Advice needed of the rig variety

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Hey all,

I really want to update my rig for a new i7 setup, but as I have been dealing with the old core 2 series for so long, I havn't really got a clue as to what I should be looking for.

I will need to purchase an i7 processor, a motherboard and ram, I have everything else :) ( I would need a motherboard with 2 pci with 16x capability for my 2 4890s)

Can anybody help spec me something?

Thanks
 
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I have a 27 inch monitor (1920 by 1200), and I have overclocked my 4890s ;) but I appreciate that they do not utilize 16x even when overclocked :). I have to mention as well, I do a lot of heavy music production and heavy gaming

Thanks
 
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I don't like to specify parts, but if music editing is as processor dependant as video encoding or large scale photo manipulation then you'll definitely benefit from the extra threads of i7. You'll also be looking at going for 12gig or memory as opposed to the usual 6, though you'll see no perceivable benefit on the gaming side (yet) from going with i7 over i5, or from the extra memory.

The 920 is the goto CPU for i7 and that'll do nicely for the above. If you're more keen on the gaming (or, and no disrespect, you're not as into music editing as you think) you'd benefit more from an 860 on the P55 platform. P55 platforms can provide the 2x x16 slots so you're not losing out there.

SLI and Xfire scale better on the X58 platform, especially with the newer ATI cards, but your max resolution doesn't really show the benefits of having Xfire over a single card. You already have it though, but what I'm getting at is that you shouldn't feel you need an i7 for them to show their worth. If you have plans to get say, a 30" display at some stage then you should lean towards i7

Definitely set on i7 X58?
 
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Soldato
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Pretty sure P55 does 1@16x or 2@8x8, but as u said before this wont limit his 4890s. May be an issue for someone with 2x 5870X2 but for now even with 2x 5870s there is only a 2-7% difference from 8x8 to 16x16.
 
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A lot of people have been saying that for some reason.

Asus, for example, do a P55 couple boards with 2x x16. I'm sure there's more.

The Asus P55 board I have actually has 3.
 
Soldato
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I took a look on the Asus website at the Maximus III Formula which is the top P55 board OCUK sell and it does have three 16x lanes, however this is slightly misleading as it also states that the first and second will run at 16x unless both populated in which case it is 8x8 and the 3rd at 4x

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=0ODEkxv4cmlXkqmr&templete=2
2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (red) support single at x16 or dual at x8 mode
1 x PCIe x16 (white) supports at x4 mode
2 x PCIe x1
2 x PCI 2.2
 
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Ah sorry, misunderstood what you were getting at Creed.

How can you say this? at that resolution most new fps games would greatly benefit from the additional card.

I follow the opinion 1920x1200 isn't large enough to need dual GPUs.

Here's a quick example: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gtx285sli-hd4890cf_9.html#sect2

The % gain at each level increases the higher the resolution. On most of the games the benefit you'd get at anything 1920 and below wouldn't be noticable. It's only when you get into the super high resolution that the extra 10 or so FPS is actually, for want of a better word, needed.
 
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Associate
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Associate
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I just linked some benchmarks, you haven't interpreted it the way I was hoping for.

I wasn't trying to imply there's not a difference on paper. It scales very well, but in the area that it matters (30fps area) and the amount of games for which it will benefit (Crysis still? Maybe Arma II? I can't think of many) I don't think it's worth it. If he goes up a resolution then the benchmarks show that it will help and then yes I'd say X58.

I don't really feel like lunging into another debate over motherboard choice, but suffice to say I wouldn't base my decision on gaining 20 extra fps when I already have 50+. It's unnoticable.

I'm not even really suggesting a purchase for him, just outlining what he can expect from both so he can decide himself. I seem to have developed an anti-X58 persona here the last 3 days. I'm not against X58, I'm just not one for big numbers I guess. I'm more about utility.
 
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Fps doesn't solely benefit the way a game looks it also effects the way it plays. Like in Cod4 how you can jump higher with better fps, meaning you can move around the map easier. So the difference between 70 fps and 125 fps can be greatly noticeable for a serious online gamer.
 
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I'd be astonished if someone would pay £200 to jump higher in a game, but fair enough, it might matter to the OP.
 
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I'd be astonished if someone would pay £200 to jump higher in a game, but fair enough, it might matter to the OP.

That was one example of the benefits higher fps can give, i can see that its pointless debating with you after reading the thread about your opposition to the 920 for a gaming rig.
 
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Sindri said:
How dare someone have a different opinion than me! I will shun him immediately!

I was actually referring to performance when playing FPS games. I played CS quite seriously when it was super-popular so I know the importance of performance while playing.

I'd be interested to hear more examples though, examples that you feel are worth spending the extra cash.
 
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