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Possibly i7 upgrade?

D

deuterium

n00b
Joined
May 12, 2008
Messages
15
I'm thinking of getting an i7 build before I go off to college... Note: I am also considering a C2D build, or a Phenom, if the price/performance ratio is good.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming (100+fps in CSS would be good), and music making
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Less than $600 would be ideal
3) Where do you live?
Mass
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU, RAM, MOBO, PSU, I may upgrade GPU later..
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
GPU (8800GTS 320), HDD 250gb, Case, Soundcard.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Have a 22"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Before the end of the summer...
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
None in particular
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Have XP 32, but I'm going to get W7 64bit.

Current build:
AMD 4600 @ 2.6
Corsair 2gb 4-4-4-12 @ 667
Asus M2N4-sli mobo
EVGA 8800GTS 320
Antec 900
Rosewill 550w PSU

Thanks.
 
What case will you be using? For $600, I'd say a Phenom II build is your best bang for buck.
 
$280 - i7 920
$200 - Gigabyte EX58-UD3R ($15 rebate)
$95 - 6GB G.Skill DDR3 1600
$65 - Antec EA650 650W Continuous Power (with promo code Maypsu10)

TOTAL: $640 before taxes, shipping, rebates

You can save yourself some money on the i7 920 if there is a Microcenter nearby.
 
Apparently there is a bus timing or contention issue with the PCI slots on that board...which would make using a DSP card a hassle...
 
If you go with AMD, you can get a GPU upgrade, too. The CPU won't affect CS:S performance at your resolution (also since the game is old). Not sure if this board has timing issues on its PCI clock, though...

$270 - COMBO: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz AM2+ w/ GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX
$220 - Sapphire 100269SR Radeon HD 4890 1GB ($20 MIR)
$65 - Antec EA650 650W 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC PSU (Promo code: Maypsu10 - expires 5/28)
$55 - G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-1000 F2-8000CL5D-4GBPI
===========
$610 + tax and shipping
 
CSS is a cpu intensive game, I feel more concerned about the cpu here... But I've been out of the loop for a while so I don't really know how AMD stacks up to intel now...
 
CSS is not a CPU intensive game in todays terms....
If you check out some benchmarks you will discover that L4D which is more CPU intensive and based on the Source Upgraded engine runs easily on low end Core 2 Quad Cores and AMD Phenoms.
If you read [H]'s recent CPU review you'd also know that any setup below a Quad Xfire or SLI is GPU limited anyway.
Having said all that, if you can afford a Core I7 it is the best upgrade path.
At your budget - I DON'T THINK SO.
Your setup will be severely held back by your 8800GTS 320Mb.
I suggest you either save up some cash, or rethink your upgrade after you complete your research for what you need.
At your current budget - +1 for Phenom II setup, it will answer the needs you listed.
 
Small comment, if you're upgrading before the end of summer, any and all advice offered here will probably be useless.
Check again two weeks before you're ready to spend the money, prices, availability and product launches change the scene drastically in a few months..
 
I have the same GPU, it gets limiting at Hi res + AA.
Especially if he's using the 320 MB model.
With a reasonable card he can play 16AA+ 16AF + Alpha Textures and every eye candy treat available.
I know this cause I have the same card OC with 640mb and I played CSS a VERY long time.
The card forced me to lower AA at 1280*1024 to be playable (60+ FPS) for online.
 
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