Is i7-920 still the chip to get?

[Schfifty Five]

I haven't kept up with CPUs/pricing in a long time and I'm looking to build a new system now.

I remember the i7-920's were the best bang for the buck CPU @ $199 Is this still the chip to get or is there another chip that's better value, maybe the 930?

I'll be using the new system for everyday tasks as well as gaming (WoW, SC2, future FPS, etc), and I will be OCing the system.

So what's the current best value chip?

Thanks!

 

[Markfw]

In that range, there are many, depending on your needs. The new hex-core 1055T from AMD usually get 3.8-4.0 on air on a cheap motherboard. ($200)

The 920 is out, and the 930 in, since they are almost the same price. The platform is ~200 more though than the 1055T. You said value ? The 1055T, but is gaming your primary ? Then maybe a I5 750

 

[Schfifty Five]

In that range, there are many, depending on your needs. The new hex-core 1055T from AMD usually get 3.8-4.0 on air on a cheap motherboard. ($200)

The 920 is out, and the 930 in, since they are almost the same price. The platform is ~200 more though than the 1055T. You said value ? The 1055T, but is gaming your primary ? Then maybe a I5 750

When I said value, I guess I meant bang for the buck.

Does the hyperthreading in the i7's add any substantial performance compared to an i5 in terms of gaming?

 

[Acanthus]

The 930 is now like $10 more so it is worth it for the higher multi.

 

[richierich1212]

If you're just gaming, get the best video card you can afford.

 

[Schfifty Five]

The 930 is now like $10 more so it is worth it for the higher multi.

yeah, good point.

Can you still get the i7 920 for $199 anymore? Is it a rare occurrence for like microcenter to have it onsale again?

 

[Schfifty Five]

If you're just gaming, get the best video card you can afford.

well, i will be getting a pretty decent video card, but I also want to have a solid cpu to compliment it. The last time I built a comp was 5 years ago. I'm using an AMD 3800+ X2 S939 chip. So upgrades are usually few and far between.

 

[richierich1212]

So if it's going to last awhile, then either go with a i7-930 or 1055T setup, because those have more threads/cores, and for not much more than an i5-750 setup.

 

[Schfifty Five]

So if it's going to last awhile, then either go with a i7-930 or 1055T setup, because those have more threads/cores, and for not much more than an i5-750 setup.

Cool, thanks for the advice.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I'd go with a 930, some Eco friendly 1.35v RAM, and a GTX 480

 

[Martimus]

I'd go with a 930, some Eco friendly 1.35v RAM, and a GTX 480

lol.

Combining 'Eco Friendly' in the same sentence as a GTX 480. I love it!

 

[aigomorla]

So if it's going to last awhile, then either go with a i7-930 or 1055T setup, because those have more threads/cores, and for not much more than an i5-750 setup.

i agree however i would push more on the intel setup because, he has no restrictions to Xfire or SLI.

While as on AMD, you have to pick one or the other.
(or did they change this?)

 

[MisterDonut]

lol.

Combining 'Eco Friendly' in the same sentence as a GTX 480. I love it!

Gotta make up for the lost voltage somewhere in his system . Fermi is DEFINITELY causing global warming.

 

[TheRyuu]

Does the hyperthreading in the i7's add any substantial performance compared to an i5 in terms of gaming?

This probably depends on the games ability to use multiple cores, e.g. more than 2/4 of them. In other apps, which are fully threaded, HT can net a 25% performance gain.

 

[biostud]

Does the hyperthreading in the i7's add any substantial performance compared to an i5 in terms of gaming?

No, I think maybe one or two games gain a little (few percent), and the rest is the same or a little slower (very few percent)

HT is for video, photo and 3D rendering.

 

[Scali]

Nobody mentioned the i7 860 yet?
They seem to be better overclockers than the 920s, and they generally perform slightly better in games, probably because of the integrated PCI-e controller.
Triple channel memory doesn't seem to have a lot of benefit for most applications, especially games.
As long as you use fast enough memory, dual channel can deliver plenty of bandwidth. Since you only need two sticks instead of three, you can generally get better value for money on the memory.

 

[Ben90]

Nobody mentioned the i7 860 yet?
They seem to be better overclockers than the 920s, and they generally perform slightly better in games, probably because of the integrated PCI-e controller.
Triple channel memory doesn't seem to have a lot of benefit for most applications, especially games.
As long as you use fast enough memory, dual channel can deliver plenty of bandwidth. Since you only need two sticks instead of three, you can generally get better value for money on the memory.

920s are better overclockers because the PCI-e controller holds back the 860. The integrated PCI-e controller has approximately zero performance impact other than lowering max overclock. The 860s perform slightly better in games when running stock because their turbo and uncore is higher. But clock for clock, the old 920 has the memory advantage.

However P55 is slightly cheaper than X58, and Lynnfield has a lot better power management.

 

[HumblePie]

If you have a microcenter nearby the i7 930 is still the best bang for the buck excepting being able to unlock one of the really cheap AMD X2's denebs into a quad core for $30. At which point, that is about the best bang for the buck. However, it's a crap shoot and the performance still does not match an i7 clock for clock.

I love AMD, but even their 6 cores are just barely equal in some applications to that of the i7's.

Now if you are ordering through online stores where an i7 920 or 930 is $280+.... the AMD 6 core is a bit more attractive at $200 with a slightly cheaper motherboard requirement. It all depends on where you are able to buy your parts from and how much you pay in total.

For total performance I would rate the CPUs in the following, especially when considering the maxish overclock range

Intel 980x (6core) >>> i7s > AMD thusbane 6 cores > i5s >> s775 quads > AMD quads > AMD tri cores = c2d >> AMD x2s

It all breaks down into what performance range you are looking to be in and what prices you can get considering CPU + motherboard + memory.

My signature needs to be updated but I personally have an i7 930 for my main rig and a q9550 for my second rig. Both are capable really of doing everything I normally do. The i7 930 system would just have an edge when it comes to newer games like Metro 2033.

 

[Scali]

However P55 is slightly cheaper than X58, and Lynnfield has a lot better power management.

Better bang for the buck. And from what I've seen, Lynnfield overclocks fine, 4+ GHz not too much of a problem on air (partly because an i860 is higher stock speed than a 920 anyway, there's your bang for the buck). You mainly need to increase the voltage to get the PCI-e controller overclocking along, but no big deal... especially since it runs cooler than a 920 by default anyway.

 

[RussianSensation]

The 920 is out, and the 930 in, since they are almost the same price. The platform is ~200 more though than the 1055T. You said value ? The 1055T, but is gaming your primary ? Then maybe a I5 750

Also, don't forget you can get a Core i7 860 and a mobo for $130-$140 and 2 sticks of DDR3 ram for either socket 1366 or 1156. So the price difference between 1055 and Core i7 860 system will less than $200. However, for gaming, I would also pick a Core i5 750 anyway. I would go AMD route if an upgrade path to Bullzoder is important. If you are on a budget, take the savings from the Core i7 system and allocate them towards a faster videocard instead (i.e., 5850 --> 5870 for example), or an SSD.

If you have a microcenter near you though, then I'd go for the Core i7 860 or 930 platform as each CPU is $200 or what the 1055T costs.

 

[jaydee]

I think the choice should come down to AMD x6 Thuban vs. Intel Core i7-860.

IMO the 860 is a better value than 920 (because of the cheaper chipset and same performance) and 750 (costs a little more, but I think the HT will come in handier down the road).

 

[Schfifty Five]

Wow, a lot of good information here. Thanks everyone, got a lot to think about now!

 

[Schfifty Five]

If you have a microcenter nearby the i7 930 is still the best bang for the buck excepting being able to unlock one of the really cheap AMD X2's denebs into a quad core for $30. At which point, that is about the best bang for the buck. However, it's a crap shoot and the performance still does not match an i7 clock for clock.

I love AMD, but even their 6 cores are just barely equal in some applications to that of the i7's.

Now if you are ordering through online stores where an i7 920 or 930 is $280+.... the AMD 6 core is a bit more attractive at $200 with a slightly cheaper motherboard requirement. It all depends on where you are able to buy your parts from and how much you pay in total.

For total performance I would rate the CPUs in the following, especially when considering the maxish overclock range

Intel 980x (6core) >>> i7s > AMD thusbane 6 cores > i5s >> s775 quads > AMD quads > AMD tri cores = c2d >> AMD x2s

It all breaks down into what performance range you are looking to be in and what prices you can get considering CPU + motherboard + memory.

My signature needs to be updated but I personally have an i7 930 for my main rig and a q9550 for my second rig. Both are capable really of doing everything I normally do. The i7 930 system would just have an edge when it comes to newer games like Metro 2033.

I do have a Microcenter near me, and dang, the 930 is $199+tax. Is this price the norm at Microcenter or is it a limited time sale?

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

MC has had the 930's on sale for awhile now. $199 is a steal. I've got two 930's right now. I've had two different 920's and two 930's. I believe they are pretty much equal except the 930's seem to do better with low voltages. Going from a Q6600 3.1ghz to a i7 930 stock in my wife's computer made it feel much more responsive even with just a mechanical drive. MC doesn't sell 920's anymore. They clearanced them out for like $160 and they were gone. 930 is a slightly better chip anyways.

 

[HumblePie]

I do have a Microcenter near me, and dang, the 930 is $199+tax. Is this price the norm at Microcenter or is it a limited time sale?

Normal price for Microcenter. It's a loss leader they use to drive in foot traffic which is why you can not buy it online from them.

Go there and pick up a i7 930. Also look on the clearance isle. Sometimes they have motherboards and good heatsink there for cheap. The one in Houston last weekend had an OCZ vendetta heatsink for $9.

Also, you can find a few deals for some of the cheaper x58 motherboards in the for sale forums.