better to invest on a good processor OR a good motherboard?

[Maculosa]

Hi,

I will be buying a new computer by Christmas but i'm little on budget.

Is it better to invest on a good high end Motherboard that will take the next gen processor (Nehalem) and buy a lower end processor (E8400 by exemple) and upgrade later for a quad core.

Or i should buy right now a good processor but a normal motherboard ?

Thanks

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Well, I think you are more likely to upgrade the processor than the mobo, so the "investment" wo0uld be in the mobo. That's how I see it anyway.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Isn't Nehalem using a different socket?

If you don't need RAID, Gigabyte's P43 chipset motherboard is very good and only $87 at newegg. Pair it with an E8400 like I did and you have a balanced performance combo that is nicely matched to an ATI 4870 or nV GTX 260. No need for an aftermarket heatsink at stock speed either, the intel one is fine.

 

[Maculosa]

IF Nehalem use a different socket does this means there is curently no motherboard that support it ?

 

[Samalama]

Nehalem will in fact use a new socket, though I can't seem to remember what it's called.

My advice would be to invest more in the processor, especially if gaming will be main use for this system. I'm not sure if you read Anandtechs review of Nehalem but they seemed pretty convinced it won't be much of an improvement when it comes to gaming; the largest improvements will be for servers. So if you buy an e8400(3ghz) and eventually overclock it to ~3.6ghz-4.0ghz, then you would be set for quite awhile. Also, I like DaveSimmons recommendation for the motherboard, the P43 is solid chipset and can be found at little cost.

Originally posted by: Maculosa
IF Nehalem use a different socket does this means there is curently no motherboard that support it ?

As far as I know there are no available motherboards that support this.

Edit: I just looked up the name of the new socket; "Socket B" otherwise known as LGA1366.

 

[Blain]

People running a tight budget shouldn't worry about configuring a rig to "last" for years & years. It's just too expensive to buy the right parts.

Buy as much performance as you can afford, TODAY. Don't worry about two or three years down the road.

 

[TidusZ]

You can buy a plenty good motherboard for ~$100, that'll reach fsb speeds to overclock to your heart's content. Don't buy a $250 deluxe motherboard if your on a budget, it makes absolutely no sense. Just get a ep43 or ep45-Ds3L for example and put the rest into the processor, e7200 or e8400 depending on budget.

 

[DSF]

Buy the least expensive motherboard that has everything you need. As long as you're buying a board with good build quality there's no reason to overspend.

Core2 motherboards will not be compatible with Core i7 systems. Similarly, Core2 CPUs will not work in Core i7 motherboards. Unfortunately, this isn't a time where you can really buy with an eye to the future.

 

[Maculosa]

Thanks for the reply,

So buying today it's like buying something that is already obsolete since when i will want to upgrade to Nehalem i will have to change everything.

Anyway, I heard the Nehalem processor are going to come out at Q4 this year (so very soon) anyone know the exact date ?
I should wait for the Nehalem to come out, it will probably make the current processor cheaper...

I would like a Quad Core Q9550 but i think it's still quite expensive (+/- 430$)
if the Nehalem release could lower the price of the Q9550 a lot if would be very interesting...

Thanks
Ps, Sorry for bad english.

 

[Blain]

Just relax, keep saving your cash... let others buy the first round of I7's.
That way you can read what they have to say about them. And then you can contemplate which model fits your needs best.

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: Maculosa
So buying today it's like buying something that is already obsolete since when i will want to upgrade to Nehalem i will have to change everything.

That's how the computer business always is. The parts you buy are obsolete before FedEx even gets them to your house. But we still keep playing cause it's fun.

Nehalem will be out sometime in Q4 this year. Which means sometime between now and December 31. I've heard early November but until the chips are released it's all just rumor and speculation.

As mentioned above, Nehalem is aimed at improvements for the server market, not so much the gaming/general use markets. If you think the Q9550 is expensive, just consider this: Nehalem will base at $350, motherboard will be $300-500 and memory (DDR3 required) runs about $150/4GB (2-3 times the cost of DDR2). And that's before the price gouging kicks in and prices get ridiculous.

Blain summed it up nicely earlier:

Buy as much performance as you can afford, TODAY. Don't worry about two or three years down the road.

BTW, I wouldn't call the e8400 a 'lower end processor' either. For gaming it's one of the best values available today.

 

[biostud]

depending on what you're going to use this computer for, a cheap dualcore + overclocking will probably be the best investment spending your money on a better videocard.

 

[biostud]

It will probably be easier to help if we knew what your budget is.

 

[Maculosa]

Well, i will not buy the Nehalem since everything will be too expensive at lunch. but i bet when the Nehalem will be release the current dual and quad core will lower in price... if it's what it's going to happen so it's worth waiting a month or 2. but i want a new computer before 2009.

This is VERY TRUE : I'm still Running a Pentium 2 450 with 256mb ram. So i need whole new computer. all new parts including Monitor, Case, PS etc.. even keyboard and mouse. (but no printer) Note : I'm Canadian and i have a budget of around 1000-1200$ all included.

I want the computer to be able to handle all new games and i will be doing 3D Render (why i would like a quadcore).
Thanks

 

[DSF]

I wouldn't expect a huge price drop. Nehalem prices aren't going to be low enough to force other prices down. Since Nehalem will be out of the reach of the average joe, PC builders will still pay $200 for Core2Duos and Core2Quads.

Also, look at the pricing on the E6850 as an example. It's still $200 even though the E8400 is newer, slightly faster, uses less power and costs less. Prices on obsolete processors don't always drop the way one might expect.

 

[akugami]

In my many many years of building computers, I'd say just get what you can at a decent price. Many times I have upgraded and the upgraded CPU required a new motherboard. Just get a decent platform for what you need now or within the next 3-6 months. Don't bother trying to project a system that will will allow you to get a cheap upgrade 12-24 months in the future. It rarely works out that way.

Overclocking a system helps to get more bang for your buck but some people do not want to invest the time and risk and that's ok.

If you want a quad core, look to pay in the $200 range for a Q6600 (decent overclocker) with another $100-150 on a motherboard. These prices are USD. You can probably save a bit on a lower powered AMD Phenom X4 9600 and maybe get 2.8ghz or a little more from it for about $120 USD plus another $100+ for a decent motherboard. If you plan to do 3D rendering then I'd go with Vista 64 bit version and get 4GB of RAM which isn't a whole lot more than 2GB.

Throw in a decent PSU and monitor and you should be set. Mouse & keyboard are of course a matter of preference.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Maculosa
Well, i will not buy the Nehalem since everything will be too expensive at lunch.

Will Nehalem get cheaper at dinner? :roll:

 

[0roo0roo]

you only buy a nice m/b if you have the budget and or are going to upgrade the chip within a year or two.

 

[greengrass]

My opinion is to get a good mobo and upgrade the cpu later.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: Maculosa
I would like a Quad Core Q9550 but i think it's still quite expensive (+/- 430$)

If $400 is out of your budget range then i7 is too.

Get a decent motherboard like a P45 Asus or Gigabyte right now, throw in a decent dual-core, and then drop in a Q9550 in about a year's time.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Roguestar

Originally posted by: Maculosa
I would like a Quad Core Q9550 but i think it's still quite expensive (+/- 430$)

If $400 is out of your budget range then i7 is too.

Get a decent motherboard like a P45 Asus or Gigabyte right now, throw in a decent dual-core, and then drop in a Q9550 in about a year's time.

And you may even find that you don't need to drop in the quad core because the E8400 is running the show just fine.

 

[BladeVenom]

You could always go AMD. Their next generation of processor, AM3, is suppose to be backwards compatible with their current motherboards. The current Phenom 9600 quad-core is on sale at Newegg.