New Hardware - Advice Needed!

[Scott]

Hi All

It's been a very long time since i upgraded my computer (last time i bought it was a 6600 and a P5B Deluxe WiFi that i still have...). Since i have a little bit of spare cash and the need to change my PCs over i have decided to look at getting some new kit!

However this it seems is where my knowledge ends, i used to read the forums daily and spent a good hour keeping up to date with new stuff sadly life got in the way so im way outside of the loop now!

Ive been looking around and it seems Core i7 is or is there some new stuff coming out in 2010 that is worth waiting for?

General use will be for online gaming, some intensive video/music stuff and of course surfing and emails Budget is really what it needs to be to get what i like im going to start with Motherboard/Ram and new PSU the rest will follow later.

Could anyone offer some advice as to whats 'in' these days and what are the must haves? Or point me to a place that can give a cool run down on what is around and the best use for each? Of course with that things to look out for and steer clear of would be good also!

Thanks

Scott

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

You need to know what budget you have and whether you need a copy of an OS and perirpherals as part of the build.

Also an upgrade to your current system can also help. A secondhand Q6600 or Q6700 would probably suffice in most cases especially with a small overclock on stock voltage.

I have a 975X based motherboard in my SFF and I managed to get a cheap Q6600 which should do me for a while longer.

For instance this is what I would get at various price-points:
1.)You have around £450 to £500 - get a Core i7 920,X58 motherboard and 6GB of DDR3
2.)You have around £400 - get a Core i7 860,P55 motherboard and 4GB of DDR3
3.)You have around £300 to £350 - get a Core i5 750,P55 motherboard and 4GB of DDR3
4.)You have around £275 to £300 - get a Phenom II X4 965 or a Phenom II X4 955,a 770 or a Crossfire capable 790X motherboard and 4GB of DDR3

[Scott]

Budget is really whatever is needed, i dont want to stay on S775 so i want to move onto the later/latest components that are available. So far im seeing i3/i5 and i7 with i think i7 being my preference.

The only thing i will keep from my current build will be the Hard Drives and the Case pretty much everything else will be moved around into another PC for the family.

Im in the mood to replace everything but for this threads purposes it will be Mobo/Ram/PSU and nothing else. Rest of it and OS/Software will come later and has no bearing on this budget (however it will be 64bit Win7 im sure....).

Other than i7 is there anything else that is available? It has to be intel for me so none of this AMD stuff. I am more than happy with intel so will be staying with them!

Scott

[Zak33]

something worth knowing is that because of the memory contorller on the COrei7 you need quite low voltage ram... so you'll prolly be able to sell your entire current kit as a whole!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Budget is really whatever is needed, i dont want to stay on S775 so i want to move onto the later/latest components that are available. So far im seeing i3/i5 and i7 with i think i7 being my preference.

The only thing i will keep from my current build will be the Hard Drives and the Case pretty much everything else will be moved around into another PC for the family.

Im in the mood to replace everything but for this threads purposes it will be Mobo/Ram/PSU and nothing else. Rest of it and OS/Software will come later and has no bearing on this budget (however it will be 64bit Win7 im sure....).

Other than i7 is there anything else that is available? It has to be intel for me so none of this AMD stuff. I am more than happy with intel so will be staying with them!

Scott

I have edited my post with suggestion at various price-points. Also considering that AMD chips power some of the biggest supercomputers in the world I don't think that blindly following Intel makes any sense!! I tend to go with what ever gives me the best value for my budget and what I need it for. Brand means nothing TBH.

Intel is as reliable as AMD and vice versa.

[Scott]

something worth knowing is that because of the memory contorller on the COrei7 you need quite low voltage ram... so you'll prolly be able to sell your entire current kit as a whole!

I think my current setup (minus a few bits) will be going to my parents. They are still using a Socket7 AMD 1800 so they need an upgrade!

I have edited my post. Also considering that AMD powers some of the biggest supercomputers in the world I don't think that blindly following Intel makes any sense!!

Intel is as reliable as AMD and vice versa.

Ive nothing against AMD at all, i am just more than happy with Intel so want to stay with them! Currently looking at ASUS boards really ive had them for many years and not had a problem but some of the newer ones that seem to be out by other manufactuers offer some good Warrenties and such (not yet sure if Asus do the same).

Edit2: LOL, forgot to say i would be looking at a new CPU as well as the Motherboard/RAM/PSU!

So much to learn and pick up again, and ive only been out of the loop for 18 months

Edit: Saw your edited post and seems i7 will be the way to go for me. My budget will be upwards of £500 so it seems to fit. I was looking at the Asus X58 boards are they worth going for or is there another manufacturer that is worth looking at? Also i needed to include a new Processor with this lot as that will be needed obviously!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I think my current setup (minus a few bits) will be going to my parents. They are still using a Socket7 AMD 1800 so they need an upgrade!



Ive nothing against AMD at all, i am just more than happy with Intel so want to stay with them! Currently looking at ASUS boards really ive had them for many years and not had a problem but some of the newer ones that seem to be out by other manufactuers offer some good Warrenties and such (not yet sure if Asus do the same).

So much to learn and pick up again, and ive only been out of the loop for 18 months

I would look at either a Core i7 860 which is a socket 1156 processor or a Core i7 920 or 930 which are socket 1366 processors.

For gaming I would go for a cheaper socket 1156 based setup although socket 1366 is a better platform for multi card setups. Unless you are massively overclocking the CPU socket 1156 processors tend to have far lower power consumption too. Avoid the overpriced Core i5 dual cores!!

A socket 1366 based setup is probably better for a non-gaming setup unless you are using multiple cards.

As you have probably realised the "new" Intel naming convention is crap. There are both socket 1156 and socket 1366 Core i7 processors.