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core2 or i7

K

Koudelka

Senior member
On my PC all i use it for is gaming and occasional web-surfing.

In terms of being prepared for the future, is it better to stay core2 or go i7?

I keep hearing core2 is still much better for gaming, but i dont want to buy a core2 mobo and cpu and then in the next year or 2, core2 is obsolete or i7 has completely crushed it.

any opinions/advice?

Thanks!
 
Originally posted by: Koudelka
On my PC all i use it for is gaming and occasional web-surfing.
Click to expand...
Core 2 Duo or i7?
Number one question... What's your budget for a ground up build?
Your answer to that question will tell us if you should go Core 2 or i7. :laugh:

 
My budget right now is around $2000 to 2500. Using my tax return to build one ground up 😉

Have all the parts picked out, but just second-guessing whether i should go i7 or core2 still. I just dont want to spend all that money on a configuration that will be obselete in a year or 2.
 
Does this budget include monitor, speakers, mouse, and keyboard? Or is it just the pc itself? If you are building just the pc alone, you can build an extremely nice Core 2 rig for around $1500. If you insist on spending $2000-2500, there is no reason not to go with a Core i7. Core i7 is flat out superior to the Core 2. The only problem is it's more expensive than the Core 2 by an amount that most consider not worth the performance increase.(Not even the processor itself is that expensive, it's just that the price is driven up by the memory and the motherboard)
 
Originally posted by: Koudelka
Have all the parts picked out, but just second-guessing whether i should go i7 or core2 still. I just dont want to spend all that money on a configuration that will be obselete in a year or 2.
Click to expand...
If you've been a member here since 2004, you know that planning a "future proof" build is a pipe dream.
Basically, you should plan for what you NEED right now, then add a bit for a buffer.


 
People need to stop saying future proof is a pipe dream. Nothing is going to last forever, nobody expects it to, that is not what wanting something that is future proof means. There sure is a such thing as something that will last longer than something else and something that will be more upgradeable than something else. A Core i7 based machine is the most future proof platform you could run right now.

I would spec out a nice Core i7 build and see if you can still afford a nice 22" LG monitor and mouse and keyboard within your budget. That would be an amazing machine.
 
Pick up an e8400 ($165), EP45-UD3L ($100) and G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-800 ($45) for a total that's just over the cost of an i7 920 chip.

Use that for the next year or so.

When that starts feeling slow, replace those components with a Westmere (32nm i7) setup - which will run cooler, use less power and almost definitely OC better than the current generation. Plus the high end X58 boards and DDR3 will have dropped in price so even with the $300 you'll spend today you will probably still come out cheaper. Plus you will be able to resell those parts to recoup part of your cost.
 
Originally posted by: Blain
Originally posted by: Koudelka
Have all the parts picked out, but just second-guessing whether i should go i7 or core2 still. I just dont want to spend all that money on a configuration that will be obselete in a year or 2.
Click to expand...
If you've been a member here since 2004, you know that planning a "future proof" build is a pipe dream.
Basically, you should plan for what you NEED right now, then add a bit for a buffer.
Click to expand...

I never asked for advice on a future proof machine. I've been away for a few years and have no idea on how well quad's and core2's are doing right now.

I dont plan on putting a core2 in my computer if quad's are going to be mainstream equipment, just like the core2 is now and single cores in high end gaming rig's.. dont exist.

But i keep hearing discussion on how a top end core2 will out-perform an i7 for gaming purposes.
 
Originally posted by: dguy6789
A Core i7 based machine is the most future proof platform you could run right now.

I would spec out a nice Core i7 build and see if you can still afford a nice 22" LG monitor and mouse and keyboard within your budget. That would be an amazing machine.
Click to expand...

Exactly what i was asking. Thanks!

Any preference on 22" vs. 24" LCD?
 
I prefer the 22" models myself. 24" usually is either significantly more expensive or is only a little more expensive but has a severe drop in image quality.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824005109

The color is fantastic, the image is sharp, you can look at the monitor from wide angles and not notice much if any color fade, eyes don't feel fatigued even after being on it all day. I can play any first person shooter perfectly comfortably without any notice of blur. I love my monitor more than my pc 🙂
 
Perfect! I think you just sold me on this monitor 🙂 I got a lot of suggestions for a 24".. but that just seemed too big for me.
 
Originally posted by: Koudelka
Perfect! I think you just sold me on this monitor 🙂 I got a lot of suggestions for a 24".. but that just seemed too big for me.
Click to expand...

Depending on what you use the monitor for, 24" is nice. 1920x1200 on 24". It's rare to get that high of a resolution on 22". It's usually 1680x1050 or maybe 1600x1200.

I'm a developer, so 1920x1200 is nice for me. I got the HP lp2475.
 
Originally posted by: Koudelka
Originally posted by: Blain
Originally posted by: Koudelka
Have all the parts picked out, but just second-guessing whether i should go i7 or core2 still. I just dont want to spend all that money on a configuration that will be obselete in a year or 2.
Click to expand...
If you've been a member here since 2004, you know that planning a "future proof" build is a pipe dream.
Basically, you should plan for what you NEED right now, then add a bit for a buffer.
Click to expand...

I never asked for advice on a future proof machine. I've been away for a few years and have no idea on how well quad's and core2's are doing right now.

I dont plan on putting a core2 in my computer if quad's are going to be mainstream equipment, just like the core2 is now and single cores in high end gaming rig's.. dont exist.

But i keep hearing discussion on how a top end core2 will out-perform an i7 for gaming purposes.
Click to expand...

Core2 Duo or Core2 Quad? In either case the only reason a dual-core does better than any quad core would be the higher clocks you'll likely hit when you overclock. If you don't overclock at all, a similarly clocked quad will always beat a dual core, in some cases where there isn't even multi-thread support, you still have a larger cache etc.

Now most games benefit from higher clocks, hence the reason most people use dual cores, however more and more developers are basing their engines to be more quad friendly, like GTA4 won't even run at satisfying speeds without a quad. If you wanna be safe, go with a quad. Now it comes down to Core2Quads vs i7s, the i7s do perform much better for the majority of tasks, however in terms of gaming it doesn't normally see too much of an advantage over its Core2 counterpart (unless you use SLI or Crossfire, they work better on the X58 chipset).

Main difference for you will more than likely be the price, a good Core2Quad system will be quite a bit cheaper than a low end i7 system, and there's no guarantee that the current i7 boards will be able to support future chips (although most people have their fingers crossed), so to say it's a more future-proof purchase might be a stretch. If this is for gaming, personally I'd suggest getting 4gb of DDR2, a p45 mobo, a Q9550 and a nice powerful single slot card.
 
If you're spending $2500 you will get into the realm of high end gfx, for that an i7 is the way to go because the CPU can be the bottleneck for FPS with CFX / 3-SLI configs

but tell me, what good games are there that need a $2500 rig right now... none IMO.



 
Originally posted by: yh125d
Why spend $300 on a 22" that's still 1680x1050? It's still TN isn't it?
Click to expand...

You won't find a 22" monitor better than the one I linked. It's also better than probably 9/10 24" monitors.
 
@krnmastersgt

Thanks for the informative reply.

Just simply plut, i'm looking to get the max performance out of my games. Will an i7 920 or a Q9550 give me that?

Putting in 6GB DDR3 and a GTX 295 in the system.

Thanks!
 
Both a Q9550 and an i7 920 are good enough to run any game out right now without overclocking at all. Both of those processors also overclock well. The reason most people believe the i7 platform is future proof is because Intel plans on using that socket and DDR3 for quite a long time, while they will be dropping DDR2 and socket 775 that current Core 2s use. Either one will last for a while, but the i7 one is more likely to be upgradeable by the time you do wish to upgrade, while you won't have anything to upgrade to on the Core 2 board when the time comes.

The rig in my signature is nice, but it has no upgrade path. This is about as good as it gets for this platform. I will have to get a Core i7 motherboard, processor, and memory when I do finally decide to upgrade in a couple years. The good thing is I probably won't have to upgrade much for a while, since Intel's Core 2s are so far ahead of the curve performance wise.
 
Thanks. I think i might save some money then and go Core 2 for now.

Do the Core 2 mobo's support DDR3?

Sorry for all the questions. I've been away for a long time.
 
Some Core 2 motherboards support DDR3, but that's really a waste of money. I don't believe there are any decent Core 2 motherboards that support DDR2 and DDR3.(There might be some hybrid boards, but those are usually of poor quality and performance) You can buy 8GB of DDR2 for about $100.
 
no real reason to get DDR3 with a core2 CPU. you might want to read up on the integrated memory controller on the i7 chips if you want to know more.

Originally posted by: dguy6789
The rig in my signature is nice, but it has no upgrade path. This is about as good as it gets for this platform. I will have to get a Core i7 motherboard, processor, and memory when I do finally decide to upgrade in a couple years. The good thing is I probably won't have to upgrade much for a while, since Intel's Core 2s are so far ahead of the curve performance wise.
Click to expand...

as far as upgrade path is concerned, yes that is all true.

however you must also consider that in a few years' time, a 2009 model top of the line socket1366 mobo will be slow, and will not support next generation DDR3 speeds, thus limiting your CPU choice down the road as well.



for myself, my next upgrade will probably be in about 3 years, and I will upgrade the mobo/RAM/CPU/video card, keep my raid card case and PSU, and most likely get 4 new HD's

 
Hmm. Thats all very good to know. Thanks so much for the replies. I guess i'm stuck now between going i7.. or saving some money and going core 2 for now until the end of the year.
 
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