Please Help decided

[d3n1x]

Hi everyone.


I'm pretty new to Home built process, this is my second time i have built a computer, however this time i have done almost everything by myself. I have been thinking about going either Intel quad or Intel duo for about 3 weeks now even though AMD quads are cheaper and you get almost as good performance as the q9650 and the q9550 for the price of a Duo. Despite this I have decided to go with Intel this time around. So i have debated whether i should go with the Q9550 ($270) or Q9650 ($325) or this E8500 ($189). I don't really multitask, the most I have open at one time is iTunes, two or three messengers, Skype maybe internet explorer and play poker. I do play some older games (<5hr a week), mainly Counter Strike and Soccer (FIFA) but I will be buying GTAIV as soon as I finish building.

1. My main question is how much programs need to be running to put the 4 cores to use? Will my small multitasking require quad?

2. does it makes since to just got with the e8500 for now and upgrade to quad in 2 years when they are cheaper.

3. is it worth spending money on ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler and ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound if i don't overclock?

Finally, will i ever need (even 2 or 3 years from now) 16gb of ram with the amount of work i do. I have been thinking about getting GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P so its upgradable 2/3 years from now?

Thanks so much

 

[rags_20]

1. You can run all your programs plus a game with no problems. Only GTA IV uses all 4 cores. And it needs 4 cores. GTA IV is no go with dual core.

2. No (Why don't you get i7 now? You're willing to spend more than $300)

3. Yes. (That's my pov. Intel's stock HSF just sucks)

Finally- Toms had a recent article in which there was no difference between 3, 6 and 12GB of RAM. Even 8GB is not needed now. 3 for tri-channel and 4 for dual channel is fine now. 6 for tri-channel (tri-channel is going out of phase now) and 8 for dual should be more than enough even after 2-3 yrs.

 

[ainarssems]

Get Q9550 and 4GB of RAM. Sholud last for 2-3 years fine, might need to upgrade to 8GB after 1.5-2 years depending how software develops.
No need for aftermarket cooler if you do not overclock. But I recommend getting good cooler and overclock to get full potential out of CPU. For $55 difference in price for Q9550 and Q9650 You can get good cooler and overclock way past Q9650 stock speed.

 

[d3n1x]

Thanks guys. The reason why i dont want to go with the i7 is because i havent overclocked and i dont feel very comfortable learning how to on a new system with i7 or quad. i might try to overclock my old AMD chip first and see if i can do it right before i try my luck on the new system. Therefore i wanted to go with a high ghz chip like 3.0 and maybe overclock a year from today. This is also one of the reason why i have been leaning towards the e8500 3.16 ghz.

People keep telling me to get x3 720 AMD, what do u guys think?

 

[rags_20]

I don't understand. It's ok to start OCing on an i7. You can get advice here. That's no reason to let an i7 and get a core 2 duo. Just get i7. An i7 without an OC is so much better than an E8500 @ 4 GHz. And get a TRUE (i7s run hot)

 

[d3n1x]

To be honest i don't think i need an i7 and maybe not even a quad and that's why i have been hesitant on spending more than $300 on CPU and MB. I do have $1000 to build a system but im trying to figure out if i need to spend the full amount for my needs or i can do just as well for 700//800 and maybe do a another built 2/3 year from now.

 

[The Third Level]

Go for a Phenom II X3 720 + an AM3 mobo. You should be able to get that combo for 300 and the AM3 socket should have a few upgrades in the future.