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BUILDING i5 that will UPGRADE to i7 ?

W

Walkfire

Member
Of course I want the i7 $995 processor but at $169 I can buy the i5 and it will give me all the power I need for at least the next year I think. Is it logical to build a rig with the i5 and upgrade it to i7 later when the prices come down?
 
Originally posted by: Walkfire
Of course I want the i7 $995 processor but at $169 I can buy the i5 and it will give me all the power I need for at least the next year I think. Is it logical to build a rig with the i5 and upgrade it to i7 later when the prices come down?
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Probably not.

At this time Intel does not plan to introduce any faster processors for socket 1156 in 2010. So I don't see prices falling that much. Furthermore, Intel does not have plans to introduce any 32nm quad cores on socket 1156 either. Considering 860 is $230 vs. $170 for the i5, you should just pony up the $50 now. On air cooling you are probably going to top out at 4.2ghz on any 1156 processor right now, main limitation being temperatures not the processor. So even if the i7 870 falls from $500 to $230, it still won't overclock much beyond 4.2ghz on air.

If you are looking for longevity, then pick up socket 1366 so that way you have the option to get 6-core Gulftown on 32nm in 2010. But it will cost $1k+ to start.

If you are not going to be overclocking, then the $50 is worth to get the 860 over the i5 imo because you get better turbo mode + HT. Then again if you are on a budget, put the $50 towards a more powerful videocard.

Just depends what your computer uses are.
 
RussianSensation
Great answer as you also addressed longevity. A concern of mine as a earth friendly responsibility.
Gaming is like any of the sports that I play, passionately enduling in the exercises and entertainment. I want to play my best and can rank in the mid range of above average but I certainly do not stand a chance against the best and have no intentions of spending that much time to get that good.
So I do not need the $1k golf driver, tennis racket or video card.
I use my computer also for watching movies, Netflix downloads and disc as I do not own a TV.
My photo shop uses are somewhat high and take up much more of my time as I get income from that as well as create Art.

Even though I might have a below average need for these new computers I love technology and do not want to be ignorant of the new possibilities or how to use them. Also from Ananda's report on them it just seems like a all around smart choice.


I could spend the extra $50 if you still suggest it, but which MOBO would you suggest being that I am trying to stay as close to $1000 as possible for the entire rig and yet would go into more debt if it is worth it.

Thank you, thank you, thankyou
 
all P55 motherboards support both i5 750 and i7 860. the gulftown processor is going to be about $1500, so i doubt that a gulftown upgrade applies to you. your choice of words leads me to believe that you are not an avid overclocker, so the high-frequency turbo modes of the i7 860 will do a lot more for you than a i7 920 system, costing less, and saving power.
 
Gigabyte P55-UD2 board is the perfect budget board for $110

Then there is UD3R (it has more power phases and power circuitry cooling) for $140 or Asus P7P55D for $150.

You can't go wrong with any of these 3 boards unless you need SLI/CF support. I would suggest the UD3R or P7P55D if you intend to overclock. Otherwise the UD2 is more than sufficient.

UD2 and P7PP55D both have 1 eSATA for external hard drive and Firewire, while UD3R doesn't have firewire, but has 2 eSATA ports.
 
I just bought and started to OC my i7 860 rig. If I had to do it all over again, I would go with the i7 920/X58 combo. There is more headroom, easier to overclock, and PCIe x16 on the slots. In other words, it is upgradeable. Right now, my system is what it will be until I sell it.

I sm not complaining because I do not need more than I have right now. I just think money would have been better spent on a more future proof rig.
 
As another data point I am going i7 860 on an Asus P7P55D. I chose the 860 because it is faster than 920 at stock settings, and I do not plan to overclock.
 
I've built on the concept of upgrading on the same CPU socket structure for my last 2 PC builds and it ended in epic failure.

By the time you are ready to upgrade, your socket will be so out of date that it willa ctually cost MORE to upgrade that same discontinued CPU you've been looking at then it is to probably get a faster new MOBO and CPU combo on the new architecture.
 
Originally posted by: MacAttack

I sm not complaining because I do not need more than I have right now. I just think money would have been better spent on a more future proof rig.
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I don't think you should worry about upgrading. Once Sandy Bridge comes out, both 1366 and 1156 will be EOL. Even if Sandy bridge uses socket 1366 (although I believe it will be socket 1155), it likely won't be compatible with current X58 chipset.

Also I am pretty sure you will want USB 3.0 and SATA 3 and PCIe 3. So you'll be way better off selling your current parts in 2 years and upgrading.

Think about it logically, you have a 3.7ghz Core i7. I don't consider any CPU upgrade worthwhile unless you get 40-50% speed increase. So you'd need a 5.2ghz Core i7 to make the upgrade worthwhile. That's not going to happen on air cooling on 45nm. And Intel isn't about to start selling 6-core Gulftowns for $300. Given the current information, upgrade paths on either 1156 or 1366 are absolutely meaningless for most of us.
 
read a p55 overclocking guide. it doesnt make any sense that 3.7 is the max when turbo mode will get you to 3.6 at stock volts. you probably have a bus voltage that needs to be increassed.

of course, it could be that piece of shit asrock board, it seems they are pretty easy to destroy with overvolting.
 
only upgrade path that makes sense in the newer gen tech is.

i7 -> Gulftown.

thats if it even applies to you.
 
Originally posted by: mizzou
I've built on the concept of upgrading on the same CPU socket structure for my last 2 PC builds and it ended in epic failure.

By the time you are ready to upgrade, your socket will be so out of date that it willa ctually cost MORE to upgrade that same discontinued CPU you've been looking at then it is to probably get a faster new MOBO and CPU combo on the new architecture.
Click to expand...

This. With a few exceptions (the type of people that upgrade from one CPU stepping to another), the vast majority of computer users upgrade their computers when confronted with obsolescence. Apart from the hardcore enthusiasts that you find on sites like these, I don't know anyone that ever upgraded just their CPU. It's always a CPU+Motherboard+RAM upgrade, namely the whole platform.

Longevity to me means dual-GPU support, enough SATA ports, appropriate slots for expansions cards (dedicated audio, TV tuner, RAID etc.), build quality and a surge suppressor.
 
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