Considering 2 diff builds. Opinions desired ;-)

[Kutark]

Ok guys, so i'm about to order some new parts to upgrade my system.

Currently i'm running:

Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
C2D E6600 @ 3.4ghz
4gb DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 (4x1gb)
Coolermaster GeminIIs
Caviar Black 640gb
GTX260 C216 OC.

My processor is getting a bit long in the tooth and this is the main reason i want to do an upgrade, secondarily is to obtain a raid setup, i can't afford SSD at the moment and i've been running single hard drives for as long as i can remember. Tertiarily (sp?) i want to move into a larger, better cooling case, i will be purchasing an Antec Nine Hundred Two (case is set in stone, i recently did a build with it for a friend and fell in love).

Machine is 95% used for Gaming.

Edit: Forgot to mention, both builds would be using Win 7 x64.
Edit 2: Also forgot to mention, both build will use a PC P&C Silencer 750w.


Option 1, the cheaper option:

Q9550 or Q9650
2x WD RE3 320gb in Raid 0
Re-use current MOBO
Re-use current heatsink
Re-use current memory
Re-use current vid card

Advantages: Cheaper, Price/Perf higher?
Disadvantages: No further room to upgrade with current CPU socket limitations, would neccesitate an entirely new build in the future to upgrade. OC'ing options limited to 3.4ghz (q9550) or 3.6ghz (q9650) due to memory constraints.


Option 2:

Core i7 920
New Heatsink
6g Memory
Gigabyte EX58-UD4R
2x WD RE3 320gb in Raid 0
Re-Use Current Vidcard

Advantages: (possible) Higher performance. Future upgradeability in terms of memory capacity and CPU options. Would allow full overclocking capability since i could purchase whatever ram is neccesary to acheive OC goals.

This build would also allow me to use my old cpu/mobo in my HTPC, resulting in a significant upgrade in my HTPC overall speed, etc.

Disadvantages: Price, overall about a $500 difference between the two.

Just curious what your guys opinion was, thanks again all!

 

[Lunyone]

I think you summed up either option pretty well. The i7 is the better setup, IMHO, and will last you through more upgrades than the s775 will. Now i5 is coming out next week and maybe you'll find something a little cheaper and still get a performance upgrade too. I'd probably wait for the i5 reviews/benchmarks and formulate a plan from there. If money was tighter the AMD Phenom II x4 955 wouldn't be a bad option too. It'll be more than your first option, but would be cheaper than the i7 build. With that said, the i5 will probably fit in between the s775 and the i7 builds, so who knows how that is going to pan out.

 

[somethingsketchy]

I'm not sure where you heard about the OC limits on the Q9550 and Q9650, but there are plenty of builds on any tech forum where people have gone from 3.8 to 4.2+ with the Core 2 Quad series. The OC limits you're referring to are more like what the Q6600s are "stuck" at.

Nonetheless both build options you have listed are going to be great for most activities for a couple of years. That'll give you (and everyone else for that matter) time to wait out and see what the Core i5/Core i9 are capable of and how prices will pan out. Personally I would go with the C2Q build (since you didn't really mention what you'll be using this new build for - Gaming? Video Rendering? Photo Editing?) for budget concerns and since there is a LOT of inventory for replacements if a part fails. At any rate the Core i7 will require a significant investment of money for brand new parts, but at least you'll be set for quite some time.

Just a thought.

 

[philosofool]

I think your choice should be between a Core i5 750 (arriving next week) and a Core i7 920. The former will outperform the 9000 series Intels by a considerable margin and should not cost terribly much more. If you thinking you can afford the Core i7, you can definitely afford the Core i5. Currently available (limited) data suggests that except in highly multithreaded applications, the two offer very similar performance in gaming.

I recommend reading this article before you go spending money on RAID 0: http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.aspx?i=2101

 

[Kutark]

Yeah, the rational parts of me is in 100% agreement with you on the C2Q build, but the nerdy computer hardware part of me is leaning towards the i7 build just cus its "new", so to speak.

As for the OC, i wasn't referring to the limits of the proc, but because of my current mem being ddr2-800, i don't see how i could get it past the 8.5x multi on the 9550 or the 9x multi on the 9650. Of course now that i think of it i recall my BIOS having a memory speed divider so that i can do say 3:2, or 1:2 etc, which might give me more leeway on OC'ing options.

I mean if i could realistically get the 9550 up to 3.7-3.8ghz, i would be more than happy with that setup.

I'm sorry i forgot to mention, the system is used primarily for gaming, but i do a lot of research and what not on it as well, so having the quad core is going to be nice due to me constantly having 18 million windows open at the same time heh.

 

[Kutark]

My biggest concern at this point with the i5 is that it uses a different cpue socket than the i7. Whereas ultimately the best of the best procs intel is going to be position to be used in the LGA1366. I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by limiting my processor options to only low-mid end processors because of a different cpu socket.

Its still definitely a viable option. And one i will consider, especially since i could stand to save $75-100 or more on a mobo alone, and 30-40 on memory, etc etc.

 

[Lunyone]

Here is how I see things:
* i7 is the best you can get, and you'll pay for it.
* C2Q/PhII are about equal, generally. The PhII CPU's are a bit better generally too, so hard to call that one. The benefit is that the PhII socket will last longer than the s775, but who knows how long that will be true.
* i5 hasn't been released yet, but is due out next week sometime. It should be less than an i7 build, but probably only by about $50-100 based by "previews". Time will tell what the price difference will be. I haven't seen any benchmarks or reviews on the i5 yet, so I'm not making any judgements yet, although there is alot of hype building and we'll see how that pans out.
* If I was buying today and wasn't waiting for the i5, I'd buy the PhII setup is $ is tight. If you can afford the i7 setup than that would probably be the better overall option. The C2Q is nice too, but s775 is EOL and doesn't have any further future. The PhII does have a future (just don't know how long).

 

[zCypher]

What are you playing these days? If you can enjoy the games without splurging for the more expensive setup, then I'd go for that. No sense in an utter waste of money, especially at the rate that computer hardware comes down in price. Either way, I'm sure you will have lots of fun, and keep AT posted of course