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Advice on what CPU to Pick Please

Which Socket Should I Go With?

  • 1156

    Votes: 3 12.0%

  • 1366

    Votes: 21 84.0%

  • AM3

    Votes: 1 4.0%
  • Total voters
    25
  • Poll closed .
J

JSki

n00b
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
21
Hey all,

Hopefully I'll be able to keep this to the point and short. I need a new computer as my current one is on it's last legs. And I haven't been able to find much info on what kind of system specs I'll be needing for my purposes. Though it seems like more core / threads and ram will be used by most scientific type software.

I'll be doing graduate research with it which will involve 3d modeling, physics simulations, detailed mapping of geologic features. As well as gaming on it.

I will be keeping the system for 4+ years since school won't leave me with as much cash as when I worked more. I should have enough to do a bit of upgrading to GPU / CPU if higher core units will drop into my mobo.

I have all my other parts picked out including the mobos for the various processors so I'm just looking for advice on which socket would best suit my needs.

1156 - Has the nicest mobo's currently. Though the processors don't seem likely to break 4 cores / 8 threads. 8gb ram limit though I'm not sure if either would really be an issue.

1366 - Likely upgrade to 6 core / 12 thread processors. Possible upgrade to 8 core / 16 thread processors. 4gb more memory than the other platforms as well as greater memory bandwidth.

AM3 - All the cpu roadmaps I find are over a year old. Though there would likely be 6 or 8 core upgrades available due to AMD and the recent history of new cpu's working in older sockets. But I also know that the system will always have the slowest IPS of the bunch as I can't see intel messing up like they did with the P4 again.


So to sum up:
1) System will be kept for 4+ years.
2) Ability to hopefully upgrade the cpu in like 2 years or so would be great, I know that even if the same socket is used that the new processors may not work.
3) Will be used for scientific simulations / research as well as gaming.


And I know that most / all of you won't know for sure what would be the best either, but I'm looking for educated guesses. Just looking for other opins so I feel a bit less like I'm making a blind decision.

Thanks! :D
 
gwarren007 said:
budget? I would say 1156 or 1366, but it all depends on budget
Click to expand...

I can afford a 1366 w/ 920 system if that winds up being the best way to go.

I will be overclocking the system but nothing extreme. So performance at stock speeds doesn't matter as both 1366 and 1156 i7's seem to OC to similar speeds.


Though i5 vs i7 vs i7 is interesting. As HT only seems to add at most 25-30% of a performance boost for a 40% higher cost (750 vs 860). And the 1156 i7 seems to OC a bit less than the i5. But the 1366 i7 can support more memory and such. And for all I know 12gb of memory could make things way faster for large simulations and the like than 8gb. It's tough to call.


It seems to boil down to how much ram I really need and if I'll be able to put a higher core count cpu in the system. And I have no clue about either. As I have no experience with system specs and any kind of related software to what I should be using and dropping in a new cpu is a gamble in the best case.
 
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If you can do a 1200 budget, the 960 would be the way to go. provides the best upgrade path, and the most flexability.
 
That's over bugdet. I'm trying to keep CPU + MoBo + RAM to $700 or under. And a 920 with 12gb of RAM is right around there.

But in any event, how does the 960 provide a better upgrade path than a 920 which is also socket 1366? Especially if the 920 were OCed.
 
I voted for the 1156 since I thought there would be a tighter budget. But if you can swing a X58/920/12GB, there's no discussion. It'll last you a very long time, even if you don't upgrade the CPU when the 8 cores come out. With any luck, you'll be able to hit 3.8-4.0Ghz.
 
I was going to be doing that 920 P6T SE deal but 2x OCZ Gold 6gb kits. Winds up being like $10 more, but I'm partial to OCZ after a top notch RMA experience a few years ago.

There would be a tighter budget but I have the rest of the system. Going to re-use a case I have, have a SilverStone Strider 700w, GTX 260 & 1tb HDD. So it works out well that I upgrade different parts over time. Gives me more $ when I need to get a new CPU / MoBo / RAM. :D Though saving as much as I could when working full time before going back to school really helped with that too. It's good to be a returning student :)


Though the 1366 boards just make me feel like I'm getting ripped off or something. Since the 1156 ones are so much nicer.

And if a 920 should be fine for the next ~4-5 years without upgrading then I could in theory just go with an 1156 i7 and get more or less the same effect while spending less and getting a nicer mobo. And this is the problem I see :facepalm:


Though thanks all for the votes, would have liked to know why you voted the way you did ;) But I'll take what I can get.
 
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I just built a SFF system for 1000$ for mild gaming and cad work. Its not an over clocker, but it has enough speed to last 4 years other then a video card upgrade. Its also quite and uses less power then my q6600 system too boot.

109.00 SILVERSTONE SG03-B Black Aluminum MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
99.00 Intel BOXDP55WB LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
279.00 Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail
104.99 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH - Retail
179.99 SAPPHIRE 100283L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
54.99 Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
59.99 OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC ... - Retail
26.99 LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
9.99 GELID Solutions FN-PX12-15 120mm Case Fan with Intelligent PWM control - Retail
104.99 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

When I built the system, it was around 980.00 with free shipping. Since then the prices have gone up because of the Christmas rush. If you can wait until the holidays, it will probably be even cheaper.

Also, cad work I do is solid mechanical ATR boxes with cards and PWB/PCB layouts, and I have had no issues with either one when it come to performance.
 
Nice setup Lost. Looking at a mobo that costs a fair bit more since I'll be OCing and I hate the BIOS on Intel branded boards. Also going for 1600mhz ram instead of the slower stuff. But I'm saving cash by already having everything else besides CPU / MoBo and Ram.

How is the system for the cad stuff / how does it compare to your old system?
 
I went SFF as well, but I went with the i7 920, the MSI X58M, and a 3x2GB kit of G.Skill DDR3 1600 RAM.

For your graduate work, I recommend the Socket 1366, especially for the possibility of upgrading more RAM and using six cores in the future.
 
gwarren007 said:
The 6 cores are coming out next year, and its said the will be for socket 1366 only.
Click to expand...

Not to sound like optimist, but I remember when the 975 chip set came out and it was supposed to handle the the new quad cores that were coming out. Well, it did not and they had to revise the boards to get the quads to work.

So, I would not wait it out or base a decision on the 6 core chips working with the X58 chips until they have been tested.

Oh, I forgot to add that the X55 chip set can handle up to 16Gb of ram. So you could just go with an 8Gb kit instead of a 4Gb kit.
 
JSki said:
Nice setup Lost. Looking at a mobo that costs a fair bit more since I'll be OCing and I hate the BIOS on Intel branded boards. Also going for 1600mhz ram instead of the slower stuff. But I'm saving cash by already having everything else besides CPU / MoBo and Ram.

How is the system for the cad stuff / how does it compare to your old system?
Click to expand...


A board that took around 2 hours to auto route, it now takes about an hour. On importing a STEP file and Solid Edge turning it into a solid assembly with mutable sub assemblies, its a little more then half the time.

Its definitely faster then my stock Q6600 system that was over 3 years old. Also, both had the same amount of ram, 4Gb.

FORGOT TO ADD:

If your going to over clock it, I would definitely go for the 1366 socket. They over clock better then the 1156 socket chips.

Also, if you plan to do heavy science 3D work, like DNA and Cell rendering, you may want to go with Nvidia card. Most of those programs prefer Open GL over Direct X for speed.
 
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Lost_Troll said:
Not to sound like optimist, but I remember when the 975 chip set came out and it was supposed to handle the the new quad cores that were coming out. Well, it did not and they had to revise the boards to get the quads to work.

So, I would not wait it out or base a decision on the 6 core chips working with the X58 chips until they have been tested.

Oh, I forgot to add that the X55 chip set can handle up to 16Gb of ram. So you could just go with an 8Gb kit instead of a 4Gb kit.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but the 975x also came out before the Core2 chips did. And they were quite a bit different power wise and all than the P4 chips it was designed for.

So I am a bit more confidant in the x58 being able to pull it off. I know there is always the chance that it won't work.

And yeah, the P55 can do 16gb... But 4gb sticks have an extreme price premium which the 2gb sticks you can use to get 12gb with a x58 don't have.
 
I agree, go with LGA1366 and as much RAM as you can afford. More RAM is always a sure bet. :p Also, to speed things up, you'll also want an Intel SSD or two (in RAID0), if you don't need a lot of space. ;)
 
enginurd said:
I agree, go with LGA1366 and as much RAM as you can afford. More RAM is always a sure bet. :p Also, to speed things up, you'll also want an Intel SSD or two (in RAID0), if you don't need a lot of space. ;)
Click to expand...

More RAM is more better... Just when I thought 4gb was finally enough.

As much as I'd love to get a SSD or two... I don't have the $ in this build to do it and their a bit on the expensive side now. I'm hoping next year when it's time to "mini upgrade" or spend like $100 to upgrade something that I can get a 64gb for $100. Thinking I can at least get my swap file and data files on there for the instant reads.

And any particular reason you say an Intel one? Going to guess their the fastest or something?
 
The Intel X25-M SSDs have fast small random write speeds, but have slower sequential speeds. Conversely, the Indilinx based drives have faster sequential speeds, but slower small random write speeds. When you setup the Indilinx drives in RAID0, the small random write speeds increase enough to more than compensate for the single drive's deficiency. Likewise, when you RAID0 Intel drives, the sequential speeds increase more than enough. Small random write speeds are more important for the avg desktop user than sequential speeds. For single SSD usage, the Intel is a better choice because of this. However, Indilinx based drives' small random write speeds are still faster than mechanical drives, so even in a single drive config, it's still a good choice if you can afford it.

My SSD page: http://ssd.alphaq.org

As you can see from that page, the new Phison controller is to be avoided. :p

If you're writing a lot of sequential data (large files), then the Indilinx drives in RAID0 would be a better choice than the Intels.
 
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