i5 vs i7 questions... Price vs performance

Technex

Technex

New member
Hi guys,

For my totally new rig I'm planning, I'm having trouble deciding between i5 and i7 cores (and Dual channel DDR3 vs Triple Channel DDR3). I've been reading up on both set-ups but can't decide on one or the other.

Option 1:

Intel Core i7 930 2.8Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) £204

OCZ Gold 6GB (3x2GB) triple channel 1333 9-9-9-20 £100

Option 2:

Intel Core i5 760 2.8Ghz (Lynnfield) (Socket LGA1156) £160

Crucial Ballistix 4GB kit (2GBx2) 1333 7-7-7-24 £74

Not sure which one would be best for gaming? Or if there is a better choice out there?

The two games which I mainly play will be TDU2 and Counter strike: Source.

Cheers guys,

Laurence
 
Edit! i've been out of pc world for too long now ignore me
biggrin.gif
 
arnt they replacing 1156 with sandy bridge if its like 2 years of then its not to bad

i think the i7 would be better only i would get the 950

o and mushkin ram
 
I'm planning to run a Noctua NH-D14 with either of these cores.

Is there a better option out there for me for gaming?

Cheers
smile.gif
.
 
i think the i7 950 with the inclusion of triple channel RAM might be a slight faster that the i5 and dueal ram

1366 is probly the better socket to go for bu thats just me
 
Well I'm guessing the i5 I listed will be miles better than the quad core Q6600 I used to run? If so that's good enough for me used to get max fps on a higher res screen on both games
smile.gif
.
 
1155 comes out next year (think the NDA is the 5th jan so we will know more after that), the i7 will be faster but the ram u picked out isnt great i have atm in mines corsair xms3 1600 and that does 8-8-8-20 @ 1600 and scan had it on sale not that long ago for only £65 but im sure its cheaper than the 1333 ocz stuff
 
if the 1155 comes out next year then go the i7 route fella

and yes it wil beat the q6600 by quite a bit

OCZ you should stay awa from them anyways
 
thestepster said:
1155 comes out next year (think the NDA is the 5th jan so we will know more after that), the i7 will be faster but the ram u picked out isnt great i have atm in mines corsair xms3 1600 and that does 8-8-8-20 @ 1600 and scan had it on sale not that long ago for only £65 but im sure its cheaper than the 1333 ocz stuff
Click to expand...

Hmmm, so seems the i7 will still be run alongside the new 1155. I don't really want to fork out for a 1156 if it's soon going to be replaced
sad.gif
. (although it will work great)

What's with all the stuff I've been reading up on about i5 out performing the i7 for gaming (guess in the same price range)?

Cheers AMDFTW. I'm looking to buy before next year, i.e next week or two. (before VAT rise also!)
 
well the margins will be minimal and u could always just hold off till 1155 comes out and the 1156 prices will bomb and u can end up gettin a really fast rig for pretty cheap and watch the price of ddr3 just now mate as its dropping pretty fast

the thing with 1366 its the enthusiast platform and thats got at least another year in it at least, its planned to get replaced but not sure there is any r&d done into the next gen one so it gettin replaced anytime soon isnt a problem
 
i5 wont outperform the i7 thats just daft.

If you are overclocking go i7 950

If you dont know how to or just want to build and forget go i3 and save some money. 1156 i5 has been replaced within 2 years of release, something wasnt right so intel has brought the replacements in much quicker. IMHO the i5's have always been a funny middle ground that wasnt sure if it was budget or performance.
 
Think I will just wait for the Sandy Bridge cores to come out, they look like the ones to go for... Hopefully they will release them at the latest on time...

Dunno if I should start buying some of the other items now or maybe it will be cheaper towards / after Christmas
sad.gif
.
 
Well, you've still got time on 1366 as only some people *cough* know when exactly it's coming out although we have "at least a year". On the other hand the 1156 is a pretty much dead socket, being replaced in Q1. Maybe if you wait a little for 1155 to come out you could get a better deal on 1156 or pick 1155 instead?
 
Todd said:
Well, you've still got time on 1366 as only some people *cough* know when exactly it's coming out although we have "at least a year". On the other hand the 1156 is a pretty much dead socket, being replaced in Q1. Maybe if you wait a little for 1155 to come out you could get a better deal on 1156 or pick 1155 instead?
Click to expand...

I'm confused...1366's have been out for a while. Did you mean 1366 socket i5's
 
My opinion

Replaced or not replaced, by the time they'll get released, they will not offer that much extra gaming performance, but intel will be asking a premium price. If you need to build now and dont want to go the most expensive i7 9xx way, get the 1156 i5 or even i7 (1156 i7 860 can be had for £130 atm, and I bought Asus Sabertooth 55i for £94 brand new with free delivery last week
wink.gif
) plus dual channel DDR3 and you are sorted for years to come. You will, in any way, have to get a decent GPU and PSU, so I don't account for that. I think £300 mark for 4GB DDR3, i7 and a high-quality mobo isn't that bad.

/My opinion
 
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