Are you going i7 or not?

Going i7 or no

  • You betcha I am

    Votes: 121 38.1%

  • Nope, my s775 system is just fine or other system is just fine.

    Votes: 102 32.1%

  • Nope, going AM3

    Votes: 15 4.7%

  • I'll wait for the next round of Intel/AMD stuff.

    Votes: 80 25.2%
  • Total voters
    318
I upgrade to i7 920 because I was using p4 2.66 and it is very very slow :eek:, I almost finish building up my whole computer with i7 I may be surprise with speed with this cpu i7
 
I really want to see the 32nm variant of i7s.
Its gonna be E8400 all over again...faster clock for clock, higher stock clocks, higher OC, lower power, lower price.
 
Upgrade to i7 from a fast quad 775 setup? Probably not the best idea for most people, but anyone building a new machine should be seriously considering i7, or if they are looking to build new from an extremely old p4 or athlon xp setup - DDR3 and a new socket = future proofing yourself for your next upgrade.

And, honestly, I thought upgrading to i7 would be pointless from my [email protected] - but I did it, due to someone else needing to upgrade and being willing buying my old hardware - and it's a night and day difference running this i7 @ 3.8 w/ a gtx260 vs. my old [email protected] w/ an 8800gtx. NIGHT AND DAY.

TF2 with every setting on the highest it can be set to, running @ 1600x1200 w/ 16xCSAA, never below 80fps, usually hovering between 2-300fps. Company of heroes (which ran OK, but really stressed my old setup) benchmarks low of 140, high of 3-something, average of 250-something. A few % increase from the cpu, plus a few % from the new vid card, plus a few % from going up to 6gb of 3 channel ddr3, vs. 4gb of 2channel ddr2....it adds up to a big difference. Every game that i used to be unhappy with performance of is now utterly owned by this setup.
 
I hate how people toss around the words future proofing because honestly there's no such thing, yeah this i7 rig might last 5 years but that's hardly future proof...hell this thing will probably be outdated by a fair amount but this time next year.
 
I'll probably be going i7, but with my current life situation, I may just endure with my s939 system for another year and then build. I have 1 more year of school left before... well before whatever I decided to do. I'd rather build my new system when school is done and I know what's going on in my life. Who knows, I may just go with a laptop instead of my desktop.
 
Sticking with Core 2 here. I used to jump on the latest, greatest, bandwagon but after the useless Pres"hot" P4s (I paid flippin' $500 for my pos 560J), I have quit trying to keep up with the newest hardware. I build my pcs with the best bang for the buck equipment I can find and it seems to be working for me so far. Paid less than a third for the rig in my signature then I did for my last pc and it does everything I need it to do just dandy. If I had cash lying around, I'd probably upgrade since i7 is a big step forward, but I don't so for now the Core 2 architecture does everything I need it to do for a very reasonable price.
 
skyline889 said:
Sticking with Core 2 here. I used to jump on the latest, greatest, bandwagon but after the useless Pres"hot" P4s (I paid flippin' $500 for my pos 560J), I have quit trying to keep up with the newest hardware. I build my pcs with the best bang for the buck equipment I can find and it seems to be working for me so far. Paid less than a third for the rig in my signature then I did for my last pc and it does everything I need it to do just dandy. If I had cash lying around, I'd probably upgrade since i7 is a big step forward, but I don't so for now the Core 2 architecture does everything I need it to do for a very reasonable price.
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I am the same way, best bang for the buck all the way. The latest and greatest is always marked up like crazy and just being a little patient, they eventually cut down to half price or close to it. Then again this is an "Enthusiast" forum so people generally always go with the latest.

I got my Q6600 for $20 after selling off the mobo/vista it came with in the bundle. I got paid $5 for getting the OCZ 4GB kit, only thing I really had to pay for was the HD4850, but even that I paid $110 for when it was selling for $165+ from the FS/T forums. The AD-700's I got for $58 after those crazy cashback deals and the 550VX for $45 AR... I love slickdeals! :c)

I will not upgrade my machine for at least another year or two. It's flying for all the stuff I do, including games.
 
jimbean21 said:
I hate how people toss around the words future proofing because honestly there's no such thing, yeah this i7 rig might last 5 years but that's hardly future proof...hell this thing will probably be outdated by a fair amount but this time next year.
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That goes for most technology. Your new car loses about 10-15% of its value once you drive off the lot. You can't future proof in this realm. The best you can do is upgrade if you need to and enjoy the technology. I always stick by the philosophy of using a computer as much as it realistically fulfills my needs. The i7 can be old in 5 years or even in 1 year, but as long as it accomplishes everything I need it to accomplish, there's no logical point to upgrade. Upgrade when you need to and enjoy what you have while you don't. ;)
 
I'm pretty satisfied with my E8400 right now. I would love to get an i7, but I'll wait until I more games use a quad core CPU to it's fullest before I make the investment.
 
I don't have any desire to switch from my Q6600 right now - I don't really come across tasks where I'm CPU-limited very often. I don't anticipate getting a new CPU before Sandy Bridge at least, as part of an entirely new system.
 
Pretty happy with my current setup. I am not planning on going i7 anytime soon, although the memory throughput speeds are mainly what would temp me to go i7... yay! Intel finally caught up with AMD in the memory throughput arena.
 
cyclone3d said:
Pretty happy with my current setup. I am not planning on going i7 anytime soon, although the memory throughput speeds are mainly what would temp me to go i7... yay! Intel finally caught up with AMD in the memory throughput arena.
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Caught, and surpassed. :D Though memory bandwidth isn't everything. Core 2 Duo/Quad has been kicking AMD's Athlon X2 and Phenom CPUs in the perverbial ass since their introduction.
 
Dan_D said:
Caught, and surpassed. :D Though memory bandwidth isn't everything. Core 2 Duo/Quad has been kicking AMD's Athlon X2 and Phenom CPUs in the perverbial ass since their introduction.
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"Kicking Pat" pretty much summed it up a couple years ago by saying AMD may have a superior (for the time) system architecture, but Intel has more than made up for it with superior caching and IPC.
 
I moved my main system to i7 in January, I am planning on converting my other machines to it this summer.
 
My E6420 @ 3.2Ghz is sufficient for my current gaming needs, eg TF2 and Trackmania Nations.
 
jimbean21 said:
I hate how people toss around the words future proofing because honestly there's no such thing, yeah this i7 rig might last 5 years but that's hardly future proof...hell this thing will probably be outdated by a fair amount but this time next year.
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Dude, my point is that the 775 socket - and ddr2 - is already dead, so if you're going to buy a new machine you should be looking to get ddr3 and socket 1366. That way you aren't stuck with buying entirely new ram, mobo, cpu at the same time all over again when you upgrade next. If you adopt 1366 and ddr3 memory now, you're more likely to be able to use the same memory or motherboard for your next upgrade. Future proofing isn't about your new system being fast enough to be competitive for 5 years, it's about having an upgrade path. It's like being one of those poor bastards just a short while ago who bought an AGP motherboard for their 6800 series cards only to be locked out of new video card upgrades without replacing mobo and memory and cpu all at once. It'd be like buying a pci sound card now vs. buying a pci express one. Chances are, if you buy a pci card now it won't even plug into your next motherboard. That's future proofing. If you want to build a brand new machine now and use ddr2 and 775, go for it, but if you intend to upgrade to an i7 in the future it's probably better to just go with one now. If you intend to skip i7/socket 1336 entirely then it wouldn't be a big deal.
 
I wont be going i7 anytime soon.
I'm running a [email protected] with a 260GTX.
if and when it wont do what I need, Ill build a new rig..but I suspect that will be a year or two off...and i7 might just be on the way out , or at the very least, it wont be the high end anymore.

I gave up trying to stay at the top, its an endless battle that my wallet will never win.;)
 
Crosshairs said:
I wont be going i7 anytime soon.
I'm running a [email protected] with a 260GTX.
if and when it wont do what I need, Ill build a new rig..but I suspect that will be a year or two off...and i7 might just be on the way out , or at the very least, it wont be the high end anymore.

I gave up trying to stay at the top, its an endless battle that my wallet will never win.;)
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Your wallet wins when it's the hardware you use that makes you money. Time to find a career path the REQUIRES you to purchase an i7 ;)
 
I went to an i7 920 from an AMD 4800x2 and my frame rates in my racing simulators tripled. Close to quadrupled, with no other changes in the same system. Same 4870 Video Card, same drives, etc...

Everything running 100% stock speeds
 
TechLarry said:
I went to an i7 920 from an AMD 4800x2 and my frame rates in my racing simulators tripled. Close to quadrupled, with no other changes in the same system. Same 4870 Video Card, same drives, etc...

Everything running 100% stock speeds
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Well you did upgrade your motherboard, ram, and CPU which are all waaaayyy better than your AM2 setup with DDR2 800mhz ram to i7 with DDR3 1333 or w.e.

Your gains are not surprising based on your previous rig.
 
I don't plan to go i7. I run almost every game and every app out at max settings with a rig that's (mostly) 3 years old.

If I kept investing in upgrades, I probably wouldn't be able to afford my home at the rate of tech changes, hehe.
 
My Q9300 @ 3,7ghz does the job for me. There is absolutely no need for me to upgrade to i7.
 
I exploit the trailing edge these days.

I built my system to use for 4 or 5 years. With a planned CPU upgrade at somewhere before they stop making them. I bought a cheap dual core and I am pretty happy with that, but at some point I will upgrade to a fast quad and get more life out of my system, maybe one more graphics card upgrade.

So Quad Core Duo next (or what ever fits in the socket) and then maybe in 3 years I will upgrade to the bottom of the line on the next socket. I don't know what that will be.
 
Snowdog said:
I exploit the trailing edge these days.

I built my system to use for 4 or 5 years. With a planned CPU upgrade at somewhere before they stop making them. I bought a cheap dual core and I am pretty happy with that, but at some point I will upgrade to a fast quad and get more life out of my system, maybe one more graphics card upgrade.

So Quad Core Duo next (or what ever fits in the socket) and then maybe in 3 years I will upgrade to the bottom of the line on the next socket. I don't know what that will be.
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That's pretty much what I do. I hate paying for the latest and greatest to have something better come out at less than half the cost 6 months later. I would love to stay on top each cycle, but money and time doesn't come easy.
 
I just hate the idea of buying new ram, mobo and processor all at once. that is a dedicated upgrade I will make when I really feel my rig is obsolete. Not when my quad is still kicking some ass
 
I only decided to build a core i7 rig because I won a processor :)
I won a 965 but the Sponsor(Intel France)goofed and sent me a 920.
I then bought an EVGA x58 for $265 CDN, and a 6GB G-Skill DDR3-1600 kit for $135 CDN.
I scavenged all other parts from other PC's so it didn't cost me that much to upgrade really.
 
Looks like you got some good breaks. That is a HUGE "goof" by the sponsor though...lol
 
Going i7 if Intel stupidly keeps the 9x multi quads an absurd price levels. Seriously, $220 or less for i7 920 vs. price raped for a 45nm quad? Whether or not I upgrade will rely completely on Q9650 prices. It needs to be MUCH less than an i7.
 
Too much $$$ for no performance increase at the moment. Maybe if they start hitting 5+ ghz easily for what I paid for my s775.
 
crazjayz said:
Why? Pass it down to someone (read: me) I'm still rocking my 939 just like Blind Man. Same chip too!
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Heh was one of those "boss walked in so just hit submit and close" type of situations.

My x2 4400 939 has been feeling its age for some time now. I dont know if its a lack of modern sse instructions support or what.

Have seen people with same video card but newer CPUs get such better performance in games like TF2 and WoW (Mostly in heavy 25 man raids). I have an 8800GTS512.

I'll be doing a reinstall of XP home soon to see if i can poke some life out of it. Has been on same install for 3.5 years now.
 
I finally replaced my old 939 system with a Core i7 in March.
I started with a 939 3200+ @ 2.8GHz (I think) then switched to a 4400X2 for like $50 and OC'd that to 2.8GHz.
Now I have an i7 @ 3.8GHz.
Along with the rest of the build (4870X2) everything is just great. Very satisfied.
 
Killdozer said:
I finally replaced my old 939 system with a Core i7 in March.
I started with a 939 3200+ @ 2.8GHz (I think) then switched to a 4400X2 for like $50 and OC'd that to 2.8GHz.
Now I have an i7 @ 3.8GHz.
Along with the rest of the build (4870X2) everything is just great. Very satisfied.
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Would you say your performance increase change was like night and day? What games have you been able to compare on at least some level?
 
Dude, performance increase from a q6600 @ 3.4 w/ an 8800gtx to a 920 @ 3.9 w/ a gtx260 is a night and day difference. His system upgrade would be a crazy huge difference.
 
Inu said:
Would you say your performance increase change was like night and day? What games have you been able to compare on at least some level?
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Umm, that's like a 3-4 generation CPU difference. It wouldn't be night and day, it would be like moving from Pluto to Mercury just to get warmer.
 
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