[plaistowe]

Hi everyone,

am designing with help a gaming computer. Would appreciate advice on three of the main components, graphic card, motherboard and processor.

Firstly I dont know which is better the SAPPHIRE ATI HD4870 1GB TOXIC or the BFG NVIDIA 260GTX OC2 896MB. both look good, both overclocked, with little difference in price. I am veering towards the 4870 on performance, but I do like Nvidea.

I would like to put one of these wth one of the two following setups.

1.Processor CORE2QUAD Q9550, 2.83Mhz. with motherboard ASUS P5Q-E ( or the equivalent that takes the Nvidea graphic card)

2.Intel core i7 920, with M/Board Asus intel X58 SK1366 DDR3.P6T SE 2.66mhz. ( I would also have DDR3 Ram[/FONT][/COLOR]

I can do either set up with little difference in price. The core i7 would appear to be quicker for everyday use and technologically more advanced. But will existing software and games be able to take advantage of this yet, hyperthreading etc.
The CORE2QUAD Q9550 is established and proven. It is said that the core i7 is more future proof but what happens if this model is superceded soon by something better with different plugs and connections again. As with these two set ups.
Would Appreciate opinions or ideas with thanks, Plaistowe

[lepel]

I'd personally go with the 920 and the 260.

[Tipstaff]

Originally Posted by lepel

I'd personally go with the 920 and the 260.

Agreed. Mind you, I'd be just as happy with a 920 and the HD4870 too. They're both worth it.

Thing is, plaistowe, that if you had a system capable of going to the Quad Core CPU, then I'd lean towards that over buying the i7 right now, and then look to that later on down the road. Right now the i7, in it's current form, is being sold more for the enthusiast than the average consumer. Within the year you would see more boards/processors designed/priced for the average consumer, and when you did decided to upgrade to the i7 it'd be cheaper. However, since we're talking about buying a completely new system, jump the 775 system, and go straight for the i7. This is the socket format Intel is moving to, and in the long run this is the socket format that you will be able to buy CPUs for in the foreseeable future. With the 775 board, that CPU would probably be the only one you'd ever buy for it as that format wouldn't be available by the time you did so. In a year you'd be right back to having to buy an i7 based machine again if you decided to significantly upgrade your system.

BTW, personally, I'd go with getting 6GB of ram (Triple Channel 3 x 2GB), and pick up Vista 64bit (which you will need in order to use the 6GB of RAM). Don't even think about running an i7 system with XP. Not that it won't work (although unless you get XP64 it'd be like getting Vista 32bit), but Vista just flies on i7. Plus, since you'd have Vista installed this makes it easier to upgrade to Windows 7 at a later date.

[plaistowe]

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

Agreed. Mind you, I'd be just as happy with a 920 and the HD4870 too. They're both worth it.

Thing is, plaistowe, that if you had a system capable of going to the Quad Core CPU, then I'd lean towards that over buying the i7 right now, and then look to that later on down the road. Right now the i7, in it's current form, is being sold more for the enthusiast than the average consumer. Within the year you would see more boards/processors designed/priced for the average consumer, and when you did decided to upgrade to the i7 it'd be cheaper. However, since we're talking about buying a completely new system, jump the 775 system, and go straight for the i7. This is the socket format Intel is moving to, and in the long run this is the socket format that you will be able to buy CPUs for in the foreseeable future. With the 775 board, that CPU would probably be the only one you'd ever buy for it as that format wouldn't be available by the time you did so. In a year you'd be right back to having to buy an i7 based machine again if you decided to significantly upgrade your system.

BTW, personally, I'd go with getting 6GB of ram (Triple Channel 3 x 2GB), and pick up Vista 64bit (which you will need in order to use the 6GB of RAM). Don't even think about running an i7 system with XP. Not that it won't work (although unless you get XP64 it'd be like getting Vista 32bit), but Vista just flies on i7. Plus, since you'd have Vista installed this makes it easier to upgrade to Windows 7 at a later date.

Tipstaff, thats a real help. As I am doing a new system I will go i7. Great advice about XP or Vista as I was planning to go XP.
Thanks for really helpful advice, Plaistowe

[Tipstaff]

Originally Posted by plaistowe

Tipstaff, thats a real help. As I am doing a new system I will go i7. Great advice about XP or Vista as I was planning to go XP.
Thanks for really helpful advice, Plaistowe

Not a prob.

Let us know what you end up with.

[Mac Daddy]

Following along here and agreed with the suggestions and advise Tipstaff gave. Let us know how you make out I still have yet to build an i7 rig