Please help a NOOB choose a cpu and mobo

[Dasda]

Hi everyone, I am new to the site but I've read alot of the info available on other threads.

I need help in building a new computer. I am unsure on which Intel cpu to go with and if it is the right time now to buy them since it seems there is a bunch of new stuff on the horizon.

After doing some reading the last week or so I have learned that i5-750 is probably the best buy right now as it is well priced and has good performance. However, I am unsure about going with 1156socket mobo and cpu because it seems that most of the new stuff moving forward will be on 1366. This might limit my chance of upgrading in the future. So for a 1366 cpu I found that the i7-920 is a good buy because it has hyper-threading.

Please let me know if I have the right info and help me make a decision on what is a good investment. I want the computer to last me atleast years. I can afford to wait a month or two as I do have a working desktop at home but it desperately needs a replacement.

My Answers to sticky thread for new PC
1. I use a computer pretty much for everything that arises. I have no 1 thing that I do the most. It is pretty much a home computer. However, the things I probably to most are using winrar, burning, watching videos. I do not game on PC as I have a xbox360.

2. My budget for this computer is around $800canadian but can push it to $1000 if it results in a better investment.

3. I plan to buy the parts in Canada. The main sellers available to me are canadacomputers, newegg, and tigerdirect.

4. My current PC was built in 2000 with a intel 1.5ghz cpu and it has lasted me 10 years. So I would prefer to stick with intel. The mobo was a Asus so I wouln't mind sticking with them but I can change if other brands are just as good.

5. The only part in my current computer I can pretty much use is a Pioneer DVD writer. It is the 118 model. It is IDE but i can get a adapter for sata and use it or just purchase a new one since burners are cheap anyways.

6. I have searched multiple threads of people asking for help like me but I really didn't find people with similar questions/needs.

7. I do not plan on overclocking the cpu. I have never done and would like to admit that I haven't read much on how to do it either. I do know that it helps gamers primarily but I don't game much on computer as I have a xbox360.

8. No real need for a superb GPU as I will not be gaming much. A average one will do.

9. I plan on building it from now to summer. I can build it now if the prices aren't expected to drop but If it worth to wait for something I can do that also.

Thanks to everyone who takes their time to read this and I appreciate any input I can get. Oh and Sorry for a long post

If you require any more information please let me know and I will post asap.

After further reading, I also saw the new clarkdale i5-660 and i5-661. How do these compare with the i5-750 and i7-920? Thanks

 

[RD Mercer]

i7 860 is 1156 socket

 

[Jd007]

Sounds like an i5 750 + Gigabyte P55A-UD4P + ATI 5750 will be enough for you.

With that combo, you get quad core, SATA 6 Gbps, USB 3.0, and DirectX 11, so should be relatively future-proof. Performance wise it will annihilate your 1.5 Ghz Intel, and will be more than enough for your purposes.

And RD Mercer is right, i3, i5, i7 8xx series are all LGA 1156. Only i7 9xx series is LGA 1366.

 

[Dasda]

i7 860 is 1156 socket

Yea sorry, I meant i7-920.

Thanks for the correction

Sounds like an i5 750 + Gigabyte P55A-UD4P + ATI 5750 will be enough for you.

With that combo, you get quad core, SATA 6 Gbps, USB 3.0, and DirectX 11, so should be relatively future-proof. Performance wise it will annihilate your 1.5 Ghz Intel, and will be more than enough for your purposes.

And RD Mercer is right, i3, i5, i7 8xx series are all LGA 1156. Only i7 9xx series is LGA 1366.

Hi, thanks for quick reply. I think that could be a solid build. Could you also recommend a asus mobo which is equivalent to the Gigabyte? Also, have you had good experience with GigaByte? Lol at my 1.5ghz. That thing is pretty much good for web browsing(some sites) and typing now. I have to run 1 application at a time or it starts crashing.

One concern, is 1156 future proof? or will most of the new cpus be 1366? thanks

 

[Jd007]

Here's the ASUS competing P55 board at the same price level.

I have had experience with both Gigabyte and ASUS. My old LGA 775 platform was an ASUS P35, and newer AMD Phenom II X4 platform was on a Gigabyte 790XT-UD4P. Both are great boards with lots of features in the BIOS. For my newest build (i7 LGA 1366), I went with Gigabyte because it had more SATA ports (10 total, and no other LGA 1366 board had that many) and I had a lot of hard drives.

Both of those are great boards so I guess it comes down to personal preference and price. As for future proof, it's really hard to say. Yes, there is a new i7 980X EE 6-core CPU coming out for LGA 1366, but that's not important to most consumers since it's a $1000 part. There are definitely more CPUs to choose from for LGA 1156 though, especially since the launch of i3 and i5 6xx series.

 

[jacktesterson]

www.ncix.com is where I'd buy. TigerDirect/NewEgg suck for shipping in Canada, and CanadaComputers takes them 4-5 days just to ship something out in my experiences. NCIX.com has always treated me right, same day shipping, and there weekly sales always competes with anyone in canada. Plus they price match anything!

Anyways, back to topic at hand.. I'd also recommend this

"Sounds like an i5 750 + Gigabyte P55A-UD4P + ATI 5750 will be enough for you"

 

[Dasda]

www.ncix.com is where I'd buy. TigerDirect/NewEgg suck for shipping in Canada, and CanadaComputers takes them 4-5 days just to ship something out in my experiences. NCIX.com has always treated me right, same day shipping, and there weekly sales always competes with anyone in canada. Plus they price match anything!

Anyways, back to topic at hand.. I'd also recommend this

"Sounds like an i5 750 + Gigabyte P55A-UD4P + ATI 5750 will be enough for you"

yea ncix is nice too. I actually live by tigerdirect's and canadcomputers' retail stores. So no shipping will be involved. I can just go pick it up. Ill check out their prices though.

I know that is a great build reccomendation. Im just waiting for someone to update me on about the futureproofing part since the new hexacore processors will be 1366 only I think. And I was also waiting for someone to comment about prices since I have not followed computers until last week. Will they fall with new releases soon? I can wait till about summer. Its not a must to buy now. I just want to make a smart buy when I do.

After further reading, I also saw the new clarkdale i5-660 and i5-661. How do these compare with the i5-750 and i7-920? Thanks

 

[Ichigo]

Just get the 920. You can buy a <$50 video card so that leaves a lot of room for a better CPU+MOBO combination, which will give you some space for future upgrades compared to LGA1156.

New i3 and i5 CPU's are pretty much pointless since they're worse than existing i5 CPU's.

 

[Dasda]

Just get the 920. You can buy a <$50 video card so that leaves a lot of room for a better CPU+MOBO combination, which will give you some space for future upgrades compared to LGA1156.

New i3 and i5 CPU's are pretty much pointless since they're worse than existing i5 CPU's.

Yeah, I am leaning towards the 920. I know I'll probably pay a little bit more but this way I wont need to replace a mobo also in 2 years when I might need/want to upgrade. The main reason being is it seems that 1156 does not have much of a future. Any info on prices guys?

 

[Jd007]

If you can wait then wait. In March the i7 920 will be discontinued to replaced by i7 930, which costs the same but runs at 2.88 Ghz.

As for hex-core i7 980X, sure it's LGA 1366 only, but like I said above that it's a $1000 part. I don't think you are going to consider that (given that your current build budget is lower than that CPU's price alone).

You said you can wait till summer. So I recommend wait till March, then get the i7 930.

 

[Dasda]

If you can wait then wait. In March the i7 920 will be discontinued to replaced by i7 930, which costs the same but runs at 2.88 Ghz.

As for hex-core i7 980X, sure it's LGA 1366 only, but like I said above that it's a $1000 part. I don't think you are going to consider that (given that your current build budget is lower than that CPU's price alone).

You said you can wait till summer. So I recommend wait till March, then get the i7 930.

Ok I can wait till march. thanks alot for the info bud. Can you reccommend some 1366 motherboards for my need though? I really wont be runnning more than 1 gpu so that feature is not a big deal for me. I'll probably get a cheap gpu since I game on consoles. The main preference would be a Asus with a good amount of sata ports.

 

[Jd007]

From ASUS: P6X58D Premium
From Gigabyte: X58A-UD7 (top of the line, USB 3.0 + SATA 6 Gbps; 10 SATA ports total); Soon (1-2 months maybe) they will launch X58A-UD5, which has USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gbps support for a lower price (the board is exactly the same as the UD7; only difference is the north bridge cooling).
From ASRock (great budget board): X58 Extreme

By the way, in case you were wondering, I know all this info because I just built my own LGA 1366 machine.