Core i7 P55 Vs X58

[handscombmp]

Now i'm in a bit of a pickle for which chipset to go for, for my next pc.

Idealy i'd like it to be Core i7 and i'm stuck on which chipset to get.

When as far as i can tell the x58 offers these benefit over the p55
Triple Channel Memory (for what i've read it doesn't make that much difference)
Sli and Xfire (highly doubt i'd ever use these)
Future 6 core chips (possible but will probaly be to expenisve and may come out on p55)

So of all the benefits i can't see one's i'd really use.

Whilst the core i7 p55 chipset has a much lower TDP (about 25% of the i7 920) which i'd like as i'm going to be using it as a gaming htpc, so the quieter the better, and it's cheaper by about £75.

When what do you reckon as i'm leaning towards the p55 chipset unless you guys can steer me another way.

[Terbinator]

P55. You've already mentioned the pro's of X58 and the ones that apply to your gaming rig are a sticking point. Even if you was to venture down a dual-GPU solution the % lost is around 5% at most AFAIK, triple channel memory is of no benefit to a gaming system - more so with the additional cost of 6GB. This is of course assuming your going i7 860, seen as the TDP is of interest to you you might like to know that by simple dropping the multiplier down to x19 the 860 at loads uses 73W !

[scaryjim]

Depends what CPU you're going for, surely? Franky, for a "gaming HTPC" pretty much any quad core i5 or i7 is going to be overkill, so I'd personally go for an i5 750 on P55 and save yourself ~ £100 over an i7 920 on X58.

If you're considering the LGA1156 i7 800s, though, I'd advise against it while you can still get i7 920s: they're a better chip for lower cost, and you'll cover a lot of the difference in motherboard costs with the cheaper CPU (at Scan currently, the i7 920 is £205 and the i7 860 is £225).

[Terbinator]

As jim says, personally i would recommend the i5 750.

[marshalex]

+1 for the i5. seems to be a cracking performer for the price and coupled with a good motherboard you'll have a great bit of kit for the price. my brothers rig which i built using an i5 and a gd80 (reduced price one ) is fantastic. if you've got a budget then you cant go wrong with the i5, got a bit more cash to spend then i'd probably go with the 1366 i7

[Pob255]

The p55 can do sli or crossfire in x8 + x8 where as the x58 can do full x16 + x16
The loss for x8 is around 1-2% on a 5870 if I remember correctly so you can pritty much rule that out.

I would say the p55 for i5 750 or the x58 for i7 920
I'd not bother with the 1156 i7 's

You can pick up 6gb memory sets for the same sort of cost as 4gb kits, however I don't really think that's of much benefit as I don't think any games actually demand that much atm.
The 1366 cpu's can use a wider range of voltages than the 1156 cpu's, this was a big issue when they first came out as there where far fewer lower voltage sets about, however this is less now.

I agree with scaryjim on the i7 cpu costs, although thoes savings will get eaten up by the higher motherboard costs.
Again when the 1156 first came out it was a different situation.

If your heart is set on i7 then go with the i7 920 & x58 simply because that's the bottom end cpu so at a later date your should be able to upgrade if you need to (although I doubt it) however if you get a high end 1156 i7 then you'll have a hard time upgradeing it.

[handscombmp]

So you guys think that it might be better for me to pick up a Core i5.

I've been looking at prices and i never realised that the i7 860 was about £5-10 more expensive than the i7 920. I always thought it was about £25-30 cheaper.

On the heat front i just want a lower tdp as my pc is currently fairly nosiy but i think it's mainly down to the case fans which i'm about to replace.

Still really strugglining on which one to go espically as you've thrown the i5 into my way.

Correct me if i'm wrong but isn't the i5 750 bascially just an i7 860 without the hyperthreading

[Pob255]

Yep the i7 860 is basically the i5 750 with HT and a 1 higher multiplier (21 vs 20)
i5 750 http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=42915
i7 860 http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41316

[oolon]

HT when the processor already has 4 cores for anything other an a virtualising server seems pointless to me.

[Fraz]

HT when the processor already has 4 cores for anything other an a virtualising server seems pointless to me.

With an attitude like that, why bother to live in a house with a central heating system when you can just make do by living in a cave and having an open fire, eh?

I see every point in hyperthreading, and I don't run a virtualising server.

[oolon]

With an attitude like that, why bother to live in a house with a central heating system when you can just make do with living in a cave and have an open fire, eh?

I see every point in hyperthreading, and I don't run a virtualising server.

My point was most people can't keep 4 cores busy, so there is little point is having 4 extra decoders sitting around doing nothing. I am thinking seriously about this myself as my dad is in the market for a new system and i was thinking I would get him a 750, however I myself I have w3550 so open to ideas. The 750 to me seems much better price/performance at this level. Clearly there are some people who will and they should get a full fat i7/X58 system.

[LaxBlade]

Now i'm in a bit of a pickle for which chipset to go for, for my next pc.

Idealy i'd like it to be Core i7 and i'm stuck on which chipset to get.

When as far as i can tell the x58 offers these benefit over the p55
Triple Channel Memory (for what i've read it doesn't make that much difference)
Sli and Xfire (highly doubt i'd ever use these)
Future 6 core chips (possible but will probaly be to expenisve and may come out on p55)

So of all the benefits i can't see one's i'd really use.

Whilst the core i7 p55 chipset has a much lower TDP (about 25% of the i7 920) which i'd like as i'm going to be using it as a gaming htpc, so the quieter the better, and it's cheaper by about £75.

When what do you reckon as i'm leaning towards the p55 chipset unless you guys can steer me another way.

I guess from what I'm reading you have already made up your mind, as you seem to have done some homework....

Yep, I agree with most of the room an i5 750 or i7 860 on a P55 Mobo...

Better easier overclocking witha P55 board, the (i7 920) X58 chipset runs much hotter and is a triffle harder to get above the 4Ghz barrier even with a Noctua Cooler at £60.

Make life easier by going for the new P55 Lynnfield technology... and save some money..
Fav boards are MSI P55 GD65 or GD80 and soon to be realised GD85...

Or Gigabyte UD4, UD5 or UD6 and if your up to it, in a few eeks time the UD7 will be released with SATA 6 and USB 3.0 etc. and other bells and whistles....

Good luck...

[handscombmp]

Ok then. I'm probaly going to get a Core i5 750 then so i'll need a P55 mobo.

Now i'm wandering if getting a USB 3 and SATA 6Gbs is worth it or not.

When i was looking at the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 for £110 but i then noticed i could get the Gigabyte GA-P55-UD5 for an extra £10 (£120).
Which has more features but is lacking USB 3 and SATA 6Gbs. Plus i'm slightly concerned about room around the CPU socket as i want to get the Noctua NH-U12P SE2 (assuming it will fit in my current pc case. anbody got anyideas on that).

What do you guys think on the mobo. is there a better one i haven't found.

[Terbinator]

You could always buy add-in cards for USB 3 and SATA 6

[LaxBlade]

Ok then. I'm probaly going to get a Core i5 750 then so i'll need a P55 mobo.

Now i'm wandering if getting a USB 3 and SATA 6Gbs is worth it or not.

When i was looking at the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 for £110 but i then noticed i could get the Gigabyte GA-P55-UD5 for an extra £10 (£120).
Which has more features but is lacking USB 3 and SATA 6Gbs. Plus i'm slightly concerned about room around the CPU socket as i want to get the Noctua NH-U12P SE2 (assuming it will fit in my current pc case. anbody got anyideas on that).

What do you guys think on the mobo. is there a better one i haven't found.

Please by all means go Gigabyte if you like But Don't go less than P55-UD4 £130 or P55A-UD4 £150
as you know the letter P55A- means SATA6 and USB 3.0.

You can always buy the P55-UD4 or P55-UD5 which are nice Board's, then when you have more money buy the PCI-E Expansion cards to upgrade to USB3.0 - I would NOT worry about SATA 6 because it will be a month or two before Sata 6 Hard drives become mainstream. External USB 3.0 Hard Drives are Nice to have as Backup drives... Sata 6 Drives will be twice the price, (at the start) so NOT a good idea until the price comes down.

So P55-UD4 or P55-UD5 are the better choice, However (if its o/c) you're after then go P55-UD5 better o/clocking board. Much better cooling than the UD4. Tho, the UD4 is still a good board.

Just remember you can upgrade to USB 3.0 anytime for £24-£26 for the PCI-E controller.

Forget about the Noctua NH-U12P SE2, as you will need a Full-Mid Sized tower sized case wide enough to fit. As it is massive.... You will need at least a CoolerMaster HAF 922 £85-£95 with window. or Antec 300 - £40 Quid.

Its money you don't need to spend if you cannot afford it.

Also a Good PSU min HX650 or TX650 Corsair PSU. (For ripple free good clean power on one 12v Rail). People don't understand how important a good power supply is. So BUY only what you can afford.

Corsair PSU, - Case, - Motherboard, - i5 750, - Cooler. -Plus good quality Thermo paste, MX-2 or MX-3.

Good - Luck...! LaxBlade

[handscombmp]

I only chose the noctua becausce i want the pc to be silent and this get's very good reviews.

According to the stats though the cooler is smaller than my current one height wise. I can't belive that.