Buying PC for Gaming - am I a tool if I buy an Alienware?

[quote name='Kanik']Paz9x on the PC forum here helped me picked some stuff out on newegg. Because newegg charges NJ tax on me and I have Amazon Prime I'd much rather get it from amazon. I plugged in the model #s into Amazon and not sure some of them are the same but, does this look good? Would cost me $1,018. Does it all look like it's compatible?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance[/QUOTE]

Are you looking for i7 860 or i7 920?
Triple channel isn't supported by p55 boards and you are better off getting 4gb dual channel ddr3 memory.
OCZ is a decent company for power supplies but I'd rather opt for a corsair or pc power and cooling power supply.
Anything specific you are looking for in a motherboard? Will you be overclocking?
 
[quote name='muhsheesuh']Are you looking for i7 860 or i7 920?
Triple channel isn't supported by p55 boards and you are better off getting 4gb dual channel ddr3 memory.
OCZ is a decent company for power supplies but I'd rather opt for a corsair or pc power and cooling power supply.
Anything specific you are looking for in a motherboard? Will you be overclocking?[/QUOTE]
So would this memory be a better choice?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

I don't even know the different in i7 860 or i7 920. :cry:

I'm probably not looking to overclock, don't expect to be pushing it to its limits.

What exact power supply would you recommend?

How does the NVIDIA gtx 260 compare? I'm kind of interested in the 3D Vision.
 
About i7 860 and 920, check this thread:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/266032-28-tomshardware

And power supplies can be chosen last, after you calculate how much power you need. In the past, Antec was the best PSU brand, but I'm not sure if it's still the case. Most likely though, you'll need around a 600W PSU, or somewhere in that ballpark (considering it's a gaming PC). But it could be higher, depending on if you're planning on using two GPUs, setting up multiple hard drives in a RAID format (though each hard drive is something like 10-20W more, which isn't significant unless you want a ton), etc. Also, people more knowledgeable about i7s can chime in if I'm wrong about anything, since I'm still a generation behind =P
 
[quote name='Haggar']I personally wouldn't consider pressing a key to switch between an OS a "hassle", but to each his own. I use PCs at work, but only buy Apples for my personal use.

Just wanted to point out that OMG MACKS GOT NO GAEMZ isn't an issue anymore, because all new and recent Apple computers can run Windows just fine.[/QUOTE]

Come on now, Macs have pretty weak specs for gaming, especially for the price. His main goal is to play games, and a Mac would be near the end of the list for gaming.
 
I use to always build my rigs. I won an alienware gift certificate through a contest at the college I was attending. So I decided to take the plunge into something I had made fun of repeatedly at many a lan party. It's not even worth the hassle and I got most of mine for free. Horrible and rude tech support. Horrible and rude customer support. The case is nice and big, they tied everything down nicely... but if you have any problem with hardware prepare to deal with a ton of shit by rude, anti-customer customer service and tech agents.

Stay FAR away.
 
860 and 920 have different cpu architechtures with 920 being the superiour cpu but more expensive.
An 860 should be coupled with a p55 board and 4gb ddr3 memory while
a 920 should be coupled with a 1366 socket board and 3 or 6gb ddr3 memory

There is probably about a $120-$180 difference between the two builds but if all you are doing is gaming, you won't notice a difference in performance if you go with the 860.
GPU choice is much important for gamingg and while the gtx 260 is a very nice card, at its current inflated price point, you are better off getting a 5770. Do not get any 58xx cards as they are overpriced since NVIDIA does not currenlty have cards that compete with them (yet). The next set of NVIDIA cards are believed to be released sometime in March iirc and will probably engage a price war between the two effectively lowering the cost of their cards. That is the only reason the 58xx's are currently so expensive right now. The most cost effective choice with regards to performance is a 5770 1gb which performs similarly to a gtx 260 but runs cooler and remains cheaper.

Antec makes decent power supplies as well and it's not a bad choice at all if you go with one. You are probably looking at least 600w of a reputable brand power supply which should leave you a little room if you ever decide to upgrade. If you decide to overclock you will need a slightly more powerful power supply most likely so take that into consideration when choosing a power supply. A 750w should suffice if you choose to overclock or go SLI/Crossfire in the future (again with a reputable brand power supply)

If you decide to go hackintosh, I believe the p55 boards have almost perfect compatibility with OSX drivers. I'm not too sure about 1156 boards though for hackintosh.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If you get the 920, get it at Microcenter. They're usually a lot cheaper over there. I bought mine for $230 on a non-sale day, but I think they dropped it even further to $200.

And I think it was that the 920 should be coupled with a 1366 socket board, not 1156.

I'm a fan of wd caviar black so I normally recommend those for hdd. Amazon currently has the wd caviar black 750gb listed for $69.99. Better price/gig ratio than the one you have linked to.

PC Power & Cooling for a psu would be my recommendation. I think Newegg has discounts on them every now and then.
 
[quote name='bungletrpg']If you buy from ibuypower, be prepared to fully inspect it. I ordered a computer from there and they switched out some of the parts I ordered with cheaper ones, probably to save money. It has also had a lot of problems since I got it.[/QUOTE]

Indeed. IBuyPower is notorious for this sleezy move, as well as sending out broken machines. And their customer service is awful. I would avoid them like the plague. Their name should be WeSellCrap.
 
[quote name='koji126']If you get the 920, get it at Microcenter. They're usually a lot cheaper over there. I bought mine for $230 on a non-sale day, but I think they dropped it even further to $200.

And I think it was that the 920 should be coupled with a 1366 socket board, not 1156.

I'm a fan of wd caviar black so I normally recommend those for hdd. Amazon currently has the wd caviar black 750gb listed for $69.99. Better price/gig ratio than the one you have linked to.

PC Power & Cooling for a psu would be my recommendation. I think Newegg has discounts on them every now and then.[/QUOTE]

Ya sorry I meant 1366; I must have brain-farted there. Microcenter normally has had the sale price of either $200 or $230 for the 920 so definitely get it there if you have one nearby. Don't get any other parts there though since the CPU will be the only thing that will be cheapest there most likely. They sell at a loss so that people will come in and buy the marked up motherboards and ram to make up for the difference.

WD Black Caviar is a good HDD and if you do end up getting one, get a 640gb since it has 2x 320gb denser platters as opposed to the 3x 250gb platters on the 750gb. There are better hard drives out now like that samsung f3 spinpoint you picked out or Seagate 7200.12 but the choice is up to you. All of those hard drives are great. Maybe you can even consider getting a small SSD for OS booting and a larger backup hdd for storage with your budget.
 
Thanks for the info so far!

So I'm swapping out the harddrive for the 750gb.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

Also getting the radeon 5850.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

It may be overpriced but I'd rather get it all over with in one shot and not worry about upgrading for a while.

Is there an exact model PSU I should get instead? I asked on TomsHardware and I kid you not, a guy linked me the same exact PSU I had but instead on newegg.
 
Your OCZ PSU is fine. The newegg reviews prove that. PC Power & Cooling/Corsair are excellent PSU's no doubt but you'll pay a big price premium for them. It's overkill and not necessary. Hell, I'm running with a 600 Watt Ultra for the last 3 years and have had zero problems.

Also, don't get that 750GB WD Black. It has 3 250GB platters. It's better to find a harddrive that uses 500GB platters. Larger platters = greater data density = faster transfer speeds. If you want a 500GB drive, get a 7200.12 Seagate. For a 1TB drive, the WD Caviar Black or 7200.12 variants of those drives are great.
 
id personally suggest newegg.com they have everything you'll need plus i can assure that many other people will agree with me...theyre customer service is ludicrous
 
[quote name='knotfan123']id personally suggest newegg.com they have everything you'll need plus i can assure that many other people will agree with me...theyre customer service is ludicrous[/QUOTE]
Ludicrous good or ludicrous bad? :p

I received two DOA items a few years back and newegg made me eat the shipping cost in both instances. Where as Amazon doesn't even charge me a restocking fee let alone shipping.

Plus, Newegg charges me tax which offsets the whole they're cheaper thing. :cry:
 
 
Thanks for the help everyone!

Question: Do I need to purchase any tools, wiring, etc.? Or does everything come with the parts?
 
Don't forget the processor is cheaper here: http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317378
Otherwise it looks great

A similar alienware build would have cost you at least 1600$+ especially with that 5850

Edit: The only tool you will need is a screwdriver. All cables should be included.

Also you might need a wireless network adapter if you plan on using a wifi broadband connection. People often forget about this in new builds. Otherwise you can just use a wired connection since the motherboard has an ethernet port on it.
 
amazon is usually great for anything but i find some of their pc parts a little dated and they dont always take teh best care in their shipping of delicate equipment. id see if tigerdirect or microcenter have that nj tax stuff. both are great places :)

motherboards id go evga or asus. evga i think is teh best due to their forums and CS.
i got a evga classified here and glad i spend the extra money on it but i dont see you ocing so id just get a normal sli mb like
http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=132-BL-E758-TR&family=Motherboard%20Family&series=Intel%20X58%20Series%20Family

you will also need thermal paste and a cpu cooler. plz dont use the stock cooler hehe. id also get a case focused around cooling. i got a antec 1200 here but the thing is huge and i have to leave my pc on my floor.

also dont get frustrated if something comes doa because its might happen from any place you shop because UPS is going to drop kick your boxes. thats one reason a place like new egg would shine, they just have unmatchable cs.

lastly you might want to check out slickdeals.net. they got a PC thread up about getting stuff cheap. but again careful where you order from. it wont be uncommon for amazon to send you a hard drive and they only stick a bubble to protect teh thing. newegg and tigerdirect, my stuff is like engulfed in foam hehe.:)
 
[quote name='muhsheesuh']Don't forget the processor is cheaper here: http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317378
Otherwise it looks great

A similar alienware build would have cost you at least 1600$+ especially with that 5850

Edit: The only tool you will need is a screwdriver. All cables should be included.

Also you might need a wireless network adapter if you plan on using a wifi broadband connection. People often forget about this in new builds. Otherwise you can just use a wired connection since the motherboard has an ethernet port on it.[/QUOTE]
1) I had a processor listed there. :lol:
2) THANK YOU!

I always figured Microcenter was like fry's and existed on the west coast. There's one 15 minutes from my house! :D Canceled my Amazon order. Now just have to find the same parts at microcenter and maybe they can even put it together for me instead of me potentially messing it up. :D:D:D

They may have NJ tax but the savings from the CPU alone offsets that.
 
[quote name='Kevfactor']amazon is usually great for anything but i find some of their pc parts a little dated and they dont always take teh best care in their shipping of delicate equipment. id see if tigerdirect or microcenter have that nj tax stuff. both are great places :)

motherboards id go evga or asus. evga i think is teh best due to their forums and CS.
i got a evga classified here and glad i spend the extra money on it but i dont see you ocing so id just get a normal sli mb like
http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=132-BL-E758-TR&family=Motherboard%20Family&series=Intel%20X58%20Series%20Family

you will also need thermal paste and a cpu cooler. plz dont use the stock cooler hehe. id also get a case focused around cooling. i got a antec 1200 here but the thing is huge and i have to leave my pc on my floor.

also dont get frustrated if something comes doa because its might happen from any place you shop because UPS is going to drop kick your boxes. thats one reason a place like new egg would shine, they just have unmatchable cs.

lastly you might want to check out slickdeals.net. they got a PC thread up about getting stuff cheap. but again careful where you order from. it wont be uncommon for amazon to send you a hard drive and they only stick a bubble to protect teh thing. newegg and tigerdirect, my stuff is like engulfed in foam hehe.:)[/QUOTE]

That gigabyte board is fine especially for his needs. Your link is to an X58 board which is the wrong i7 he is using. p55 EVGA boards come at a premium and I'd only recommend getting one if you are anenthusiast looking for the best board for features and OCing capability without concern for budget. I have a gigabyte ud4 and it's working fine with my OC'd i5 (3.5ghz on air with xigmatek cooler)

There is no need for an aftermarket hsf if he is not overclocking. Thermal paste should already be applied or included in the package the stock cooler the i7 comes with.

I've already linked the slickdeals thread in an earlier post but here it is again although you won't need it since you look like you pretty much have your build pre-finalized. http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=553826

I almost guarantee you that none of the other parts will be cheaper except for the cpu at microcenter especially with tax included but I guess it doesn't hurt to look. Also I highly recommend you do not buy any open box items if you see any.
 
[quote name='Kanik']Thanks for the help everyone!

Question: Do I need to purchase any tools, wiring, etc.? Or does everything come with the parts?[/QUOTE]

The only thing missing is a cpu cooler. The i7 will come with a heatsink but it's just barely adequate. With a nice setup like yours, it's worth it to spend an extra 20-30$ on a heatsink that will keep your CPU much cooler than stock. CPU coolers are chosen based on socket. Your processor is socket 1156 so you'll need a cooler that supports that socket.

Since you want to buy from Amazon, you have 2 good choices available.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1265909452&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1265908822&sr=8-2

The 1st link is for a $30 cooler and it's very effective, but it is massive and doesn't fit in every case. It's mostly for overclockers.

The 2nd link is a solid choice at $20. It's a little smaller but works great and it's the one I'd recommend.

You also might want to pick up an ESD wrist strap. It's something you wear on your wrist and clip to your case chassis to keep from frying your individual components when you handle them. They're usually around $5.

Your motherboard will come with all the cables you should need. As long as you have basic tools like common screwdrivers, you should be fine.
 
Thanks for the help everyone!

Question: Where could I get a discounted Windows 7 to perform the install? I recall there being a Student discount when it first came out but I think that was for the upgrade and now it's over.
 
[quote name='Kanik']I have a problem where I manage to static shock everything all the time. In a computer course I fried a motherboard once with my fingertip while wearing a grounding strap and my other hand on the metal chassis.[/QUOTE]

That shouldn't happen. Were you properly grounded? In my time in school, I had seen that the equipment is an absolute joke or your instruction on using it is an absolute joke.

There is no substitute for building your own computer. I built my first a few months ago, and it's niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

EDIT: I see you've picked out some parts already. One thing I would definitely change is the CPU. I have this, and it's perfectly fine. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&cm_re=i5-_-19-115-215-_-Product

I'd go with that Core i5 because there's no hyperthreading. If you're going to be gaming, you don't need hyperthreading. Intel's implementation of hyperthreading saps performance, so that Core i5 actually performs better even though it's a slightly less frequency. Also, it's cheaper.

Don't go with the newer Core i5s. They're all dual core with hyperthreading making for a fake quad core experience. It's garbage. I don't know why Intel decided to do this. They hit a home run with their first Core i5, and now they pull this garbage. They're higher frequency, but why even bother? A graphics card is more important for gaming these days.

Hyperthreading theoretically shouldn't sap performance for applications that don't take advantage of it, but for some reason Intel's implementation of it does, and it has since the Pentium 4 days. You'd think that they would have fixed that already, but they haven't. Pretty much the only application I know of that benefits from Intel's hyperthreading is professional video editing. If you're not going to be doing that, don't bother. For fun little Youtube videos, the Core i5 should be just fine.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
OP, I'd recommend this WD Caviar Black drive over the Seagate Barracuda you listed:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-WD5001AALS-Frustration-Free-Packaging/dp/B001GQYYSG/

Better drive from most everywhere that I've seen, plus has a 5 year warranty to the Seagate's 3.

Rest of it looks good to me.

For Windows 7, check out NewEgg for their OEM copies:

Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116762
Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754
Win 7 Professional 64-bit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758

Version comparison:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx
 
The i5 750 is a pretty good value. I dunno if it's worth spending $80 more for the regular i7 as I don't think most users would actually be able to see a difference in performance.
 
[quote name='gunm']The i5 750 is a pretty good value. I dunno if it's worth spending $80 more for the regular i7 as I don't think most users would actually be able to see a difference in performance.[/QUOTE]

Gamers certainly would see a difference for their $80. A negative difference. The i5 750 is perhaps the smartest CPU of today. No bells and whistles, and no performance issues. Great for gaming. Me luvs my CPU.
 
I believe if your school is part of the MSDN Academic Alliance, students get a free license. You need a login though. If you don't know if your school is part of it, here's a link to search for your school:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/academic/dd861349.aspx

If you're considering buying Windows 7 Ultimate, you might want to get it from Amazon, since you are buying everything else from Amazon. Plus, you might need to buy hardware from Newegg in order to buy the OEM software, not 100% sure on that though... Amazon's price is $185.49 shipped vs. Newegg's $179.99+tax.
http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Ultimate-Bit-OEM-1pk/dp/B002NGQLSY

I don't think Amazon sells the other versions in OEM.
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']That shouldn't happen. Were you properly grounded? In my time in school, I had seen that the equipment is an absolute joke or your instruction on using it is an absolute joke.

There is no substitute for building your own computer. I built my first a few months ago, and it's niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

EDIT: I see you've picked out some parts already. One thing I would definitely change is the CPU. I have this, and it's perfectly fine. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&cm_re=i5-_-19-115-215-_-Product

I'd go with that Core i5 because there's no hyperthreading. If you're going to be gaming, you don't need hyperthreading. Intel's implementation of hyperthreading saps performance, so that Core i5 actually performs better even though it's a slightly less frequency. Also, it's cheaper.

Don't go with the newer Core i5s. They're all dual core with hyperthreading making for a fake quad core experience. It's garbage. I don't know why Intel decided to do this. They hit a home run with their first Core i5, and now they pull this garbage. They're higher frequency, but why even bother? A graphics card is more important for gaming these days.

Hyperthreading theoretically shouldn't sap performance for applications that don't take advantage of it, but for some reason Intel's implementation of it does, and it has since the Pentium 4 days. You'd think that they would have fixed that already, but they haven't. Pretty much the only application I know of that benefits from Intel's hyperthreading is professional video editing. If you're not going to be doing that, don't bother. For fun little Youtube videos, the Core i5 should be just fine.[/QUOTE]

Source for i7 860 HT actually offering less performance than an i5 750? I find that really hard to to believe. Although HT isn't fully utilized in gaming, I would most certainly think that it offers a little more performance than an i5 that does not have HT. It also gives him a little more future-proofability in case any programs or games in the future ever fully benefit from this feature. It's really up to him to choose whether he wants it or not.
 
EDIT: I completely forgot to post the link in the original version of this post, and it isn't really relevant anyway, so whatever.

Bingo! Stock and overclocked CPUs on Crysis. Stock, they perform equally. The i5 performs slightly better overclocked! http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2009/09/08/intel-core-i5-and-i7-lynnfield-cpu-review/7 The next pages are great, and here's one dedicated to whether hyperthreading is worth it. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2009/09/08/intel-core-i5-and-i7-lynnfield-cpu-review/10 As you can see, the only significant improvement is in the Handbrake Video Encoding Test. Interestingly, this site says that it's worth having hyperthreading, but I'd say it's not. The numbers don't lie. Granted, you can turn it off, but the performance is still about equal to the i5, and the i5 still overclocks better.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='Chuplayer']Haven't found a comparison between those two specific CPUs, but look at these other CPU comparisons of the i5 750 and other more powerful CPUs as well as the hyperthreaded equivalent of the i5 750. The i5 750 beats its i7 peer every time on this page, and this is for gaming.

Still searching for a core i7 860/core i5 750 comparison, but I'd only imagine the performance to be equal if not slightly in the i5's favor due to the miniscule difference in frequency.

EDIT: Bingo! Stock and overclocked CPUs on Crysis. Stock, they perform equally. The i5 performs slightly better overclocked! http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2009/09/08/intel-core-i5-and-i7-lynnfield-cpu-review/7 The next pages are great, and here's one dedicated to whether hyperthreading is worth it. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2009/09/08/intel-core-i5-and-i7-lynnfield-cpu-review/10 As you can see, the only significant improvement is in the Handbrake Video Encoding Test. Interestingly, this site says that it's worth having hyperthreading, but I'd say it's not. The numbers don't lie. Granted, you can turn it off, but the performance is still about equal to the i5, and the i5 still overclocks better.[/QUOTE]

If you bothered to read the article they ran the i7 at a slightly lower clock speed due to it not being able overclock as high (4.2ghz vs. 4.09gz or something) and the difference was only 1 fps on one game. Not every i5 will overclock to 4.2 and not every i7 is limited to 4.09 as I've read plenty of other users OCing to 4.2 so it's not a matter of which overclocks better since both use the same Lynfield architechture and die size/TDP. Both will overclock in the same proportion granted the other parts are equal (cooling, mobo and whatnot). i7 and i5 are pretty much identical with the addition of hyperthreading and slightly higher stock clock speed on the i7. It's just a matter if you want hyperthreading or not.
 
[quote name='muhsheesuh']If you bothered to read the article they ran the i7 at a slightly lower clock speed due to it not being able overclock as high (4.2ghz vs. 4.09gz or something) and the difference was only 1 fps on one game.[/quote]

Uh... yeah? Like how the i5 overclocks better?

Not every i5 will overclock to 4.2 and not every i7 is limited to 4.09 as I've read plenty of other users OCing to 4.2 so it's not a matter of which overclocks better since both use the same Lynfield architechture and die size/TDP. Both will overclock in the same proportion granted the other parts are equal (cooling, mobo and whatnot). i7 and i5 are pretty much identical with the addition of hyperthreading and slightly higher stock clock speed on the i7. It's just a matter if you want hyperthreading or not.
Click to expand...

It's also a matter of whether you want higher framerates (slight as they may be) and smarter architecture for less money or not. I mean, this is Cheapassgamer. Why would us cheapasses spend more money for less performance when we can spend less money for more performance?
 
ive oced my 920 i7 to 4.35 before. many people will oc that to about 4.5 on air.
been a while but from what i remember those evga people saying something like the 920 ocs just as good as the higher ones but just have a stuck multiplier so it's harder to time the ram.
that oc was unstable but i played crysis for about 40 mins before it crashed. helped that game alot too. i maxed about every setting out and got decent fps finally doing that. :).

but since crysis i havn't had the need to oc because no game really needs it.
 
You're a tool for asking such a question...

Buy what makes you happy, plays the games you want at resolution you want to play at.
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']Uh... yeah? Like how the i5 overclocks better?



It's also a matter of whether you want higher framerates (slight as they may be) and smarter architecture for less money or not. I mean, this is Cheapassgamer. Why would us cheapasses spend more money for less performance when we can spend less money for more performance?[/QUOTE]

The max potential OC for an i5 is not higher than an i7. If anything they probably OC similarly. NOT EVERY CHIP WILL OVERCLOCK THE SAME. Some i5's will OC to 4.2 max stable while others will OC to 3.6 max stable. Same goes for the i7. That would be the reason for the discrepancy between the two chips they used.
There is no loss in performance. I don't know what you are talking about. One benchmark from 1 game that doesn't even utilize HT will obviously not be enough evidence to conclude that i5 is the superior processor. If you ask at any reputable PC hardware forum, you will hear the same argument I am giving.
 
Whoop dee freakin' doo.

No games utilize HT. That's the point. It's pretty much just professional video editing. Most games don't even go past two cores. That being said, I still wouldn't bother with those newer i5s with only two cores and hyperthreading. Four cores and no hyperthreading are better than two cores with hyperthreading.

You're wasting money and giving up performance if you go with the i7 if you're a gamer. The quad core i5 is the smarter CPU. Or if you think that the extra .14GHz for $80 is going to do anything remotely noticeable at stock settings, then by all means get the i7. Just be damn sure to turn the hyperthreading off.
 
I am not disagreeing that the i5 is the more bang for your buck processor or the one with more value. I am simply saying that the i7 860 is the superior processor although the price difference may not justify the amount of extra performance you may achieve.

No games utilize HT YET. There may be games in the future that may take advantage of it but that is yet to come. It's simply more future-proof than an i5. Just because YOU cheap out on PC hardware does not mean that everyone should do the same. There are plenty of computer enthusiasts that buy very high priced parts even though the performance increase will be marginal at best.
 
its not about utilizing ht for gaming newbs.
Its all about multitasking.
Try playing bioshock in window mode with youtube running and converting video at the same time.
My quad core phenom gets crunched hard core.
corei7 is the only way out
 
Phenoms are just not as good a Intel's latest offerings. My computer multitasks like a champ. Nothing of gaming substance has really taken advantage of hyperthreading since it started, and there's no need for it when there's four cores. It is better that way.
 
[quote name='tekzor']its not about utilizing ht for gaming newbs.
Its all about multitasking.
Try playing bioshock in window mode with youtube running and converting video at the same time.
My quad core phenom gets crunched hard core.
corei7 is the only way out[/QUOTE]

You sir, are an idiot.
 
Get a g73 from asus....

Newegg had them up, plus several resellers including powernotebooks, xoticpc, and gentechpc had them up for sale.

Benching at p9000 vantange and 13000 3dmark06

damn good for a laptop.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top