So I've been out of the scene for a while...

[DarkRanger]

Hello peeps,

As the title states, I haven't been keeping up with Desktop technology the past couple of days as most of my cash went into my car. No regrets though, as I love her to bits.

I have given up gaming for a while, just because, well, I lost interest. Now however, after a recent LAN, I started liking it again. Currently playing Dirt 3 and Assassin's Creed 2. Want to add more games from there, but don't want to go overboard regarding choice (don't want to be overwhelmed... )

I need some advise on a PC upgrade. I recently (Friday) bought a Gigabyte GTX550Ti and must say I'm really happy with it. Exceptional bang for buck. Now I want more. Here is what I have in mind, and PLEASE give me opinions and suggestions.

MB: Asus Rampage II GENE IX58
CPU: Intel i7 960 3.2GHz 1366
RAM: Corsair DDR3-2000 12GB (3x4GB) Dominator GT

I'll add another GTX550Ti too. Just to complete it.

I have a case and keyboard and mouse and screen and sufficient power supply, so that is not a worry at this stage.

What do you guys think? Yes, No, Maybe?

[RuadRauFlessa]

MB: http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/produc ... s_id=54035
CPU: http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/produc ... s_id=52074

[DarkRanger]

Cool, so you would suggest 1155 over 1366. That's one part I wasn't sure about.

What's the difference between Tripple Channel and Dual channel memory? Significant performance difference or not really?

[RuadRauFlessa]

The issue with what you proposed is that it is basically previous gen gear for new gen prices. Sandy scales a lot better than the old i7 tech. You might want to note though that on the new tech you will need to go duel channel. Also going more than 8GB memory is a waste. The Tripple channel only means that 3 chips can be written to or read from at the same time. Meaning there are three channels for data throughput.

[StarPhoenix]

I'm sure it's just me, but I can't help looking at your choice of Core i7 and motherboard and thinking "overkill".
Do you think that you will be using any software that will take advantage of 8 threads any time soon, or would the 4
provided by a Core i5 2400/2500[k] be ample?

Trying to "future-proof" your machine?

Planning on overclocking? [Your choice of motherboard seems to suggest this.]If not, you probably don't need anything more than DDR3-1333Mhz RAM

[RuadRauFlessa]

Well SP... if you have the choice and the money which would you rather take.... granted that both costs you exactly the same? Overkill and having it future proof or choose the alternative and having to upgrade again within the next 12 months to accommodate for growing needs

[DarkRanger]

I do some video rendering too now and again, using Adobe CS 5.5 products, so I sort of want to kill two birds with one rather decent stone...

Thanks for the input.

[Slimshaedy]

I would suggest P8P67 Pro with an i5 2500K. A 8gb kit of G Skill RAM DDR3 1600 CL9. Its cheap and it will keep you more than happy,I can assure you. I tend to agree with you SP. Darkranger doesn't sound like a hardcore gamer/enthusiast, so I think i7 is overkill. You could overclock the i5 a bit using the stock cooler, or invest in a proper cooler and get it to 4Ghz easily!

[RuadRauFlessa]

Not really overkill considering that he wants to also do video rendering with Adobe CS 5.5. That thing can kill any beast that I have ever seen.

[Slimshaedy]

I considered that but an i5 would suffice wouldn't it? Also its only one program that he uses where an i7 would suit. It would depend how frequently he does video rendering.

Darkranger in your initial 1366 setup you had a pretty mean budget. The i7 would definately help your video rendering, it all depends on your budget... And if you think its worth it