Q9550 vs i7 920

[phil3_66666]

Hi guys,
i check the ncix sale page and see the Q9550 at 310$ and i can find an 920 for around 360$...

that my current hardware,
e5200 at 3.8
ep45-ud3p
2x2g g.skill pc2 8000
hd 4870(planning of crossfire)
wd black 640
hx620w
video card and cpu will be water cooled soon

what is the diffenrence in gaming and everyday utilisation?

i will oc for sure, so what will be the best for me, upgade for an q9550 or sale mobo, ram, cpu and buy cheap i7?(920, ep58-ud3r, 6g of cheapest 1600 ram i can find)

Thanks
Phil

[Oversized Rooster]

The truth is that with an overclocked Core 2 Quad CPU you can match or even surpass Corei7 performance so I don't think I have yet recommended a Corei7 to anyone.

It's just too costly once you add in the $300-400 X58 motherboard and a DDR3 tri-channel kit. Compared to a Core 2 Quad system, the performance per dollar spent is quite low for the Corei7.

I recommend building a Core 2 Quad system. It will be just as good for gaming and everyday computing. The only place where you can notice the Corei7 advantage is for mathematical applications such as folding, video editing, etc.

[gingerbee]

( using the new xeons ) it gets cheaper and i can say that my i7 at the same speed as my q6600 playing crysis the i7 slaps crysis around jmo. ( and why go backward )
i had to add this just going with the core 2 is a mistake. i think after checking pricing check out the xeons if you want to save

[Synth]

Originally Posted by phil3_66666

Hi guys,
i check the ncix sale page and see the Q9550 at 310$ and i can find an 920 for around 360$...

Hey Phil, I had the very same dilemma and I decided to buy the Q9550 this morning.

When you factor in a X58 mobo, the i7 processor and the DDR3 ram, the Q9550 becomes very appealing IF you plan on keeping your current mobo and ram.

For someone needing to buy everything all over again, then I would suggest to bite the bullet and go i7.

PS. Tu viendras "folder" pour l'équipe de Hardware Canucks avec ta carte vidéo pis ton Q9550, si tu l'achètes

[SugarJ]

You could probably sell your current CPU/Mobo/RAM for about $225-250.

The 920/EP58-UD3R/Gskill 6gb will cost about $725 plus tax and shipping (call it 775).

So $525-550 to upgrade to i7, and $340ish (after tax and shipping) to go to the Q9550. Plus you can sell your E5200 and get some money back on the Q9550 upgrade.

It's your call. I won't push you either way.

[ImmaPC]

^ +1 for SugarJ's analysis. It's totally your call. If you want an opinion, Core i7 slaps the Core 2's around, especially when you have an OC'ed i7 vs. an OC's Core 2. Yes, yes, it's more expensive and all, but if you have the cash and want the performance, it's a very viable option.

With your situation though, I would just buy the 9550 especially if you already have all the other parts on hand, plus you could sell the e5200 and make some moeny back on it or a potential i7 setup. Your call.

[Bomberman07]

Core i7

cpu
i7 920 $360 - e5200 $50

mobo
ga-ex58-ud3r $210 - $80 ep45-ud3p

ram g.skill $110 - $30 g.skill

total; $680 - $160 = $520

Add $240 for cross fire total $760

Q9550

cpu
q9550 $340 - e5200 $50

total $340 - $50 = $290 if no crossfire

Q9550 w CF

cpu
q9550 $340 - e5200 $50

mobo
DFI x48-t2rs $190 - $80 ep45-ud3p

gpu
hd4870 $240

total $640

If it was me, i'll go with q9550

[belgolas]

Originally Posted by Bomberman07

Core i7

cpu
i7 920 $360 - e5200 $50

mobo
ga-ex58-ud3r $210 - $80 ep45-ud3p

ram g.skill $110 - $30 g.skill

total; $680 - $160 = $520

Add $240 for cross fire total $760

Q9550

cpu
q9550 $340 - e5200 $50

total $340 - $50 = $290 if no crossfire

Q9550 w CF

cpu
q9550 $340 - e5200 $50

mobo
DFI x48-t2rs $190 - $80 ep45-ud3p

gpu
hd4870 $240

total $640

If it was me, i'll go with q9550

If that was me and I had a choice and since he wants to future proof a bit then go with the Core i7. Plus have a bit of fun and try something new. To me $120 is more then worth it to go X58 and crossfire. Plus if new cards come out and he wants to upgrade but ATI is lacking then he can choose SLI too. So It is a HUGE gain to have the choice of Crossfire or SLI on the same board. Again this is my awesome opinion.

[kyle_L]

i just finished pondering the same question and for the money i didn't think it was worth it to go i7.i overclocked the q9550 and haven't had it go above 67% usage doing anything except prime 95 for stability. i really like this chip. hope it helps.

[gingerbee]

so far from my view everyone who says it is not worth it does not own one jmo not fact. and in the question of 120 price difference for new tech thats not a question to me but a future regret.