New mobo or i7?

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rUmX

Gawd
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
1,019
Right now I'm running a q6600 g0 @ 3285mhz (9x365FSB) at 1.36v, on a EVGA 680i LT motherboard.

I'm 100% positive that it's the motherboard/chipset that is holding my overclock back. I can't get Windows to boot at all above 370FSB, no matter what voltages I try, and I've tried as high as 1.6v with no luck. Gotta be the mobo, I presume.

So... I'm pondering whether I should get a new mobo with better overclocking like a X48 or P45. I've a hunch I could get as high as 3.7/8 or more at higher volts. Just comparing to other peoples results.

Anyway, would it be better just to get a i7 920 and oc that or that mobo upgrade I'm looking at. I know the i7 is clock for clock faster than the C2Q. Is it a good idea to jump on the i7 bandwagon now or wait a little bit for prices to come down, or maybe a G0 style i7? :D

Budget is a concern for me, so it'd really have to be worth it (for the i7). I just picked up a Corsair HX1000 & a GTX 295 last week for a grand CAD, taxes included. A 4870X2 would have been a better buy, per se... but I also fold so there's no way I would pick up a ATI card atm. I know the power supply is overkill, but I'm also planning to pick up another GTX 295 down the road. Both for folding and Quad-SLI.

Besides hq gaming, I do lots of video encoding, 24/7 folding, and Photoshop mainly.

So what do you guys think? A oc'ed i7 920 or a better overclockable new mobo?
 
Overclocking is HIGHLY YMMV - just cuz he can do it don't mean you can, and newer Q66s are notorious for not being able to clock high. If you have the budget (and obviously you do cuz you're asking about it) then go i7, that's your decision not ours. I'm loling at the thought of "SLI down the road", and really loling hard at 2xGTX295 on a 20" 1600*1200 screen - simply put, a horrible idea.
 
Yeah. My buds said the same thing :)

It's a slow, but painful upgrade process I'm going on. I was running a 8800GTS 640mb since the week it came out before the GTX295. I've been running this exact build since summer 07' when the G0's came out. I was actually running at 2.8ghz the entire time until I got the new card. Figuring I'd be CPU limited, been messing with it all week and the most stable I can the proc at is what I have it at right now, Prime95 rock solid after 9 hours overnight.

The monitor needs an upgrade, that's for sure. I'm eyeing the DELL 30"... but that's down the road. Right now I'm gaming at 1080p on a 42" LCD. It's working well to say the least. 2xGTX295 is overkill on this display, I know lol :) At least I can fold on it in the meantime while I save up the cash for a new display... or maybe I should just get a new display then get another card after...

/shrug
 
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