For gaming, i7 or i5? 1155 or 1366 socket?

[braz]

I am considering upgrading my pc for battlefield 3. My current specs are in my sig, I need to get a motherboard, cpu, and ram. I want to get an EVGA motherboard, is it really wroth the extra $60 for 2 pci-e X16 slots instead of x16 and an x8? I honestly doubt I will ever run SLI... My real question is, should I get an i5 cpu or i7? Better yet, socket 115 motherboard or 1366? Is it true that the i9 cpus will be 1366? What is your input? I will be keeping my GTX470 with this build, hoping to spend around $500-ish. I get 35ish fps now on battlefield 3 beta, would an upgrade (mobo ram cpu) improve that? Thanks guys!

** Just did some googling, am I better off waiting for this new LGA2011? I have a felling the lga2011 CPUs and mobos will be very expensive :/

 

[Roark]

If you aren't going to do dual cards (and even in most cases if you do) x16/x16 isn't worth the premium.
x8/x8 is plenty fast for dual cards, and you still have x16 if you're only using 1 card.

i5 2500k is currently your best bet for a gaming CPU (socket 1155).
Also, should be compatible with Ivy Bridge when it comes.
http://www.fudzilla.com/processors/item/21765-ivy-bridge-22nm-works-with-h67-and-p67.

I'd go:
$375 i5 2500k + Asus P8P67 EVO ($20 MiR).
$70 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws X 1600 CAS8.
=$445 (-$20).

Also, if you have Win7 OEM you're going to need a new copy when you swap the motherboard.

 

[braz]

Windows 7 OEM? I have just the upgrade version of it. Thank you for your input! any other thoughts anyone?

 

[Roark]

OEM Licenses are tied to the motherboard, so when you swap it out you need to buy a new Windows license.
Retail Licenses can be transferred to a new computer, but can only be on one computer at a time.

Upgrades, as I understand it, function like a Retail License.
However, you still need XP/Vista on the machine to upgrade, and if that license is OEM it can't transfer.

 

[Slaymate]

The Ivy Bridge cpu's will be skt LGA2011 so your best bet now is the i5 2500K or the i7 2600K.

 

[braz]

The Ivy Bridge cpu's will be skt LGA2011 so your best bet now is the i5 2500K or the i7 2600K.

Should I wait for the LGA2011? or would the i5 2500k last me for a while? Any motherboard suggestions? I was looking into EVGA, I just want to run BF3 maxed out!!

And thanks for explaining the OEM windows stuff! Guess I would have to get another key.

 

[Shady090]

the i5 2500k is the best option at the moment and it will last you for a while for sure
But from personal experience i recommend to wait for the lga2011
almost 3 years ago i dint wait 2 month for the 1366 and that decision has been hunting me since so this time i am waiting what i did i got a gtx570 so i can use for my new build when the 2011 its release
and all comes up to the money anyway what you can and are willing to spend cause the 2011 may or will cost you the double or more of what you spend now in the i5 2500k

 

[braz]

I may just have to go with the i5 2500k. Im guessing the lga2011 boards will cost upwards of $300 an the CPUs around the same. Alright, so check out this build then:

Motherboard: Newegg.com - EVGA P67 FTW 160-SB-E679-KR LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard


CPU: Micro Center - Intel Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor 179648

Memory: Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL11D-8GBXL

 

[Slaymate]

I would stick to DDR3 1600 if your going to overclock that i5 2500K.

 

[Prophet]

Do a little more research on your motherboards. Z68 is a better chipset then p67 as it combines the features of h67 and p67. It will allow you to overclock your cpu better and the board itself wont cost you more. I would look at the gibabyte z68z ud3 or asus p868 pro Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS linus tech tip has a good video breaking down the difference between the 3 chip sets if you want to google it