Ok, so I am building a new PC mainly for MMOs (like Rift, GW2 and Star Wars) Common sense tells me I should go AMD 955 instead of an Intel 2500K and spend the money saved on a more powerful GPU. But I do love the idea of the Intel 2500k even though I don't think it makes snese for a gaming computer if you sacrifice GPU for it (with the 2500k it means GPU will likely be around 6850 power). I game on 1920 x 1080 res. Basically the build I am going with is: PSU & Case: Antec 650 Truepower New and Thermaltake Dokker - £95 HDD: Seagate 500gb - £26.50 Cooler: Hyper 212+ - £16.30 DVD Drive: £12.53 RAM: 4gb Corsair 1600mhz CL9 - £38.47 Total: £190.80 So, I can get either i5 2500K + Asus P8P67 Pro - £292 Along with a GTX460/AMD 6850 - ~£140 Total: £432+ £190.80 = £622.80 I could go with the M-Pro to save £30, I believe it is still SLI capable but I don't know how much it would limit the OCability Or AMD 955 BE - £112.26 Asus M4A79XTD - £78.95 This is about £100 cheaper and so essentially means a much better GPU can be bought. So it makes sense for gaming to go with AMD...yet I cannot shake the urg to go Intel!! Also, jsut to add to the complication, because I play MMOs they tend to be heavy on the CPU often even moreso than the GPU, so actually, would an Intel with a lesser GPU turn out to be a worthwhile investment due to this? Also, I would guess it will be a long time before GPUs are crippled by an OC'd Intel 2500k so aside from changing GPUs I would think that the Intel PC could probably game for maybe up to 5 years. So, any advice or guidance to convince me to put away the childish urge to go with the latest and greatest, or perhaps advice showing that I am not being a fool and the Intel really is the way to go
Go with the Sandy Bridge idea, as you've said MMOs tend to be quite CPU heavy. Also if you can afford it I'd suggest going for the full ATX board, things tend to be a bit cramped on micro ATX boards with a full size graphics card (even more so if you try to SLI!). Comparison of the i5 2500k with a PII 965 BE here: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=102 If the games you play are anything like WoW, you should see a decent performance boost going for Sandy Bridge.
Well that's one for Sandy Bridge. I suppose I can always get away with a cheaper GPU because the mobo supports SLI so can always get another in the future..
Most quad core (apart from Athlon II) CPU's are more than enough for pretty much any game, most won't use much more than 50%, the bottleneck is usually with the graphics card so it makes sense to make that your prority.
Get a SandyBridge. You can always upgrade your GPU at a later date if you find it lacking. Also, it'll always niggle at you that SandyBridge is far superior and you had a chance to get some of that action but didn't.
For MMO a 955 + gtx 460 would be more than sufficant for a long time. Sandy bridge will only be greatest until 2011 come out in 6 months so it's pointless chasing latest and greatest.
Go for the sandy bridge build. You are getting twice the performance for only a slight increase in price. With sandy bridge the motherboard doesn't effect overclocking near as much as the last generation chips. You will easily get away with a UD3 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/giga...s-1155-pci-e-20-(x16)-ddr3-1333-sata-raid-atx There is over 40 pounds saved. sandy Bridge will last you alot longer than the AMD chip. (And lets be fair the current AMD series is EOL )
I caved and bought the Sandy bridge. I also went with the Asus Pro board simply because the scan deal of the day meant it was only £20 more than getting the non SLI board. I probably should have gone with AMD build but the sandy bridge with a GTX460 will do
Oh I haven't actually bought the GTX460 yet, I was just giving an example of the kind of GPU power the poor Sandy will be coupled with. No GPU is being bought before the GTX 560 is out so I can see its price and see what price other cards are afterwards.
Since you're mainly going to be playing MMO's i suggest you look at the graph showing FPS for WOW. Apparently going with sandy-bridge nets you an incredible 50FPS more over the AMD processor.
I am hoping more modern MMOs make better use of the GPU, but they will always be CPU intensive, so that is actually great news - Means Sandy Bridge was not just pure indulgence
True Winle, but surely the 'real world' difference between 70fps and 120 fps, after the monitor and the human eye slow it down, is barely anything? Your usual monitor limits it to 60FPS anyway doesn't it? Either way, Sandy Bridge is the better choice: A - We're all enthusiasts right? Its the coolest thing out right now! B - Price difference isn't THAT big considering the future-proof-ness, running temps, general excellence of the chip. Good choice sir!
This is an enthusiast forum... we don't often stock a lot of sense when it comes to upgrades. On the occasions I've been 'sensible' and gone for lower cost upgrades I've always come to regret it. Sandy Bridge Cheesecake
Yeah, that's likely why I posted here for adice - I figure if anywhere will make me feel better about indulging in the shiny new stuff it will be an enthusiast forum As for the FPS differences, I think the key to having the higher FPS is when you hit those hell areas where most computers suddenly drop from high to extremely low (every MMO seems to have them), the extra juice the Sandy Bridge provides may just be enough to keep from too much lag
Lol, yep I know the feeling. I went for a Q6600 for my machine a while ago, didn't take long before I decided to swap it out for a Q9650...
