i5 vs i7 bang for the buck?

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Cat1yst

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jan 1, 2007
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hello all,
ive googled, and ive researched so i came here to get some respected opinions. Im basically thinking of getting back into pc gaming and my rig is extraordinarily sluggish when i try to whip up some media (encodes, photoshop cs3, etc) So im basically trying to compile up a rig together for mostly gaming use but the occasional render or photo editing in cs3 is also mixed in.

This naturally brings me to core i5 vs i7, im looking at the i5 750 and the i7 920/860. from what i can tell the i7 is a better platform overall, and the processor itself is a bit more efficent, and i get hyperthreading. but is that it? has intel even announced a that its octocore proc will work with 1366? what about a budget six core?

I WILL be overclocking. So any stepping reccomendations. from what ive heard is to look for a d0 stepping for an i5 750.
And im the stereotypical starving college student. so the $$$ do matter to me, but im not willing to compromise performance and upgradability for price. So thus im looking for secondhand parts so im looking to get my bang for the buck there.

ive got a 24" dell on its way so im still debating on gpu paths.

thanks for the help

cata1yst
 
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If you are building new I would go i7. Hyperthreading really helps in multi-core apps as much as 30% faster. Games not so much but it might in the future as it's hard to find 6-8 core optimized games currently.

If you have microcenter nearby go i7 as price difference is so small. If not there's always fs/ft forum.
 
As far as i7 batches/steppings you can look HERE for what OC you can expect, but as with other mobo's you might not get the same result.

I'm currently going i7 930 and should hopefully last as long as my AMD setup did. IMO you can get an i7 build for a decent price if you shop around. I put my proc, memory and mobo together for $519.

As for octo-core the new Sandy Bridge seems to still be 4 cores from what I read recently.
 
Cost is the only reason to go Lynnfield - but it seems with you being in college that it is possibly the deciding factor. Put out a number you're comfortable spending and that'll narrow your decisions quickly.

As for bang-for-buck, Lynnfield (single GPU, somewhat nerfed USB3/SATA3 performance, HT with more expensive 860) vs. Bloomfield (multi GPUs, non-nerfed USB3/SATA3, HT on all). HT and USB3/SATA3 are probably the guiding factors - since multi GPU probably out of question.
 
im thinkinking 400$ without gpu is possible. the lower the better of course.


Any mobo reccomendations? Features dont matter too much to me. it just needs to be stable under high overclocks.

So is the main difference between the i5 and the i7 series of processors just the feature set? turbo mode, HT, little bit of memory pipeline tweaks, etc? or is there a real substantial reason to get an i7 (upgradeability of the socket 1366 platform aside)
 
Socal, but im most likely gonna buy used to save myself as much as possible
 
Just put together a new build myself two weeks ago. And I also wanted to go i5/i7 and make it as cheap as possible and still be able to OC like crazy.

if you want hyperthread and stuff and cheap, i7 860 is the way to go. you'll have to search around on the net, but u can get it for like 250 bucks. As for motherboard on the cheap, i'd get a NE open box mobo. I picked up the MSI GD80 for like 125 bucks, and i swear, its like in mint condition with all the accessories and stuff. As for ram you can find nice deals everynow and then for around 75 bucks for 4 gigs of decent ddr3.

If yout dont care for the i7's hyper stuff, then i5 750 is the way to go, and u can probably get an open box mobo for less than $100.

As for overclocking potential, its all really luck OP...sometimes you're lucky sometimes you arent...
 
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I have an i5-750 and I adore the thing. It sits at 3.8ghz with a nominal voltage bump, without even breaking a sweat. I have had it at 4ghz without issue, but the 200mhz really aren't worth it to me, besides raising the all-important epeen.

I was able to put together the 750 chip and an MSI P55-GD80 (amazing board) along with 4gb of G.Skill Ripjaws 1600 for about $425 after doing some careful snooping around the forum.

I think that the i5/i7 debate is more a matter of personal preference, really. My two cents is that if you want to go i7, then it would be foolish not to hit up the x58 platform. It is considerably more expensive for what amounts to little real-world differences (at least for my purposes). Also, crossfire performance in 8x8x vs 16x16x are differences of less than 2% from what I have seen.

This:

AdvanSuper said:
Intel® Core™ i5 750 & MSI P55-GD55 Intel 1156 i5 i7 P55 Motherboard $219.99 @ Fry's B&M

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=743020&t=2118340
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well i know that OCing is just based off of luck, i just want to get the best possible stepping, and the best (for my budget) possible mobo so that i can extract more per dollar.

Im prolly gonna go 1366 platform. the way i reason it is that i can spend 50$ more now and have a socket that could be upgraded and suppourted in six months to a year. Ima gather some money and get this baby going.
thanks to all that helped out :)

Of course im willing to take rebuttle into consideration :)
 
If you're gonna do a used i7 expect to spend at least $500+ unless you find stuff for CHEAP, it's not really in that $400 budget. Just to give you a reference I paid $220 for my 930 $180 for 6GB Dominators and $119 for the EVGA X58 3X SLI. I probably could have cheaped out on memory, but I didn't want to.
 
Cat1yst said:
well i know that OCing is just based off of luck, i just want to get the best possible stepping, and the best (for my budget) possible mobo so that i can extract more per dollar.

Im prolly gonna go 1366 platform. the way i reason it is that i can spend 50$ more now and have a socket that could be upgraded and suppourted in six months to a year. Ima gather some money and get this baby going.
thanks to all that helped out :)

Of course im willing to take rebuttle into consideration :)
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I'm curious as to where you are getting this "$50 more" comparison. If you are speaking of just the processor being slightly more, you are a bit misinformed. Not only will you pay a premium for the chip, keep in mind that triple-channel memory is more expensive than dual-channel, and the 1366 motherboards are typically more costly as well. They are often considerably more expensive. If you are on a somewhat limited budget, if I were in your shoes, I would opt for getting a great quality 1156 setup as opposed to a mediocre 1366 rig, which is what you would most likely end up with if you were spending a similar amount.

Easiest way to decide would be just to pick budget and see what would give you the best for the money. All this discussion is moot though, if you have your heart set on one thing, if you're anything like me you will just jump on it eventually.
 
Cat1yst said:
well i know that OCing is just based off of luck, i just want to get the best possible stepping, and the best (for my budget) possible mobo so that i can extract more per dollar.
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If OC'ing is just based off of luck, how do you know which MB/CPU is "best"? Unless of course you buy used/proven parts. :confused:
 
@ Ricedaddy

Hence why I broke the price down on my "budget" i7 build and they were all used parts as well.
 
Yeah Fry's is awesome with those mobo/cpu combos. They had the UD3R + 750 back in November at $190AR. Consider that even today, the online price of the 750 alone is still $195 (which is overpriced IMO) and you can see why it's a hot deal (basically mobo for $30). Mind you it's a $120ish kind of mobo, but still. MC used to have the 750 at $149 in comparison, but they jacked the price to $189 at the Clarkdale launch...only to settled back to $169 currently.

Anyway I would probably jump on that Fry's deal if you want bang-for-buck. If you sell your current stuff, you're shouldn't be paying much at all in the end.
 
AdvanSuper said:
@ Ricedaddy

Hence why I broke the price down on my "budget" i7 build and they were all used parts as well.
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lol unfortunately, I was writing my post when yours went up and then wasn't able to see it. It would have changed considerably if I would have seen your breakdown. Looks like we are both getting to the same point.
 
Ricedaddy said:
lol unfortunately, I was writing my post when yours went up and then wasn't able to see it. It would have changed considerably if I would have seen your breakdown. Looks like we are both getting to the same point.
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Haha yeah, gonna be looking at at least $500 in the end unless you wait it out and jump on some good deals that I'm sure others will be hunting down. IMHO Bang for the buck would be that i5 combo even if you have to wait a couple of weeks for the rebate.
 
i5 has best bang-for-buck in gaming. multithreading for gaming has gotten better, but the difference between 2 and 4 cores is minimal still.
 
sdsdv10 said:
If OC'ing is just based off of luck, how do you know which MB/CPU is "best"? Unless of course you buy used/proven parts. :confused:
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You dont. You just go with the best possible stepping and batch, and the mobo that has produced the best results for this batch. Then you cross your fingers and... well pray.

Ricedaddy said:
I'm curious as to where you are getting this "$50 more" comparison. If you are speaking of just the processor being slightly more, you are a bit misinformed.
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Hardly, mobo will end up costing me that 50$ more. I just bought a Bnib i7 720 d0 for 185$ to my door.


Ricedaddy said:
*snip* keep in mind that triple-channel memory is more expensive than dual-channel, and the 1366 motherboards are typically more costly as well.
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Well i know that memory branded as triple channel is more expensive, but wouldnt in theory buying 2x (2x2gb kits) therefore give me 6 peices of ram and thus if i have a triple channel mobo im able to run it in triple channel, or is the ram completely different?

Ricedaddy said:
if I were in your shoes, I would opt for getting a great quality 1156 setup as opposed to a mediocre 1366 rig, which is what you would most likely end up with if you were spending a similar amount.
*Snip*
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Interesting advice. Ive got backup funds that i wouldnt like to tap into but if push comes to shove.... i guess ill just have to eat rice and beans :p


One more question aside from the triple channel one, will SLI/crossfire offer any decent scaling benefits at 1920 x 1200
 
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Cat1yst said:
Well i know that memory branded as triple channel is more expensive, but wouldnt in theory buying 2x (2x2gb kits) therefore give me 6 peices of ram and thus if i have a triple channel mobo im able to run it in triple channel, or is the ram completely different?
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That's 4 sticks of RAM, not 6. The RAM are not completely different. Pretty much 3 x of any similar sized sticks of RAM placed in the proper DIMM slots will get ya triple channel performance.

Cat1yst said:
One more question aside from the triple channel one, will SLI/crossfire offer any decent scaling benefits at 1920 x 1200
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Yes. In fact, it is 1920x1200 where SLI and Crossfire becomes cost justified.
 
If you already have the processor in hand, then it is pretty certain that you are headed for the 1366 socket if that is what your processor is. When I am deciding to build a new machine, I tend to start with the motherboard, find one that has the features and chipset I desire, and use that to determine which platform I ultimately decide on.

Any three sticks of similar memory will give you a triple-channel setup, but you may or may not have a bear of a time getting three separate sticks to match speeds. I think this would be a poor place to try to save costs. Just jump in for a triple-channel kit.

This is no longer sounding like a budget pc lol, but make sure you get what you want so you don't feel like you should have gone bigger. That would be the real problem I suppose.
 
I meant 920... oops. Its what you get when you keep comparing the 750 to the 920 :p
 
Ricedaddy said:
If you already have the processor in hand, then it is pretty certain that you are headed for the 1366 socket if that is what your processor is. When I am deciding to build a new machine, I tend to start with the motherboard, find one that has the features and chipset I desire, and use that to determine which platform I ultimately decide on.

Any three sticks of similar memory will give you a triple-channel setup, but you may or may not have a bear of a time getting three separate sticks to match speeds. I think this would be a poor place to try to save costs. Just jump in for a triple-channel kit.

This is no longer sounding like a budget pc lol, but make sure you get what you want so you don't feel like you should have gone bigger. That would be the real problem I suppose.
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opposite. I randomly caught a i3 530 for $65 and was like "well, hmm guess I'm upgrading" and bought the MB that [H] liked the most.
 
i5 750 is great bang for buck, IMO better than the i7s (though i7 860 is pretty good too). Hyperthreading is a waste of time for most people, literally, as most programs actually slow down slightly when using it. There's a few programs designed to take advantage of hyperthreading, however those programs usually aren't games nor are they number crunching programs.

If you're on a budget I dont see how you can go past an i5 750. Cheap, mine runs great up to about 3.8GHz (4GHz requires a lot more voltage and 3.9GHz gives slower ram speed due to how you need to set the multiplers). I run mine at 3.8GHz (and 1600MHz on my 8gb of ram) and it runs great, though realistically the vast majority of games run perfectly fine at stock speeds, the only reason I overclock is for number crunching.

But if you've already bought a 920, use that I suppose.
 
The way i looked at it was theres no way im getting a current gen chip with at least 4 cores for less than 180$ so i got a good deal on an i7 920. and then im not going to get a mobo that will extract every last penny without it costing me again another 170.

I guess you could argue the merits of daily performance and what you need for gaming etc, etc all day long and start crunching fps/$ or scores per dollar all night long.

But for me again it was the fact that i can now go onto the 6 core or 8 core bandwagon and itll extend the life of my rig for just a little bit longer. that in itself was the selling point for me. And i got killer deals or so i feel :)
 
Well it often comes down to what you can get for a good deal. If you got good prices for the i7 then that's probably best. I'm just talking about if you're paying RRP for everything you can't go past an i5 750 for performance on a budget, especially if you intend to overclock it. I generally dont bother buying with future upgrades in mind as generally by then you can just buy new stuff and end up better off than trying to get components now that can be upgraded, with a few exceptions
 
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i wouldn't expect that 1366 socket to be useful when the new mainstream cpus come out. I have no doubt that the 1366 socket will see 6 core procs, but they will be 700+ dollars

also spending extra money for an 1366 so one can SLI/xfire in the future is a waste of time as the performance increase is around 2% over 1156 and triple channel memory shows similar numbers compared to dual channel.

maybe im biased but i think a 1366 setup is just wasting money
 
Cat1yst said:
well i know that OCing is just based off of luck, i just want to get the best possible stepping, and the best (for my budget) possible mobo so that i can extract more per dollar.

Im prolly gonna go 1366 platform. the way i reason it is that i can spend 50$ more now and have a socket that could be upgraded and suppourted in six months to a year. Ima gather some money and get this baby going.
thanks to all that helped out :)

Of course im willing to take rebuttle into consideration :)
Click to expand...

Maybe a good decision, but I think you've got the wrong reason.

Socket 1155 is supposed to roll out by the end of this year, but 1366 is going away next fall. Unless you win the lottery and want to jump from a 920 to a 980x, there isn't going to be a compelling reason to upgrade from a 920 before the 2011 boards and chips debut next year.

Between these three, I'd eliminate the 750 right away. Great proc for gaming and it overclocks like a mother, but not having hyperthreading will make video encoding run significantly slower.

The 860 is an 1156 CPU, so it has a slight cost advantage over a 920 and a comparable 1366 board. If you want to do this on the cheap the 860 is the way to go. You can get a terrific overclocking board for the 1156 for $130 while a decent X58 board is going to start at around $200. And the 860 runs cooler than the 920, which is going to help with overclocking.

But there's still one good reason to go with the 920: Memory. You're going to want all the RAM you can shove into your system for encoding. 1366 and 1156 use the same memory (1.5v DDR3), but the triple channel format on 1366 boards means you can get 12GB of decent memory for $300. With dual channel 1156 you'd have to go from 2GB modules to 4GB to get over 8GB for the system, and that drives the cost way up. 8GB costs $200 in 4x2GB, 12GB costs $300 in 6x2GB, but then it jumps to $550 for 16GB. If you need a lot of memory, 12GB in triple channel is clearly the sweet spot.
 
I put together my upgrade about 4 months ago (I upgraded from a first-generation C2D to my i7 860) and for everything I got (new motherboard/i7 860/4gb of DDR3-1600), it was about $500. It works for me, it's cooler (allowing me to reach 4ghz w/ Turbo OC) and outside of a impending implimentation of either 480s in SLI or a 5970, is more than enough for most.
 
dikky said:
i wouldn't expect that 1366 socket to be useful when the new mainstream cpus come out. I have no doubt that the 1366 socket will see 6 core procs, but they will be 700+ dollars

also spending extra money for an 1366 so one can SLI/xfire in the future is a waste of time as the performance increase is around 2% over 1156 and triple channel memory shows similar numbers compared to dual channel.

maybe im biased but i think a 1366 setup is just wasting money
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2% in what benchmarks...
 
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