OT-Need Some Help With New PC Build

[c87]

It's getting about time that I'll be building a new PC but I'm a little baffled particularly by the type of CPU to get to make FSX run pretty well.

My local Microcenter has Core i7s, both the 930 and 860 on sale at the same price. What's the difference?

I've never overclocked before but the more I read the more OK i get with the concept (this PC has to work for business and other non-flight sim stuff too -- I can't have it suddenly burn up on me). I guess I'll try taking a shot at it. However I want to do it with air cooling only - no liquid cooling.

Seems on my last build (Core 2 Duo E6700 with an 8800 GTX card) a few years ago I understood the hardware benchmarks more but now I'm just confused.

Budget is not unlimited but I'm willing to spend. Any advice on CPU, graphics card, Moboard and RAM would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Rob

[crashaz]

i7 930 with x58 chipset on the motherboard and at least 6 GB triple channel RAM.


Reasoning for 930? LGA 1366 CPU socket with the 930....

...860 uses the older LGA 1156 CPU socket which definitely wont match up with later following multi-core processors.



I think video card needs to be thought out some more.

I am sure txnetcop will be in here to offer his opinion too.

:wavey:

[txnetcop]

Thanks crashaz.He is right. It is ridiculous to use anything but a 1333 socket board and i7 930-960 and higher for gaming nowadays if you have the money. Anyway, I also recommend building and will be happy to supply you with the latest info on component parts. I test computer equipment for mfgs for a company called TechCorp. I also build high end gamers only now. You may PM me if you like for info and I have some questions before you build. I use Microcenter here in Dallas when I need parts fast for a customer, but they don't always carry the best equipment for building a real high speed gaming system. Directron in Houston does but they charge a ridiculous amount for shipping in-state. Anyway PM me if you would like some help
Ted
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[Akatsuki]

Well in fact LGA 1156 is newer than LGA 1366 and is considered more "mainstream", some readings:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2773/1

As for choosing between I7 930 and 860 is harder as they seem to have prety similar results in performance, so the choice would be which platform? I'd go for the 860 except if you absolutely want to overclock then the 930 is better or should i say easier to overclock. Again some reading:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2839

[txnetcop]

Actually there are severe restrictions by going with the 1156 board for one your second PCI-E is restricted to 4X second there is no further upgrade path for speed past the i7860, and the new 6 core processors will not run on 1156 socket boards, in other words, 1156 is a loser if you want upgrade capability. As for performance being equal-not even close except in a few games at 1900x1200 and even that depends on your video card to a degree. Yes 1156 is newer and cheaper. If you have the budget for and 1333 socket board, it's a no-brainer-choose it. We have tested hundreds of hours of AMD VS 1156 vs 1366 socket boards. There is so much more raw power available for the 1366 socket boards.
Ted

Gary has run hundreds of hours of testing on the various boards with ATI and Nvidia-X58 is always the clear winner. You can also check stats in LegitReviews, Motherboard.org, and a dozen other OC forums.
by Gary Key on 9/29/2009 12:00:00 PM
Posted in Motherboard (http://www.anandtech.com/tag/Motherboard)
In just about every benchmark shown today and even in those not listed the multi-GPU results favor X58. Nothing shocking about that as in previous testing with both Nvidia and ATI video cards, we came to the same conclusion (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3634&p=9). The only difference today is that we are using the latest generation DX11 capable GPU and the percentage differences are not really any different with previous GPU chipsets. Where we did not have a difference was in actual game play experiences. It was impossible to tell the difference between platforms, except for some additional thermal output from the X58 setup.
If you happen to benchmark Intel platforms for a living, then clearly an X58/Bloomfield platform is the way to go. No questions asked, not even a hint of doubt should enter one’s mind as to the X58 being the logical choice. How about the other 99.9% of us? Well, if you just need that safe feeling that you are getting the maximum benefit out of those $380 HD 5870 cards you just purchased, the X58 paired with a Core i7 is an easy choice. It is an even easier choice if you plan on upgrading to Gulftown next year.
For those of us who are interested in power consumption, heat, noise, and not all that worried about a 2% to 7% difference in the benchmarks, then the Lynnfield platform is an attractive alternative with the latest generation GPUs. In fact, without the 920/X58 hanging around at similar pricing, the general thoughts/concerns regarding 860/P55 would probably be significantly different within the enthusiast community. The 860/P55 is a very good platform, especially for those running at stock or near stock speeds where the aggressive turbo mode will make a difference in daily computing tasks and your pocketbook.
That said, if you are running a single card such as the HD 5870, either platform is fine. However, performance in x8 mode was a bit disappointing for those needing the second slot for purposes other than graphics. In the end, performance in games was still very good and only a benchmark would inform you of less than stellar performance. What we cannot answer right now is if the dual x8 PCIe capability on Lynnfield will become a true bottleneck with the GPUs that follow the current/planned releases from AMD/Nvidia.
So our conclusion still has not changed from a month ago, if you plan on purchasing a high end multi-GPU setup you'll want to go with X58/Bloomfield for the best possible performance. If you want a great combination of application and gaming performance without the power consumption or heat concerns, the Lynnfield platform is a very attractive alternative.

Here is a great article explaining the differences for the average and power user of these platforms: http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/51781.aspx

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[c87]

Thanks very much for your insight guys. I appreciate the help.

Ted, when I get a free moment after work or maybe later in the weekend I'll PM you. Thanks.

Rob

[Akatsuki]

Actually there are severe restrictions by going with the 1156 board for one your second PCI-E is restricted to 4X second there is no further upgrade path for speed past the i7860, and the new 6 core processors will not run on 1156 socket boards, in other words, 1156 is a loser if you want upgrade capability. As for performance being equal-not even close except in a few games at 1900x1200 and even that depends on your video card to a degree. Yes 1156 is newer and cheaper. If you have the budget for and 1333 socket board, it's a no-brainer-choose it. We have tested hundreds of hours of AMD VS 1156 vs 1366 socket boards. There is so much more raw power available for the 1366 socket boards.
Ted

Gary has run hundreds of hours of testing on the various boards with ATI and Nvidia-X58 is always the clear winner. You can also check stats in LegitReviews, Motherboard.org, and a dozen other OC forums.
by Gary Key on 9/29/2009 12:00:00 PM
Posted in Motherboard (http://www.anandtech.com/tag/Motherboard)
In just about every benchmark shown today and even in those not listed the multi-GPU results favor X58. Nothing shocking about that as in previous testing with both Nvidia and ATI video cards, we came to the same conclusion (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3634&p=9). The only difference today is that we are using the latest generation DX11 capable GPU and the percentage differences are not really any different with previous GPU chipsets. Where we did not have a difference was in actual game play experiences. It was impossible to tell the difference between platforms, except for some additional thermal output from the X58 setup.
If you happen to benchmark Intel platforms for a living, then clearly an X58/Bloomfield platform is the way to go. No questions asked, not even a hint of doubt should enter one’s mind as to the X58 being the logical choice. How about the other 99.9% of us? Well, if you just need that safe feeling that you are getting the maximum benefit out of those $380 HD 5870 cards you just purchased, the X58 paired with a Core i7 is an easy choice. It is an even easier choice if you plan on upgrading to Gulftown next year.
For those of us who are interested in power consumption, heat, noise, and not all that worried about a 2% to 7% difference in the benchmarks, then the Lynnfield platform is an attractive alternative with the latest generation GPUs. In fact, without the 920/X58 hanging around at similar pricing, the general thoughts/concerns regarding 860/P55 would probably be significantly different within the enthusiast community. The 860/P55 is a very good platform, especially for those running at stock or near stock speeds where the aggressive turbo mode will make a difference in daily computing tasks and your pocketbook.
That said, if you are running a single card such as the HD 5870, either platform is fine. However, performance in x8 mode was a bit disappointing for those needing the second slot for purposes other than graphics. In the end, performance in games was still very good and only a benchmark would inform you of less than stellar performance. What we cannot answer right now is if the dual x8 PCIe capability on Lynnfield will become a true bottleneck with the GPUs that follow the current/planned releases from AMD/Nvidia.
So our conclusion still has not changed from a month ago, if you plan on purchasing a high end multi-GPU setup you'll want to go with X58/Bloomfield for the best possible performance. If you want a great combination of application and gaming performance without the power consumption or heat concerns, the Lynnfield platform is a very attractive alternative.

Here is a great article explaining the differences for the average and power user of these platforms: http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/51781.aspx

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Upgrade capability is mostly a non-argument as by the time you will want to upgrade chances are high that there will be a newer better socket around, unless you plan on upgrading within a year that is. I used to think about upgrading capability when choosing some new hardware but always ended up with a newer socket... I'm not sure socket 1366 will last as long as LGA 775 did...
... But that said the tech junkie i am would certainly buy a i7 980x if i had to build a system now ( i have the "luck" of having very low prices on computer hardware via my job).

[txnetcop]

Honestly now that the 6 core and possibly 8 core processors are going to be compatible with the 1366 socket I think upgrade is a possibility even two or three years into the future. At least that was the indication at the last Intel tech conference. In a bad economy it is hard to talk people into buying new everything every two years. Time will tell I guess
Ted
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