Processors that will last

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M4573R

Gawd
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
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My bud is building a brand new system, and is going AMD because of his budget. I currently have an E6600 and would like to build a new system as well, but have the budget for i7. Will an AMD proc last 2 years? What about i7? For the price of an i7 mobo, I could get a nice AMD proc AND and mobo.

I guess I'm asking if there's a point to getting an i7 right now, even if it is an extremely good proc. Would it be better to just spend less now on AMD expecting to replace it within a year?
 
Any processor and motherboard will last as long as you're willing to keep it for. I've known people who've kept their Pentium 3/4 and AMD Athlon systems for several years because those systems were still enough for their needs.

Though an Intel Core i7 processor is more power than an AMD Phenom II processor, you can still do everything that you want to using the Phenom II. I recommend the Core i7 only if you want the best possible performance and you plan on performing a lot of multi-tasking. However, if you plan on upgrading everything within the next year or two, don't bother wasting the money on some high-end parts.
 
The rigs will be used for almost only gaming. I've read that i7 isn't needed for games, but it still blows the other procs out of the water. If I'm not a frequent upgrader( every two years it seems like), and have the money, should I go i7 then?
 
Just my 2 cents:

I don't think you would have to go i7 but in 2 years you'd probably start to feel it. I'm on a 3-4 year build cycle myself, so I definitely went with an i7.

If I was on a 2 year cycle and picked my components for better reuse, I'd upgrade every 2 years to the upper middle performance-wise and probably average out to be more current for the same or cheaper. I would avoid the super high end i7 at the moment.
 
tiraides said:
Any processor and motherboard will last as long as you're willing to keep it for. I've known people who've kept their Pentium 3/4 and AMD Athlon systems for several years because those systems were still enough for their needs.

Though an Intel Core i7 processor is more power than an AMD Phenom II processor, you can still do everything that you want to using the Phenom II. I recommend the Core i7 only if you want the best possible performance and you plan on performing a lot of multi-tasking. However, if you plan on upgrading everything within the next year or two, don't bother wasting the money on some high-end parts.
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I agree with tiraides and jpm100. With a 2yr upgrade cycle for mainly gaming, an i7 is not needed unless you have a 30" monitor or even higher res than 2560x1600. i7 only helps gaming for multi-vidcard configs -- thats where it has its dominant edge over your other choices.

Personally, I'm on a 2yr upgrade cycle as well, but I feel like my Q6600 system will last me much longer, lol, which is why I haven't bought an i7 yet. Though, I do feel like selling my Q9450 and picking up some i7 parts for fun, hehe.
 
M4573R said:
The rigs will be used for almost only gaming. I've read that i7 isn't needed for games, but it still blows the other procs out of the water. If I'm not a frequent upgrader( every two years it seems like), and have the money, should I go i7 then?
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Two years is more frequent than seven or eight. ;)

If you're on a two-year upgrade cycle, go with the Phenom II X3 or X4 (though for a pure gaming machine, you could get away with using a dual-core X2).

If you think you'll keep the system for more than three years, go with the Core i7 920.
 
I run 1920x1200 and will accept nothing less than max settings. :D And I will have the money for i7. But I'm not all for wasting money either. I could spend the extra decking out a lian li or something.
 
The video card matters more for gaming than the processor, as most games are still largely GPU-dependent. Even though the Core i7 platform, in general, outperforms the Phenom II, the money saved by going with a Phenom II system can be used towards a better video card or an additional card.
 
i7 is only warranted for gaming if you're doing a multi-vidcard setup. For any single vidcard system, any of the other CPUs are fine (PhenomII X4, X3, X2, Core2/Pent.DC).
 
M4573R said:
I run 1920x1200 and will accept nothing less than max settings. :D And I will have the money for i7. But I'm not all for wasting money either. I could spend the extra decking out a lian li or something.
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what games are you playing now that are taxing your system?
and what gfx card(s) are you running?
 
I'm currently running an 8800 GTX. Max settings on demigod will will start chugging with lots of units on the screen and L4D will start to drop with lots of things on the screen. I've been starting to OC my E6600 to see if that will help. I haven't noticed anything different really so I'd have to run some benchmarks to know for sure.

If I wanted to go SLI would it be recommended to go i7? Why is it better for SLI?
 
If I wanted to go SLI would it be recommended to go i7? Why is it better for SLI?
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Becuase doing SLI on socket LGA775 is going to need a Nvidia chipset Intel board, and that's often just asking for trouble.

X58 has that Crossfire/SLI flexibility that no other chipset or socket type can match.
 
So there's no fancy speed increase with sli and x58? So in the next two years I'd feel no difference between i7 920 and the 955 BE when running max settings 1920x1200 on every new game? ( given I had the gpu power to run them)

Side node: I thought ddr3 was suppose to run in triple channel.
 
Fast is subjective, especially when you compare your future setup with your current one. A dual GTX 275 SLI setup or a dual HD4890 CF setup is going to be much faster in general than using one 8800GTX regardless of which processor/chipset combination you pursue.

The Intel X58 chipset currently supports tri-channel DDR3 configurations whereas most AMD-based chipsets for the Phenom II support dual channel. I can't predict when AMD will start supporting tri-channel DDR3 RAM.
 
I still have my q6600 3.6 and despite having the money to upgrade I have 0 reason to. Everything I play plays extremely well and nothing in the future coming seems that much more hardware demanding.
 
So should I just keep OCing my E6600 and maybe slap in an HD4890? Seems like the best bang for your buck.
 
That's a good idea. The worst case scenario then would be that you've already purchased one component of your new build: the HD4890.

If you're really itching for a multi-card setup, however, you have to determine for yourself whether or not the benefits are worth the effort. (That, and you might as well get everything right away.)
 
I would definitely do this. The good thing about upgrading every 2+ years is the fact that when that time comes and you do a full upgrade, it will be soo much faster and enjoyable. An O/C E6600 cpu at 3.0+ ghz will not be a bottleneck for an HD 4890 video card. It would be a justifiable reason to upgrade your cpu if the cpu will be a bottleneck regardless of overclocking it. If you had a AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 2.4GHz cpu then.. I wouldn't even bother O/C this and just get a new cpu already.


M4573R said:
So should I just keep OCing my E6600 and maybe slap in an HD4890? Seems like the best bang for your buck.
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If I were you and had the money for i7, I would go that route. Even if i7 is only suitable for multi-gpu setups TODAY, in the future when the video cards become faster and faster, you will have more headroom to upgrade before you see a CPU bottleneck. You may be able to squeeze even more life out of your system, which could make choosing i7 cheaper in the long run.
 
On the flip side of liberalelephant's post, computer parts tend to get cheaper and cheaper, while offering more performance for your money. So, even if you don't buy i7 today, no worries, as there will be better and cheaper parts out when you do need them. ;) I tend to buy what I need every two to three years, and its worked well for me. Other things to keep in mind are the Intel's tick/tock product cycle, as well as the GPU refresh cycles.
 
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