Quick question guys, I am building a system for someone, he wants the I7-980 3.33 ghz Lga1366.Good idea? Or anything better to overclock?Cheers

What is it for?the answer is no regardless, unless he already has a 1366 systemIf he has a use for more than 4 cores, then a LGA2011 I7 3930KOtherwise (for FSX for example) a LGA1155 I5 2500K

Get the newer generation. I have a i7-980 and I wouldn't of done it again--I just really didn't like the onboard graphics of the other ones.

Edited January 5, 201214 yr by stevenp

He's a 767 F/O never heard about FS before, spoke to him last week about PMDG and LVL--D. Met him again tonight at a barbecue and he gave me a huge list of specs for a custom built PC. All his specs are good but I told him to hold up on the CPU until I checked with you guys.Regards

I'd go with the 2500k if I were him, He's gonna pay "big" [okay small really, but relatively it's probably one of the most expensive things there] money. No point just having to upgrade it again in 12 months, go for the 2500k and it'll serve him for a good while. Particularly if it was a clean sheet build then I'd get nothing else. If you don't mind my asking, who is he flying for? I'm guessing somewhere in the southern hemisphere given that you're having a BBQ at this time of year, Just curious...Rónán O Cadhain.

Edited January 5, 201214 yr by Rónán O Cadhain

I'm based in the middle east 8 months of the year(Bahrain) he fly's for a private charter as quite a few guys do unless with gulf air, emirates, Qatar.Anyway thanks, I remember Tabs talking about CPU's and Overclocking, I kinda landed myself in it by saying I would do the whole thing for him so would rather get the opinion of people here then on google.Cheers

Definitely go with sandy bridge, whether it's the 2600k or 2500k

Hello Rob,I agree with Ken, I read these forums too before deciding what to upgrade to.Got the Z68 mobo with i5 2500K. - No need to pay for hyperthreading when it's not used - but that's another story :)

Go for the 990x much better than 980x, I have one on the way do your homework 990 all the way, overclocking possibilities and heat is suppose to be much better.

Edited January 5, 201214 yr by Richard Sennett

Sandy Bridge 2600K or 2500K. Then overclock it to 4ghz or over.

"he wants the I7-980 3.33 ghz Lga1366" so if this is the case its the 990x, this chip should overclock to 4.5 with no problem I have an i7-970 at 4.2, make sure you use water to keep it cool.

Edited January 6, 201214 yr by Richard Sennett

"he wants the I7-980 3.33 ghz Lga1366" so if this is the case its the 990x, this chip should overclock to 4.5 with no problem I have an i7-970 at 4.2, make sure you use water to keep it cool.

I don't know Rich.First off, the 990X is much more expensive and is just a 980X with a few more MHz. It doesn't overclock better than the 980X and to hit 4.5GHz 99.9% of the times you'll need a lot of VcoreSandy Bridge is cheaper and faster for FSX anyway

I have the I7-960, nvidia 580 gtx, 12 gigs ram, 27" dell ultra sharp approx 2500x1600 res and fsx runs very well. The extra couple of cores will not help with fsx. I have my o/s on a SSD drive and will shortly add a large enough SSD for fsx.....to speed up load times. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea it works very well for me. Most of these components have been out for quite a while now so prices are getting much better. Absolutely no complaints.Dave

I don't know Rich.First off, the 990X is much more expensive and is just a 980X with a few more MHz. It doesn't overclock better than the 980X and to hit 4.5GHz 99.9% of the times you'll need a lot of VcoreSandy Bridge is cheaper and faster for FSX anyway

Yup. Sandy Bridge is the way to go, and he'd come out financially better anyway. I guarantee I get better FPS than any 980X users in FSX, and I payed less than a quarter of the cost.

I have the I7-960, nvidia 580 gtx, 12 gigs ram, 27" dell ultra sharp approx 2500x1600 res and fsx runs very well. The extra couple of cores will not help with fsx. I have my o/s on a SSD drive and will shortly add a large enough SSD for fsx.....to speed up load times. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea it works very well for me. Most of these components have been out for quite a while now so prices are getting much better. Absolutely no complaints.Dave

I came from an i7 960 to this rig, and was surprised at the difference in performance in FSX. Also: Unfortunately, Intel components don't typically come down in price until they're completely obsolete.

Edited January 6, 201214 yr by ZachLW

Hi Dazz hope all is well my friend, I agree with you but maybe I am wrong but I think he may have all ready bought the motherboard if not then i5- i7 would be a great choice even with that said I am seeing reviews where the 990x is a bit ahead of the i7 in some test so I am sure it will be better than my i7-970, I hope lol but I did a lot of homework on the 980 and 990 and the 990 is the preffered chip for overclocking as it overclocks easily and at less temps looked at all the top reviews and youtube videos before buying this chip and also got the 990x for 650 dollars great price but still would have bought the 980 if the reviews favored it but you having an i7-2600k thats a different breed by looking at your 4.8ghz oc, I plan on oc mine to about 4.5 to be safe, take care buddy. :wink:Checkout this video

Edited January 6, 201214 yr by Richard Sennett