i7 processor choices...

[cantflywontfly]

heya people,

first of all, ive read all the recent threads about the i7's and the sticky above about a 'perfect' FSX system, and i understand there is no such thing as a perfect fsx system

[Brett_Henderson]

I've had a Q9550 now, for going on a year.. Normally by now I'd be upgrading.. and i7  is the next, logical step.

I've held off, because I've build a few i7 machines for pilots at my club.. and I aint impressed. I've learned slowly (because I'm slow).. that I'll be steering new simmers toward older, fast Qs. As mentioned in another thread, even a $1,000 i7 975 isn't much of an FSX step up from a $220 9550... and needed overclocked to even compete.

Mine (with Nick's help) overclocked to 3.4Ghz with just a couple seconds in the Setup.. and took little effort to get to 3.6Ghz.. and was at 3.8Ghz (but unstable due to my RAM).

The Qs ,  and boards for them, can be had pretty cheap right now... and are far from obsolete.

[cantflywontfly]

cheers for your thoughts brett,

this is why its so confusing! the reviews for these chips and benchmarks seem to be great, but then i hear stories that they're no good! i dont mind paying a bit more, so price isnt a pro or con for me but having said that, i cant afford a

[Flight Ace]

[quote]heya people,

first of all, ive read all the recent threads about the i7's and the sticky above about a 'perfect' FSX system, and i understand there is no such thing as a perfect fsx system

[cantflywontfly]

cantflywontfly,

Having just gone through a new build, I understand...........................................

flight ace, thank you very much indeed for your thoughts. i think i will be going for the newer I7 860, and the information you have provided me will help a lot.. just a few questions...

i see you have 12 gigs ram!!! what are the timings?

secondly, just how important is it to have a powerful PSu such as your 1000watt one? i was just planning on a 700watt PSu but will it be a good choice when planning to overclock stuff, and also running a hefty GFX card such as the 285? With other components, its usually the case that bigger numbers are better but is that true with PSU's?

finnally, nice shots and nice rig!!

cheers again for the reply

[Flight Ace]

cantflywontfly,

My RAM is Corsair CL8, Latency 8-8-8-24.

Its better to have too much rather than too little power. I selected the 1,000 watt Modular PSU for the reasons you stated and ease of cabling. Further, I wanted to make sure that I had sufficient power for any future upgrades.

Again good luck with your project and let us know how it turns out.

Happy Flying

Flight Ace

[cantflywontfly]

Right, after a long hard think about everything, i will be ordering my new computer tomorrow hopefully! ive decided to go for the following and just thought i'd post the specs in case any of you lot have any sudden last minute warnings of incopatability etc!!

intel I7 860 processor
MSI P55 GD80 motherboard
8gig coarsair 1600 CL7
BFG gtx 285 2gig memory
800+ watt PSU
antec 900/cavalier 590 or similar case
CPU cooler any suggestions???
500gig HDD for general stuff
250gig HDD for fsx
and Windows 7 (64bit) already obtained

thanks

Deano

[SubZer0]

You need a triple channel memory kit... which means you'll either have 3gb, 6gb, or 12gb of memory installed...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820226032



the CPU cooler... any of these will do:

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/880/1/



Good luck

[Flight Ace]

I can't add much to what's already been provided. Have you given any thought towards a full case? I have always thought that a larger well vented case is easier to assemble and cool components, not to mention better cable management.

Good luck - your new rig looks great and should provide you with endless moments of in flight pleasure.

Flight Ace

[cantflywontfly]

You need a triple channel memory kit... which means you'll either have 3gb, 6gb, or 12gb of memory installed...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820226032

actually intel have reverted back to dual channel memory for their latest I7s 

cheers anyway subzero!

[SubZer0]

You need a triple channel memory kit... which means you'll either have 3gb, 6gb, or 12gb of memory installed...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820226032

actually intel have reverted back to dual channel memory for their latest I7s

[cantflywontfly]

Right, its done! its ordered, being buit etc! thanks all for your advice and opinions, ill see you all on the screen shot forums soon

[laurits]

You need a triple channel memory kit... which means you'll either have 3gb, 6gb, or 12gb of memory installed...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820226032

actually intel have reverted back to dual channel memory for their latest I7s

cheers anyway subzero!

oooops.... Did not know that! Sorry mate

Would you mind explaining any impact because of this?

Is it all i7's??

[Slotback]

LGA1366 processors are tri-channel - these include Core i7 9xx series.

LGA1156 processors are dual-channel, which include Core i5 and Core i7 8xx series.

All Core i7 include hyper threading.
No Core i5 includes hyper threading.

LGA1366 processors need a X58 motherboard.
LGA1156 processors need a P55 motherboard.

They are not interchangeable.

Core i5 = dual channel = P55 motherboard =

[laurits]

Thanks for the explanation...

So the best buy CPU for FSX is probably still the i7 920 clocked to around 4 Ghz I guess?

But then again, when I have the funds to buy something like this + the proper RAM, GFX etc. there may be a new and even better performing CPU from Intel!