designed to utilize 6 cores).

Any version of the i7-920/30/50/60 are all the same structure (they are literally the same chip)- the higher versions are just better "quality" in the production process, which is why the manufacturer overclocks them at the factory and provides a waranty with the cpu at that overclocked level. For any type of majority gaming computer, an i7-930 is more than you will need for year(s), especially since it is pretty easy to overclock.

In terms of GPU- go with the 5970. You want the GPU to be the meat of the computer, since this is the hardest working factor when gaming. The i7-970 would be completely wasted using only one gtx 470, as the GPU is not nearly as powerful as the i7-970 (or similar highest end processors) for gaming- severe bottleneck on the GPU side. In many games today, the bottleneck still even remains on the GPU side, even with a 5970 (an overclocked i7-930 is a beast!).

The 970 isn't out yet, and there aren't too many programs that will benefit right now from the extra two cores over the 930. I say get the 930 with a 5970 and overclock the 930.

Get the cheapest i7 and dnt bother with a 5970, get a 5870 you will never know the difference unless you use a huge screen.

Then CF when they finally release a game the 5870 cant handle.
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megamanx00 said:
The 970 isn't out yet, and there aren't too many programs that will benefit right now from the extra two cores over the 930. I say get the 930 with a 5970 and overclock the 930.


I know it's not out, but I won't be able to build this system until the second week of August anyway, but I've been looking at parts/etc every day for about the past 2 months, lol. And Omniblivion, I appreciate the honest response. I'm really considering the 930 as I've had it in my parts list for months and only up until recently did I also consider the 970. Frankly, $200 (microcenter) for the 930 seems like a steal to me, but it's just that I feel kinda weird about buying processors that have already been out for several months....haha, I guess my mindset is still stuck in the P4 days (my last desktop build). Anyway, thanks for the advice now, after considering it for a few more days I'll probably go with the 930/5970

weehamish said:
dnt bother with a 5970, get a 5870 you will never know the difference unless you use a huge screen.

Then CF when they finally release a game the 5870 cant handle.


5870's already have a hard time on 1900x on high-ultra graphics on many games- the OP is looking to build a computer that will last, and one 5870 will not do it.

A 5970 will handle everything out right now, and can be overclocked to 2x5870 levels. On top of that, you still have room for another 5970 later (to keep up with the high end gaming in a year or two), and ATI is constantly upgrading their drivers to provide better performance (and fix some of their bugs! :love:  )

xartion said:
I know it's not out, but I won't be able to build this system until the second week of August anyway, but I've been looking at parts/etc every day for about the past 2 months, lol. And Omniblivion, I appreciate the honest response. I'm really considering the 930 as I've had it in my parts list for months and only up until recently did I also consider the 970. Frankly, $200 (microcenter) for the 930 seems like a steal to me, but it's just that I feel kinda weird about buying processors that have already been out for several months....haha, I guess my mindset is still stuck in the P4 days (my last desktop build). Anyway, thanks for the advice now, after considering it for a few more days I'll probably go with the 930/5970


Whether you want to go with a 930 or the 970 is ultimately personal preference. Don't go with either of the 950/960s for a gaming machine, unless you are doing benchmark overclocking.

I can tell you that games won't (primarily) use 6 cores until after the machine you are using is completely out of date, as 6 core technology is still on the "edge". Not many games (if any right now) fully utilize 4 cores, so anything more than that is simply not usable by gaming today. This of course isn't true if you are running multiple copies of games at the same time (shamanx, shamanxi,shamanxii,shamanxiii,shamanxiv,shamanxv.... kek). In that case, 6 cores could help significantly. It all depends on how you intend to use what you've got!

the 930 is fast enough ! and 4 cores is plenty ! the 5970 is better then the 470
but I disagree the 5870 is great at 19xx at high frames many games....I would know i'm using it for many of the current games !
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