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i7 recomendations

J

jonneymendoza

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Sep 11, 2004
Messages
6,415
Hi guys i am ready to build a new rig now after using my pentium 4 for so long hehe but i am wondering what are the issues and bugs with the i7 seeing as its a new architecture.

I am also trying to find out whats the popular mobo's and rams people are getting and ones to avoid.

I am most likely going to go for the i7 BUT seeing as im no fanboy, will AMD release something better or equal to a i7 thats priced the same if not cheaper in the next few weeks?

im looking to do a build within the next 2-3 weeks and at the moment i am doing some research before splashing the cash :)
 
i7 is a bit much right now. If you can hold of 1-2 months for ram/mobo prices/options to come out, you will be 10x better off.

Im waiting till the 920 hits 200$. Simply cant spend over that on a cpu. Im not one to say "wait for the next tech, itll be 10x better" either, but prices are a little insane with the holidays. Its simply a pricing standpoint for me.
 
I currently just build an i7 system 2 weeks ago:

I got the ASUS P6T Deluxe
Corei7 920 2.66ghz overclocked to 3.6ghz (i was able to get more but i wanted to play it safe.)
6GB Corsair DOMINATOR 1600mhz RAM
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme Heatsink and Fan
Antec Quattro 1000W Power Supply

I migrated over my current hard drives which are:
2-74GB WD Raptors
1-150GB WD Raptor
1-500GB WD
1-1TB Simpletech Duo Pro External hard drive

So far i have had NO issues with this machine. Im new to overclocking and things couldnt have been easier! I was able to overclock the processor and RAM simply by adjusting the BCLK frequency.

As far as AMD...I hear they are coming out with the DENOM processor soon, but I am not too familiar enough with AMD to comment further.

Jim
 
Phenom II is coming out January 8th. Prices should drop for everything when they are released, as they themselves should come in at pretty low prices compared to i7.
 
looks like its best to wait till 8th jan to see what AMD is saying. will those cpu's perform just as good as a i7? will we finaly see competition?

could the i7 be the most stable and reliable new architecture ever released or is it too early to identify bugs and issues with it?
 
Not much "New" to their architecture, AMD has had an integrated memory controller for "forever" by today's standards :p.

They should be competitive in both price and performance, but I'm not going to speculate because they havent been released. I think the higher-up 940 will be a bit over $350.
 
jonneymendoza said:
Hi guys i am ready to build a new rig now after using my pentium 4 for so long hehe but i am wondering what are the issues and bugs with the i7 seeing as its a new architecture.

I am also trying to find out whats the popular mobo's and rams people are getting and ones to avoid.

I am most likely going to go for the i7 BUT seeing as im no fanboy, will AMD release something better or equal to a i7 thats priced the same if not cheaper in the next few weeks?

im looking to do a build within the next 2-3 weeks and at the moment i am doing some research before splashing the cash :)
Click to expand...

Intel's processors and chipsets don't generally need much if any time to mature upon release. The motherboards do, but not the processors or chipsets. As for Phenom II beating Core i7? Not likely.

kgeier82 said:
i7 is a bit much right now. If you can hold of 1-2 months for ram/mobo prices/options to come out, you will be 10x better off.

Im waiting till the 920 hits 200$. Simply cant spend over that on a cpu. Im not one to say "wait for the next tech, itll be 10x better" either, but prices are a little insane with the holidays. Its simply a pricing standpoint for me.
Click to expand...

Right now the Core i7 920 is $264 at Microcenter. Considering the level of performance you get from it at stock speeds I'd say that at $264 it is a bargain. Core i7 is getting cheaper all the time. What makes Core i7 really expensive right now are the motherboards. The cheapest of which is about $290.00.

xdivenx said:
Phenom II is coming out January 8th. Prices should drop for everything when they are released, as they themselves should come in at pretty low prices compared to i7.
Click to expand...

I seriously doubt Phenom II will impact Core i7 pricing at all. In my opinion however, Core 2 Quad processors will fall in price. At least a couple of models will in order to shift their pricing structure around to compete against the Phenom and Phenom II lineup more effectively.

jonneymendoza said:
looks like its best to wait till 8th jan to see what AMD is saying. will those cpu's perform just as good as a i7? will we finaly see competition?

could the i7 be the most stable and reliable new architecture ever released or is it too early to identify bugs and issues with it?
Click to expand...

Most of the information publicly available on Phenom II points to it being little more than a die-shrink and more L3 cache compared to Phenom I. So I wouldn't expect much out of Phenom II performance wise.
 
I'm in a similar situation as you are. Here's what I went with, and some more detail below:


Mobo: Asus P6T Deluxe
CPU: Intel Core i7 920
HSF: Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme 775 RT (w/120mm TR fan + TR LGA 1366 Bolt-Thru Kit, lapped)
RAM: Corsair Dominator 3 x 2GB (6GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
GPU0: EVGA Nvidia GeForce GTX 280
GPU1: Unpopulated (for now)
HD0: WD Velociraptor 300GB 10K SATA
HD1: WD Caviar Green 1TB 7.2K SATA
HD2: SG Barracuda 7200.11 500GB 7.2K SATA
Opt: Samsung 22X DVD+-R w/LightScribe SATA
PSU: Corsair 1000HX (Modular, XF/SLi ready)
Case: Antec 1200

Coming from 5 years of (another XP 2500+ machine as well, very similar build other than CPU/mobo):

Mobo: Abit IC7-MAX3
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.4C
HSF: Thermalright SP-94 (Tornado fan, and yes fan controllers lol)
RAM: Micron 4 x 512MB (2GB) DDR (PC2700)
GPU: BFGTech Nvidia GeForce 7800GS (long live AGP)
HD: SG Barracuda 7200.7 80GB 7.2K SATA (1.5Gb/s of course)
Opt: SONY DVD-RW DRU-510A
PSU: Antec SP-500
Case: Antec PlusView 1000AMG LE


The choice was easy, especially when you've been sitting on what I described above flawlessly for 5+ years. Will the new setup last me another 5 years? I hope it lasts that long, but I don't think I'm going to hold out for 5 years from now on. I came very close to upgrading from that setup a few times, before deciding to see what was around the corner (and never upgrading).

I spent a fair amount on the setup above when I built it, and I built it to last. It did, and I'm happy (they're still running strong, graduated to other tasks). I took a little bit different philosophy with the latest builds (built another C2D setup to replace the Athlon box). When I priced things out with a roomy case, solid PSU, aftermarket HSF, etc the C2Q just wasn't that compelling of a price.. so it was an easy decision as I mentioned.
 
Also,

You could wait -- you can always wait.. that's why you and I both are/were probably sitting on systems that are 5+ years old.

I really don't see a reason to hold-out if it's just for Phenom II specifications. If you were thinking of going C2D/C2Q and you really wanted to go AMD for whatever reason, surely hold out for it.

Prices will probably come down, but more waiting is sitting on a 5+ year old system. Also, if it's dying on you that is always a big impetus.
 
Thanks zwotb for the feedback. my p4 is still going strong actually. it has served me well but it is time for a change and a big change :)
 
You'll be impressed, thats for damn sure.

I went P6T-dlx and only 4GB of ram. There are mobos under $300, but most of them dont support SLI (just xfire). P6T-non-dlx is a good option, GB-X58-UD3 is another good option. I think both have been reviewed or previews on [H], take a look at those.

AMD will release something thats cheaper, but its not going to touch i7 for performance, especially long term performance (8 threads).
 
zwotb said:
Also,

You could wait -- you can always wait.. that's why you and I both are/were probably sitting on systems that are 5+ years old.

I really don't see a reason to hold-out if it's just for Phenom II specifications. If you were thinking of going C2D/C2Q and you really wanted to go AMD for whatever reason, surely hold out for it.

Prices will probably come down, but more waiting is sitting on a 5+ year old system. Also, if it's dying on you that is always a big impetus.
Click to expand...

i would like to add that if i wait any longer, my wife will end up using my pc build money on some nonsence so i better spend it soon before my wife does!:D
 
Gigabyte has a couple of X58 boards that don't knock your head off pricing-wise. I think the UD4P was only $250 at Newegg over the weekend. Still not good, but better than $300+.

If you are buying a complete new rig then there really isn't much reason not to go i7 - its a little more expensive (okay, maybe more than a little) but if you are going to buy a new mobo and RAM anyway, might as well get the new tech. Just look around for some deals over the next 2 weeks or so - Newegg had 920 for $270 recently, and they've been as low as $250.
 
yea i will definelty go with either i7 or amd's new offering which seems like it wont challenge the i7. if so then i7 is the way to go really.

the quad core Q series are still the same price has they was before the i7 came out. some are actually expensive like the q9550 priced more then the 920!

its only the ram and mobo that costs an arm and a leg on the i7's but if it will help me make my new pc last 3-4 years with minor upgrades here and their then so be it. socket 775 doesnt offer MUCH upgrade path now
 
Holy SH!T batman! ...from a Pentium 4 (LOL'd) to an i7 920 at 4.0Ghz OC, wow that is an insane performance boost if i must say.

Enjoy it!!

My CPU upgrade path is about once per year. Never past 1.5yrs ever! LOL...
 
I don't know why everyone says i7 is a bit much right now. You're really only paying more for the motherboard. The CPU at 260-270 is really not more than you'd pay for a good quad core, and the ram isn't that bad for 6 gigs at 120.

I'd also highly recommend a thermalright ultra extreme 120 for an i7 chip. I've had one for 2 months now, and its never passed 60C, at 3.8 GHz on a i7-920. I use a good 1900 RPM scythe fan with it. Nice and cool, not loud.
I also think the gigabyte boards are the best for OC'ing - at least for tweaking settings.
 
Quigon said:
I don't know why everyone says i7 is a bit much right now. You're really only paying more for the motherboard. The CPU at 260-270 is really not more than you'd pay for a good quad core, and the ram isn't that bad for 6 gigs at 120.
Click to expand...

There are also sub-$300 motherboards showing up for the Core i7. High end Core 2 boards have broken $350 in the past and Core i7 boards are no different in that regard. Really the only thing you are going to pay more for right now is a triple channel DDR3 memory kit. Still, what we are paying for RAM is nothing compared to what it used to cost.

Quigon said:
I'd also highly recommend a thermalright ultra extreme 120 for an i7 chip. I've had one for 2 months now, and its never passed 60C, at 3.8 GHz on a i7-920. I use a good 1900 RPM scythe fan with it. Nice and cool, not loud.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Mainly because the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme is about as good as it gets for air cooling.

Quigon said:
I also think the gigabyte boards are the best for OC'ing - at least for tweaking settings.
Click to expand...

I've tried tweaking the settings on several of the Core i7 boards and for the most part, there are only about 4 settings that make much of a difference. BCLK, QPI voltage, DRAM voltage, and CPU voltage. That's just about it. The multiplier can come into play in some cases as well but for the most part I've never needed to use it. At least this has been my experience thus far. However, I acheived the best overclock I've personally seen from a Core i7 920 on a Gigabyte board. So they are certainly solid overclockers.
 
An advantage of the gigabyte board is in how it deals with POST failures - you can basically tell if you're stable without loading the OS and hard crashes are rare. It means you can do a hundred tweaks per hour instead of maybe 5-10. But I can only speak to the gigabyte board. Sorry about the thread necro btw.
 
Get the cheapest x58 board, they all oc pretty much the same, the only difference is in features. However, once westmere comes out, I'm sure new mobos will be in order since the current crop of x58 is not gonna be able to support 32nm cpus since those will probably have very different electrical requirements not supported right now (not to mention no support for quad-channel memory)
 
umm look:

2009 Nehalem i7 Build Log 16-18th January 2009

During the weekend beginning from the 16th of January , the old Pentium 4 built inside a chieftec matrix case was about to be replaced by a new machine altogether.

The specs of the old machine are as follows:

• ABIT ice-7 pro Socket 478 Mobo
• 2gb DDR Ram
• Nvidia 7800GTX AGP Card(i had a ATI 9800gtx before)
• Intel Pentium 4 3.2ghz northwood
• Seasonic 450w PSU
• Chieftect full tower Matrix case

The specs of the new pc are:

• ASUS P6T deluxe Socket 1336 Mobo
• 3GB DDR3 Ram
• Nvidia 260GTX card
• Intel i7 920 2.6GHZ Nehalem
• Seasonic m12 600W PSU
• Lian LI full tower PC-A7010 case
• Thermalright Ultra Extreme aka TRUE
• Enermax 120mm fan.

As you can see, this is a major upgrade for me and one i have enjoyed building over last weekend. Enough talk, lets see some pictures !!

IMG_5724.JPG


This case is a monster. Just look at the size comparison between the case inside the box and my 360!


IMG_5742.JPG


More pics of comparing the size of the case alongside the 360.


IMG_5726.JPG


Christmas came late for me :)
IMG_5731.JPG

The Brain of my new pc


IMG_5732.JPG

The memory



IMG_5754.JPG


Nice looking mobo!



IMG_5756.JPG


This cooler took AGES to install!! A nightmare if you don’t know how to do it first time!



IMG_5758.JPG

Installed in the mobo tray



IMG_5763.JPG

Look at the size of that card!


IMG_5774.JPG


No hard drives?

IMG_5783.JPG

Old vs new


IMG_5802.JPG


My legendary pc!! It has served me well for the past 5+ years. As you can see i modded it and cut out the side panel myself using a electric jigsaw


IMG_5821.JPG


All up and running :)hows my cable management lol


IMG_5833.JPG


All done..
 
on my old pc? in my new one it aint has bad as it looks mate. its only that bottom bit that looks abit messy. no way of hiding those properly as there connections that go in the mobo itself.

any tips?
 
There's many ways to route cables behind the motherboard tray. You can also tuck excess wiring behind hard drive cages. Zip/twisty ties are handy. Just seems like there a lot of wires floating around, but then again I am a little OCD :( This is probably about as messy as I let my wiring get..

e7wiring1.jpg


e7wiring2.jpg


e7wiring3.jpg
 
hehe, i know it was in jest. still, i wish i had a mobo tray to run wires underneath instead of cramming them into drive bays :)

I didn't know they made 8-pin extenders though. I might think about that. Although I'm actually using the 8-pin cable as a stay point for my SPDIF cable + rear case fan and CPU fan wires :D
 
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