Intel pricing

[mactronix]

I was considering what to do next i have a 775 socket MoBo with an older Core2 chip 4600 to be exact. Now while there is nothing i cant play to a decent standard I'm feeling the need to upgrade soon.
Having weighed things up i find myself in the position of thinking that maybe swapping out for a AM2+ or AM3 Mobo would actually end up being more cost effective in the long run as the top end chips can swap it with even i7 chips when gaming, well its not lumps of FPS difference anyway.

So my point is why are Intel not dropping prices more quickly on the Core 2 series to catch people like me ? I cant be in a minority here. i would happily put a 8400 for example in instead of a full upgrade so maybe that's it maybe they want you to buy a whole new set up.
Problem is their set up just isn't cost effective from a gamers point of view.
I could actually use a AM2+ board and reuse my 6GB or DDR2 ram and save £100 without compramising my FPS too badly. I woukld certainly end up with a far better machine than i have now.
So what are Intel playing at here it seems they are missing an opertunity to clear stocks out. or are they more likley to just eol the core 2 range and take a loss on remaining inventory. The line up certainly cant owe them anything by now.

Mactronix

 

[jsc]

It's not Intel that is responsible for the price we are paying for the Core2 CPU's. It's the sellers. There's still a good market for LGA775 CPU's.

In your case, why not one of the new E6300's or E7200's?

 

[mactronix]

Realistically I would need to get a 8400 or above to see a difference worth having, benchmarks show roughly a 5-10 FPS difference between a 4600 and 7200 depending on the game (1680x1050-1920x1080)). I can get half of that by putting the overclock back on. I'm using it at stock at the moment as i just don't have a CPU restriction issue at the moment, but i can get 3.2 stable if needed.
Its a pity but it does seem as if Intel will loose budget conscious users like myself and all down to pricing.
I was considering getting the new AMD board so i could get the new thurban CPU when its released but that's only AM3 and so I would end up needing new Ram which as I said at £100 for some decent stuff when I payed £45 for what I have is a joke, considering it makes sod all difference worth talking about.
I want to step up to a 5series if the price ever gets realistic or a 6 series when they come out graphics wise and feel that the old 4600 is going to strugle by then.

Mactronix

 

[loneninja]

775 prices are high because of people like you, the people who want to upgrade without replacing the majority of the system. You get ripped off on the new cpu price, but in the end get a better performance/price upgrade than if you swapped out everything.

 

[mactronix]

I undersd that but what I dont understand is the logic, I can and probably will end up getting a AMD board and CPU for the same price as upgrading the CPU if I stuck with the board I have. Hell I could probably even slap a cheap core 2 in this and end up with 2 computers for about half that again. I just dont understand why they are still making the chips but pricing them out of the market.

Mactronix

 

[wikk]

Im in the exact same spot and at least here in Sweden it's priced very oddly (in my opinion at least) with the 775 CPUs being alot more expensive in comparison to the new ones, I mean an Intel Core i7 930 2,8GHz cost just 15 bucks more than a Q9550, is it supposed to be like this..?
It puts us (if I may) in a very complicated situation, since we either pump alot more money into an older socket-type OR switching mobo+ram+CPU, which gets very expensive but gives a socket with a (hopefully) longer life ahead of it.

Or you go AM2 + AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3,4GHz Socket AM3 125W, which gives you a mobo of decent quality + top AMD CPU, for the same cost as a single 775 CPU.. Bah, Intel are so sneaky, if you have a 775 socket they sure make it hard to decide what to do.

 

[mactronix]

You may 😀

That's exactly the same sort of thing I'm up against (I'm in the UK) As you say "AM2 + AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3,4GHz Socket AM3 125W" that's just what I'm thinking. Gaming wise its almost as good as anything i7 included and its a quad so it will multi task well also.
Lots of people seem to think that even a Quad is pointless and gaming wise a fast duo is still the way to go, but to me there are enough games now that show a benefit to make it needed rather than nice.
Also with an AM2+ board i don't need to spend out £100 + on DDR3 Ram either, The CPU is about £140 for comparison

Mactronix

 

[wikk]

Exactly my thoughts, at first I was looking at a Q9550, but found it not really worth it, then I looked at the 1156 solution with a i5 750 but I mean, that got waay expensive for performance that was, albeit good, maybe not that good.
So it really seems this odd setup is the best way to go unless you don't have any budget to mind.

By the way, any ideas about the AM2+ mobo? Been looking around, but I haven't quite made up my mind.

 

[mactronix]

Well i havent looked into it too far myself yet but i like what i have seen in reviews concerning this board Asus M4A785D-M PRO.
Take a look at it on line and see what you think. Solid set of features and overclocking support.

Mactronix

 

[wikk]

Hmm looks good, but how does it work out with the integrated GPU when you install a "real" GPU, is it like running sli/crossfire with one good and one bad card, that the better card gets bottlenecked by the small one, or does it simply help the big one?
Or does it get shutoff?
Since the idea (for me atleast) is that by getting this setup I can still afford a good GPU, so if it gets bottled by the integrated chip it'd be quite a waste. 😀

 

[mactronix]

Most modern boards disable the onboard automaticaly. worst case you shut it off in bios

Mactronix

 

[wikk]

Ah, should've been able to figure that out 😉.

*Edit: Asus M4A78-E seems good aswell, 2x PCI-E x16 so crossfire in the future and since it's 790 chipset it works with the Phenom II 965 afaik.
And it supports 667mhz ddr2 ram, which is what I have currently.
*Edit2: My RAM being supported is the thing Im most worried about, because if it's not supported the deal isn't quite as good anymore.. 😀

 

[mactronix]

yes i should i guess have mentioned that the board i was offering was a single PCIE board and if you want dual card possabilities then the board you mentioned is the better way to go but personally im a one GPU kinda guy

Mactronix

 

[wikk]

I went for the Asus M4A785D-M PRO, seems good enough and was fairly cheap.
Also single GPU, realized that I probably wouldn't use crossfire.

 

[mactronix]

I think i will probably go the same way, dont need Crossfire and actually will go and price it up now, catch you around

Mactronix