what CPU to choise

[in2ition]

hello guys
I want to build a future gaming proof PC, but I don't know what CPU to buy
for the moment the graphic card will be a 4850 vapor-x ( upgrade with a new card from nvidia 300 / ati 5000 series )
I have money for :
AMD x3 720 black edition( triple core , 2.8 ghz stock ),
AMD x4 810 ( quad core, 2.6 Ghz stock ),
INTEL E 8500 ( core2duo , 3.17 Ghz stock ),
INTEL Q 9400 ( core2quad, 2.66 Ghz stock ).

what CPU is good for future gaming ? now only a few games are "using" quad core cpu : GTA 4 / prototype
I want a CPU that can handle a new video card with DX 11 , the cards that will appear this year / 2010

is it worth it buying now a 775 platform? or it's outdated
what is more future-proof? AM3 or 775
I want PC that could be upgrated in time

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

No rig is future proof. Buy the best you can afford now which in your case is a q9400 and go with that long as you can. I use to have a q9400 before my i7 and I cant tell a difference. Heck this time next year my i7 will be a mid level cpu and then I will proceed to take my money and buy the "next big thing". (Sound of money being flushed down the toilet)

 

[lopri]

E8500 is a very fine CPU. It's the best dual-core CPU out there - it's efficient, cool-running, and extremely performant. Intel knows it and that is why those full-blown Wolfedale CPUs are so expensive. Just keep in mind that LGA775 is a dead-end and will not have new CPU or new chipset supporting it. However, if you don't plan on upgrading in the future, it should still be a fine choice. And if I was picking a quad I'd avoid Q8000 series and opt for Q9000 series.

AM3 has plenty of life left (thus on-going support as well as better upgrade path). Lots of deals can be found as well and you'd get a lot more for your money if you take time to find a right deal. If I were to build a quad-core system on a budget AM3 would be my choice.

Of course we have LGA1366 - If you can afford the price (and heat) it is the best performing platform currently, bar none. The platform will live long, too. Upgrading in the future is reportedly to be very expensive.

Last but not least, LGA1156 is on its way in near future. It'll likely beat both AM3 and lower end LGA1366, but be prepared to pay early adaptor premium at the launch. After a month or two the price will settle and these will be many enthusiasts' choice. At least until P57 comes along.

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: in2ition
hello guys
I want to build a future gaming proof PC, but I don't know what CPU to buy
for the moment the graphic card will be a 4850 vapor-x ( upgrade with a new card from nvidia 300 / ati 5000 series )
I have money for :
AMD x3 720 black edition( triple core , 2.8 ghz stock ),
AMD x4 810 ( quad core, 2.6 Ghz stock ),
INTEL E 8500 ( core2duo , 3.17 Ghz stock ),
INTEL Q 9400 ( core2quad, 2.66 Ghz stock ).

what CPU is good for future gaming ? now only a few games are "using" quad core cpu : GTA 4 / prototype
I want a CPU that can handle a new video card with DX 11 , the cards that will appear this year / 2010

is it worth it buying now a 775 platform? or it's outdated
what is more future-proof? AM3 or 775
I want PC that could be upgrated in time

I'd say go for a AM3 or core i7 or wait for the new core i5/i3 and build around it.

Right now a AM3 Phenom x4 is more future proof because the socket is new and should be around longer then the 775 socket.

If you can afford a q9400 then why not spring for 5$ cheaper <Phenom II AM3 65 watt x4 905e @ 2.5 and overclock it. At stock speeds it's a little faster then a Q6600. Or possibly a Phenom II 940?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103682

 

[in2ition]

thanks for the replies
x4 905 is at the same price with x4 810 ( 2.6 ghz ) and Q9400
I don't have money for i7 , I'm from Europe and the prices are currently high enought ( in my country a decent i7 system will cost me ~ 1500 $, I have only 700$ )

 

[jandlecack]

Originally posted by: OILFIELDTRASH
No rig is future proof. Buy the best you can afford now which in your case is a q9400 and go with that long as you can. I use to have a q9400 before my i7 and I cant tell a difference. Heck this time next year my i7 will be a mid level cpu and then I will proceed to take my money and buy the "next big thing". (Sound of money being flushed down the toilet)

I think you're a bit off on everything you just said there.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Originally posted by: jandlecack

Originally posted by: OILFIELDTRASH
No rig is future proof. Buy the best you can afford now which in your case is a q9400 and go with that long as you can. I use to have a q9400 before my i7 and I cant tell a difference. Heck this time next year my i7 will be a mid level cpu and then I will proceed to take my money and buy the "next big thing". (Sound of money being flushed down the toilet)

I think you're a bit off on everything you just said there.

whats off? Can you deny next year end of July i7 will be a mid range cpu when 6 or 8 core cpus come out? Amd isnt much of an option right now. I seriously cant tell the difference between my Q9400 I had oc'ed to 3.75 compared to my i7 at 3.4ghz.

 

[in2ition]

i7 has 4core native + 4 virtual
i5 will have the same structure so...
I'm afraid to put money in the 775 platform but I can't wait until i5 comes out with a good price

 

[crazylegs]

Out of those options i'd pick AMD Phenom II x3 720 black edition, OC and try your luck at unlocking a free core. Its a very nice gaming CPU and will see you through for a while. Later on if you feel lacing in CPU power for next gen GPU's and if games take more advantage of quads, then you could upgrade to a x4.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

What are the prices of the Phenom II X4 940 and 955? Can you not afford these?

My vote, out of the ones you listed, goes to either the Phenom 720 or Intel Q9400.

 

[in2ition]

x4 940 is 30$ over my budget and x4 955 something like 50-55$
I can affort the x4 940 but with the cut at the mother board
but I think the cpu will "die" on this mobo :

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overv...asp?Model=A780GXH/128M
this is 70$


this is 90$
http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/...roduction.php?S_ID=379

 

[nyker96]

"future gaming proof PC" probably doesn't exist. there will always be faster better cpu/gpu/or other newer equipment out in the future. you can buy the stuff that's from the present and expect them to hold up for the future. simply put present stuff is mostly for present needs. if you want to be more future looking probably a nice quad platform like i7 that also supports octo core when it comes out will be the best bet. but even that is just a guess, who knows what the future games will eventually need. or maybe amd might come up with a nice chip that tuned well for games in the future who knows.

my advice is, buy just what you need for now, save the cash for future upgrades when the future comes.

 

[emilyek]

If you are going single GPU, know what you are doing and don't mind gambling, the Phenom II X2 550 + MSI 770 C45 is unbeatable at $170 for the pair.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130228
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103680

The 550 will overclock well and almost surely unlock to a quad core.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...howthread.php?t=227004

You would of course need some DDR3 sticks and a decent cooler.

 

[jandlecack]

Originally posted by: OILFIELDTRASH

Originally posted by: jandlecack

Originally posted by: OILFIELDTRASH
No rig is future proof. Buy the best you can afford now which in your case is a q9400 and go with that long as you can. I use to have a q9400 before my i7 and I cant tell a difference. Heck this time next year my i7 will be a mid level cpu and then I will proceed to take my money and buy the "next big thing". (Sound of money being flushed down the toilet)

I think you're a bit off on everything you just said there.

whats off? Can you deny next year end of July i7 will be a mid range cpu when 6 or 8 core cpus come out? Amd isnt much of an option right now. I seriously cant tell the difference between my Q9400 I had oc'ed to 3.75 compared to my i7 at 3.4ghz.

If you couldn't tell a difference between a Q9400 and an i7, then I doubt you will tell a difference to a six or eight core processor. Since it simply doesn't get that much faster anymore.

So no, I think the i7 9XX range will still be high end next year. The only chips that Intel is launching, will be comparable at most, or the new top-end extreme chips for the 1366. So there isn't really much competition on the horizon.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Originally posted by: OILFIELDTRASH
No rig is future proof. Buy the best you can afford now which in your case is a q9400 and go with that long as you can. I use to have a q9400 before my i7 and I cant tell a difference. Heck this time next year my i7 will be a mid level cpu and then I will proceed to take my money and buy the "next big thing". (Sound of money being flushed down the toilet)

What can't you tell the difference in (apps)?

 

[hans007]

i'm assuming you are outside of the US, as it makes no sense to me how a q9400 is in your budget, but you cannot afford say a phenom II 945.

I mean if you are in the US get a 945...

 

[happy medium]

The op used the terms "future gaming proof" and "more future proof".

For me "more future proof" means a Quad core cpu ,a cpu socket thats going to last a while, and 4+ gigs of ram.

That points me to a 1366 socket (core i7) or a AM3 motherboard.(mabe with 2 pci-e x16 slots) but he said the i7 is too much money.
Future games and applications will use a quad core cpu. Duel core is old news, and for new systems should be avoided.

And "future gaming proof" points me to a high end card like a 4890/gtx275 or possibly buying a just get me by card now (9800gtx/4850) and wait for the new cards to come out in 3/4 months.

in2ition, where are you buying from? Give me a link to your best pc hardware online shop.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Originally posted by: BTRY B 529th FA BN

Originally posted by: OILFIELDTRASH
No rig is future proof. Buy the best you can afford now which in your case is a q9400 and go with that long as you can. I use to have a q9400 before my i7 and I cant tell a difference. Heck this time next year my i7 will be a mid level cpu and then I will proceed to take my money and buy the "next big thing". (Sound of money being flushed down the toilet)

What can't you tell the difference in (apps)?

The only time I see a difference is in benchmarks and thats great but for what I do day to day use(surf web, run gtx 280, install programs,etc) no difference.

 

[s44]

You just missed a great 955 deal. Wait a bit and something like that will reappear.

No point in buying less than a quad now.

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: OILFIELDTRASH

Originally posted by: BTRY B 529th FA BN

Originally posted by: OILFIELDTRASH
No rig is future proof. Buy the best you can afford now which in your case is a q9400 and go with that long as you can. I use to have a q9400 before my i7 and I cant tell a difference. Heck this time next year my i7 will be a mid level cpu and then I will proceed to take my money and buy the "next big thing". (Sound of money being flushed down the toilet)

What can't you tell the difference in (apps)?

The only time I see a difference is in benchmarks and thats great but for what I do day to day use(surf web, run gtx 280, install programs,etc) no difference.

Sounds like you need a faster hardrive setup.

 

[in2ition]

Originally posted by: hans007
i'm assuming you are outside of the US, as it makes no sense to me how a q9400 is in your budget, but you cannot afford say a phenom II 945.

I mean if you are in the US get a 945...

the 945 is 30$ more expensive than Q9400

@ happy medium
I'm from Romania, if you can manage with the language
you have a link

 

[hans007]

Originally posted by: in2ition

Originally posted by: hans007
i'm assuming you are outside of the US, as it makes no sense to me how a q9400 is in your budget, but you cannot afford say a phenom II 945.

I mean if you are in the US get a 945...

the 945 is 30$ more expensive than Q9400

@ happy medium
I'm from Romania, if you can manage with the language
you have a link

ah i didnt realize the q9400 was more (it is more at newegg.com for US also).

i guess you could wait for the 925 to come out if you are not in a hurry.

am3 does seem to have a more future proof socket, as 775 is pretty much going to be for low cost desktops only after this year and after 1156 socket comes out.

 

[midnight growler]

What about AM2+? With AM2+ being backwards and forwards compatible, the only big difference is it using DDR2 ram instead of DDR3. Right now the difference is hardly noticeable and DDR2 ram isn't going to suddenly disappear.

 

[in2ition]

both AM2+ quads are over my budget , lol
when the phenom 2 925 will be released? it will be a am3 quad for budget?

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: in2ition
both AM2+ quads are over my budget , lol
when the phenom 2 925 will be released? it will be a am3 quad for budget?

It's allready been released for computer manufacturers. It should be available any day now for consumers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...ett-Packard-_-83107987