CPU HELP!!!

[ja9g08]

I am a novice when it comes to building PCs. I am planning to build a gaming rig with a budget of £800.
I have been trying to decide on a CPU for almost a month now and still no luck! Should I focus my money on
more CPU speed or a better GPU? What processor would you go for in my position?

Thanks,
Jack

 

[davcon]

It would be very helpful to know if you have a preference Intel or AMD?

 

[dogman_1234]

Hello, and welcome to THG.

If you want an inexpensive build, go with the AMD 1090T. Also, go with the ATI Radeon 6870 GPU.

 

[saint19]

Hi and welcome to Tom's forum.

Good CPU + good GPU = Winner configuration.

 

[dogman_1234]

Intel i7 950 + nVIDIA 580

or

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T + ATI Radeon 6870

 

[ja9g08]

Thanks for the help so far. I do prefer intel but that is only because I know very little about AMD.
Do you think I will be able to keep within my budget with the i7 950 and the nvidia 580 dogman?

 

[saaiello]

Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R Intel X58 £146.99
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/195331

Core i7 950 3.06GHz £234.74
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166528

Crucial 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ballistix Memory £80.00
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166998

Asus HD 6970 2GB GDDR5 £303.03
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/251757

Total £764.76

I would do something like this if I was gonna spend around 800 on just the box. To better help you though it would be helpful for you to list all the parts you need.

 

[ja9g08]

Great reply Saaiello thanks.

Ok, all I have so far is a case!!!

I just want something I can play the latest games on especially portal 2 when it comes out as well as some first person shooters(COD) ....I played the first portal on a crappy laptop and it ruined the experience a little.

I was already considering the i7 950 but do i really need that much processor speed?

Does the gigabyte x58 mobo support crossfire and SLI if I wanted to add another graphics card later?

thanks

 

[ja9g08]

Also won't I get more processor for my money if I wait for SanyBridge issue to be resolved?

Jack

 

[saaiello]

No you do not need that much for todays games but its good to have for future use. Sure you can go cheaper like an I5 750 or if you are patient enough the I5 2500K (which is what I am waiting for myself). Yes the Sandy Bridge does seem to be a better value compared to the Nehalem, but the 1366 platform still has its advantages like true 16x 16x crossfire/sli. 1155 only uses 8x 8x granted this really does not hurt performance much more then 5 to 10 % so it does not really make a difference in my eyes.

The decision is yours you either wait a few months and get sandy bridge or you buy now and get the I7 950 I think you will be plenty satisfied with it but that choice is yours.

 

[saaiello]

Also won't I get more processor for my money if I wait for SanyBridge issue to be resolved?

Jack

Not really I mean yes and no the Sandy bridge I5 2600K can keep up with most current I7s in gaming but the current I7s have Hyper threading so if you were to do some video encoding the I7 is still faster for now. I say for now because there are some new instruction sets but there are currently no software really out that can take full advantage of it.

 

[ko888]

Not really I mean yes and no the Sandy bridge I5 2600K can keep up with most current I7s in gaming but the current I7s have Hyper threading so if you were to do some video encoding the I7 is still faster for now. I say for now because there are some new instruction sets but there are currently no software really out that can take full advantage of it.

Intel's own specifications for the Core i7-2600K Processor
# of Cores 4
# of Threads 8
Intel Hyper-Threading Technology Yes


The Core i5-2500K Processor has 4 cores and 4 threads which means it doesn't have Hyper-Threading Technology.