Make the leap to i7?

[Fr33m4n]

I need some upgrade advice. I'm currently on a rather aging system and has got myself a laptop that beats the shit out of my desktop sporting a 8800m GTX. My desktop however is as following:

AMD x2 3800+ cpu @stock (whatever that is)
ASUS A8N-E mobo
4x512 mb DDR ram
Nvidia 7800 GT 256mb GPU
550W PSU

As I see it there really isn't much point in upgrading this, so I'm thinking about ditching it for a completely new setup. I don't think I'll be touching my HDDs, case or monitor so all I really need is a mobo, cpu, ram and gpu. I don't have the biggest budget in the world but figure I might be able to shell out 1200$ if needed. I am a big gamer so that is my primary goal with this rig.

I've been kinda drooling over the i7, but the more I read about it, the less people I can find advising it. That might be because a lot of people are simply upgrading and thus don't have to shell out for a new mobo if they simply select something that will fit their socket.

But I digress. What I really need is some help in choosing the right setup for me. I hate buying old tech when there is only a minimal price difference. Historically I usually never upgrade my rig within the lifetime of the mobo so whatever I chose now has to be good enough to stick around for a couple of years.

Which brings me to my next question. Is this even the right time to upgrade. With Intel signaling a move to 32nm next year and my laptop holding it's own even in crysis do I really need this right now or do we have better things in store just around the corner?

Anyway, to start the discussion somewhere I have created a non i7 setup that I believe might give me the best bang for the buck. For a grand total of 790$ + shipping I can get:

Asus P5Q Pro
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
OCZ Gold XTC 4096 MB DDR2 PC6400
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870

Is this perhaps the way to go or have I really not been paying attention to what the market has to offer?

Your thoughts?

 

[Idontcare]

For budget purposes you should really hold off upgrading until AMD releases Phenom II in Jan/Feb just so you can take advantage of any impending CPU prices on the Intel side of the fence or quite possibly to take advantage of a superior performance/price ratio from Phenom II if Intel doesn't drop prices accordingly.

As to whether you should upgrade at that juncture, prolly best to wait until then to ask again. A lot can change (new steppings for i7, second-round of X58 mobo's, lower priced SSD's) in 2-3 months.

 

[JTsyo]

I just read this overview of Intel chips. It seems the i7 hold their own. Going the i7 route gets more expensive due to the mobo and RAM, the chips themselves are competitive.

 

[Fr33m4n]

Originally posted by: Idontcare
For budget purposes you should really hold off upgrading until AMD releases Phenom II in Jan/Feb just so you can take advantage of any impending CPU prices on the Intel side of the fence or quite possibly to take advantage of a superior performance/price ratio from Phenom II if Intel doesn't drop prices accordingly.

As to whether you should upgrade at that juncture, prolly best to wait until then to ask again. A lot can change (new steppings for i7, second-round of X58 mobo's, lower priced SSD's) in 2-3 months.

Yeah, I was kinda afraid that someone would say something like that. I was pretty excited about the thought that I might get a new system before christmas but I suppose it makes more sense to wait. Especially if AMD is able to pack some punch, the response from Intel could only be a good thing for the consumer.

However, the evolution in the PC industry is always happening. If you are always waiting for the latest tech then you're never gonna buy anything. The trick is to figure out when the next thing is a "revolution", and not just a "small evolution". The i7 was kinda the "revolution" for me, so the question is; will the Phenom II bring enough to the table to make the market significantly more interesting?

 

[shempf]

E8500 or Q9x50 sounds more applicable