i7 920 vs q9550 :o

[elxx]

Can someone help me decide?

Hello,
i'm going to build one of these gaming rigs:
It will be a completely new rig, because i', going from a AMD 3500+.

Prices are converted from Danish crowns to USD

The i7 rig:
Core i7 920 ~ $364
Asus P6T Deluxe ~ $390
Corsair XMS3 3x2GB ~ $347
EVGA GTX 280 Standard clock ~ $610
Quality case ~ ($150)
PSU Corsair TX650W i thnk, but undecided ~ ($130)

Total price $1991

The Q9550 rig:
C2Q Q9550 ~ $398
Asus P5Q Pro ~ $170
Corsair XMS2 2x2GB (C5) ~ $95
EVGA GTX 260 Superclocked ~ $390
Antec Sonata III with PSU ~ $133

Total price $1186


The ONLY reason i'm thinking about a Q9550 and not a i7 is errata/errors/bugs.
Do you think it will be a waste of money to buy a Q9550 and wait for the i7 to mature, or should i go straight to the i7 920?

I'm extremly picky when it comes to errors and such things.. even the minor microstuttering in a game will freak me out, and that's also why i'm so stupid to think about buying a Q9550 :s

If i choose the Q9550, i will buy a i7 next summer because at this time, i think that i will feel more comfortable about the i7, and the most serious errata might has been fixed.

If i choose the i7, and i does not work out, i fear that i have to buy a fixed new board and CPU later on.
I've been having this dilemma for months now, and now when the i7 is available i would also like to know how people thinks about it. I really hope that someone can help me decide because i'm using like 10 hours everyday thinking about hardware.. omg.. so please

My current system is a AMD 3500+ so no matter what i choose it's going to be a nice upgrade.



regards
elxx

 

[Keysplayr]

Ok, I'll bite. What errata?

 

[elxx]

The i7 has 77 discovered errata according to Intel, and i think it's very normal for a new architecture to have errata :/

http://download.intel.com/desi...or/specupdt/320836.pdf

 

[Martimus]

I would prefer the 9550 just because the whole platform is stable. (I just built one using a Q9550 yesterday) You never know what kinds of problems these first X58 MB's are going to have, or whether the initial batch of i7's have some setting that burns them out quickly just because you can't test everything before roll out. Just look at the 680i problems when the Core 2 Duo was released. Things like that you won't know about until after enough people have run the system for some period of time.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Q9550 because if you overclock, there is very little information on the i7 as far as 24/7 stability and what voltages are safe etc. You only have the upper limits that Intel warns about. You already know that a Q9550 can get at least 3.6Ghz and there's numerous reports and tests around the web that detail every possible voltage and setting.

 

[kg4icg]

Thing is Intel's chipsets have always been more reliable then Nvidia's. X58 are Intel chipsets which Intel developed unlike Nvidia's 5,6,and 7 series chipsets. As for erratta all cpus have them and that's why they write programs to work with them, it's nothing new. Oh by the way, Dell has released a XPS desktop with x58 6gb ddr3 ATI 4850 plus some other things for like 1200 dollars US.
http://www.desktopreview.com/default.asp?newsID=537

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: elxx
The i7 has 77 discovered errata according to Intel, and i think it's very normal for a new architecture to have errata :/

http://download.intel.com/desi...or/specupdt/320836.pdf

Every CPU has errata. How many discovered errata does a 9550 have?
If you were able to find details on i7 errata, it should be a snap to find it on 9550.

 

[elxx]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: elxx
The i7 has 77 discovered errata according to Intel, and i think it's very normal for a new architecture to have errata :/

http://download.intel.com/desi...or/specupdt/320836.pdf

Every CPU has errata. How many discovered errata does a 9550 have?
If you were able to find details on i7 errata, it should be a snap to find it on 9550.

The Q9550 has 72 errata, but i guess the most serious ones has been worked out, and new less serious errata has been discovered. :/

 

[tim924]

Originally posted by: elxx

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: elxx
The i7 has 77 discovered errata according to Intel, and i think it's very normal for a new architecture to have errata :/

http://download.intel.com/desi...or/specupdt/320836.pdf

Every CPU has errata. How many discovered errata does a 9550 have?
If you were able to find details on i7 errata, it should be a snap to find it on 9550.

The Q9550 has 72 errata, but i guess the most serious ones has been worked out, and new less serious errata has been discovered. :/

That's weird,you seem to have gathered all the informations you needed for yourself,and while others giving you ideas of getting i7 920,you automatically self-rejected it,so I guess you have made up your mind regardless what others have to say.

 

[MarcVenice]

Save 800$ and go with the q9450 and buy yourself a nice 24/26" screen and a faster videocard instead.

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: elxx

Hello,
i'm going to build one of these gaming rigs:

And money is no issue?

QX9650 + 8GB + Velociraptor

E8600 + 8GB + Velociraptor

790i Ultra / FTW + GTX280 OC TRi-SLi

+ x48 + 48701GB OC Crossfire

i7 965 EE + NV200 ASUS x58 + GTX280 tri sli

 

[JPB]

Here you go OP, this review is what your looking for.

 

[JPB]

Originally posted by: elxx
Can someone help me decide?

Hello,
i'm going to build one of these gaming rigs:
It will be a completely new rig, because i', going from a AMD 3500+.

Prices are converted from Danish crowns to USD

The i7 rig:
Core i7 920 ~ $364
Asus P6T Deluxe ~ $390
Corsair XMS3 3x2GB ~ $347
EVGA GTX 280 Standard clock ~ $610
Quality case ~ ($150)
PSU Corsair TX650W i thnk, but undecided ~ ($130)

Total price $1991

The Q9550 rig:
C2Q Q9550 ~ $398
Asus P5Q Pro ~ $170
Corsair XMS2 2x2GB (C5) ~ $95
EVGA GTX 260 Superclocked ~ $390
Antec Sonata III with PSU ~ $133

Total price $1186


The ONLY reason i'm thinking about a Q9550 and not a i7 is errata/errors/bugs.
Do you think it will be a waste of money to buy a Q9550 and wait for the i7 to mature, or should i go straight to the i7 920?

I'm extremly picky when it comes to errors and such things.. even the minor microstuttering in a game will freak me out, and that's also why i'm so stupid to think about buying a Q9550 :s

If i choose the Q9550, i will buy a i7 next summer because at this time, i think that i will feel more comfortable about the i7, and the most serious errata might has been fixed.

If i choose the i7, and i does not work out, i fear that i have to buy a fixed new board and CPU later on.
I've been having this dilemma for months now, and now when the i7 is available i would also like to know how people thinks about it. I really hope that someone can help me decide because i'm using like 10 hours everyday thinking about hardware.. omg.. so please

My current system is a AMD 3500+ so no matter what i choose it's going to be a nice upgrade.



regards
elxx

I would go for the Q9550 setup. Although I would get rid of the ASUS board and go with the Gigabyte UD3P

 

[vj8usa]

Why would you be getting a weaker vid card + PSU with the Q9550 than with the i7? If anything, it'd make more sense to do the opposite, since you'd save money on the mobo (if going Q9550) which you could spend towards a better video card

 

[elxx]

Thanks for all replies..

Originally posted by: vj8usa

Why would you be getting a weaker vid card + PSU with the Q9550 than with the i7? If anything, it'd make more sense to do the opposite, since you'd save money on the mobo (if going Q9550) which you could spend towards a better video card

Hello,
The Q9550 rig will just be a temporary emergency solution because i'm too paranoid about the i7 as a new architecture.. the thing is, that people told me that it's stupid to buy a new architecture, and i can't say if they are right or wrong, so i have no idea what to do.. i really am in love with the i7, and i WANT it.. if not now, then in ½ year.

 

[solofly]

I would say it all depends on how often you upgrade... (in other words how long are planning to keep your system) and don't be scared.

 

[tim924]

Originally posted by: elxx
Thanks for all replies..

Originally posted by: vj8usa

Why would you be getting a weaker vid card + PSU with the Q9550 than with the i7? If anything, it'd make more sense to do the opposite, since you'd save money on the mobo (if going Q9550) which you could spend towards a better video card

Hello,
The Q9550 rig will just be a temporary emergency solution because i'm too paranoid about the i7 as a new architecture.. the thing is, that people told me that it's stupid to buy a new architecture, and i can't say if they are right or wrong, so i have no idea what to do.. i really am in love with the i7, and i WANT it.. if not now, then in ½ year.

If you are gonna upgrade to i7 in just half a year again,so why even bother wasting money on a Q9550 set-up now?You know up until now,it's not like there's some sort of major buggy issues with i7 path,and it's not like the core 2 launch situations where they launched the lower end first,the LGA1336 platform is the high end one for quite a long time for now,there is no point to jump on a dead-end socket for half a year to realize it's just no match for i7 performance-wise and upgradability-wise.

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: elxx
Thanks for all replies..

Originally posted by: vj8usa

Why would you be getting a weaker vid card + PSU with the Q9550 than with the i7? If anything, it'd make more sense to do the opposite, since you'd save money on the mobo (if going Q9550) which you could spend towards a better video card

Hello,
The Q9550 rig will just be a temporary emergency solution because i'm too paranoid about the i7 as a new architecture.. the thing is, that people told me that it's stupid to buy a new architecture, and i can't say if they are right or wrong, so i have no idea what to do.. i really am in love with the i7, and i WANT it.. if not now, then in ½ year.

If you really want it, then get it. It is like getting the first model year of a car; you can expect some problems. But I don't think any of the problems to be more than just an annoyance, or maybe a lack of flexibility in the components that will be supported down the road.

 

[JackyP]

If you really care about errata and error rates you should get ECC RAM and maybe even a sever/workstation class mainboard. Anything else is just child's play in the great scheme of things. What good is a CPU that is less likely to have an errata if the rest of your system will be much more likely to produce errors, when compared to the CPU.

 

[RiverRicer]

OP reminds me of the TV show 'Monk'.

 

[MarcVenice]

If you are this paranoid about hardware, then well, something is wrong. If you got money to blow, blow it on i7 all you want, but then again, why are you even asking for advice ?

If you do not have money to blow, be sensible, stick with s775, because it gives equal gaming performance as long as you're not running 2560*1600 and have sli-ed gtx280's. It will save you a fair amount of money, that could be spend on a bigger monitor and/or a better videocard.

If you are upgrading again in 6 months, then I once again ask, why are you even asking for advice?

 

[nyker96]

why not just get the i7, doubt the errata will be much of a problem.

 

[sgrinavi]

Originally posted by: elxx


The Q9550 rig will just be a temporary emergency solution because i'm too paranoid about the i7 as a new architecture.. the thing is, that people told me that it's stupid to buy a new architecture, and i can't say if they are right or wrong, so i have no idea what to do.. i really am in love with the i7, and i WANT it.. if not now, then in ½ year.

That is one spendy temporary rig.....

If you want fast gaming for the short term an E8500 E0 should do the trick. I would not cheap out on the drives, PSU and GPU as you can use them in your I7 system when you set it up....

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: RiverRicer
OP reminds me of the TV show 'Monk'.

OCD?

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
Save 800$ and go with the q9450 and buy yourself a nice 24/26" screen and a faster videocard instead.

I like this idea the best.