I7-940 too outdated?

[bulldogninja]

I am building a computer for gaming. I have decided I will put either an i5 or i7 in it. However, I have an amazing oppurtunity to get a i7-940 for free. Is the technology of the 940 outdated? would it be stupid to use this chip because of the lack of features? Or is it compatible with modern boards, pretty much, If I get this chip will the mobo i get for it be able to house future CPU's? I just want to make sure I have a upgrade path. Also, could you explain the performance of modern i7's such as 2600k and 2700k.

Thanks!

 

[Chaz21]

Free is always good. Here's some info on your CPU upgrade choices for the mobo you'd buy for the 940:
http://www.cpu-world.com/Sockets/Socket%201366%20%28LGA1366%29.html

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Go with the Intel® Core™ i7-940. While the newer 2nd and 3rd generation Intel Core processors may perform better the differences in a gaming system are not really worth the extra cost of going from a free processor to a $200 or $300. Remember about 80% of the performance of a gaming system comes from the video card so as long as you have a solid processor you are doing well.


Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[Chaz21]

here is a selection of motherboards (just to give you some idea of whats available):
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=4068&name=LGA%201366%20/%20Socket%20B

 

[bulldogninja]

Thanks for the help guys, out of the link posted earlier in the thread, of these four, do you think the one for $229 is worth it? If not out of the others, which one would you recommend? Also, what RAM can the 940 handle? Thanks

 

[bulldogninja]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/compare.asp?CatId=4068
(link for the 4 I was talking about in the above post)

 

[nforce4max]

A triple channel kit of 1333 or 1600 ddr3 will do by far, sure it will start off at 1066 but once you start to raise that base clock you are going to want decent ram to hold you up. As for raw performance this i7 940 will smash through just about anything you can throw at it.

Edit: typo, posting while playing wow >.<

 

[jaguarskx]

If you don't want to keep the i7-940, then you can send it to me.

I take donations.

 

[nforce4max]

If you don't want to keep the i7-940, then you can send it to me.

I take donations.

I like your way of thinking :lol:

 

[Chaz21]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/compare.asp?CatId=4068
(link for the 4 I was talking about in the above post)

Yeah it's worth it -but shop around like here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131755

 

[HEXiT]

if i were getting that cpu for free then yeah i would consider a build for it...
the only issue is that the x58 boards still aint cheap and the ram is sold at a premium.
its actually cheaper in most cases to buy 4x1 or 2x2 sticks than a 3 stick pack.
if your getting ram faster than ddr3 1333 then you only need a motherboard with 3 ram slots as most will only allow 1 stick per channel 1s you go over the cpu's native supported speed.
basically what im getting at is dont over spend on the basics as they wont really bring much more to the build.
also dont bother with a tri sli/xfire board. a simple sli 1 is good enough. i made that mistake... i got the ex58-ud5 and ive had it for over 2 years and its still only has 1 gfx card, so i could have saved a good 50 by getting a smaller 1...

1 last thing. only buy 1.5v ram a lot of advertised 1.6v-1.7v ram wont run on the x58 as more often than not it will need 1.7v to be stable and the cpu's MMU cant handle that much voltage.
stay away from ocz gold ddr3 1600 8500f as its incompatible or at the very least unstable...

 

[bulldogninja]

I like the link Chaz21 shared, it seems like a good deal. WHat do you guys think? also, could you specify the exact RAM you think would be best for this board and include a link if you do have one. I'm new to this stuff and you guys are a hge help! thanks so much!!!

 

[Chaz21]

Another board to consider:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188068
and for ram try any of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006519%2040000147%20600006078&IsNodeId=1&Description=triple%20channel%20ram&bop=And&CompareItemList=147|20-231-356^20-231-356-TS%2C20-148-548^20-148-548-TS%2C20-104-127^20-104-127-TS

 

[sk1939]

That's a great board he linked. As for RAM, I recommend this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231357

or if that's too pricey, this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145233

 

[nforce4max]

This kit is good, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231356

GSKILL makes decent kits and they are very stable even with a slight overclock.

 

[bulldogninja]

Alright, thanks for the responses. I think i'll go with this RAM ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231356 ) As for the boards, I don't mind paying $30 extra if there is a noticeable performance upgrade
so Poll time,
#1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131755&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=2860p7g1fb8r

#2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188068&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=f5puexuc3rjt

as for graphics card would you guys say

A
Radeon 7850 (which brand do you prefer)

~or~

B
EVGA 560 ti (possibly 480 core one)

 

[Chaz21]

Well I'm an Asus kind of a guy so I'll go with #1.
Does my Avatar give away that I'm going with the 560Ti?

 

[sk1939]

I'm partial to the first because it has more I/O connectivity like eSATA.

560Ti

 

[bulldogninja]

Alright guys, i guess thats decided what size power supply should i have to be safe?

 

[sk1939]

650W-750W

 

[bulldogninja]

Im going to get to ordering my stuff! thanks for all the help, im sure to have some more questions!