I5 750 vs i7 920 vs i7 860

[jbusiness72]

Hey people,

Im having a real hard time deciding on what kinda rig i should get from dell. I thought about building it myself but it seems to be cheaper to get it from dell. I've put together a few combos. I will be using this computer mostly for mixing audio and recording. I use Adobe Audition, Pro Tools, Cubase and other such programs. All those programs use alot of processing power. I want this computer to be the biggest beast possible for the price range im getting from dell. Ive just heard very different things about each processor. I was orignally going to get the Studio XPS but with the new i7 i'm not sure. I know the 860 has the turbo boost but im not sure how that works exactly. Im just trying to figure out what processor would be the best for me to handle the load im going to put on it. Plus im not sure if the motherboard or anything changes between studio xps and xps 8000. I just wanna make an informed decision. I could really use some help.

1. Studio XPS $999

i7 920 2.6 ghz
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 6 DIMMs
1TB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB
standard dvd drive

2. XPS 8000 $949

i5 750 2.6 ghz
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 4 DIMMs
500 gb 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB
standard dvd drive

3. XPS 8000 $1049

i7 860 2.8ghz
(everything else the same as combo 2)

 

[rockyjohn]

Based on the tests on THG - although I expect you must have read them as well - I would be inclined to go with #3 to get the i7 860. I think the hyperthreading is worth the $100 more than the 750 - and the extra speed is nice.

Did you check the size of the PSU for the XPS 8000 vs. the Studio XPS? It might not be a big deal if you are not anticipating a larger video card - but worth checking so you know what the limit might be.

 

[itadakimasu]

i'd go w\ either of the i7's.

You may want to check out the dell.com/outlet. My co-worker got a studio 435mt the other day w\ i7 920, 6gb, 750gb, 4350 for like... $725 I think.

It was scratch n dent and the only defect was a little bend in the corner of the case door.