Upgrading advice- e6600 to i7

[laku234]

Hi
Current configuration of my PC

core 2 duo E6600 @ 2.40GHz
MSI MS7350 Chipset- Nvidia nforce650i sli stp
4GB DDR2
Nvidia 8600 GT 256MB

I am looking to upgrade my Mobo and Processor.
I have the following option in mind

Intel i7-860
Motherboard Intel DP55WG
Ram= 4GB Corsair DDR3 ( 2*2GB kit)

My query
* Is the above combination perfectly compatible?
*Is there better combo for similar price range?
*Will this combo be in mid-high performing range atleast for next 2-3 years?[is there any other better processors announced??]

PS. I will be upgrading my graphics card to HD5850 1GB in few months- so the board should be compatible with this card too.
I will be using my PC to watch movies and play games like Modern warfare 2/ GTA 4 etc at the Highest settings.

Thanks

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums
As for RAM,as long as its voltage is 1.65 or lower then its OK.
About motherboard,that's a good choice,other good choices would be ASUS P7P55 series or Gigabyte P55 series.
About upgrading,well X58 has a better upgrade path than P55 because it supports 6-core CPUs too but it costs more.
i7 860 is pretty fast for today's games and apps and it will be fine for some years

 

[laku234]

Will keep that voltage info in mind...
Thanks Maziar!

I think I would be going ahead on my selected combo itself...anyways lets see what others have to say...

 

[skora]

Upgrading to the i7 will be a healthy upgrade. Probably a little too healthy for just movies and games. I'd say get the i5 750 and save a few bucks. Intel won't have a new architecture in the next 2-3 years. Might see a die shrink, but any chip you get now will be very strong in 3 years still.

If you do get a i5 750, might be just enough to get a 5870 if you wanted. What resolution are you playing games at?

2 x 2gb DDR3 ram is a perfect match for the i5/7s. If you're an overclocker, you'll want at least 1333mhz at CL 7. If not, a CL 9 will be fine. Just make sure whatever one you use only needs 1.65v.

You're old GPU and planned replacement will work in the P55 mobos just fine. But to know what is a good deal will require knowing where you shop.

 

[loneninja]

Upgrading to the i7 will be a healthy upgrade. Probably a little too healthy for just movies and games. I'd say get the i5 750 and save a few bucks. Intel won't have a new architecture in the next 2-3 years. Might see a die shrink, but any chip you get now will be very strong in 3 years still.

If you do get a i5 750, might be just enough to get a 5870 if you wanted. What resolution are you playing games at?

2 x 2gb DDR3 ram is a perfect match for the i5/7s. If you're an overclocker, you'll want at least 1333mhz at CL 7. If not, a CL 9 will be fine. Just make sure whatever one you use only needs 1.65v.

You're old GPU and planned replacement will work in the P55 mobos just fine. But to know what is a good deal will require knowing where you shop.

Intel has 22nm sandy bridge next year, that is a new arch and die shrink.

 

[Lmeow]

1) The CPU and Motherboard combination should be compatible - shouldn't be a reason why it wouldn't. As for the RAM, well... we can't really tell. Does the RAM have a specific code? Like CM------ or something? Then you can check on the qualified memory list for that specific board here.
http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/dp55wg/sb/CS-030683.htm
Mind you, it doesn't have to be on the list to be compatible, the list just ensures that it will be.

2/3) Better price range? Well, I don't think you'd need a Core i7 if you're just going to be watching movies or playing games, an i5 750 (REAL Quad, not the i5 600 series) will do the job just fine, and it's ~$100 USD cheaper too. If you want it to be relatively future proof, I suggest you get a Gigabyte P55A motherboard if you want to have SATA III/6.0Gbps and or USB 3.0. Do you plan on adding another card later on? If you do, I suggest you go for a regular P55 board without SATA III/USB 3.0 and make sure the board has two PCI-e lanes working at 8x/8x, not 16x/4x as some are. For a relatively comprehensive list of P55 motherboards without 8x/8x CFX/SLI ability, check out http://www.hardware-revolution.com/p55-motherboards-crossfire-sli-performance-problem/. If you only intend to have one card and do want SATA III or USB 3.0, I suggest you get a Gigabyte P55A-UD3 motherboard.

There was a problem with some P55 motherboards having a poor Foxconn retention mechanism, and those with a LOTES retention brackets for the CPU did not seem have as many problems. I'm pretty sure this problem has been solved by now, but, I'd check with Toms just incase they haven't resolved the issue. (It caused the CPU to have less contact with the motherboard socket pins, and caused the CPU to burn a bit.) The motherboard I suggested has a LOTES mechanism, just to be sure.

As for the memory, I'd pick a G.Skill Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 kit on newegg, which has i5/i7/P55 certified if you want to ensure memory/motherboard compatibility. Otherwise check out some newegg reviews and see if anyone has paired up the memory with a P55/your chosen motherboard.

The whole combo (Intel Core i5 750, Gigabyte P55A-UD3, G.SKill Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 PC12800 2x2GB) for $441. There's currently a combo with the P55A-UD3 and some Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3 Kit for $235, $435 in total if you want that option instead.

EDIT: The Gigabyte P55 boards and that Corsair memory have compatibility problems, but I'm not sure if there are problems with the P55A + that memory.

 

[laku234]

Thanks Skora,Loneninja and Lmeow
That was a detailed quick reply...
@Lmeow I am currently going through the new egg threads...
Point noted will check the Ram compatibility

Thanks a lot for the advice guys...

 

[skora]

Intel has 22nm sandy bridge next year, that is a new arch and die shrink.

Tick Tock, forgot about that. Thanks

 

[hundredislandsboy]

If you're getting the 5850, why not get it now, get it first, and then OC to 3 Ghz and start reaping the benefits of a partial upgrade?

*Is there better combo for similar price range?

Yes, yes, and yes. An OC'd AMD Phenom II X4 will give you just as fast framerates and save you cash that you can use to upgrade to a 5870 or to a larger monitor.