Hi there,

 

I've not posted on here for a while now but I'm after some advice on upgrading my computer.

 

My current specs are in my signature but thinking of ditching AMD in favour of Intel.

 

I've been looking at overclocked bundles online and have seen an i7-2700K OC'd to 4.6Ghz, with 8GB RAM. That said, I've also been looking at another overclock bundle elsewhere which offers the Intel i7-3820 CPU OC'd to 4.5Ghz also with 8GB RAM. Price-wise, very similar.

 

I'm also on the verge of buying a GTX560 '448' as I've seen one on special offer this week only - reduced to £167.99.

 

I've read on here and elsewhere that there isn't much difference between the 2700K and 3820 in terms of performance, however, considering my current system, will there be a difference between the two for me? Especially in terms of running FSX.

 

Any advice given will really be appreciated.

 

Cheers, Adam.

Yes there is a difference, and infact, the LGA 2011 systems might perform worse. Although some people get some great results, others get horrible stutters with LGA 2011 systems, in terms of FPS it won't perform much better either. Sandy Bridge is still the best value for the money, I'd get a 2700K, great performer, great overclocker. :)

Arjen,

 

Thanks so much for your speedy and informative post, most appreciated.

 

This is the bundle I'm considering: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-092-OE but opting for an i7-2700K and 8Gb RAM.

 

This is the graphics card out of interest: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-094-GI

 

Good job they offer 'buy now, pay in 12 months' otherwise the wife will have a coronary :)

 

Cheers again.

 

Ad

2700K would be an excellent choice. Very good OC'er and they have unlocked multipliers unlike the 3820.

I took the plunge and bought the bundle about an hour ago :)

 

I currently have a 700W PSU, will this be adequate?

I took the plunge and bought the bundle about an hour ago :)

 

I currently have a 700W PSU, will this be adequate?

 

Yes, if you plan to only use 1 graphics card and the 2700K, then you will be fine with only 700w.

Cheers - not planning on having more than 1 card in SLI arrangement.

Just one more insight for your original queston. IMO your choice really depends on what kind of things you are going to do with your computer and how you are seeing you will use it in the future.

 

3820 is pretty much equal with 2600K/2700K in terms of performance, except in some applications where memory bandwidth matters exceptionally, 3820 has the edge. Also 3820's larger cache helps in some cases and combined with tremendous memory bandwidth, extremely fast memory sets are almost useless. Still, in some cases 2600K/2700K dual channel memory controller is faster because of the smaller latencies due the simpler memory controller structure.

 

Most supporters of the 1155 processors are mostly missing the point of X79. With X79 you are purchasing more a whole platform and not just the processor. In that sense, your question of 3820 vs. 2600K is a bit meaningless. I ordered today for myself i7 3930K + Asus X79 Sabertooth mobo + 16GB mem + Corsair H100 for the replacement of my signature rig. I also considered SB and IB options, but just for a while. FSX is not the only activity I do with my computer and crunching power and cores really come in handy. Also, 16 PCI-E lanes of 1155 chipsets is just unbearable for me compared to 40 in X79. Also, X79 MB quality and feature set is usually way better compared to mainstream SB/IB boards, although many of them are also pricier than average 1155 boards. There are still many great X79 boards out there in the same price point with the 1155 mid range motherboards.

 

Then, X79 has also better possibilites for upgrade in the future. If you are going to go with 3820, you can easily jump to 6-core monsters later if more power is needed. Also, Ivy Bridge-E processors are coming out later this year, if everything goes like planned with possibility of 8-core models. If you choose 2600K/2700K/3770K it ends pretty much there. Next improvement will be Haswell, which means also new mobo.

 

Of course there are also advantages with 1155 platform -K processors like lower average system price, on par performance (compared to X79 3820) and -K processors are easier to overclock, though you end up probably somewhere in the same MHz range with both processors (reading some reviews and forums most of the 3820s 24/7 clocks are usually around 4,6-4,8GHz, and reportedly Ivys end up around the same figures. SBs may go up to 5GHz and even more). 3820 chips would probably also go further but wall comes ahead because of the limited unlocked multiplier of 3820 and the fact that after using 125x bus strap, last MHzs you are going to get is coming from bus speed and there is usually room for just few MHz in bus speed until system comes unstable.

 

I'd choose X79 platform, but that's just from my perspective. I went 2,5 years ago to 1366 platform for a reason, and I don't see 1155 as a successor for my needs from any viewpoint. These rigs are also one sort of hobby for me and I just can't wait to throw 3930K 6-core monster inside my case :Party:

Nice buy! I am sure IB will be nice but whats this about IB-E? I am tempted...

in some applications where memory bandwidth matters exceptionally

 

Which apps are those TG? just curious

Yes there is a difference, and infact, the LGA 2011 systems might perform worse. Although some people get some great results, others get horrible stutters with LGA 2011 systems, in terms of FPS it won't perform much better either. Sandy Bridge is still the best value for the money, I'd get a 2700K, great performer, great overclocker. :)

 

I upgraded from an i7 2600k / P67 to an i7 3930k / X79 and got worse stuttering in FSX despite the slightly higher frame rates and faster load times and faster texture loading. I had to resort to tweaking my FSX.cfg file with bufferpools set to 20000000 to get ride of most of the stuttering and now it's pretty much running smoothly on my 3930k. Sometimes though, I get a quick black flash in virtual cockpit mode out the front window with this tweak but it happens rarely and I think it worth the trade-off for the terrible stuttering I've been experiencing in my 3930k before that tweak. If I could turn back the clock, I wouldn't have upgraded to socket 2011 and kept with my i7 2600k. I had stutters in my 2600k as well but not as bad and I wonder that maybe the bufferpools at the 20000000 would run FSX even smoother my the 2600k I used to have than it does right now on my 3930k. At least I have something that should last me a long time and hopefully a game comes out that can really benefit from more than 4 cores.

 

Why don't you wait for the i7 3770k and get a Z77 motherboard with it? If you aren't going to run 3 or more high-end video card, Ivy Bridge with a Z77 should a great choice for gaming.

I get a quick black flash in virtual cockpit mode out the front window

 

Do you have your water set to High.2x?

I upgraded from an i7 2600k / P67 to an i7 3930k / X79 and got worse stuttering in FSX despite the slightly higher frame rates and faster load times and faster texture loading. I had to resort to tweaking my FSX.cfg file with bufferpools set to 20000000 to get ride of most of the stuttering and now it's pretty much running smoothly on my 3930k. Sometimes though, I get a quick black flash in virtual cockpit mode out the front window with this tweak but it happens rarely and I think it worth the trade-off for the terrible stuttering I've been experiencing in my 3930k before that tweak. If I could turn back the clock, I wouldn't have upgraded to socket 2011 and kept with my i7 2600k. I had stutters in my 2600k as well but not as bad and I wonder that maybe the bufferpools at the 20000000 would run FSX even smoother my the 2600k I used to have than it does right now on my 3930k. At least I have something that should last me a long time and hopefully a game comes out that can really benefit from more than 4 cores.

 

Why don't you wait for the i7 3770k and get a Z77 motherboard with it? If you aren't going to run 3 or more high-end video card, Ivy Bridge with a Z77 should a great choice for gaming.

 

Actually, if I could turn back the clock, I would have kept my i7 960 / X58 system and not upgrade to the i7 2600k since the i7 2600k was only a little faster for me in FSX, a little worse suttering I saw than my i7 960 I used to have, and I lost too much money in the process of selling my i7 960 and motherboard at the time when I upgraded to the i7 2600k / P67 system.

Which apps are those TG? just curious

Almost every application which is running in several threads, and thus making awful lot memory reads and writes benefits from memory bandwidth. Same thing is of course with multitasking. Server environments are of course one.

Almost every application which is running in several threads, and thus making awful lot memory reads and writes benefits from memory bandwidth. Same thing is of course with multitasking. Server environments are of course one.

 

This is a topic that has intrigued me for a long time. Most synthetic memory benchmarks (Maxxmem, Aida...) show the 2600K/2500K and the SB-E lineup have identical memory bandwidth. Actually SB's dual channel has a lot more memory bandwidth than Bloomfield's triple channel due to it's improved memory controller, or the newer architecture in general, and I've never seen a single test, nor synthetic or real life application where the memory channels made a difference at all.

 

Many of those apps/benchmarks used to compare CPU performance are heavily threaded also, and still the 2600K performs just the same