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i7 Gaming Upgrade

R

Roy Katzenbauer

Junior Member
Budget:
£1050 max. / €1200 max.

Main uses of intended build:
90% Gaming (Modern Warfare 2, Bad Company 2, Counterstrike Source, GTAIV and some new upcoming titles.
10% Video/Photo-editing (Sony Vegas, Photoshop, Premiere Pro)

Parts required:
CPU + Cooler
Motherboard
RAM
Graphics Card
Power Supply
DVD Drive
Harddisk (1TB for storage, already have 2 x Samsung F3 500GB in Raid 0)

Previous build information (list details of parts):
E8400, 2GB DDR2, 9800GTX

Monitor resolution:
Samsung Syncmaster 206BW @ 1680x1050 max.

Storage requirements:
Like i mentioned before, i only need a 1TB HDD for storage.

Will you be overclocking:
Yes

Any motherboard requirements (no. of USB, Xfire/SLI, fan headers):
Not really requirements, has to be a solid OC board, stable, at least 5/6 fan connections, CF/SLI maybe for later dont have plans for it right now.
I dont know if USB3 and so on is really needed at this moment?

Extra information about desired system:
I want it to run smooth on any game i throw at it. Even when not OC-ed if possible. I will OC it but that will be a bit later.

Where to buy:
The parts will be ordered in Holland / The Netherlands

Brand preference:
I prefer A-brands like Asus/Gigabyte/OCZ/Samsung etc etc. I'm not really a fan of Asrock/MSI.

When to build it:
As soon as possible 🙂

Thanks in advance!
 
Not sure about availability in the Netherlands. The E8400 is an awesome chip, imo, and unless you're really looking into a quad-core, an OC'ed E8400 will help you save a lot of money. Games like GTA IV and DA:O are more CPU-heavy, but I dunno if you'd want to spend $500 more on it. A fat GPU upgrade would be best. Pick up an ATI 5870 or a 5850 (OC'ed 5850 is close to a 5870 at stock). Keep your E8400 machine, slap on a 5870, use the saved money for 2 more monitors. USB/SATA 3 aren't exactly mainstream yet, and I think they might take a while to get there, so I wouldn't really count it in just yet. If you don't plan on CFX'ing 5870's, something close to 600w is enough for a PSU. Corsair TX650 or an Antec are both fine PSU brands. For your HDD, I would go with a Spinpoint F3 or a WD Caviar Black (650GB or 1TB, the 640 is slightly faster with the expensive 2TB at the top). Not sure if you'd want to spend that big money on SSD's, that's really a personal preference.

If you really want a new CPU/mobo/RAM, an i7-860, UD3R, and Corsair XMS3 or G.Skill/OCZ (tri-channel).
 
The point is, that i can sell this current system for 600 pounds! So i only need to pay a bit extra for a i7 PC.

@MisterDonut: i7 860 wont go along with Triple Chan memory and X58 mobo.
 
Oh shit, sorry, I wrote that with the 920 in mind. If you don't mind, you could step down to a 1156 platform too. Honestly, AMD is still going to give you the best bang for buck in the gaming category. A Phenom II 955 + UD3P + DDR3. Otherwise a 920 + everything else I said would be the bigger brother.

Yeah, you could, but it is still money being used, whether or not its a waste would be up to your experience on it. I'm just pointing out how the Wolfdale can still handle 99.9% of the games that are currently being played. Save the money for when, and if, prices drop. GPU should still be your first upgrade, regardless. If you can wait, wait for the heavier games before you decide on a GPU upgrade. Perhaps NVIDIA's new year resolution was to keep lower prices...but as of now, your best bet is probably a 5850/5870...
 
Last edited:
BTRY B 529th FA BN said:
You'll need a 775 Yorkfield C2Q Overclocked to about 3.6Ghz to keep up with a stock i7 920 turbo-ing at 2.8Ghz. They are fast and really nice.
Click to expand...

Serious question. I know that the 920 has the upperhand, but would you justify a ~500ish upgrade for that performance difference, especially when comparing AMD's 955 for gaming purposes?
 
MisterDonut said:
Serious question. I know that the 920 has the upperhand, but would you justify a ~500ish upgrade for that performance difference, especially when comparing AMD's 955 for gaming purposes?
Click to expand...

No.. a 955 is fine for any modern game...

I went i7, but I got an inside deal on my 860. If I hadn't, I'd probably be running a 955 right now. (my system used mainly for surfing/mp3/gaming)
 
CraigRT said:
No.. a 955 is fine for any modern game...

I went i7, but I got an inside deal on my 860. If I hadn't, I'd probably be running a 955 right now. (my system used mainly for surfing/mp3/gaming)
Click to expand...


Ahh I didn't think so. I thought I might've been missing out on something with the i7 😀
 
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