DeathSmasher
Gawd
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I currently have a i7 920 i have the chance to upgrade to a 2500k for roughly 200 bux. Is it worth it?
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Is it worth the upgrade
- Thread starter DeathSmasher
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$200 isn't a stellar deal, good but not amazing. There have been CPU sales of the 2600k for close to that price brand new at times recently, and with IB Coming out soon, i'm sure the 2500k and 2600k will see a price drop.
I don't think so...unless you're frequently using CPU intensive programs and seeing 100% usage.
Personally I've not upgraded to SB because the i7 920 can still handle all the games I throw at it (with an OC). Sure it's a lot more power hungry than SB but doesn't warrant an entirely new platform upgrade.
Personally I've not upgraded to SB because the i7 920 can still handle all the games I throw at it (with an OC). Sure it's a lot more power hungry than SB but doesn't warrant an entirely new platform upgrade.
Teenyman45
2[H]4U
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It depends what you are using the computer for (games, single threaded tasks, or heavily threaded tasks) and the level of your overclock.
Sandy has higher IPC and can overclock more. When overclocked to top level for air cooling or all-in-one kit water cooling you will see a several fps improvement in games as long as you have one or more high end gpus. Single threaded tasks will see a similar improvement. However, the lack of hyper threading means that the 920 will dominate in any task that can really benefit from it.
Sandy has higher IPC and can overclock more. When overclocked to top level for air cooling or all-in-one kit water cooling you will see a several fps improvement in games as long as you have one or more high end gpus. Single threaded tasks will see a similar improvement. However, the lack of hyper threading means that the 920 will dominate in any task that can really benefit from it.
Sure, the i5-2500K is an improvement over a stock-speed i7-920. But the price that you stated for that CPU is nearly full price. As such, it isn't worth the extra money spent considering that not only the new Ivy Bridge CPUs will be coming out in about two weeks, but also that many resellers are now selling the i7-2600K for around the same price after discounts.
Jodo McFatty
n00b
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Aren't we talking about two different sockets here? Are you getting a 1155 socket MB + CPU for $200? Then it's a great price. Otherwise wouldn't you need a new MB as well.
This is exactly what I was thinking. If not, just oc that 920 and wait for Haswell. X58 is still a very good platform and users really don't have a need to upgrade.
Battleneter2
Gawd
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Clock for clock the 920 is only about 5-15% slower than SB depends on the app, and games are at the smaller end of that gap.
A overclocked 920@ 4GHz still easily monsters all games, bar one I know of where SB still doesnt help.
If you really dont want to overclock (which is a crime
), then sure a upgrade is well worth it as the 920 stock clock speed is so low. If you have any Bloomfield over 3.5Ghz ish then its a waste of money as you will see no difference.I have found if you leave Bloomfield mobo power settings set to Auto they go crazy and ramp up usage and heat as seen in many reviews a few years back. By setting the mobo manually Bloomfield uses a lot less around 20% less, still more than SB but respectable.
If a PC at home uses 50watts extra on average, its really not worth thinking about when you consider a swimming pool pump can be 1000watts running 6 hours a day, and similar levels for Home Aircon and electric water heating etc..
Computer usage is a tiny part of most home power bills and $200 would prob take 10 years to recoup.
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I'd stick with you 920 and wait for Haswell. I'm running half the processor, and I'm going to wait for Haswell.
Just start socking that money away and build an awesome rig once the next gen comes around. GTX780 + Haswell stock at 4ghz. Sounds pretty kosher to me.
Just start socking that money away and build an awesome rig once the next gen comes around. GTX780 + Haswell stock at 4ghz. Sounds pretty kosher to me.
Battleneter2
Gawd
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Its sad we have near 3 year old Bloomfield processors with a modest OC can still monster most apps and certainly games not to mention looking good for another few years at least. Doesnt appear IB is going to be a massive jump over SB.
SSD is a great investment IMO, increases general OS response times.
Looking at your sig, a GPU is on the cards but if your gaming at 1080P single display its probably still easily keeping up (thanks to all these DX9 Consol ports with maybe a small DX11 strap on).
More ram always good, but I didnt notice any diff going from 6 to 12 except when VM labbing (which I expected).
Yes SB is faster "clock for clock" actually more like 10-20% faster average.
SB is better than Bloomfield no one is arguing that, but with OC Bloomfield still monsters most apps and games so a upgrade is worthless.
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DeathSmasher
Gawd
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Well thank you for all the input. Sorry i was unclear i ment 200 for mobo+cpu. I already have my 920 OCed to the highest point my h70 can handle i have an ssd my card is some what lacking with a 5870 but i was planning on getting a 680 soon.
You've pretty much said it yourself, get an SSD and a GTX 680, you'll notice a far bigger improvement than upgrading to a 2500K.
If so, it is only a cross-grade (value-wise) unless you can get more than about $225 by selling your existing i7-920, x58 mobo and RAM (the reason why I stated RAM is that most RAM that runs on X58 requires 1.65V DIMM voltage in order to run at their advertised speeds and timings, and that the XMP profiles are a poor match for the SB CPUs). And although Intel itself has tested 1.65V-rated DIMMs for SB validation, it does not mean that you have to set the DIMM voltage that high on SB platforms since Intel only certifies that such 1.65V DIMMs work on their mobos at 9-9-9 @ DDR3-1333 speed and 1.5V.