Summer 10' Upgrade : Conflicted! (And Hello!)

[Supersonic64]

The Introduction: Hey guys, I am a computer enthusiast from the USA. I stumbled upon your community and figured it would be a great place to learn more and discuss computers so here I am!

The Situation: Anyways, let's get down to computer talk. My current E8400 @ 3.6GHz isn't cutting it anymore for gaming at 1920 x 1200 with an ATI 5870. Games it is particularly struggling with include Bad Company 2 and Flight Simulator X. Both are very CPU intensive games and I am sure my CPU is the bottleneck and as such I am looking to go Quad.

My E8400's 2nd year anniversary is coming up soon and while it has served me well it has got to go!

The Dilemma: I'm a college student without a job at the moment which means I don't have much money to throw around, especially with the tuition increases around here as of late. That isn't to say I don't want to spend some money on improving my system's performance.

The only components I need are a new MOBO, CPU and RAM. I already have an ATI 5870 and Corsair 750-Watt PSU.

Anyways, I've evaluated three different kinds of systems, Intel Core i7, Intel Core i5 and AMD AM3 Phenom II systems. I'm having a hard time concluding which one will give me the most bang for my buck and last at least two years into the future with sufficient capabilities for upcoming games. My budget is ~$500 give or take a hundred or two.

Core i7 strains my budget being the most expensive upgrade option at about $700 for the i7 930, 6GB and mid-range X58 motherboard. Core i5 is around the much more desirable price point of $475 for the i5-750, 4GB and mid-range P55 motherboard. Lastly, AMD is around the same price point as the i5 for a X6 1055T based system or a X4 965 system.

Now, the reason why I have considered AMD is future proofing. If AMD's Bulldozer CPU supports the AM3 socket, it would immediately become much more desirable than the i7 or i5 options since the future of 1156 and 1336 are in question.

Of course, whether Bulldozer will support AM3 is a question which is in limbo and will be in limbo for time to come. I cannot wait to upgrade. My current desktop system has already been parted out to make way for this new one.

So, why I need your help and advice: I need your help in order to determine which type of system is best for me, provides the most bang for my buck and also gives me the best future proofing. I know the term future proofing is laughed at in the computer world as things change rapidly, understanding that, I'd like to know what's going to perform the best for the longest amount of time.

I'd also love to have some advice on particular component choices. At the moment, here is my "draft" system plan:

I want something that can max out Bad Company 2 and Flight Simulator X as well as upcoming games like Crysis 2 and Battlefield 3. I want minimum two years life out of these components. I want something that is going to run future games at least two years into the future.

It is also my goal to overclock the CPU to at least 4.00GHz. That being said, I'm worried if the i5-750 can make it that far.

My budget is ~$500 for the MOBO, CPU and RAM, being a poor college student the cheaper the better but if something is worth the extra cost I will go for it.

So far I have picked the following components, but still need help determining if Core i5 is for me and if so, what components are best:

MOBO: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 - $130

CPU: Intel Core i5-750 2.66GHz - $200

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - $110

Total: $440 + Shipping

So, let's go! I can't wait to build a new rig soon! Thanks for any and all help well in advance!

 

[mfenn]

In your price range AMD is the best. Get the 965, the GA-870A-UD3, and the ripjaws that you picked out, should be well under your budget. You can probably get everything for just over $300 if you get the Athlon II X4 635.

 

[Supersonic64]

In your price range AMD is the best. Get the 965, the GA-870A-UD3, and the ripjaws that you picked out, should be well under your budget. You can probably get everything for just over $300 if you get the Athlon II X4 635.

Prices sounds good, but maybe that system would be just a tad weak in the processor department! If I did happen to go AMD, I would at least want the Phenom II 965.

 

[VirtualLarry]

A lot of people have gotten the 1055T to 4Ghz. At that speed, it's quite a formidable processor. As far as I know, FSX runs best on a quad, and I don't know if it will also take advantage of a hex-core, but if it does, you should probably go that route.

 

[Supersonic64]

The i5-750 and the Phenom II 1055T systems are nearly identical in price. The only difference being that I would have to buy an AM3 compatible cooler as my current Xigmatek ST-1283 would block the RAM slots on the AM3 board.

This would up the price by about $40-$50. Also of concern are the benchmarks I have seen which put the i5-750 ahead of the Phenom II 1055T when it comes to gaming.

First and foremost for me is gaming performance, I don't encode/decode/convert or do any of the kind of stuff that benefits from having more than four cores. So I am concerned that a OC'ed 1055T will not provide the same performance as an i5-750.

 

[mfenn]

In your price range AMD is the best. Get the 965, the GA-870A-UD3, and the ripjaws that you picked out, should be well under your budget. You can probably get everything for just over $300 if you get the Athlon II X4 635.

Prices sounds good, but maybe that system would be just a tad weak in the processor department! If I did happen to go AMD, I would at least want the Phenom II 965.

 

[alkemyst]

955 is pretty much = 965 and 30% cheaper. If you are going 965 you may as well spend the extra $15-20 for a 1055. Which would scale much better if you are looking at a two year life.