CPU for My PC

[ohshaq]

I am trying to build my own PC configuration from scratch, and I require some advice from you pro's on the same.

My Target Usage is the following,
1. Hi-Def Entertainment (1080p).
2. Hi-Def Gaming (I am Not a hard core gamer. I play from time to time.).
3. Might rip movies from time to time.
4. And I like to have high resolution. Would probably go for much higher than 1920x1080. (Will live with my current display for a while)

Please Note: This is mostly a One time investment. Not very keen to upgrade my PC every 6 months. (I have lived with a P2 for 6 yrs, and P4 for like 4 years, with minor upgrades, ....so you can Imagine where I live ). I wouldn't mind spending a little more and be prepared for advancement in technology, as I do not want to upgrade anytime soon.

Did quite a bit of reading, and of course some more reading to go as I proceed. I was able to come with a choice of processor's.
(a). i5-760.
(b). i7-950.

My Questions:
1. What should be my choice here?
Should I go for i7 considering that I do not intend to upgrade anytime soon.

2. How about AMD X6 1055T or 1090T or 1100T (Price is on par with i5-760), or is Intel a better choice?

3. Processors like i5-2500 & i7-2600, come with graphics integrated in the CPU. How good are these? Will they have any long term issues (like thermal)? Would you recommend buying this with graphics integrated, or do I go for one where I have a graphics card separate?

 

[clarkjd]

I would recommend going with the "K" version of the 2500 or 2600. they are unlocked multipliers so overclocking is really easy. and they outperform the 1156 and 1366 socket versions. Most people that go this route go with a separate graphics card. Encoding movies the 2600K would be better than the 2500K. The 2500K would be better for gaming.

 

[jpmucha]

1. You know about the new i5/7-2x00 CPUs... and they're the big 'deal' right now. Since you're interested in the long-term, I don't think the i5 would be a good pick. So the questions should be more between an i7-950 or i7-2600. The i7-950 would 3.067 GHz (turbos to 3.33) with triple-channel RAM support. The 2600 is 3.4 GHz (turbos up to 3.8) with only dual-channel support and is rated for lower thermals. Most reviews seem to have the 2600 approaching the performance of an Extreme Edition LGA1366 platform in some areas. You might be able to find a deal on the 950, but a 2600 can be bought for under $300 if you have access to a Micro Center.

2. In the same reviews, the 2600 quad core (with 8 threads) was beating the six 'true' core AMD X6s. When it wasn't beating them.. it was a respectable 2nd place. Right now, Intel has the 'pure performance crown'. AMD might have the lead in some 'price/performance' areas, but for your build I would lean towards Intel.

3. Note the K (2500K/2600K) CPUs have stronger integrated graphics. Those are competing with a modern HD5450 discrete card ... or maybe a nVidia 6600GT from the past (5 years ago). Note that you'll need a H67 motherboard if you want integrated graphics. If anything you're doing needs more performance than an entry-level card... or 5 year old upper mainstream card... you'll want a discrete card for the new system. The CPUs have a dynamic thermal monitor built into them, and can turn off unused parts... so if you don't use the graphics, that area is turned off (saving power)... and if you use them, it takes that into account so the part never runs in an unsafe situation. With your hi-def preference... I'd go with a good ($150 or higher probably) discrete card.

Best of luck. Either i7 would leave you with a very strong performer for the new few years

 

[ohshaq]

I would recommend going with the "K" version of the 2500 or 2600. they are unlocked multipliers so overclocking is really easy. and they outperform the 1156 and 1366 socket versions. Most people that go this route go with a separate graphics card. Encoding movies the 2600K would be better than the 2500K. The 2500K would be better for gaming.

Sounds good, but being a novice user I haven't explored OC'ing. Presents a gr8 option for performance improvement if need arises.

 

[ohshaq]

You might be able to find a deal on the 950, but a 2600 can be bought for under $300 if you have access to a Micro Center.

I live in india, so a distance away. Prices are like 325$ (online price) and above for 2600K. One guy quoted 380$ when I contacted him directly.

Note the K (2500K/2600K) CPUs have stronger integrated graphics. Those are competing with a modern HD5450 discrete card ... or maybe a nVidia 6600GT from the past (5 years ago). Note that you'll need a H67 motherboard if you want integrated graphics. If anything you're doing needs more performance than an entry-level card... or 5 year old upper mainstream card... you'll want a discrete card for the new system.

The integrated graphics caught my eye instantly while I was looking at the processors. I did some reading on the 2600K v 2600.

Considering the 2600K,
a. The processor has integrated graphics.
b. Motherboard H67 has graphics integrated, while P67 does not.

My questions..
1. Isn't the processor graphics sufficient enough? Intel website markets that with processor graphics present, eliminates the need for other options.
2. I see your suggestion has 3 layers of graphic processing. Processor, On Board, & an Card. I am a noob in these terms. Why would I need all 3 of this?
3. With P67 i can achieve higher RAM speeds as ridiculous as 2133 also maybe 2400mhz. While H67 has it constrained to 1333. --> source.
4. I see that the desktop processors do not have WiDi option. I am looking to integrate my display device using an wireless option. What are my options here? Anything that I should consider now or is it something that I can explore after my PC is in place like using a WiDi adapter?

 

[1965ohio]

Even if you are not overclocking, the 2600k is still the way to go. But you will probably want a good discrete graphics card anyways. Integrated graphics from Intel are always going to be behind the high end discrete solutions. Also, you should be asking yourself about case size and power consumption. If you want a lower power solution then you can get a lower to mid range graphics card. But if you want any hi def or gaming above 1080p... you will likely need a high end GPU. Consider that no matter which processor you want. But the Sandybridge will be more future proof and you won't need to worry about upgrading it soon. The 1156 and 1366 socket solutions are slowly going away as the 1155 and 2011 systems are coming onto the market to overtake them. So I would recommend getting the Sandybridge setup with a mid to high end graphics card. Then you don't need to worry about it again for a few years!

 

[1965ohio]

If you have ever tried gaming on any Intel integrated graphics, you will not worry about that function of the CPU. It is fine for 1080p video playback and light encoding... but doesn't have all the shaders and stream processors of a discrete graphics card. You will notice if you try to play any game made after 2009.

 

[ohshaq]

The 1156 and 1366 socket solutions are slowly going away as the 1155 and 2011 systems are coming onto the market to overtake them. So I would recommend getting the Sandybridge setup with a mid to high end graphics card. Then you don't need to worry about it again for a few years!

So 1156 socket is also a better choice considering that, if at all I do intend to replace my processor sometime down the line, I might have a good choice available as a replacement.

Which motherboard would be a good choice for the 2600K? What are my options here? P67 over H67?

 

[1965ohio]

I think you mean 1155. If you are not going to worry about the integrated graphics, get a better board with more options for the same price without graphics. Most of the integrated boards cost more. Also, you for now you will be running 1 video card. When looking at motherboards, the higher prices may offer you more PCIe slots, so sometime down the road you can also run dual video cards if needed.

 

[ohshaq]

I think you mean 1155.

Yup.

If you are not going to worry about the integrated graphics, get a better board with more options for the same price without graphics. Most of the integrated boards cost more. Also, you for now you will be running 1 video card. When looking at motherboards, the higher prices may offer you more PCIe slots, so sometime down the road you can also run dual video cards if needed.

I just cranked up a gr8 use for us at home, seeing my college using a setup as explained below. I also understand there is HDMI standards which could help me achieve it. I just googled it & found it can support both audio & video transmission together.

I would like to have my PC to have the ability to play a HiDef movie on one monitor while I work on another. I just saw my college working on similar setup, except they were next to each other and wired. So I require the ability to connect to it in a wireless setup. The Movie Monitor can be in a different room.
1. I presume my processor is easily capable to handle the load. What would I need to do additionally to achieve this setup.
2. Furthermore, would it be possible to play games on the second monitor with a different set of keyboard and mouse? And of course the audio would have to be separated too.
3. It would be wonderful, if I could use a TV as the 'second monitor'. What do I need to do to achieve this, if possible?

I have decided to go with the 2600K, but I presume my next choice, choosing motherboard & graphics functionality, should be carefully planned if I require to achieve this functionality. Am exploring my options here. Please suggest what should be my choice for a motherboard.

wow....am I way ahead of myself now or what.

 

[Guest]

Dude you need to get the k series the 2400k the 2600k.

I would recommend the i5 2500k, it is as powerful as the older i7s and is suitable for not just hi-def gaming but hardcore gaming, all games nowadays are GPU based which means that a processor like and i5 is more than enough,

you need a graphics card, I recommend HD5750 go green edition by powercolor , GTX 460 or 560 when it comes out, HD6870 or 6970, or if you find these expensive, go for a 5770- The best budget gaming card!

But it's a good thing you asked because you would have got the older i5 and i7 on the 1156 and 1366 socket!

The new 1155 socket just came out which is for the i3/i5/i7 20xxk series or second generation which other repliers have recommended.
That would be the most future proof,

go here to see the current best graphics cards in terms of performance
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

 

[Guest]

Yup.


I just cranked up a gr8 use for us at home, seeing my college using a setup as explained below. I also understand there is HDMI standards which could help me achieve it. I just googled it & found it can support both audio & video transmission together.

I would like to have my PC to have the ability to play a HiDef movie on one monitor while I work on another. I just saw my college working on similar setup, except they were next to each other and wired. So I require the ability to connect to it in a wireless setup. The Movie Monitor can be in a different room.
1. I presume my processor is easily capable to handle the load. What would I need to do additionally to achieve this setup.
2. Furthermore, would it be possible to play games on the second monitor with a different set of keyboard and mouse? And of course the audio would have to be separated too.
3. It would be wonderful, if I could use a TV as the 'second monitor'. What do I need to do to achieve this, if possible?

I have decided to go with the 2600K, but I presume my next choice, choosing motherboard & graphics functionality, should be carefully planned if I require to achieve this functionality. Am exploring my options here. Please suggest what should be my choice for a motherboard.

wow....am I way ahead of myself now or what.

All new graphics cards support multiple monitors, the ATI/AMD cards support this thing called eyefinity which turns several monitors into one- incase you're interested but what do you need to achieve this?

All you need is a card that supports multiple monitors, nowadays even the $25 cards support that although I recommend a card that costs over $200, for your purposes.

A card ranging from the ATI/AMD 5770-6970 would be a good choice for gaming and watching HD.
For nVidia cards you could get a GTX 460 up to the latest $500 GTX 580.

I don't think that there is a need to explain how you do this, you just open your graphics card control panel from the start menu, or by right clicking on the desktop and in the control panel look for the displays section,
It lists all displays connected and you can choose to stream a movie on one display, stretch your display across both displays, and do all sorts of things you might of imagined possible with two displays except:

According to my knowledge,
you can't have two keyboards and mice, although yes you can play games on one monitor while streaming HD movie to another, the other monitor can't be controlled by someone else, it is as if you are watching the movie and using your computer at the same time.

So you can play games, work or do another thing on one monitor while streaming HD to another,
If you go for the higer-end more expensive CPU AND Graphics card in this case the i7 2600k and a Very good graphics card like the HD 6970
IT is possible to stream two or even more different HD movies on two or up to 6 monitors according to my research ( you need an eyefinity card with 6 different display outputs for 6 monitors) displays while working on a third monitor even gaming if your computer can handle it!

I'm not a tech expert so I think that you should research on multiple displays, and "Eyefinity" technology for ATI/AMD cards through google as well as ask questions on this website to get more information.

I think that you should be able to stream audio and video from your HDMI on the card which is connected to a TV while gaming/working on separate audio. You should start another thread on whether or not you can stream audio from HDMI while using separate audio for the monitor that you are using, I'm 95% sure that you CAN but you should ask to confirm this.

 

[jpmucha]

I live in india, so a distance away. Prices are like 325$ (online price) and above for 2600K. One guy quoted 380$ when I contacted him directly.



The integrated graphics caught my eye instantly while I was looking at the processors. I did some reading on the 2600K v 2600.

Considering the 2600K,
a. The processor has integrated graphics.
b. Motherboard H67 has graphics integrated, while P67 does not.

My questions..
1. Isn't the processor graphics sufficient enough? Intel website markets that with processor graphics present, eliminates the need for other options.
2. I see your suggestion has 3 layers of graphic processing. Processor, On Board, & an Card. I am a noob in these terms. Why would I need all 3 of this?
3. With P67 i can achieve higher RAM speeds as ridiculous as 2133 also maybe 2400mhz. While H67 has it constrained to 1333. --> source.
4. I see that the desktop processors do not have WiDi option. I am looking to integrate my display device using an wireless option. What are my options here? Anything that I should consider now or is it something that I can explore after my PC is in place like using a WiDi adapter?

$325 is actually a great price for a 2600K... my friends at work say that computer stuff is usually much more expensive in India... so that's very reasonable.

For your occasional hi-def gaming, I would say the Radeon 5770 would be a good place to start. It goes for $100-120 here in the US... its probably the best 'bang for the buck', is pretty power efficient. The average 5770 will run 2-3 (3 if one of the displays is DisplayPort) monitors. nVidia's 450 also might be a good fit. Slide up the price scale if you are more serious about gaming performance. As an FYI, the integrated graphics on the Intel platform is actually an integrated graphics solution "on the CPU". The H67 board only connects that 'on CPU' graphics to DVi/HDMI/VGA ports on the motherboard. A P67 just doesn't have the ports. H67 has no real overclocking ability. You can put a discrete card on a H67 (or will *need* to for a P67), but you would connect your monitors to the card. It might be possible to use the integrated card to drive additional monitors... but I haven't really looked into it.

 

[ohshaq]

Best answer selected by ohshaq.

 

[Maziar]

This topic has been closed by Maziar