New processor and some advice

[TestudoAubreii]

Hello everyone,

I was just looking to get some help and I know that the fine folks down here in the basement can offer some of the best advice. I am looking to upgrade my processor. Right now, I currently have an i7 920 Bloomfield on a ASUS P6T Mobo. I have an ASUS 6950 and 7GB's of RAM. Would I be correct in assuming that if I upgrade my processor, my computer should be in good shape for games and such for the next few years? The thing is that I made a deal and I said if I get a processor, that I would not talk about another upgrade for at least 3 years...but closer to 5, really. So, I guess what I am trying to find out is which processor do you all think is great for it's price, or what the best value is because I am on a bit of a budget. I know that there will probably be a few different answer, but I am looking for any and all advice and help.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Testudo

[mrmouth]

I have the same setup, and I'm not even remotely thinking of upgrading until 3+ years down the line, or until 1366 is largely phased out with 2011 and prices go down way down on something like the 980 or 990. But that likely wont be as cost effective as 'downgrading' to 1156 and parting out my 1366 build. 1156 is much more attractive now than it was when I went 1366.

Or maybe 1366 survives in a limited role sandwiched between 1156 and 2011.

The 980 at $600 makes the most sense. Or if you want to spend a grand...

Personally I would wait for 2011 or until price come down on 1366. Maybe we could see the 980 at around $300 at some point next year.

[TestudoAubreii]

I have the same setup, and I'm not even remotely thinking of upgrading until 3+ years down the line, or until 1366 is largely phased out with 2011 and prices go down way down on something like the 980 or 990. But that likely wont be as cost effective as 'downgrading' to 1156 and parting out my 1366 build. 1156 is much more attractive now than it was when I went 1366.

Or maybe 1366 survives in a limited role sandwiched between 1156 and 2011.

The 980 at $600 makes the most sense. Or if you want to spend a grand...

Personally I would wait for 2011 or until price come down on 1366. Maybe we could see the 980 at around $300 at some point next year.

Thanks for your response, BJ . So, you think that the setup that I have now will be good to go for a few years? I was looking at that 980. I have my 920 oc@3.33 right now. Do you think it will be able to handle games like Battlefield 3?

I won't give you a long answer here as I'm sure your time would be much better spent reading that of people with more in-depth technical know-how than me, but from what I've seen the i5-2500k sandybridge looks like a sound bet at an extremely reasonable price. (not sure however if you need to upgrade your mobo to accomodate this)

Thanks for responding. I was looking at the Sadybridge processors. I hope my mobo would be able to handle that. It is relatively new.

Testudo

Testudo

[Freddie]

Thanks for your response, BJ . So, you think that the setup that I have now will be good to go for a few years? I was looking at that 980. I have my 920 oc@3.33 right now. Do you think it will be able to handle games like Battlefield 3?



Thanks for responding. I was looking at the Sadybridge processors. I hope my mobo would be able to handle that. It is relatively new.

Testudo

Testudo

If you looking to play BF3 I would look at putting a bigger overclock on your CPU, 3.6 to 4Ghz is the normal sort of range people who overclock have these chips running at also if you want your PC to remain as a credible gaming rig getting a new video cards are the more often then not the best way of getting better performance. What video card do you have BTW?

[TestudoAubreii]

If you looking to play BF3 I would look at putting a bigger overclock on your CPU, 3.6 to 4Ghz is the normal sort of range people who overclock have these chips running at also if you want your PC to remain as a credible gaming rig getting a new video cards are the more often then not the best way of getting better performance. What video card do you have BTW?

I have an ASUS HD6950 1GB.

@BarnabyJones:
Yeah, I did see those reviews . I think that I will stick with the 3.33 for now. Yeah, I guess we will have to wait and see, but it is only 2 more months until BF3 comes out.

Thanks guys!
Testudo

[mrmouth]

I have my 920 oc@3.33 right now. Do you think it will be able to handle games like Battlefield 3?

I'm running my 920 at 3.5GHz, 6 gigs of ram, and I recently sold my GTX460 for a GTX570 (a nice upgrade for $130), and I'm planning on running BF3 on the highest settings possible, or damned close, at 1920x1080.

At 3.33GHz it seems like you might have read some of the OC reviews that showed that was the sweet spot for the 920. Anything over than required a lot more power for minimal returns. I should think you'd be fine where you are now. To get to 3.5 (I have v2 of the P6T) I had to lower my ram (corsair dominator) to around 1400MHz, but the bandwidth is still massive.

While trying to get to 4GHz, my C0 920 was never terribly stable. But I might try it again if I buy a new cooler to replace my H50, as that thing is just too hot at 3.5GHz. Interestingly enough, at 4GHz I can run my ram at 1600MHz that my ram is rated.

I think we are both fine to run BF3 with all the bells and whistles. But it is worrying to think that a game is already pressing our specs! At least on paper. Lets see how the game performs in real world before we panic.

[a tw player]

I won't give you a long answer here as I'm sure your time would be much better spent reading that of people with more in-depth technical know-how than me, but from what I've seen the i5-2500k sandybridge looks like a sound bet at an extremely reasonable price. (not sure however if you need to upgrade your mobo to accomodate this)