We don't know anything about Haswell yet, just like we didn't know anything about IB months ago and still some knew for a fact it was the way to go and one should wait at all cost for IB.

 

So you can get a 20-25% boost from OCing your I7 950, or another 30-40% for a new SB or IB setup.

 

First option comes at no cost

For the 2nd option I would get a 2500K and a cheap single PCIe slot Z68 or Z77 board. That will set you back some £250

 

Your call

 

For the 2nd option I would get a 2500K and a cheap single PCIe slot Z68 or Z77 board. That will set you back some £250

 

+1

 

Maybe something like THIS?

Ben Cap, this is MY board, and it´s awesome!

Cheap, effective, just what we need, nothing fancy, but most important:

 

INTEL SMART RESPONSE TECHNOLOGY

Faster Access, Bigger Storage Intel Smart Response Technology boosts overall system performance. It uses an installed fast SSD (min 18.6GB available) as a cache for frequently accessed operations, speeding up hard drive/main memory interaction.

 

SSD cache?

It rocks!

Thanks for suggestions

 

I am getting this - £430 FSX only. Maybe in next week or so.

 

Intel Core i7-2700K 3.50GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail

ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 Intel Z68 (REV B3) Socket 1155 DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard

2x 4GB Mushkin Enhanced Redline Ridgeback #992057 (1x4GB) 1600 (PC3-12800) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM CAS 7-7-7-24 1.65

Thanks for suggestions

 

I am getting this - £430 FSX only. Maybe in next week or so.

 

Intel Core i7-2700K 3.50GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail

ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 Intel Z68 (REV B3) Socket 1155 DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard

2x 4GB Mushkin Enhanced Redline Ridgeback #992057 (1x4GB) 1600 (PC3-12800) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM CAS 7-7-7-24 1.65

 

Wonderful choices!

Thanks for suggestions

 

I am getting this - £430 FSX only. Maybe in next week or so.

 

Intel Core i7-2700K 3.50GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail

ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 Intel Z68 (REV B3) Socket 1155 DDR3 PCI-Express Motherboard

2x 4GB Mushkin Enhanced Redline Ridgeback #992057 (1x4GB) 1600 (PC3-12800) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM CAS 7-7-7-24 1.65

 

Actually I am now getting

 

Asus P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Unlocked Processor - Retail

Corsair Vengeance Low Profile Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9B)

 

Been reading around about some problems caused by 1.65V RAM and recommendations to use 1.5 or less. Changing from Mushkin to Corsair I save £40 and maybe some CPU troubles in the future?

 

There is a price difference of nearly £140 between the two rigs. All the above for £292 compared to £430 for the first rig. Don't think the £140 difference is worth it for a fps more. I just hope that I notice a difference in performance from my current setup otherwise its all going in the bin and I am sticking to my XBox!

Actually I am now getting

 

Asus P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Unlocked Processor - Retail

Corsair Vengeance Low Profile Blue 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9B)

 

Been reading around about some problems caused by 1.65V RAM and recommendations to use 1.5 or less. Changing from Mushkin to Corsair I save £40 and maybe some CPU troubles in the future?

 

There is a price difference of nearly £140 between the two rigs. All the above for £292 compared to £430 for the first rig. Don't think the £140 difference is worth it for a fps more. I just hope that I notice a difference in performance from my current setup otherwise its all going in the bin and I am sticking to my XBox!

1.65 V RAM is fine. You just have to make sure the XMP profile is enabled. Go to Intel website and search for yourself.

1.65 V RAM is fine. You just have to make sure the XMP profile is enabled. Go to Intel website and search for yourself.

 

I don't recommend it, and neither does Intel. I had stability issues with my brand new Z77 board and some Patriot Viper 1.65V RAM. Had to downclock, loosen timings, and still overvolt to get stability. Swapping out for some Team Xtreem RAM that's rated for 1.5V. YMMV, but don't be surprised if things don't work when doing things that are not recommended...

I don't recommend it, and neither does Intel. I had stability issues with my brand new Z77 board and some Patriot Viper 1.65V RAM. Had to downclock, loosen timings, and still overvolt to get stability. Swapping out for some Team Xtreem RAM that's rated for 1.5V. YMMV, but don't be surprised if things don't work when doing things that are not recommended...

 

Strange. Here is a link from Intel:

 

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/gaming/gaming-computers/intel-extreme-memory-profile-xmp.html?wapkw=xmp

 

1.65 V is the max voltage. Also the RAM bought is the G.Skill Ripjaws X recommended in Word Not Allowed's thread. It is rated at 1.65 V. He and others have been using it. I don't know what Z77 Mobo you are using, it may be a combination of MoBo and RAM unique in your situation?

Strange. Here is a link from Intel:

 

http://www.intel.com....html?wapkw=xmp

 

1.65 V is the max voltage. Also the RAM bought is the G.Skill Ripjaws X recommended in Word Not Allowed's thread. It is rated at 1.65 V. He and others have been using it. I don't know what Z77 Mobo you are using, it may be a combination of MoBo and RAM unique in your situation?

 

I did say that it does seem to work for some people, the question is for how long. Perhaps I just got a bad combo, I'll find out when I put in the 1.5V RAM tonight.

I've got my i7 950 running at 4.1 with HT disabled. Ran stress test for an hour and temps don't exceed 69C! Did some flights at my usual locations and everything is smooth.

 

Going to invest in Corsair H60 cooler to replace my arctic thingy (cant remember name of it).

 

Not a bad upgrade for £50. Leaving the Sandy alone, Can't see much of a reason now to invest in Sandy as I don't think that the gains would be significant enough for me to notice.

Well it runs stable @ 4.1 in FSX but playing The Witcher gave me 4 app crashes in an hour.

 

I have listed the i7 950 rig on ebay and have now ordered the following for delivery tomorrow

1 x Asus P8Z77-V Socket 1155 VGA DVI DisplayPort HDMI 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard 363230 1 x Intel Core i5 2550K 3.4GHz Socker 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor 342613 1 x Corsair 8GB (2X4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz Vengeance Blue "LOW PROFILE" CL9 1.5V 274036 1 x Xenta Single Link DVI-I To VGA Cable (Black) 1m 130559 1 x Coolermaster Elite 430 All Black Interior Mid Tower Case with Side Window 233740

 

The i5 2550K is only 100mhz higher at stock than the 2500K but it is on offer at the mo and £20 cheaper!

Also purchased a Corsair H80 water cooler which I got yesterday so when this rig is built it should be a lot better than what I already have.

 

(The VGA cable is for my dev pc for linking a second VGA monitor!)

Unbeatable value. Great choices there Graham

Well it runs stable @ 4.1 in FSX but playing The Witcher gave me 4 app crashes in an hour.

 

I have listed the i7 950 rig on ebay and have now ordered the following for delivery tomorrow

1 x Asus P8Z77-V Socket 1155 VGA DVI DisplayPort HDMI 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard 363230 1 x Intel Core i5 2550K 3.4GHz Socker 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor 342613 1 x Corsair 8GB (2X4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz Vengeance Blue "LOW PROFILE" CL9 1.5V 274036 1 x Xenta Single Link DVI-I To VGA Cable (Black) 1m 130559 1 x Coolermaster Elite 430 All Black Interior Mid Tower Case with Side Window 233740

 

The i5 2550K is only 100mhz higher at stock than the 2500K but it is on offer at the mo and £20 cheaper!

Also purchased a Corsair H80 water cooler which I got yesterday so when this rig is built it should be a lot better than what I already have.

 

(The VGA cable is for my dev pc for linking a second VGA monitor!)

 

Great choices! You are going to love it!