PC Build Virgin Question: i5 or i7?

RedRebel

Hi all,

Will be trying to get a PC build done for before Christmas and would like to know what people think about the above. Budget is about €800-€1,000 and it will be a gaming PC. Is there a consensus as to which family is the best value?

Cheers in advance,
Red

marco_polo

An i5 system is the better value solution by far, as the extra money spent on an i7 system just will not translate into any signifigant improvement in gaming performance.

A budget of 800-1000 would get you a full works i5 build, including a 22" HD monitor, OS and speakers if required.

RedRebel

marco_polo wrote: »

An i5 system is the better value solution by far, as the extra money spent on an i7 system just will not translate into any signifigant improvement in gaming performance.

A budget of 800-1000 would get you a full works i5 build, including a 22" HD monitor, OS and speakers if required.

Thanks Marco

I'd heard that from a couple people already. Think I'll go down the i5 route to be honest. Any more feedback on the issue appreciated of course. Is there a certain model of i5 for example that is considered superior in terms of value/performance/reliability?

indough

the 760 is very popular

Jonny7

I second the i5 760, great chip

prices for ram, graphics cards, harddrives are the lowest i've seen in well over a year

You could easily fit an ATI 6870 into that budget as well

Solitaire

i5-760. Faster, better binned (which means a smidgen cooler and calmer and more OCable) and all within ±€1-10 of the older i5-750

And another vote for the HD68*0 series!

indough

im throwing a 6870 into my new build, a second one when i can afford it too hopefully (after i have everything else together)

RedRebel

Cheers for the advice lads. Will be grabbing an i5 760 so I'd say. Will be over in the states in a few weeks so gonna pick one up while I'm there, some nice savings to be had at the current exchange rate!

As regards an mobo to go with that processor, any suggestions? I'd need something that can accomodate 8GB RAM for later upgrade purposes, I also hear USB3.0 is the new thing to be getting.

I've seen a couple that I liked. This one for example:
http://komplett.ie/Komplett/product/ZKB_01COM/15_MOBO/02_INTEL/productdetails/15499636/ASUS_P7P55_M_Motherboard_micro_ATX_iP55_/90_MIBAW1_G0EAY0KZ/default.aspx

Any critique on that?


Solid advice so far lads! Cheers

Curry Addict

thats a micro ATX board so its small. the gigabyte p55 ud3r is a good one to go for with a i5 760. ive heard the ASUS boards in this range may not be as reliable. Personally id go for a i7 950 with your budget although the i5 760 is better for gaming i suspect the i7 950 will have better resale value.

massy086

Curry Addict wrote: »

thats a micro ATX board so its small. the gigabyte p55 ud3r is a good one to go for with a i5 760. ive heard the ASUS boards in this range may not be as reliable. Personally id go for a i7 950 with your budget although the i5 760 is better for gaming i suspect the i7 950 will have better resale value.

your i7 mad curry addict NOT EVERYONE NEEDS i7

indough

not everyone needs i5 either.

Carne

If your pc is going to be used for mostly gaming then the i5 760 should be more then enough as the gfx card would be far more important here, unless of course you need hyper threading which the i5 760 doesn't have. That or you could just wait for sandy bridge in January

Curry Addict

massy086 wrote: »

your i7 mad curry addict NOT EVERYONE NEEDS i7

as i said "personally" its just my preferance at that pricepoint.

no one had offered the OP that possability yet and it is worth considering imho. he is looking at his options so in the interset of helping the OP make the best decision for him he should be at least aware of all the options.

if everyone advised i7, i would have pointed out that he could go for i5 and go heavier on graphics.

RedRebel

Thanks for the feedback lads. I think I'll go with the i5 760 anyways, though I appreciate the comparison with i7 Curry.

Any suggestions on mobo though gents or should I create a separate thread and let this one die?

Hank Scorpio

Im using the gigabyte-p55-gd80 with my i5 build it works a charm

The voltage levels for the chip are insanely low too, with only 1.12 volts i was able to get it to 3.7 GHZ! Max prime55 temps never went over 55 either ( every chip is different tho )

Solitaire

God I hope I get one binned that well!!!