Which CPU?

I'm getting ready to custom order a new system to replace a P-4, 3.2Ghz
computer I've been using since I built it six years ago. I want to get the best
I can without going crazy with a thousand dollar CPU. I'm leaning towards an i7,
probably 920? Is this my best choice? I'm not a gamer, not into overclocking or
any of that fancy stuff. I spend a lot of time on the web, write and maintain a
couple of websites, and I do a lot of graphic and multimedia work. Will a 920
processor with about 8-12Gb RAM work well for me? Upgrading is probably not a
big issue either, as this computer I have now has lasted me six years. I just
want more speed and memory capacity and also to replace it before it suddenly
decides to give up the ghost on me. Thanks for any input/suggestions.

wrote:
I'm getting ready to custom order a new system to replace a P-4, 3.2Ghz
computer I've been using since I built it six years ago. I want to get
the best I can without going crazy with a thousand dollar CPU. I'm
leaning towards an i7, probably 920? Is this my best choice? I'm not a
gamer, not into overclocking or any of that fancy stuff.

The 930 is not much pricier, and somewhat quicker.

The 860 is generally about the same price as the 920/930, and somewhat
quicker still, although the cost of going above 8gb of RAM will be much
higher. At this point, I'd say anything over 8gb is a sign of some very
specialized needs, but the difference between 8gb and 12gb is not
horrifically expensive on the 920/930 from a futureproofing perspective.

Frankly, if you are not completely miserable with the Pentium 4 right now,
there is a good chance that saving a bit of money and getting a dual-core
i5-650 or a quad-core/non-hyperthreaded i5-750 will do fine for you, and
save $100 or so in the process.

Will a 920 processor with about 8-12Gb RAM work well for me?

Yes, although if costs in your area reflect general web pricing, the extra
$10-20 for a 930 is a no-brainer. My own perspective on such things would be
to spend a great deal less now, and upgrade sooner, but that is very much a
matter of one's tolerance for upgrading things.

--
Nate Edel http://www.cubiclehermit.com/
preferred email |
is "nate" at the | "I do have a cause, though. It's obscenity. I'm
posting domain | for it."

Nate Edel wrote:
wrote:
I'm getting ready to custom order a new system to replace a P-4, 3.2Ghz
computer I've been using since I built it six years ago. I want to get
the best I can without going crazy with a thousand dollar CPU. I'm
leaning towards an i7, probably 920? Is this my best choice? I'm not a
gamer, not into overclocking or any of that fancy stuff.

The 930 is not much pricier, and somewhat quicker.

The 860 is generally about the same price as the 920/930, and somewhat
quicker still, although the cost of going above 8gb of RAM will be much
higher. At this point, I'd say anything over 8gb is a sign of some very
specialized needs, but the difference between 8gb and 12gb is not
horrifically expensive on the 920/930 from a futureproofing perspective.

Frankly, if you are not completely miserable with the Pentium 4 right now,
there is a good chance that saving a bit of money and getting a dual-core
i5-650 or a quad-core/non-hyperthreaded i5-750 will do fine for you, and
save $100 or so in the process.

Will a 920 processor with about 8-12Gb RAM work well for me?

Yes, although if costs in your area reflect general web pricing, the extra
$10-20 for a 930 is a no-brainer. My own perspective on such things would be
to spend a great deal less now, and upgrade sooner, but that is very much a
matter of one's tolerance for upgrading things.

The 930 is available in board with 3 memory buses, combined with more cache, you
have a bit more memory bandwidth for applications (gaming, graphics) which may
benefit.

Neither is a bad choice, so you are likely to be about equally pleased running
at factory specs.

wrote:
I'm getting ready to custom order a new system to replace a P-4, 3.2Ghz
computer I've been using since I built it six years ago. I want to get the best
I can without going crazy with a thousand dollar CPU. I'm leaning towards an i7,
probably 920? Is this my best choice? I'm not a gamer, not into overclocking or
any of that fancy stuff. I spend a lot of time on the web, write and maintain a
couple of websites, and I do a lot of graphic and multimedia work. Will a 920
processor with about 8-12Gb RAM work well for me? Upgrading is probably not a
big issue either, as this computer I have now has lasted me six years. I just
want more speed and memory capacity and also to replace it before it suddenly
decides to give up the ghost on me. Thanks for any input/suggestions.

I'd never suggest going for anything that's top of the line right now.
Wait for it to become middle-of-the-road and you'll get much better
deals that way. At this point in time, middle-of-the-road choices are
Core i5 or AMD Phenom II X3 or X4.

Yousuf Khan

Yousuf Khan wrote:
I'd never suggest going for anything that's top of the line right now.
Wait for it to become middle-of-the-road and you'll get much better
deals that way. At this point in time, middle-of-the-road choices are
Core i5 or AMD Phenom II X3 or X4.

I'd say the i7-860/920/930 are still far from top of the line; the real jump
in price breaks between the 860 and 870 or the 930 and the 940.

Which is not to say that the Quad-core i7s are necessarily worth the price
bump, but the once you're investing in an 1156 mobo and DDR3 memory, the
price jump from an i5-650 to an 860 is really not that much.

--
Nate Edel http://www.cubiclehermit.com/
preferred email |
is "nate" at the | "I do have a cause, though. It's obscenity. I'm
posting domain | for it."