Core i5 Sandy Bridge Build. [with pics]

C

creepindeth04

Moderator
So now that I got my video card out of the way, it's time for the CPU. I'm hoping to have this purchased either by the end of this month or next month at the earliest.

With a new CPU, I'll be needing a new motherboard. I see that many core i7 chips use the 1366 socket but the 1156 socket tends to have the beefiest cards. So my question is, which one would provide me with more overhead when needing to upgrade the CPU again? I would like this CPU to last me for a good amount of time. But if the need arises, I would not like to upgrade the mobo again. This rig is multipurpose which is why I want a chip that is powerful and will last or allow for easier upgrades.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

Neither.

Intel has killed off both of those sockets. I would wait a few days and get a new i7 Sandy Bridge with either the new 2011 or 1155 sockets. You can expect, up to, a 20% increase in performance over the current i7s.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

Nice, but what's the price point on those? Are they keeping them in the $300 range? Not sure if I would be able to purchase a CPU that cost more than that. Especially since I still need to purchase the mobo.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

For the i7 they're speculating $320.

Just wait for them to hit Newegg and see if it's something you can swing. If anything it will will drop the price of the current i7s.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

Core i7 cpus have gone up to a maximum of six cores with six hyperthreaded virtual cores...

Unless you're doing serious rendering, even a four core i7 will have more processing power than any modern games can use.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

I suggest you read up on the Sandy Bridge processors. They are a serious improvement. I don't agree that a gamer won't see the difference. The 2600k for $320 will be a four core i7 with hyper threading. If you really don't want to spend that the 2500k which is a 4 core i5 with no hyper threading and will be $215.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

Grindspine said:
Core i7 cpus have gone up to a maximum of six cores with six hyperthreaded virtual cores...

Unless you're doing serious rendering, even a four core i7 will have more processing power than any modern games can use.
Click to expand...

Well, yeah. Like I mentioned before, this is an all purpose rig and I would like it to last me a long time. Which is why I'm thinking core i7. Otherwise, I would've probably gone with an i5 or lower. If the prices of the new chips do hover around $300 mark, I might bite on them.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

Well, I was forced to purchase my new system a little earlier than planned. My current rig is starting to randomly shutoff and restart. Which is what my HTPC did before the mobo died (which is the same as the one I have now.)

So I went with a Core i5 2500k because I didn't get a chance to save up for the i7 2600k. Fortunately it looks like it's no slouch as I've read that it can overclock to the 4Ghz range with the stock cooler. So maybe in a year I'll upgrade to the i7.

So here's my purchase -

Core i5 2500k 3.3Ghz
Intel BOXDP67BG LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CORSAIR XMS 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M1A1333C9


Thank you Polygon for mentioning Sandybridge. I probably would've overlooked it since I've been away from PC building for a bit. Can't wait to build my new baby. ;D
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

Sexy! I just got an i3 ^_^ Sure it's not much, but I feel good to join the i team!
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

No problem. I would have hated to see you get a dead socket at the very least. The i5 might not be a huge power house, but it's no slouch either. That's a pretty sweet build. I can't wait to see when you get it together.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

x2 said:
You better!
Click to expand...

:lol I did this time. They should be posted up tonight. Been running some tests and it should be stable now.

Which by the way, if anyone wants one of these processors, I highly recommend an aftermarket cooler. The stock cooler is garbage. I'm baffled as to how the PC sites were getting decent temps while overclocking. Mine is still stock and it easily hits 70 degress Celsius. I'm pretty sure I can make it go higher if I stressed it enough. That 70 degree mark was hit with GTA IV for about 10 minutes of gameplay. I'll be buying a new air cooler this weekend.

Which brings me to my next info. RE5 runs beautifully with this CPU. 99.9% of the time I was hitting 60FPS with Max settings @1920x1080. Don't think I can go back and play the console versions. GTA IV was running at near max settings and was hitting consistent 60 frames as well and that game is just a pain to run smoothly. Sandy Bridge handles it no problem, besides the heat. :P
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

Oh heck yea dude I never use stock coolers! But that's great about the fps you are getting in games. Do you own Crysis or have the demo? It's a great game for rig testing :D
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

x2 said:
Oh heck yea dude I never use stock coolers! But that's great about the fps you are getting in games. Do you own Crysis or have the demo? It's a great game for rig testing :D
Click to expand...

Neither do I, but I heard such great things about it that I figured it was going to save me some money in the meantime. Guess not. Which is cool anyways, I like tinkering with my rig to make it awesome and to last.

I don't own Crysis since at the time it went on sale, I didn't have a rig powerful enough to make it worth purchasing. I'll check out the demo. I'll probably download FRAPS or similar program to record some videos too of my benchmarks.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

Ah yea I see. Are you sure it's seated all the way and the thermal compound is spread properly? Maybe just try re-seating it? Dunno other than that. But yea download the Crysis demo when you get a chance. It's actually a really fun demo besides being great for testing.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

Whenever I do a build for myself I ALWAYS order the appropriate Zalman cooler. I never use OEM heat sinks on my systems.
 
Re: Core i7. Socket 1366 or socket 1156?

I've reseated it a couple of times and replaced the thermal paste. Each time with less paste than before. I managed to get it to drop a couple of degrees at idle, but that's it, which is 32 degrees.

The first time I installed it, I'm pretty sure it was because of my noobness to Intel CPUs. I don't think it was seated right the first time. But now, I'm 99% confident it's on right, especially since with regular tasks it doesn't go above 45 degrees. I've also read similar things on other sites to see if mine was just an isolated incident. Looks like I'm not alone. All good though.

Polygon said:
Whenever I do a build for myself I ALWAYS order the appropriate Zalman cooler. I never use OEM heat sinks on my systems.
Click to expand...

Yeah me neither, but I had some faith in some of the PC review sites. Especially since I was considering my i5 a transitional CPU towards an i7. Lesson learned I guess.

I'm currently looking at the Thermaltake Frio. Sounds like it's really good.
 
So here are some preliminary pics. My build is still not finalized. I will be buying a new PSU and air cooler for my i5, but for the time being, it will have to do. I can use it everyday as long as I don't do anything that taxes the CPU 100%.


Windows Experience scores -

AMD Athlon x2
AMDWindowsExp.jpg

Intel i5 Sandy Bridge scores
i5WindowsExp.jpg


AMD Build

IMG_0096.jpg


Intel i5 Sandy Bridge parts and build

IMG_0092.jpg

Please excuse the cabling. The PSU has some short cables that I didn't realize until I installed the mobo. I'll be replacing it with a 750w modular PSU. It will be needed since the longer cables will help adding clearance for the new air cooler. Which will be pretty big and this PSU just won't cut it.

IMG_0098.jpg


Radeon HD 6850

IMG_0097.jpg
 
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