Upgrade time - CPU Question.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 2:06 pm

Once again, I'm trying to build a box on a \"Budget\" (ie. I don't have 2K to throw at hardware.)

I've looked around a little bit and I'm eyeing the i5-650. It goes for about $190 to $208 retail, depending on where you get it.

What I want to know is this about the best \"Bang for the buck\" in this price range (about $200)

I'm anticipating the mobo to cost about the same.

Thanks Guys.

<<btw Merlin, I haven't forgotten your controller. I should be putting it together in a couple of weeks.>>

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:22 pm

ok.. the i5 - 650 or the Q8200?

flip · Post by **flip** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:28 pm

I would suggest Intel over AMD. My black 550X2 seems to run a little hot no matter what I do.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:26 pm

Those are both Intel chips.

the Q8200 is a lower end Quad that runs at something like 2.3 Ghz and the i5-650 is a Dual with faster memory and runs at 3.2 Ghz.

There are some technical differences in the specs I have no clue about...

fliptw · Post by **fliptw** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:28 pm

if you already have an LGA755 motherboard, then go with the Core 2.

if you got with the i5 option, you need to get a new mobo and ram.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:34 pm

This is a complete upgrade. I'm currently running a Athlon 3500+ on an Asus A8N-E (very old).

I'm looking for the best bang for the buck which means splitting hairs sometimes. which of these two are really faster? Does it depend on application? I'm leaning toward the i5, but a quad core looks shiny! .. but it does no good if it's truly slower.

fliptw · Post by **fliptw** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:38 pm

Id go with the i5. Core 2 is on its way out anyways

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:48 pm

The 650 seems like a decent choice if you are aiming for a dual core, or for the same price you could step up to quad with the 750. The main question is what you are mostly going to use it for as to which one you want to get.

Games/older applications/etc are more likely going to benefit from the higher core clocks on the 650 instead of the quad cores in the 750 for now. Other tasks like video encoding, DVD/Blu-Ray authoring, or deceptively simple things like plain file compression and archiving and some virus scanning will benefit from the 750s extra cores more.

Eventually games will start to creep into the quad core domain too, but by then the 750 or even the 800 series parts may be a good bit cheaper and you can just drop one in any LGA1156 board for an instant upgrade.

The Core 2 quad parts and the LGA775 socket shouldn't be considered for any serous upgrade at this stage, especially since the dual core i5 parts have finally hit the market.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:09 pm

hmm. Ok

Also, I found This article over on AnandTech.
They seem to peg performance for money on the i3 530/540. You basically don't get the GPU and you miss out on some \"whizz-bang\", but when push comes to shove is does well for under $200. It's a long article, but a decent read.

ugh.. i was trying to avoid this kinda info overload.

thx!

*Edit*
This has to be one of the most comprehensive reviews as far as testing goes that I've seen in many years. ... but then again, this is the first time I've LOOKED in years. (about 3 really)

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:30 pm

Ok, here's what I have in mind.

INTEL Core i3 540 3.06 GHz Socket 1156
INTEL Intel H55 Core i5/i7 DDR3 1333MHz ATX
OCZ OCZ3P1333LV4GK 4GB PC3-10666 (DDR3-1333) Dual Channel
XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express x16
ANTEC TP-750 Blue TruePower New Series 750W SLI Active Power
ZEROtherm CORE92
MS 7 Pro (i know.. i know.. gawd i hate being a lemming)

Total = $810.00

Sirius · Post by **Sirius** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:56 pm

That looks pretty good, actually. I'm not sure how fast an i3 is, but most games that will push computers these days do so on the graphics side, and the HD 5770 should handle that pretty well.

And hey, at least Win7 works with most software without arm-twisting.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:25 pm

For current CPU speeds, read THIS article.

It's on Anandtech and quite comprehensive on a layman's level.

Aus-RED-5 · Post by **Aus-RED-5** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:33 pm

x2! Pretty good setup for the price.

....dang.... After looking at this. I'm starting to get the itch for a new PC again. My current PC is only 2 years old.

SirSamII · Post by **SirSamII** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:21 pm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227478

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... Tpk=CORE92

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6832116758

=$814.89
All your parts but, pretty much the same price. You could get a cheaper power supply, but if your going to get that antec I would get an SLI board that way you can add a 2nd video card when you have the cash to do so & your power supply will be up to par to support it. Just my 2 cents.

Duper · Post by **Duper** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:33 pm

New List:

INTEL Core i3 540 3.06 GHz Socket 1156
INTEL Intel H55 Core i5/i7 DDR3 1333MHz ATX
OCZ OCZ3P1333LV4GK 4GB PC3-10666 (DDR3-1333) Dual Channel
XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express x16
OCZ OCZ700MXSP 700W SLI/CrossFire Active PFC Power Supply
ZEROtherm CORE92
Sony Optiarc AD-7241S-0B SATA DVD Burner
MS 7 Pro

Total = $803.00
All from http://www.zipzoomfly.com

(free ground shipping too!) :woot!:

I went with a less expensive PSU and added a Sony Optical. (my old ones are IDE)