Q9550 VS I7 920/940 ?

[VoidNull]

I am looking to move away from AMD for many reasons, one of them being that I wish to add a second GTX280 and I just cant see my AMD processor keeping up and the Phenom II just doesn't seem to cut it.

So my question is, what is better in terms of Price VS Performance, the upper tier of Itels last gen, or moving on to the I7, and is that .2Ghz difference between the 920 & 940 really worth $100 per .1 Ghz ?

 

[jsc]

If I were starting from scratch - with the exception of the video card - and did not have a really tight budget, I'd go with the i7.

920 or 940? I am very reluctant to pay more than $300 for a CPU

 

[VoidNull]

Well Motherboard, RAM and CPU will be going into the Wifes computer.

If I get a 2nd GTX280 Ill need a new Power Supply, but I can do with the single 280 for a little while longer, so Ill be holding off on a new PSU when I pick up the 2nd 280, but then I guess that really does make a new computer.

 

[sharken]

Get the 920, its same chip, all ar e same chip, dont pay 300 for them to OC it for you to 2.93 haha, push it yourself to 3.6 safely or more on air..... Hear me now believe me later...

 

[VoidNull]

Current CPU is a 5400+ with a slight OC to 3Ghz because the motherboard doesn't seem to be able to do anything more than that without having a heart attack.

My CPU really is an embarrassment, so anything will be better than whats in there already, the GTX 280 makes up for the crappy CPU in most cases, but the 5400 is so holding the card back.

Nice to hear that the 920 and the 940 is the same chip, I picked up an Antec 900 case, and a huge heat sink in preparation for getting a new motherboard and processor.

 

[Akebono 98]

+1 to jsc and sharken.

i7 is a better quad core platform (not to mention the hyper-threading) if you don't mind the cost and especially as things move forward. However, if you're not in a rush and can wait, then it might be better to wait a few months because this platform is so new (prices may fall and the wrinkles would be ironed out).

Don't buy a 940--use the savings and buy a heatsink for the 920 instead and overclock it past the 940, as they are the same chip.

LGA 1366 coolers are different from LGA 775, so I hope that you don't have a problem there. The socket is bigger and the surface of the chip is also bigger. If i7, then use the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme 1366RT.

On the other hand, with the upcoming release of GTX 285, older GTX 280s are on clear-out sale, so see if you can find a companion for your existing card now.

 

[VoidNull]

That was my plan, last year I picked up a 280 when they came out, taking advantage of EVGA's trade up policy.

I was waiting for the next gen of cards to pick up a 2nd 280, and I figured I could hold off upgrading my processor until prices for a 2nd 280 came down to about $300 and from what I am seeing from benchmarks, the GTX 280 in SLI is comparable to the GTX295.

The heatsink I picked up has a huge huge flat bottom is about the size of 2 processors all around, but if I have to get a new heatsink im down with that as well.

 

[Akebono 98]

That's really great foresight and planning on your part. i7 with SLI GTX 280 would be my choice for top drawer FPS gaming right now.

Btw, what heatsink do you have? I'm curious as to how you'd adapt it to the LGA 1366 socket.

 

[VoidNull]

Taking a closer look, I honestly dont think it will be easily converted. Any recommendations on a good I7 Heatsink?

 

[Akebono 98]

As I mentioned in my previous post, use the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme 1366RT.

 

[nsimo86]

zalman adapter for LGA 1366
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118045

 

[Akebono 98]

Just for reference, Thermalright also has a LGA 1366 Bolt-Thru kit.

 

[blackpanther26]

you know for the value right now I would recomend Phenom II X4 sence you can get 3.9GHz out of it on air. But I'm with you I was a bit dissapointed on the P2. And that should have been the P1's performance. I would wait a month when Intel drops the price on the C2Q.

 

[sharken]

all this talk about his i7 preparation and someone throws in "get a p2" LMFAO, i7 vs p2 pfffft what planet you on, anyone that take a p2 over an i7 new build is a F$%W* moron

 

[sharken]

Taking a closer look, I honestly dont think it will be easily converted. Any recommendations on a good I7 Heatsink?

I am using an Antec 900 with i7 build, using Thermalright 120 ultra extreme, it fits, have to take sidefan off, its no problem, change couple settings and you are @3.6-4ghz, No comparison no matter what other chip is overclocked to whatever ghz, again quote of the day "need to use restroom, have to take an AMD.... Shark

 

[sharken]

a few frames? did you notice the little benchmarks they showed on here? just for crysis and the other one, 120fps vs 200+ haha, homework son
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/phenom-ii-940,2114-19.html

 

[sharken]

point was amd (watered down trailer park walmart cpu) vs i7, I could use a few new phenoms though, need something to steady the wobbly tables

 

[sharken]

you mean as many? genius , let me guess amd user? dont hate

 

[VoidNull]

how many games needs more than two cores and how many people plays games on 30 inch monitor that cost like a new comps come on. and many talks about dx 11 and we have just a few good dx 10 games. i dont want to be antiprogressive but all that is marketing.

Me.

I understand what you are saying, however... have you tried to play a console port in the past 2 years? Developers are simply not bothering to optermize these days, meaning most console ports are requiring massive CPU power.

I also play a lot of RTS & 4X Games, and in the next few months we are going to be hit with Empire: Total War & Dawn of War 2, both of which will benefit from having more CPU under the hood.

AMD in terms of Price VS Performance beats Intel hands down, AMD have released very solid processors on the cheap, but they have not been able to compete with Intel in the top tier enthusiast gaming market and for some things, if you want the best, sometimes you have to bite the bullet and pay for it...

 

[rnb901]

Sharken do you realize that you sound extremely childish when you begin insulting people....over a CPU?

How old are you?


Anyway, the truth is that very few people actually need the power of the Core i7. Unless you, Voidnull, are using the processor for video encoding, rendering, etc. then you really don't need a processor that will give you 120 fps over 100 fps as you won't notice it in the first place.

That's why I bought an AMD Phenom. However, if you really want an Intel (I really don't know why you would want one considering buying one is supporting a virtual monopolistic company) then get the Q9550. That is really all you need. Spend the money you save on something else.

 

[VoidNull]

Yes, but spending a lot of money for buying into the top tier of an old technology somewhat backwards? Im just wondering if in a year or two's time I will be kicking myself for not moving to an I7 for future upgrades.

 

[VoidNull]

At the same time, I think the most I have ever gotten out of a board is 2 CPU's and that was because they were AMD and cheap, so upgrading to a new one after 6 months wasn't a big deal.

 

[rnb901]

Well then I guess you're better off with the Core i7 920.

But like others have said, the 940 is not worth it. It's far too expensive for what you get.

So yea, get the 920. =)

 

[Akebono 98]

Good points all regarding the platform question.

Doesn't sound like the OP needs an i7 right this moment, but rather, weighing a carefully considered decision to make a long-term investment in a newer / better / more expensive platform. There is no doubt that i7 is the future, but in that case, I would just wait a little bit longer until things firm up a bit and prices come down just a notch.

The overall platform you want is LGA 1366 with Windows 7. The i7 is only 2 months old and Windows 7 is only at public beta stage. To build this platform, the mobo I would want is the Asus P6T Deluxe, for which a V2 has already been announced--2 months into its new life. That tells you something. Not to mention the fact that you're stuck with expensive heatsinks until the cheaper ones are released for LGA 1366.

So to tie it all together, I would wait for the P6T Deluxe V2 as the platform foundation, pick up a GTX 280 in the near future as they get cleared out, plan the i7 build and slowly accumulate parts in the meantime. And hey, Empire: Total War and Dawn of War 2 aren't even out yet.

This is all IMHO, of course.