Upgrade i7-920 (2.66 Ghz) On a Budget

[drawingpin]

My current machine has a i7-920 2.66ghz cpu. I'm wondering if I should upgrade? I don't have the money for a more modern i7 but I could reach an i5. Is it worth upgrading to an i5 from what I have??

 

[Decends]

What is your exact budget?

 

[Autocrat]

New Mobo + DDR4+ i5-6500 = ~$400 give or take.

 

[JQB45]

A new i5-6500 will outperform your older i7-920

http://cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=834&cmp%5B%5D=2578&cmp%5B%5D=2599

This example also shows the i5-6400 as well.

 

[Eximo]

i7-920 overclocked to 4Ghz or so is still a potent CPU, this is fairly easy to achieve with a decent high end cooler. If you are having performance issues, perhaps a GPU upgrade is in order?

I typically ran my i7-950 at 3.67 Ghz with an undervolt.

 

[skit75]

Built my i7-920 rig in May of 2009. I thought I was going to build a new rig this year and it never happened. I'm fairly certain upgrade time will happen for me as well before I officially hit the 8 year mark on this CPU+Motherboard. I must say though my biggest bottleneck seems to be my hard drive these days. Will be nice to get into native NVMe + there has been enough 10-12% CPU performance increases since Bloomfield to warrant an upgrade.

I got to say this has been the most satisfying/fun CPU to play around with since my AMD Athlon Thunderbird Slot A 700MHz =)

 

[Eximo]

Built my i7-920 rig in May of 2009. I thought I was going to build a new rig this year and it never happened. I'm fairly certain upgrade time will happen for me as well before I officially hit the 8 year mark on this CPU+Motherboard. I must say though my biggest bottleneck seems to be my hard drive these days. Will be nice to get into native NVMe + there has been enough 10-12% CPU performance increases since Bloomfield to warrant an upgrade.

I got to say this has been the most satisfying/fun CPU to play around with since my AMD Athlon Thunderbird Slot A 700MHz =)

I only took the plunge to get Intel SATA III rather than the poor Marvell controller my board came with. It was fine for a single SSD, but couldn't handle having two on it.

But I also want an NVMe capable system, so on to Kaby Lake I go.

 

[drawingpin]

I have to say the Hard drive part does factor in to my decision. I have an ASUS PT6-Deluxe, which at the time was a top motherboard and performed really well, but it only has SATA V1. I have already added a SSD and it did help but I think it could be being throttled as I didn't see the benefit I was expecting.

My graphics card is relatively recent and runs pretty well.

I guess the key point is my rig isn't letting me down yet but it's not setting the world on fire either. I'm not desperate to upgrade yet but it could be getting close. I don't have the money for an i7, hence asking if an i5 is worth the investment. I had a look at the CPU benchmark and it looks like it does but I'm interested to hear form anybody that has gone through the same upgrade.

Thanks for all your answers so far guys, they've been really helpful.

 

[dudeman509]

Absolutely. Single-core performance on modern i5's is almost 2x what the 920 @ stock clocks will do.

Under heavy or gaming workloads, you'll definitely notice the difference. Web browsing...maybe, maybe not.

 

[skit75]

I'd say if it isn't letting you down yet and you haven't specifically verified any CPU bottleneck, stay with it until your hand is forced. It is no chump in the overclock department... mine has become a little unstable at clocks I used to get(3.7-3.8GHz and lately even 3.6Ghz) so I have backed mine down to a lazy 3.2 Ghz. That Asus(I have non-deluxe P6T version) board has really held up well on my end. I never turn this rig off since it runs a chat server for my friends in the background and the capacitors are still in great physical shape. I bet this rig has less than 48 hours downtime in the last ~7.5 years.

I do take it down twice a year for about two hours or so each time for preventative maintenance. I know that adds up to more than 48 hours but you get my point =)

 

[drawingpin]

Absolutely. Single-core performance on modern i5's is almost 2x what the 920 @ stock clocks will do.

Under heavy or gaming workloads, you'll definitely notice the difference. Web browsing...maybe, maybe not.

I notice you're running an AMD rig. Would you recommend any AMD CPU for my upgrade? I've noticed on CPU charts that they aren't that much higher of a benchmark score and the sockets etc haven't really changed, but the price on them is very competitive.

 

[Eximo]

The top end FX chips compete well with 2nd Gen Core series processors. After Ivy and Haswell they kind of didn't make sense. The real advantage at the time was the cheap Crossfire capable motherboards when the 7970 (R9-280X) and later the R9-290 and 290X were basically the best cards out there for the money. With cheaper Z170 boards in the $90 range, the lesser power requirements of the CPU, and you come out about the same cost and get more performance.

In your situation all but the most multi-threaded of games will show an improvement with a Skylake i5, even one that isn't overclocked.

All X58 boards should have SATA II I believe as that was part of the chipset. They should top out around 200MB/s which is about twice as fast as a hard drive doing sequential data pulls.

In practice my silly striped SSDs had a throughput of about 400MB/s on my X58 board, and around 800MB/s on my Z87 board. In practical use, there was no difference (except a few seconds load time on some of the newer games) Basically I'm in the market to replace my SSDs with a single larger NMVe drive, as the prices have come down to about 1/3 of what I paid per GB

 

[Moleg1]

I'd say if it isn't letting you down yet and you haven't specifically verified any CPU bottleneck, stay with it until your hand is forced. It is no chump in the overclock department... mine has become a little unstable at clocks I used to get(3.7-3.8GHz and lately even 3.6Ghz) so I have backed mine down to a lazy 3.2 Ghz. That Asus(I have non-deluxe P6T version) board has really held up well on my end. I never turn this rig off since it runs a chat server for my friends in the background and the capacitors are still in great physical shape. I bet this rig has less than 48 hours downtime in the last ~7.5 years.

I do take it down twice a year for about two hours or so each time for preventative maintenance. I know though adds up to more than 48 hours but you get my point =)

8 years @_@ my friend was just asking me yesterday if he could never turn his pc off since he has a steam game running in the back that his license expired for, but still lets him play. XD

 

[dudeman509]

Absolutely. Single-core performance on modern i5's is almost 2x what the 920 @ stock clocks will do.

Under heavy or gaming workloads, you'll definitely notice the difference. Web browsing...maybe, maybe not.

I notice you're running an AMD rig. Would you recommend any AMD CPU for my upgrade? I've noticed on CPU charts that they aren't that much higher of a benchmark score and the sockets etc haven't really changed, but the price on them is very competitive.

Presently, no. I built this thing around Ivy Bridge time. Building a FX system right now is pretty pointless.

However, I think market will get shaken up a bit in the near future. AMD's Zen and Kaby Lake are set to release in the next month or two.

 

[tomgang]

If your buget is low i would say overclock that I7 920 and if you are using the stock cooler now, replace it with a decent cooler. X58 chips overclock very well and up to around 4 GHz most of the 900 serie chips is capable of doing. My own I7 920 can run 4.1 GHz on air cooling and can hit 4.4 Ghz buts getting way to hot for aircooling at those speed. Together with my cpu i run 2 GTX 970 in sli = at very capable 1080P gaming rig that can still handle the newest titles as Doom.

As you can se in this passmark bench. At 4.1 GHz this old chip can performe much like a modern I5 cpu.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/CPU_test.jpg

Here is a bench run from 3dmark time spy

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/3dmar_ktimespy.jpg

And to give a performence in real games. This CS:GO benchmark with all set to low i 1080P resolution.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_instillinger..jpg

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_benchmark.jpg

You say you already have a decent GPU. But how much ram do you have? 12 GB is pretty optimal.
But Oc the CPU and i think you will be fine for another year or two. Dont worry if oc properly a cpu can last long even when on high oc. My cpu has run 4 GHz or so the last 4 years now and is still a real hard worker.

 

[drawingpin]

If your buget is low i would say overclock that I7 920 and if you are using the stock cooler now, replace it with a decent cooler. X58 chips overclock very well and up to around 4 GHz most of the 900 serie chips is capable of doing. My own I7 920 can run 4.1 GHz on air cooling and can hit 4.4 Ghz buts getting way to hot for aircooling at those speed. Together with my cpu i run 2 GTX 970 in sli = at very capable 1080P gaming rig that can still handle the newest titles as Doom.

As you can se in this passmark bench. At 4.1 GHz this old chip can performe much like a modern I5 cpu.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/CPU_test.jpg

Here is a bench run from 3dmark time spy

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/3dmar_ktimespy.jpg

And to give a performence in real games. This CS:GO benchmark with all set to low i 1080P resolution.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_instillinger..jpg

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_benchmark.jpg

You say you already have a decent GPU. But how much ram do you have? 12 GB is pretty optimal.
But Oc the CPU and i think you will be fine for another year or two. Dont worry if oc properly a cpu can last long even when on high oc. My cpu has run 4 GHz or so the last 4 years now and is still a real hard worker.

Hey Tom,

I have 12GB of ram. I currently have the stock cooler in place. What cooler do you recommend for an over clock?

 

[skit75]

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is a pretty good bang for the buck aftermarket cooler. Noctua has great ones also but are expensive. Phanteks also has some nice ones that will get the job done also. Just make sure your case has room for them as some are quite tall.

There are some great OC tutorials out there for the i7-920. Easy stuff, really.

 

[tomgang]

If your buget is low i would say overclock that I7 920 and if you are using the stock cooler now, replace it with a decent cooler. X58 chips overclock very well and up to around 4 GHz most of the 900 serie chips is capable of doing. My own I7 920 can run 4.1 GHz on air cooling and can hit 4.4 Ghz buts getting way to hot for aircooling at those speed. Together with my cpu i run 2 GTX 970 in sli = at very capable 1080P gaming rig that can still handle the newest titles as Doom.

As you can se in this passmark bench. At 4.1 GHz this old chip can performe much like a modern I5 cpu.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/CPU_test.jpg

Here is a bench run from 3dmark time spy

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/3dmar_ktimespy.jpg

And to give a performence in real games. This CS:GO benchmark with all set to low i 1080P resolution.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_instillinger..jpg

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_benchmark.jpg

You say you already have a decent GPU. But how much ram do you have? 12 GB is pretty optimal.
But Oc the CPU and i think you will be fine for another year or two. Dont worry if oc properly a cpu can last long even when on high oc. My cpu has run 4 GHz or so the last 4 years now and is still a real hard worker.

Hey Tom,

I have 12GB of ram. I currently have the stock cooler in place. What cooler do you recommend for an over clock?

You have 12 GB ram. Good, you are at that part ready for games.
For cpu cooler i would recommend Noctua CPU Cooler NH-U12P SE2. Its an old cooler, so can be hard to find but is X58 ready and it is not cheap. Dont bay a cheap cooler for an I7 920 cpu. They get hot then they first hitting 4 GHz+.
I am using a Thermalright ultra 120 Extreme cooler on my own, but that cooler is no longer in production.

If you need a guide to oc your cpu. look at this one then. I used it banck then i oc my own cpu.

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_i7_920_overclocking

 

[drawingpin]

If your buget is low i would say overclock that I7 920 and if you are using the stock cooler now, replace it with a decent cooler. X58 chips overclock very well and up to around 4 GHz most of the 900 serie chips is capable of doing. My own I7 920 can run 4.1 GHz on air cooling and can hit 4.4 Ghz buts getting way to hot for aircooling at those speed. Together with my cpu i run 2 GTX 970 in sli = at very capable 1080P gaming rig that can still handle the newest titles as Doom.

As you can se in this passmark bench. At 4.1 GHz this old chip can performe much like a modern I5 cpu.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/CPU_test.jpg

Here is a bench run from 3dmark time spy

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/3dmar_ktimespy.jpg

And to give a performence in real games. This CS:GO benchmark with all set to low i 1080P resolution.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_instillinger..jpg

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_benchmark.jpg

You say you already have a decent GPU. But how much ram do you have? 12 GB is pretty optimal.
But Oc the CPU and i think you will be fine for another year or two. Dont worry if oc properly a cpu can last long even when on high oc. My cpu has run 4 GHz or so the last 4 years now and is still a real hard worker.

Hey Tom,

I have 12GB of ram. I currently have the stock cooler in place. What cooler do you recommend for an over clock?

You have 12 GB ram. Good, you are at that part ready for games.
For cpu cooler i would recommend Noctua CPU Cooler NH-U12P SE2. Its an old cooler, so can be hard to find but is X58 ready and it is not cheap. Dont bay a cheap cooler for an I7 920 cpu. They get hot then they first hitting 4 GHz+.
I am using a Thermalright ultra 120 Extreme cooler on my own, but that cooler is no longer in production.

If you need a guide to oc your cpu. look at this one then. I used it banck then i oc my own cpu.

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_i7_920_overclocking

Brilliant thanks!!!

 

[tomgang]

If your buget is low i would say overclock that I7 920 and if you are using the stock cooler now, replace it with a decent cooler. X58 chips overclock very well and up to around 4 GHz most of the 900 serie chips is capable of doing. My own I7 920 can run 4.1 GHz on air cooling and can hit 4.4 Ghz buts getting way to hot for aircooling at those speed. Together with my cpu i run 2 GTX 970 in sli = at very capable 1080P gaming rig that can still handle the newest titles as Doom.

As you can se in this passmark bench. At 4.1 GHz this old chip can performe much like a modern I5 cpu.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/CPU_test.jpg

Here is a bench run from 3dmark time spy

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/3dmar_ktimespy.jpg

And to give a performence in real games. This CS:GO benchmark with all set to low i 1080P resolution.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_instillinger..jpg

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_benchmark.jpg

You say you already have a decent GPU. But how much ram do you have? 12 GB is pretty optimal.
But Oc the CPU and i think you will be fine for another year or two. Dont worry if oc properly a cpu can last long even when on high oc. My cpu has run 4 GHz or so the last 4 years now and is still a real hard worker.

Hey Tom,

I have 12GB of ram. I currently have the stock cooler in place. What cooler do you recommend for an over clock?

You have 12 GB ram. Good, you are at that part ready for games.
For cpu cooler i would recommend Noctua CPU Cooler NH-U12P SE2. Its an old cooler, so can be hard to find but is X58 ready and it is not cheap. Dont bay a cheap cooler for an I7 920 cpu. They get hot then they first hitting 4 GHz+.
I am using a Thermalright ultra 120 Extreme cooler on my own, but that cooler is no longer in production.

If you need a guide to oc your cpu. look at this one then. I used it banck then i oc my own cpu.

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_i7_920_overclocking

Brilliant thanks!!!

you are welcome 😉

By the way i forgot two more importen thing about oc I7 920. Dont go above 1.65 volt for memory. Going higher can permanently damage the CPU´s momory controller that are build in the cpu and there are two revision of this CPU. CO and DO. CO is the one you dont want to have when it comes to oc. What makes CO bad at oc is that this cpu needs more voltage than a DO revision at the same clocks frekvens and often max out about 3.6 to 3,8 GHz where a DO revision like mine is normal are good for aleast 4 GHz or more.

You can with CPU-z se what revision your cpu is. se where its marked with black cirkle. My cpu is the DO.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/do_and_co.jpg

 

[drawingpin]

If your buget is low i would say overclock that I7 920 and if you are using the stock cooler now, replace it with a decent cooler. X58 chips overclock very well and up to around 4 GHz most of the 900 serie chips is capable of doing. My own I7 920 can run 4.1 GHz on air cooling and can hit 4.4 Ghz buts getting way to hot for aircooling at those speed. Together with my cpu i run 2 GTX 970 in sli = at very capable 1080P gaming rig that can still handle the newest titles as Doom.

As you can se in this passmark bench. At 4.1 GHz this old chip can performe much like a modern I5 cpu.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/CPU_test.jpg

Here is a bench run from 3dmark time spy

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/3dmar_ktimespy.jpg

And to give a performence in real games. This CS:GO benchmark with all set to low i 1080P resolution.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_instillinger..jpg

http://peecee.dk/uploads/112016/CS_GO_benchmark.jpg

You say you already have a decent GPU. But how much ram do you have? 12 GB is pretty optimal.
But Oc the CPU and i think you will be fine for another year or two. Dont worry if oc properly a cpu can last long even when on high oc. My cpu has run 4 GHz or so the last 4 years now and is still a real hard worker.

Hey Tom,

I have 12GB of ram. I currently have the stock cooler in place. What cooler do you recommend for an over clock?

You have 12 GB ram. Good, you are at that part ready for games.
For cpu cooler i would recommend Noctua CPU Cooler NH-U12P SE2. Its an old cooler, so can be hard to find but is X58 ready and it is not cheap. Dont bay a cheap cooler for an I7 920 cpu. They get hot then they first hitting 4 GHz+.
I am using a Thermalright ultra 120 Extreme cooler on my own, but that cooler is no longer in production.

If you need a guide to oc your cpu. look at this one then. I used it banck then i oc my own cpu.

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_i7_920_overclocking

Brilliant thanks!!!

you are welcome 😉

By the way i forgot two more importen thing about oc I7 920. Dont go above 1.65 volt for memory. Going higher can permanently damage the CPU´s momory controller that are build in the cpu and there are two revision of this CPU. CO and DO. CO is the one you dont want to have when it comes to oc. What makes CO bad at oc is that this cpu needs more voltage than a DO revision at the same clocks frekvens and often max out about 3.6 to 3,8 GHz where a DO revision like mine is normal are good for aleast 4 GHz or more.

You can with CPU-z se what revision your cpu is. se where its marked with black cirkle. My cpu is the DO.

http://peecee.dk/uploads/122016/do_and_co.jpg

Good to know. I'll have a look when I get home tonight.

I checked when I got home and it is a DO.

 

[tomgang]

Great then 4 GHz OC shut be in for you to grab or maybe more even. Good lock.

 

[drawingpin]

Great then 4 GHz OC shut be in for you to grab or maybe more even. Good lock.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[tomgang]

Great then 4 GHz OC shut be in for you to grab or maybe more even. Good lock.

Thanks again for all your help.

you are welcome. Let me know when you have oc the CPU and what you think about it. Like does it have that performence you need/want or do you still want a new CPU.

 

[drawingpin]

Great then 4 GHz OC shut be in for you to grab or maybe more even. Good lock.

Thanks again for all your help.

you are welcome. Let me know when you have oc the CPU and what you think about it. Like does it have that performence you need/want or do you still want a new CPU.

Will do. I ordered the Evo 212 in the end as Amazon were selling it for $24 which is a bit of a bargain. They have however said since I ordered it that it will not be delivered until just before Christmas, which is fine as I'm off Christmas week so I'll have time to get it done right rather than rushing it. I've also bought a new SSD as well. The one I have in there is small and pretty old as well. A rebuild will more than likely breath some life in to my machine as well.