i5 or i7

[Corban227]

ok so this is my last decision i5 or i7 core???

Im getting the HD 5870 and i wanna make sure the comp runs well and nothing is holding it back.

but is it worth a 80 dollar difference?


i7
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317378

i5
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317379

im a casual gamer and learning to use photoshop etc.

would i notice a difference if i got the i7?
is it worth the about 85 dollar difference after tax or would it be better to OC the i5 to 3ghz?

 

[stateofjermaine]

Neither of those processors should hold back your video card. You may want to look into a mild overclock (I have read the 3GHz+ is best for gaming), but I doubt even that is necessary. Neither processor will probably even know you're playing, unless you like very CPU-intensive titles (GTA). For other applications (i.e. encoding/decoding, Photoshop, etc.), you may notice a bump in performance with the i7, due to Hyper-Threading.

You may.

 

[skytripa]

I am also trying to pick between the 2 of these. I plan on going with crossfire 5850's.

 

[keshavcharya]

get the xeon x3440. not that expensive, on newegg, overclocks very high, and has the Hyper-Threading which can make the windows GUI so much more smoother. they say xeons are cherry-picked compared to regular i7s because they are meant for servers. well good luck!

 

[skytripa]

get the xeon x3440. not that expensive, on newegg, overclocks very high, and has the Hyper-Threading which can make the windows GUI so much more smoother. they say xeons are cherry-picked compared to regular i7s because they are meant for servers. well good luck!

Anyone else have any opinions on the x3440? Would like to hear more before I make my decision. I can get the i7 860 at microcenter for $229.

 

[Corban227]

ok but if i were to overclock the i5 to 3ghz would i need to get an aftermarket HS?