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  #1  
Old 12-21-2008, 11:57 PM
PCDaddy PCDaddy is offline
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Default Upgrading to an Intel Core i7

I am new to these fourms, so please let me know if i posted this in the wrong place.

I know that the new Intel Core i7 has been released, and I am debating on whether or not to upgrade my entire rig to get the new processor. Currently i am using the Intel Q9550 (2.83 Quad). What would the difference in performance be against, lets say, the Core i7 920 (2.66 Quad)?

The reason that I ask, is that they are both 45nm, quad core, around the same clock speed, the core i7 is cheaper, both support ddr3, and the Q9550 has higher L2 Cache, yet the core i7 is supposed to be better.

Any help would be nice. Thank you
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  #2  
Old 12-22-2008, 05:07 PM
DwarfTheMike DwarfTheMike is offline
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an upgrade to an i7 would be worth it but your Q9550 is still great.

There are a few differences between the core i7s and the Core 2s. First, there is no more Front Side bus.
The FSB essentially carried data between the CPU and memory controller hub but that didn't attribute itself to multiple cores very well. In its place is a new tech called QuickPath Interconnect that'll fix old bottlenecks and make going to multiple core (4+) much better. QPI uses direct point-to-point connections that have a bandwidth of about 25GB/s, much faster than an FSB. The downside is that it requires a new QPI-friendly motherboard.



i7 also has brought back hyper-threading. This pretty much makes parallel processing more efficient.

i7 uses a triple-channel RAM now too, so you'll be wanting to buy your RAM in groups of 3. This means 6 and 12GB will become common.
The memory interface is also on the same side die as the CPU cutting down latency.

Pretty much, if you want the next generation get the i7. The i7 will make future upgrades much more smooth and you will notice a difference. Also, the i7 has built in overclocking capabilities so.... yeah... its' great.

Before you upgrade your new rig, is there any specific reason you need to upgrade the entire rig? a Q9550 is still pretty great. A new GPU might be all you need. Also, DDR3 is a little bit pricy still, waiting might be the best bet.
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  #3  
Old 12-22-2008, 05:13 PM
Jason Jason is offline
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Core i7 is a fundamental revision in architecture for intel. No longer based on the FSB or front side bus system the i7 makes the jump to an onboard memory controller that AMD made a few years ago. This will lead to significantly reduced memory latency as well as increased computinig power due to that decrease. The i7 additionally has some power saving features over the older Conroe/Penryn processors.

In essence you could expect about a 10-15% jump in performance. If you already have a Q9550 processor and accompanying DDR3 rig I wouldn't suggest the change unless you just like spending cash. A better investment might be a raid setup or better video card. In terms of video card i would also suggest you hold off on that front as well until after the new year. Nvidia's annoouncement of the GTX 295 should drop prices on existing cards including the 4870.
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  #4  
Old 12-22-2008, 05:47 PM
PCDaddy PCDaddy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DwarfTheMike View Post
an upgrade to an i7 would be worth it but your Q9550 is still great.

There are a few differences between the core i7s and the Core 2s. First, there is no more Front Side bus.
The FSB essentially carried data between the CPU and memory controller hub but that didn't attribute itself to multiple cores very well. In its place is a new tech called QuickPath Interconnect that'll fix old bottlenecks and make going to multiple core (4+) much better. QPI uses direct point-to-point connections that have a bandwidth of about 25GB/s, much faster than an FSB. The downside is that it requires a new QPI-friendly motherboard.



i7 also has brought back hyper-threading. This pretty much makes parallel processing more efficient.

i7 uses a triple-channel RAM now too, so you'll be wanting to buy your RAM in groups of 3. This means 6 and 12GB will become common.
The memory interface is also on the same side die as the CPU cutting down latency.

Pretty much, if you want the next generation get the i7. The i7 will make future upgrades much more smooth and you will notice a difference. Also, the i7 has built in overclocking capabilities so.... yeah... its' great.

Before you upgrade your new rig, is there any specific reason you need to upgrade the entire rig? a Q9550 is still pretty great. A new GPU might be all you need. Also, DDR3 is a little bit pricy still, waiting might be the best bet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason View Post
Core i7 is a fundamental revision in architecture for intel. No longer based on the FSB or front side bus system the i7 makes the jump to an onboard memory controller that AMD made a few years ago. This will lead to significantly reduced memory latency as well as increased computinig power due to that decrease. The i7 additionally has some power saving features over the older Conroe/Penryn processors.

In essence you could expect about a 10-15% jump in performance. If you already have a Q9550 processor and accompanying DDR3 rig I wouldn't suggest the change unless you just like spending cash. A better investment might be a raid setup or better video card. In terms of video card i would also suggest you hold off on that front as well until after the new year. Nvidia's annoouncement of the GTX 295 should drop prices on existing cards including the 4870.
Thank you for your help guys. I'm still a little confused, but it makes sense to me now. Jason, (hope thats your real name...) where is the announcement of the GTX 295? i looked all over the site. Could you get me a link?

I have heard mixed things about the GTX 295 on other sites. Most of them make no sense and contradict themselves. They say that it is supposed to be the "GTX 280x2" so to speak and then say that its not...
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  #5  
Old 12-22-2008, 06:04 PM
PCDaddy PCDaddy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DwarfTheMike View Post
Before you upgrade your new rig, is there any specific reason you need to upgrade the entire rig? a Q9550 is still pretty great. A new GPU might be all you need. Also, DDR3 is a little bit pricy still, waiting might be the best bet.
I have two GTX 260's in SLI...so even if i did upgrade my rig, i would reuse the cards. I dont think i will make any moves yet...i dont see the need...maybe in about 6 months, or atleast after the new AMD chipset and mobo is released. We will see what CES has to bring us in Jan...
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  #6  
Old 12-22-2008, 06:41 PM
TheWickerMan TheWickerMan is offline
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The GTX 295 is pretty much going to be 2 GPU's stuck together on the same board. Each GPU is going to be approximately between the power of a GTX260 216 core and a GTX280. It will run SLI directly on the board and will use a ton of power (somewhere around 289 watts per card).

If you want another incentive to get the i7, a lot of people are having great overclocking results with the 920. Most are able to get it at or above 4GHz on just the stock intel heatsink, which is rather amazing. We will be doing a review on the i7 920 as soon as one of the new x58 chipset motherboards gets in, so look for that because we will definitely be testing overclockability. Also with an i7 setup, you are not bound to either AMD or Nvidia's graphics platform as it will run both crossfire and SLI. I wouldn't recomend mix matching nvidia and AMD cards in the same rig though, as their drivers don't like to play nice with each other.

In regards to the Quickpath that's implemented on the i7, it's very similar to how AMD has been doing their memory controllers for a long time. Intel finally took a note from them and integrated the memory controller into the chip. Buying an i7 is more like an investment for the future, as not many programs will be able to fully utilize the 8 virtual processors for atleast a little while. It all depends on what you're needs are as to whether or not you'll use the full potential of the chip or if you'll be fine with your Q9550. I hope that clears up some of your questions. If not, just ask us what we can clarify and we'll be more than happy to explain it. That's what we're here for after all.
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  #7  
Old 12-24-2008, 09:32 PM
PCDaddy PCDaddy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWickerMan View Post
The GTX 295 is pretty much going to be 2 GPU's stuck together on the same board. Each GPU is going to be approximately between the power of a GTX260 216 core and a GTX280. It will run SLI directly on the board and will use a ton of power (somewhere around 289 watts per card).

If you want another incentive to get the i7, a lot of people are having great overclocking results with the 920. Most are able to get it at or above 4GHz on just the stock intel heatsink, which is rather amazing. We will be doing a review on the i7 920 as soon as one of the new x58 chipset motherboards gets in, so look for that because we will definitely be testing overclockability. Also with an i7 setup, you are not bound to either AMD or Nvidia's graphics platform as it will run both crossfire and SLI. I wouldn't recomend mix matching nvidia and AMD cards in the same rig though, as their drivers don't like to play nice with each other.

In regards to the Quickpath that's implemented on the i7, it's very similar to how AMD has been doing their memory controllers for a long time. Intel finally took a note from them and integrated the memory controller into the chip. Buying an i7 is more like an investment for the future, as not many programs will be able to fully utilize the 8 virtual processors for atleast a little while. It all depends on what you're needs are as to whether or not you'll use the full potential of the chip or if you'll be fine with your Q9550. I hope that clears up some of your questions. If not, just ask us what we can clarify and we'll be more than happy to explain it. That's what we're here for after all.
Cool...I look forward to reading the review. I have heard amazing things about the i7, so I hope you guys take it to the max with the stock heatsink aswell as an aftermarket one.

I know nVidia and AMD drivers dont play nice, they're like two paraplegic kids playing with one wheelchair...theyre bound to fight.

What x58 Board will you be using?
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  #8  
Old 12-29-2008, 03:33 PM
TheWickerMan TheWickerMan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PCDaddy View Post
Cool...I look forward to reading the review. I have heard amazing things about the i7, so I hope you guys take it to the max with the stock heatsink aswell as an aftermarket one.

I know nVidia and AMD drivers dont play nice, they're like two paraplegic kids playing with one wheelchair...theyre bound to fight.

What x58 Board will you be using?
I know we will be reviewing one by ASUS (the new striker, I think) and one by Gigabyte, I can't remember what model I'll be reviewing atm. As for aftermarket fans, that'll depend on whether or not anyone sends us any in time, or if we snag a few CES goodies. Rest assured that we will be maxing it out with whatever we get.
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