Core I7 920 vs. Core I7 860

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compL33Tazn

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I'm sure this has been questioned before, but I have not found threads in the detail I'm aspiring for.
Price is a factor for me; assuming the 920 is $200 and 860 is $230, which build gets more bang for the buck at approximately equivalent specifications, considering the cost of triple channel vs dual channel RAM and motherboard cost?
I am looking to overclock, so my second question is which CPU OC's better?
I will also be running crossfire, if that's relevant to the motherboard cost.
 
Personally I like to upgrade to the newest of the times... the times are socket 1366(920) not 1156(860)

Plus with 1366 you get triple channel, which is a big +PLUS+.

If you are no a budget it might be worth looking into the 1156 duel channel, but I don't think you will save enough to make it worth the lower performance and you will not save in the long run.

I had to just had to answer all these questions myself and I went with a 920; very much pleased with my build.

I know the 920 (5 step/Rv.D0) OCs very well, currenlty @ 4Ghz and planning to go higher... (1.3v) (H50 cooler)
 
I'm guessing the level of overclocking that can be done to either processor depends on your own overclocking abilities and cpu cooling system. I bought the core i7 860 and the MSI GD80 which I guess is the overclocking combo platform for n00bs but I am a n00b at it :) Based on the reviews of this combo, the ease of overclocking owns all. In terms of future proofing the 1366 socket would trump the 1156 socket since it would have support for future 6 core processors. I just chose the 1156 socket because by the time I'd need a 6 core processor for actual gaming I would definitely want a newer motherboard with the updated features of the time period (USB 3.0, Lucida motherboards, Sata 6GBs etc)

Reference video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6zANFlYEDM
 
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I am a noob at overclocking, so this option may be optimal. On average however, which CPU can overclock higher assuming I'm limited to a typical high end heatsink?
 
If you look around, you can build a 1366 based rig for just as much as you would a 1156 based one. YMMV, but I got my i7 920, Asus P6T Deluxe v1, and 6 GB RAM kit off the FS forum for $470 total. I know that's not too relevant considering it's used, but just saying to make my point that it is possible to build a relatively cheap 920 based rig. Even buying new, I'd say it's about the same price for both builds, esp. if you're near a Microcenter.

That being said, performance will be about the same on both systems from what I've read about the 860s. OC potential is about the same, also. You can get both CPUs up to around 4 GHz without too much effort. Triple Channel memory is a considerable feature, plus 6 DIMMs means you can cap at 12GBs if you foresee yourself needing it. Also, there's no news about any new architecture coming to the 1156 socket. Whereas on the 1366 mobos, you know you'll be able to run the 6-core i9s when they launch next year.

So, IMO, I would give a slight nod to the 1366/920 just for those extra few features. Otherwise, performance differences will be negligible between them. If you can find a good deal on either barebones system though, I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Edit: Oh, and as far as OCing goes, I haven't really read about an x58 board that isn't easy to OC on. Doesn't matter which platform you get, you just bump up the BLCK, lock the multiplier down to default, and bump the vCore correspondingly to your BLCK speeds. They're all basically the same as far as that goes. But my Asus P6T Deluxe even lets you just set the CPUs clock speed that you want and it adjusts everything automatically. Doesn't get much easier than that. Although it's not very efficient that way as it plays it safe and feeds the CPU too much voltage which makes it run too hot, thus you're not going to go as high as it can if you do it yourself. So it's best to just specify everything yourself so you'll get better results.
 
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Sorry if this is a little off the tangent, but which motherboards are the best for OCing and crossfire for both X58 and P55? I would preferably spend under $150 and no more than $200.
 
compL33Tazn said:
Sorry if this is a little off the tangent, but which motherboards are the best for OCing and crossfire for both X58 and P55? I would preferably spend under $150 and no more than $200.
Click to expand...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130238
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130239

And I just noticed there are the little brothers to the same motherboards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130248
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130246

All have the simple one button overclocking feature for P55 socket processors.
 
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