I'm upgrading...

[Tyguy]

Here's what I'm considering.

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121361

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202

How does this look?

And any idea when the prices might be coming down?

 

[VirusType2]

Honestly, the i5-750 is much cheaper and is actually better for games from what I've seen.

With the i7-920 your motherboard will be able to upgrade to the 8 core processors in the future (they're supposed to launch around $1100, last time I checked). Also, hyper-threading can be a huge benefit when software utilizes it (otherwise it's a detriment) The one other thing the i7-920 has going for it, is that it's better [than the 1156 socket i5/i7's] when it comes to heavy overclocks or when using 3 or more video cards.

The i5-750 processor about $95 cheaper, but also, the motherboards are about $100 less. In addition, it's dual channel instead of triple, so you can save even more (although you will have less RAM obviously).

So for me (with the 750), when it's time to upgrade to 8 cores sometimes in the future (when they are like $195), I'll just get a new motherboard and RAM with it. I'm not sure what they plan to do with this new socket type 1156, so the upgrade path for me is totally up in the air. Anyway, great processor for the money.

I think if you want to run an extraction utility or video encoding all day, then you'll want hyper-threading (which the 750 doesn't have).

Nearly all games will get much more benefit from a better video card than a better CPU, so keep that in mind.

 

[Quixoticism]

I second what VirusType said and recommend the i5-750. That being said, the parts look good, but might be overkill depending on what you're expecting to do with the system and if you're planning on doing SLI or not.

Also, Intel just introduced a new line of low end procs and I don't expect them to be coming out with their new high end stuff (6 cores) for a few months and prices won't go down much till that happens.

 

[VirusType2]

There's also USB 3.0 and SATA 6/GBs that are still new technologies. So if you want to use this motherboard and make your system 'future proof', you should make sure your motherboard has those things. I decided to stick with USB 2 and SATA 2 to save a lot of money on the Motherboard. None of my current hardware will benefit from those things anyway.

There's no saying for sure what other major changes could come about in the next couple of years either, or like I said, what the upgrade paths of the different sockets will be, what prices will be like, or even the dominant CPU manufacturer. What about RAM? DDR3, DDR4, DDR5?

So I don't know if there really is a future proofed system, or if aiming for it is really a good idea. I don't think so, personally.

You could also take a look at what AMD has to offer in that class of CPU. You may get a great processor (good enough to not be a bottle-neck with a very powerful GPU) for half the price of the 920.

 

[Tyguy]

thanks for the input, maybe i'll take a look at the i5's...can you recommend a good mobo for me, one a tad cheaper?

how do you think two hd4890's would do in bc2 on the highest settings, assuming i have an i5?

also, i forget...having an intel mobo would only allow me to crossfire two ati cards, correct?

 

[VirusType2]

can you recommend a good mobo for me, one a tad cheaper?

I paid $115 before discounts for my MB. That's why I suggested you consider dropping the $285 boards you were looking at. But mine has one video slot.

You'll have to isolate the MBs by socket type and take a look. There's at least a few in the $125-$155 range with two video slots.

I like MSi because everything worked.

For MBs supporting 2 video cards, I like ASRock P55. But you may prefer Gigabyte, EGA, or Asus's budget P55s.

MSI: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=REVIEWS

ASRock: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=REVIEWS

Asus: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=REVIEWS