Experienced user please for advice on new built PC

I will post mine here:

This is the one with CPU 860.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=017444367

And this is the one with CPU 950 + $450
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13725506

The one with CPU 950 has not been added with the CPU, but if you do the math or calculation, it is about the same. For 950, I only forgot to include the western harddisk 1GB. So it is just $100 dollars more, and you could get the 950.

 

The reduced price difference is due to the use of 8GB of RAM in the i5 system versus 6GB in the i7. Typically it's 4 vs 6 or 8 vs 12.

 

I am so sorry to keep bothering you sam, but which order shall I take, the batch of i7 860 or i7 950?

Like Xplorer said, 4GB might be enough, but I don't think I it'll be enough for me since I use lots of applications for my stuff, so I will go with 8gb for i7 860. So I might wanna hear your suggestion about this.

 

It really depends on the application. Look up benchmarks of the programs you use and decide whether the extra performance justifies the extra cost.

 

Can you possibly go around in circles anymore? I dont mean to be rude but do some legwork of your own here. All the cpus mentioned are good, its just a matter of what your going to do with them. You said you wanted video encoding performance right? the i7 800 series is best, if you want to sacrifice some gaming performance. If you want gaming performance while sacrificing video performance, go with the i7 800 series. While your going to sacrifice some, dont be to worried here, were not talking a difference in hours, just minuets if that(on the video side). On the i7 900 were talking a difference in a a few frames if that, but with the ability to run 16x/16x GPUs that opens things up a bit to.

 

I think you meant the 900 series in the first time you said 800 series, you're confusing him
Simply put, the 920/950 can be faster at video encoding, but it depends on the program.
The 750/860 will be faster at gaming, but only by 2-3% tops (per mhz) Then again, that might possibly be all the lead the 920/950 get in the particular video editing program you use.
It's ultimately your decision, but if it works out cheaper to get one or the other, I'd do that. You're not getting much extra for your money.

 

CPU wise the 860 will win but the 920 seems more gaming oriented for its ability to utilize x16/x16 PCI-E lanes for dual video cards. Like you im not a big fan of SLI or crossfire, but you know how gamers like to run dual cards.

 

I can't speak for the 860, but the 750 performs better in games per clock than the 920 does. That might simply be due to no hyperthreading, I'm not sure.
The PCIe bandwidth for i7 systems is important, but only for the absolute high-end systems. You can after all slap an HD5970 in a system with only one PCIe slot, let alone only one slot's worth of bandwidth.

 

Well...Like I said earlier, I cannot really make up my mind which one to buy...So that's the reason why I will ask you guys' advice or wanna listen to you guys' suggestions. If you were to spend $2500, which one would you buy? Because I am not a big fan of gaming, but I am a big fan of graphic art, digital art, and gaming design...I like games, but I don't really like playing them. So video and graphic cards to me are really important...However, I also do programming and other software applications, so I really need a faster processor. I know I am kind of creedy, which is the reason why I cannot make my own decision whenever in a critical situation like this.

So you guys' advices are really important to me.

 

Im aware of this, I think I was mixing up cpu numbers somewhere.

You preaching to the choir, as they say But let keep in mind the general public here, or gamers I should say, who just cant resist the idea of two GPUs.

 

Jinka: Well you can go with either and notice very little difference either way, that's my point. The cost of the two systems isn't the same, so using the same budget is irrelevant. Use whichever CPU lets you have more other stuff for the $2500.
Xplorer: Then it's our job to convince them otherwise

 

@Sam isnt the 860 still cheaper? If so then all the more reason for the 860, but like you said the difference isnt exactly mind blowing anyways.

Anyways yes I agree on the multi gpu part.

 

That's my point. The 860 system will likely work out cheaper. If so, then use the 860 since it will get you the better deal.

 

Well...I still don't understand the overclocking part of the CPU, I hope this won't be the wrong thread of a little bit of overclock discussion.

For instance, I have a i7 920, which is 2.66ghz and then I have a i7 960 3.20ghz...I know that the multiplier will be locked at certain point within the CPU...The question is if I wanna overclock to 4.3 assuming that I wanna do that...Will there be a limit to each of them? Such as since 920 is 2.66ghz, there would be a limit to it, let say cannot exceed 4.5...and since i7 960 is 3.20gz, with better capability, it could be overclocked over 4.5. Or i7 960 can be overclocked better than the i7 920 as it has higher gbz? Or they could just be overclocked the same regardless of the stock speed?

This is what is confusing me the most. If that is so, why do, those experienced with overclocking, buy a must expensive processor such as i7 975 extreme? Or such kind of processor with higher stock speed is only for those who have no experience with or don't wanna overclock?

I am under the impression that the lower stock speed the CPU, the less possible it could be overclocked to higher speed. Not sure if this would be true.

 

The situation you describe in your main paragraph is how CPUs generally work. The bus speeds are often the same for similar CPUs, but higher multipliers are used to get a higher CPU speed. The multipliers are not changeable (except for extreme edition CPUs) and thus, if there is a limit to maximum bus speed, the CPU with the higher multiplier can be overclocked further. This is of fundamental importance for high-end Core 2 CPUs, as the limit of the bus is far more of an issue than the limit of the CPU.
Core i5s and i7s, however, typically show less reliance on the bus speed, and in general the CPU itself becomes a limit first, and all at the same speed. This limit tends to first show up at 4.1Ghz, or thereabouts. Getting an i5 past this point is complex, getting an i7 past it less so, but it requires a vast amount of energy, requiring a good cooler and motherboard for voltage regulation. I generally recommend 4.1Ghz as the maximum for non-enthusiasts overclocking i5s/i7s. Typically 3.8 is likely to be far easier, for the speed gained.

 

So how do I determine the multiplier limit of the CPU? By looking at the BIOS during POST? Besides, how do we know the bus limit speed of the CPU as well? One of the guys told me that the extreme edition has its own multiplier unlocked, so with extreme edition such as 965 i7, you could overclock as high as possible, which could exceed 4.5gbz...And there is also a benchmark for overclocking...The world record of the guy who overclocked his 920 i7 to 5.3ghz...What the!!! Is just awesome.

 

Just google it, each CPU has its own.

 

Well...Sam thanks a lot for all your advices and your patience of guiding the newbie into the right way when it comes to shopping PC components.

BTW do you think this cooler is ok or it isn't any better than the one you suggested? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103055&Tpk=COOLER MASTER V8

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608014

 

The V8 is oversized and over-rated. The Noctua cooler is still better, and much more compact.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Image... X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Just wonder what it is, the blue metal with a Gigabyte logo? Should I remove it? This is my first build, I really don't know what it is.