cybermantas
Disciple
Current config:
Gigabyte G41 Combo M/B + E4300 processor + HD4870 Gfx card
Feel the need for an upgrade, the current considerations for the choice being the impending launch of the Bulldozer and Ivybridge lineup on the CPU side and HD7xxx on the gfx side...
So here is what I am thinking in terms of CPU upgrade…
My motherboard is still previous generation (Non- Sandybridge) and current Sandybridge wont support Ivybridge; and Ivybridge + Sandybridge supporting configs will come only in 2012 (no clue if Q1 or Q2) …
I3-2100 is a very nice Sandybridge CPU (Anandtech Benchmark score – 215) but will require new Mobo, Pentium G860 is the Sandybridge CPU in Pentium line (recently won the best sub $100 CPU in Tom’s Hardware’s September list) so will still require a new mobo (Anandtech Benchmark score – 203) (3 MB L3)
The option I prefer though is C2D E8600, (Anandtech BS – 210), wont require new mobo, still gives a decent score and is the best CPU in the old generation (6 MB L2, no L3)
My current CPU is C2D E4300 which scores less than 123 in the Benchmark Scores (2 MB L2)
So I get a very nice upgrade that can last 1.5 years at least, I guess, until Ivybridge becomes mainstream and I bypass the entire generation of Sandybridges, which is how CPU+Mobo upgrades should be… one should always be able to time things in a fashion so as to be able to skip a generation in CPU + Mobo terms (if you are a diehard fan of Value-for-money concept)…
Coupled with 4 GB Ram and a decent card (HD 6950 maybe or I could wait to see if 7xxx is close by) I should be able to get a decent performance on games…. Plus a nice Mouse + Keyboard which I seem to be desiring…
I considered the Phenom II X4 955 (Anandtech – 195) line of upgrades too, but figured the E8600 is a good performance still (despite having less cores which is ok, since I don’t do too many CPU intensive tasks anyway) … especially since the AMD would also require a new mobo… and then i3 is a better option…
P.S. - On the benchmarks, I realize they all give different results based on whether it is gaming or CPU or gfx rendering etc etc… but we can just consider this as one way of referencing of CPU performances (the test btw is SysMark 2007 Overall)
Say wot ? Oh, and I havent really specified a budget as such, because the whole idea is maximum value for money, but as an indicator 6k-10k range is for the current round of upgrade... and then the gfx card can come a little while later, say when Diablo3 releases...
Gigabyte G41 Combo M/B + E4300 processor + HD4870 Gfx card
Feel the need for an upgrade, the current considerations for the choice being the impending launch of the Bulldozer and Ivybridge lineup on the CPU side and HD7xxx on the gfx side...
So here is what I am thinking in terms of CPU upgrade…
My motherboard is still previous generation (Non- Sandybridge) and current Sandybridge wont support Ivybridge; and Ivybridge + Sandybridge supporting configs will come only in 2012 (no clue if Q1 or Q2) …
I3-2100 is a very nice Sandybridge CPU (Anandtech Benchmark score – 215) but will require new Mobo, Pentium G860 is the Sandybridge CPU in Pentium line (recently won the best sub $100 CPU in Tom’s Hardware’s September list) so will still require a new mobo (Anandtech Benchmark score – 203) (3 MB L3)
The option I prefer though is C2D E8600, (Anandtech BS – 210), wont require new mobo, still gives a decent score and is the best CPU in the old generation (6 MB L2, no L3)
My current CPU is C2D E4300 which scores less than 123 in the Benchmark Scores (2 MB L2)
So I get a very nice upgrade that can last 1.5 years at least, I guess, until Ivybridge becomes mainstream and I bypass the entire generation of Sandybridges, which is how CPU+Mobo upgrades should be… one should always be able to time things in a fashion so as to be able to skip a generation in CPU + Mobo terms (if you are a diehard fan of Value-for-money concept)…
Coupled with 4 GB Ram and a decent card (HD 6950 maybe or I could wait to see if 7xxx is close by) I should be able to get a decent performance on games…. Plus a nice Mouse + Keyboard which I seem to be desiring…
I considered the Phenom II X4 955 (Anandtech – 195) line of upgrades too, but figured the E8600 is a good performance still (despite having less cores which is ok, since I don’t do too many CPU intensive tasks anyway) … especially since the AMD would also require a new mobo… and then i3 is a better option…
P.S. - On the benchmarks, I realize they all give different results based on whether it is gaming or CPU or gfx rendering etc etc… but we can just consider this as one way of referencing of CPU performances (the test btw is SysMark 2007 Overall)
Say wot ? Oh, and I havent really specified a budget as such, because the whole idea is maximum value for money, but as an indicator 6k-10k range is for the current round of upgrade... and then the gfx card can come a little while later, say when Diablo3 releases...