Which Quad-Core Build?

[PC_User]

I'm basically trying to decide between building around a Q9550 or a Core i7 920. Please help me out.

1. I will use this computer for photoshop, gaming, web browsing, multi-tasking, etc...
2. Budget is as low as possible - hopefully no more than $800
3. I will need the following parts: CPU, Motherboard, RAM, Hard Drive
4. I will keep the following parts: VisionTek 4850, OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU, Antec P180, TRUE-120

Here's what I have come up with so far:


Q9550 Build

Q9550 + GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.147895) - $426.98

4GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166) - $54.99

640GB Western Digital AALS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319) - $79.99

Subtotal: $561.96
Tax: $46.36
Shipping: $9.39
TOTAL: $617.71


Core i7 920 Build

Core i7 920 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4240166&sku=CP1-I7-920) - $277.98 shipped

ASUS P6T Deluxe (http://www.motherboardpro.com/Asus-P6T-DELUXE-Intel-X58-ICH10R-Chipset-Socket-1366-Supports-both-NVIDIA-SLI-and-ATI-Crossfire-ATX-Motherboard-Retail-p-1037.html) - $311 shipped

6GB G.Skill DDR3 1333 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231230) - $175 + $14.43 (tax) = $189.43 shipped

640GB Western Digital AALS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319) - $79.99 +$6.60 (tax) = $86.60 shipped

Thermalright 1366 Bolt-Through Kit (http://www.jab-tech.com/Thermalright-LGA1366-Bolt-Thru-Kit-Retail-BOX-pr-4323.html) - $15.00

TOTAL: $881


Any changes can be made to these builds.
All suggestions welcome.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[bot@xs]

i think your budget should be $881.- dollars

[OS-Wiz]

i think your budget should be $881.- dollars

+1 :up:

[PC_User]

i think your budget should be $881.- dollars

I can stretch it a bit. The main question is whether I can justify going with the i7 for about $270-300 more or going with the Q9550 instead. Perhaps it would be even wiser to save about $70 more and go with the Q9400... I'm a bit lost.

[Nasgul]

hhmmm.........

If money is not an issue? Definitely the i7 with the P6T.

But overall, the Q9550 is still a very solid choice for years to come as well. Savings of $269.....what would you do with that extra money?

Personally I'd take the Q9550 system and take that $269 somewhere else.

We all have different priorities, so think about yours: Is it worth it? And which one.

Although, I wouldn't pair the Q9550 with a GIGABYTE board, I'd do it with an ASUS P45.

[PC_User]

hhmmm.........
Although, I wouldn't pair the Q9550 with a GIGABYTE board, I'd do it with an ASUS P45.

I read that that Gigabyte motherboard is an excellent motherboard and it has actually outperformed the ASUS P5Q Pro in several reviews. Would you say the P5Q Pro (or other ASUS in the price range) is still a better choice?

[bot@xs]

i'd rather make a lil investment now instead of goin with the cheaper route now and then end up upgrading later anyway.
plus the price tag difference between the two choices is well worth the step up.

if anything i would try to find a q9450 instead of a q9400, gives you an extra 6m of l2 cache.

[dengyong]

Go for the i7.

[PC_User]

i'd rather make a lil investment now instead of goin with the cheaper route now and then end up upgrading later anyway.
plus the price tag difference between the two choices is well worth the step up.

if anything i would try to find a q9450 instead of a q9400, gives you an extra 6m of l2 cache.

You are probably right. I don't want to regret not going with the newest technology (i.e. i7). However, I am a bit worried about the errata that come with a new chip.

Q9450 would be much nicer than the Q9400 but in most places it is either out of stock or even more expensive than the Q9550.

[STEvil]

i7, sell your current stuff that is extra.

[PC_User]

i7, sell your current stuff that is extra.

I don't really have any extra stuff to sell.

I will be giving my E6750, ABIT IP35-E, Seagate 500GB 7200.10, and 4GB Patriot DDR2 to someone for another rig. I am therefore in need of replacements/upgrades for those 4 parts.

Now I'm leaning more towards the i7...I hope it will be justified by the additional $.

[dan7777]

i7 is the future i will be going to this next year wen price cums down good luck on ya build.

[PC_User]

Great...prices on the i7 920 just jumped up another $30.

[inCore]

As it stands right now, the difference between the i7 920 and the Q9550 is roughly 10-20%.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/11/03/intel-core-i7-920-945-965-review/7

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/11/03/intel-core-i7-920-945-965-review/4

In Crysis you don't get any gains, with encoding you get some gains. Have a think about what you do most, encoding or gaming, and if the answer is the latter, I'd settle for the Q9550. If the answer is the former, and you're serious about it, start considering the i920.

[zanzabar]

i would go i7 but the dfi x58 or bloodrage
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136063
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186163

and i would wait to see the phenom 2 in the next few weeks the NDA will lift and we can see if the hype is that or if it ocs

[Postmodum]

i would go with zanzabar opinion. At least i'm doing that, waiting to see if the PII hype is true or false and then go forward with a i7 system or PII system.

I just a couple of weeks, so hang on to you seat ... :D

[B.E.E.F.]

Consider the Phenom II before making your final decision. It may come out cheaper, and its not a dead end like the Core2Duo series.

[PC_User]

I really don't want to go down the path of AMD...I've been sticking with Intel my whole life.

[moiraesfate]

Here's the thing guys, money matters especially with todays economy. Personally I badly want the i7. The problem is that the processor is a good price, but the motherboards and ram are where you're getting robbed.

Because of the price of the motherboards, I'm being forced to consider something lesser. Though I am trying to see if I can manage one of the Q9's (possibly the 9550. Its the same price as the i7 but the motherboard and ram will be MUCH cheaper).

With MIR newegg and ebay(keyboard)/amazon(vista premium 64), the rest of my parts and the OS will be roughly $687. If I upgrade the chip, it will be roughly $747. If I were to change to the i7, it would be at least $1100 more. Its a BIG difference, especially right now. I'm trying to hold off on buying parts to see if the release of the Phenom II will bring prices down or not though I'm not sure how good an idea that is. It might actually raise the prices with how idiotic the pricing seems to be with computers.

[dengyong]

Here's the thing guys, money matters especially with todays economy. Personally I badly want the i7. The problem is that the processor is a good price, but the motherboards and ram are where you're getting robbed.

Because of the price of the motherboards, I'm being forced to consider something lesser. Though I am trying to see if I can manage one of the Q9's (possibly the 9550. Its the same price as the i7 but the motherboard and ram will be MUCH cheaper).

With MIR and ebay(keyboard)/amazon(vista premium 64), the rest of my parts and the OS will be roughly $687. If I upgrade the chip, it will be roughly $747. If I were to change to the i7, it would be at least $1100 more. Its a BIG difference, especially right now. I'm trying to hold off on buying parts to see if the release of the Phenom II will bring prices down or not though I'm not sure how good an idea that is. It might actually raise the prices with how idiotic the pricing seems to be with computers.

All you need is the board, proc and memory, you have everything else.

[Bobsama]

Save $30 and grab a less-expensive X58 board. Loonym says the DX58SO does great on air. 4GHz is good under a TRUE. Other than that, consider grabbing 4GB DDR3 instead of 6GB--saving more money right there. And I think Petra's has the 1366 kit for $10.

EDIT: They do.
http://petrastechshop.com/thlgbo1.html

[moiraesfate]

Not really. I still need things like the OS. lol. It would be twice the amount. I've already done the math. Either way I can't afford it. The Q9550 I'll prob be able to swing. The hard part is convincing hubby its a good idea because I'm the only one working and he's having a hard time finding a job. The main reason I chose the Q6600 was because its roughly $100 cheaper.

[dengyong]

Not really. I still need things like the OS. lol. It would be twice the amount. I've already done the math. Either way I can't afford it. The Q9550 I'll prob be able to swing. The hard part is convincing hubby its a good idea because I'm the only one working and he's having a hard time finding a job.

Why do you need another OS ? Edit: I see in your sig now.

[moiraesfate]

Because I'm using an old 32-bit version of XP that came with this computer that I'm on now. It was preinstalled. I'd rather have a clean copy of Vista so I can start over completely with a new system and shut off or delete anything I don't want. The HP install for XP would actually install all the garbage that HP came with. Its time for a real upgrade from the ground up.

And this computer is getting worse daily. I think its only a matter of time before it fries for good. I've worn the thing down and I'm in the process of backing up everything I don't want to lose right now in case it kicks the bucket sooner rather than later. Seriously, I timed my boot up earlier and it said 199.109 seconds (and I have shut off everything I don't want to boot up and done many virus/malware checks with good programs recommended on here). Thats horrible and its not getting any better. I actually suspect that its coming down to hardware errors (can't believe it survived moving from Canada to the US) and I'm very lucky it hasn't fried just yet.

[B.E.E.F.]

I really don't want to go down the path of AMD...I've been sticking with Intel my whole life.

Hey its your money. You might save, and gain extra performance if you consider other products.

[Canadmos]

Seriously, I timed my boot up earlier and it said 199.109 seconds

You are going to absolutly love your new computer then. I was in the same boat as well and had an HP before I built my own. I can start this new computer up, log into the user account and then shut it back down before the HP has finished starting up.

[moiraesfate]

You are going to absolutly love your new computer then. I was in the same boat as well and had an HP before I built my own. I can start this new computer up, log into the user account and then shut it back down before the HP has finished starting up.

Heh, I know. I can't wait.

[Houdini]

Personnally I would take the 1. build. I have never liked getting the newest when there is a socket change etc. With all the child diseases, and Q9550 is still very solid. Futhermore you need to learn oc again.

[reberto]

If you can afford to go i7, do it. If you can't then don't. That simple :D

[PC_User]

Personnally I would take the 1. build. I have never liked getting the newest when there is a socket change etc. With all the child diseases, and Q9550 is still very solid. Futhermore you need to learn oc again.

That's true...the overclocking on the i7 920 is somewhat different from the Quads but I've read several guides and it seems pretty straightforward. The P6T Deluxe also makes it easy in the BIOS.

Now I'm swaying back towards the Q9550.

Would it be best to look at the Q9400 or the Q9550 for about $60 more?

The Q9450 is great at overclocking (and has twice the L2 cache of the 9400) but costs as much as the Q9550 if not more.

[bot@xs]

the q9550, it has a higher multiplier. the q9400 has a multi of x8 and the q9550 has a multi of 8.5. not much but it helps

[PC_User]

the q9550, it has a higher multiplier. the q9400 has a multi of x8 and the q9550 has a multi of 8.5. not much but it helps

If going with the Q9550, which stepping should I be looking for: E0, C1?

[Chad Boga]

If going with the Q9550, which stepping should I be looking for: E0, C1?
E0 is the overclocking champ. :)

[Chad Boga]

That's true...the overclocking on the i7 920 is somewhat different from the Quads but I've read several guides and it seems pretty straightforward. The P6T Deluxe also makes it easy in the BIOS.

Now I'm swaying back towards the Q9550.

Would it be best to look at the Q9400 or the Q9550 for about $60 more?

The Q9450 is great at overclocking (and has twice the L2 cache of the 9400) but costs as much as the Q9550 if not more.
I do wonder if with the imminent release of PhII, if the Q9550 will be due for a price cut shortly?

[PC_User]

E0 is the overclocking champ. :)

Any way to guarantee the purchase of an E0 processor if purchasing online?

[Chad Boga]

Any way to guarantee the purchase of an E0 processor if purchasing online?
I'm sorry I don't know, but with any luck some others will come along soon and help you out.

I believe certain serial or batch numbers give away the E0 status or not and some retailers let you know what those numbers are.

[B.E.E.F.]

Any way to guarantee the purchase of an E0 processor if purchasing online?

http://www.tankguys.com/