Build Advice i7 time, couple quick questions :)

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by coolamasta, 5 Jun 2009.

  1. coolamasta

    coolamasta Folding@Home CC Captain 2010/11/12

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    Right have decided I need to jump on the i7 train especially hearing that Intel might be pulling the lower spec i7's when the i5's come out!

    Im going for the 920 D0 Stepping (SLBEJ) as its supposed to be a good overclocker.

    What I need now is a good motherboard for overclocking but one that isnt silly expensive, was thinking along the lines of the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R?

    Im an Nvidia person so a crossfire board is not relivent but then im not really bothered about it being Sli capable either lol.

    My main concern is im not sure about what Ram speed I need, I will be going for 6gb (3 x 2gb)

    I really would like to get the 920 upto the 3.8-4ghz region so I assume I will need faster ram just not sure which speed? 12800, 14400 or 16000?! Which will be best for that sort of OC?

    Any advice much appreciated :thumb:
     
  2. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    if you are sure you don't need SLi or crossfire (like me). i think it's better to wait for i5, instead of being shafted in the back by Intel down the line, in terms of upgrade path.
     
  3. oasked

    oasked Stuck in (better) mud

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    To be honest, any upgrade is going to need a new motherboard anyway so get the i7 now. The UD3R is an excellent board, especially considering its price!

    I'd get DDR3 12800 personally (as its the cheapest).
     
  4. adam_bagpuss

    adam_bagpuss Have you tried turning it off/on ?

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    suppose that depends how much you upgrade.

    cant say i buy a motherboard expecting it to last me 3 years and upgrade the CPU every year just not cost effective.

    usually after a year or 2 i switch to the new platform thats out. its far to hard to keep up now anyway with constant upgrades and they only get you so far.

    i7 920 is still a good choice but if all your doing is gaming and nothing else then i7 is not needed.


    as for your questions

    the gigabyte is an awesome board its the cheapest board and will allow for a 4Ghz overclock.

    RAM speed id go 1600mhz cause if i remember the RAM multiplier options are only x6 x8 x10 on the gigabyte UD3R

    therefore 1333mhz RAM will limit your overclock.
     
  5. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

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    It all depends on how often you upgrade.

    If like me, you rarely do small incremental upgrades, and just rebuild an entire system every 2 to 3 years, then it makes absolute sense to get the i7 now, as it's the best performing system. An i7 920 clocked to 4GHz..ish.. will see you to your next upgrade and then some.

    If you're the type who upgrades part by part over a period of time, you may want to wait for i5 (or whatever it will be called finally), as you will have a CPU upgrade path.

    Out of the two, I'd go for the simply awesome i7, clock it to over 3.5GHz, and just sit back secure in the knowledge that (assuming other components are equally as good) you will not need to upgrade for a good while.

    As for motherboards, the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R is without a doubt one of the best featured overclocking boards, but I can still recommend the Asus P6T Deluxe, simply because I'm currently using one, and can say with all honesty that it is rock solid, and still has all the features you need to get a very decent overclock. Mine's utterly stable at 3.8 and it's a C0/C1 chip, so a D0 with a P6T will be so easy to get stable at some very high speeds.

    Forget the rampage.... stupidly expensive.


    As for RAM, I think 6GB of DDR3-1600 hits the sweet spot. Remember, even if you don't overclock, the retail i7 has unlocked QPI so you can run RAM at 1600.
     
  6. coolamasta

    coolamasta Folding@Home CC Captain 2010/11/12

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    Thanks for all your replies :)

    I always had the Asus P6T Deluxe in mind for the board to have when I went i7 but its £80 more than the Gigabyte and im trying to justify how that extra £80 would benefit me if you know what I mean?

    I tend to run my hardware for a couple of years and then upgrade, at the moment I run 2 main machines at home:

    1 - My server has 6 harddrives, runs 4 VMware servers & is folding 24/7
    2 - My other main machine is for gaming, internet, email etc

    They are both Q6600's OC'd to 3ghz and have been running quite happily for 20 months+
    My server has a boggo ATI graphics card but my gaming machine has an heavily OC'd 8800 GTX (yes it needs up grading but I will be witing for gt300 & dx11)

    Im not sure if I want to use the i7 for the server which would give me a big jump in folding PPD but also the VM's would run better and faster otherwise if I used the i7 in my gaming machine I think it would be a bit of a waste as the Q6600 @ 3ghz hardly breaks a sweat as it is! :lol: Decisions decisions lol

    If I do go for i7 to upgrade my 'server' then the Gigabyte board would be good enough as its never likely to have a high performance graphics card so will be simply using the i7's horsepower :D although only thing im not sure about is my server has a 480watt PSU in at the moment, do you know if that will be enough for the i7 & 6 hdd's bearing in mind theres no high-end graphics to power?

    Ram wise im looking at the OCZ gold 12800 8-8-8-24 or Corsair XMS3 12800 9-9-9-24? Im assuming the OCZ will be better due to lower timings?

    Anyway my main concern is having a rock solid overclock and I want to get close to 4ghz as possible but if that means dropping to 3.8ghz for reliability then that is fine as folding will push the CPU very hard! Will the Gigabyte board be upto this im wondering... :worried:

    Sorry for the essay, thanks again for any help! :thumb:
     
  7. adam_bagpuss

    adam_bagpuss Have you tried turning it off/on ?

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    3.8Ghz should not be a problem at all.

    4Ghz is be a bit more effort but on the new D0 stepping should be ok.

    built 2 UD3R boards the other week and both are at 3.8Ghz np.

    @ 1.28Vcore

    temps are 30-40C idle (denedping on room temp) and 75-80 under full load.
     
    Last edited: 5 Jun 2009
  8. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

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    Don't worry about RAM timings.. they won't have a significant impact on a i7. It's the uncore speed that matters. Having said that, the 9-9-9-24-2t Corsair stuff is happily running at 8-8-8-24 1T in mine.
     
  9. Slizza

    Slizza beautiful to demons

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    What about the P6T it's less expensive then the deluxe and a cracking board from all i've read.
    I'd go for 1600 ram at a decent price.
     
  10. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

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    Yeah... good call. A much forgotten X58 board.

    However, if I was thinking that the P6T Deluxe was a bit too expensive, I'd probably then look at the Gigabyte.
     
  11. coolamasta

    coolamasta Folding@Home CC Captain 2010/11/12

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    OK ive decided on the Ram, HSF and 920 D0 CPU but its just the board now, want to go for a board with 6 mem slots really as much as a bargain as the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R is!

    So its out of these 2, I know the Gigabyte can do 4ghz for a fact and is £15 cheaper than the Asus but ive been an Asus fan for a while and wondering if I should go for a Gigabyte this time around? :worried:

    Asus P6T Deluxe v2 Intel X58
    [​IMG]

    Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 Intel X58
    [​IMG]
     
  12. adam_bagpuss

    adam_bagpuss Have you tried turning it off/on ?

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    both are good boards and will do the job very nicely.

    ive got the UD5 and its been awesome so far updated the bios to support the new D0 stepping and such (F7 revision).

    not had much experience with the P6T Deleuxe V2 but from what i hear its also an awesome board.

    features are the same i think?

    so get which ever one is cheaper maybe ?
     
  13. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

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    I can only vouch for the P6T Deluxe personally. It has all the OCing features you'll need, although the Gigabyte is more comprehensive, but for me it's the stability. The p6T has been granite solid for me. I don't hesitate in recommending it.
     
    Last edited: 9 Jun 2009
  14. naylormat

    naylormat What's a Dremel?

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    id personally suggest the P6T Deluxe. I'm just in the process of upgrading my self, and its the bored I'm going for. Have spent a lot of time researching my upgrade, and the P6T seams one of the better one.

    Not in the sense of the best, but seams to be a very good bored, for the price range. Would definitely suggest the P6T over the Gigabyte one, much better from all the reviews iv been looking at.
     
  15. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

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    Not that it's too important... but I think the P6T looks SO much better as well. :) Important if you are considering a show build with a window, or a mad of any kind.
     
  16. DragunovHUN

    DragunovHUN Modder

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    What does the P6T Deluxe have over the regular P6T, in practice?
     
  17. naylormat

    naylormat What's a Dremel?

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    Look as a major point (if your fussed about that stuff)

    Also much better chipset cooling on the delux, heat pipes connecting all.

    better cosmos battery placement, the non-deluxe version could be blocked by your GPU
     
  18. naylormat

    naylormat What's a Dremel?

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    oh, and not to mention the (i think) 16 phase power supply for the cpu on the deluxe. Much much better for maintain a more stable OC if thats what your planning on doing
     

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