# Considering Crunching Upgrade



## [Ion] (May 17, 2010)

I now have a job (which is very exciting at almost 16), so I now have more money to spend on computer upgrades.  I'll have a total of around $800 by mid-July.
Here's what I'm considering:

Phenom II X6 1055T ($200)
Phenom II X6 1090T ($300)
Phenom II X6 1055T/1090T + 4GB DDR3 + 790/890FX/GX (~$450 or ~$550
i7 860 + 4GB DDR3 + Gigabyte P55 ($525)

Now, the X6 1055T or 1090T would obviously be the cheapest upgrades because I could re-use existing components, but I doubt that it would be as fast as an i7.  In particular, I doubt that I could OC the 1055T much on my cheap 785G motherboard, so I doubt I could get past 3.6ghz (and due to the 4-phase power circuitry, I wouldn't want to go any further).  Considering the price/PPD, which do you guys think I should go with?


----------



## onepost (May 17, 2010)

[Ion] said:


> I now have a job (which is very exciting at almost 16), so I now have more money to spend on computer upgrades.  I'll have a total of around $800 by mid-July.
> Here's what I'm considering:
> 
> Phenom II X6 1055T ($200)
> ...



Personally i would recommend investing that money in something other than a depreciating asset but there is a reason both of us are at a site like TPU.  

that said, I just upgraded to a i7 930 and it was an expensive upgrade but 8 threads @ 4.1 is   if you are upgrading in mid july i'd wait and price things then - a lot can change in 2 months in the tech world.


----------



## [Ion] (May 17, 2010)

onepost said:


> Personally i would recommend investing that money in something other than a depreciating asset but there is a reason both of us are at a site like TPU.
> 
> that said, I just upgraded to a i7 930 and it was an expensive upgrade but 8 threads @ 4.1 is   if you are upgrading in mid july i'd wait and price things then - a lot can change in 2 months in the tech world.



I'm not going to be getting an i7 9x0, given the price of the extra 2GB of memory and the more expensive X58 board, I can't justify it.  That being said, I may try to trade my Phenom II X4 955, GA-MA785GM-US2H and my 4GB of DDR2 for an i5 6x0 setup (lower power consumption & not much lower performance).  I may not even upgrade at all, I'm just looking to see what would be the best if I did upgrade


----------



## Fourstaff (May 17, 2010)

1055T, because its the most price efficient one. I am curious, you seem to be a bit young to be working at 16, is it a part time job?


----------



## [Ion] (May 17, 2010)

Fourstaff said:


> 1055T, because its the most price efficient one. I am curious, you seem to be a bit young to be working at 16, *is it a part time job?*



Yep.  In NC, you can actually start working at places like grocery stores bagging groceries at 14.
The 1055T is what I've been leaning towards because it's so much cheaper, and should provide ~50% better PPD than my current X4 955.  And hopefully I could get at least $100 for the X4, so it would really be less than $100


----------



## vaiopup (May 17, 2010)

i7 and a cheapish gpu......depends on your projects


----------



## [Ion] (May 17, 2010)

vaiopup said:


> i7 and a cheapish gpu......depends on your projects



I mainly run WCG..this wouldn't be for a second rig, just an upgrade to the rig in my specs (parents won't let me have more than one desktop and one laptop).  I don't think I need a new GPU, I just got the GTX260 a bit over a week ago and I love it..so much better than the 8800GTS it replaced.  A used i7 is very tempting, I've been offered some DDR3 so I could get an i7 together for probably $300...choices, choices, choices


----------



## vaiopup (May 17, 2010)

Sensible parents 

My kids have quads and netbooks and still want more lol.

BTW......There are projects that would appreciate gpu goodness


----------



## epicfail (May 17, 2010)

Fourstaff said:


> 1055T, because its the most price efficient one. I am curious, you seem to be a bit young to be working at 16, is it a part time job?





vaiopup said:


> Sensible parents
> 
> My kids have quads and netbooks and still want more lol.
> 
> BTW......There are projects that would appreciate gpu goodness



wow lucky.
ive been working since 15, and buy all my own electronics and my bike.

i get food and cloth . o well it works and makes me not just spend and spend well k not rly but still

1600$ on a mountain bike wasnt really sensible on my part.


----------



## [Ion] (May 17, 2010)

vaiopup said:


> Sensible parents
> 
> My kids have quads and netbooks and still want more lol.
> 
> BTW......There are projects that would appreciate gpu goodness



Oh, I fold on the GTX260 (and it tops out around 8k PPD), but due to the heat output of GPUs I'd rather not have too many 

I have a Thinkpad T400 and the desktop in my sig..the rule is that I can get whatever I want as long as it's one desktop and I pay for it...so the quad is already overkill, but I NEEDZ MORE PPD!!1!11!


----------



## vaiopup (May 17, 2010)

Quads are overkill?

Sh** should have told me sooner 

And the bike, if you earned it and you enjoy it, then it's fine.
At least you earn your way, unlike my kids lol.

Slackers


----------



## [Ion] (May 17, 2010)

Well, the games I play don't use more than 2 cores, so really a high-clocked Clarkdale would be better for them, but I like the WCG performance of a real quad (and not a dual-with-HT mess)


----------



## vaiopup (May 17, 2010)

I prefer quad with HT........as for games, I got the world cup for that


----------



## [Ion] (May 17, 2010)

So the consensus is that I should keep my mobo + RAM and pick up a 1055T?  An i7 really is tempting though, 8 threads is awesome


----------



## ERazer (May 17, 2010)

gonna be mainly for crunching then gaming? i would go for i7, 8thread = uber ppd


----------



## [Ion] (May 17, 2010)

ERazer said:


> gonna be mainly for crunching then gaming? i would go for i7, 8thread = uber ppd



yep, mainly crunching, the x4 955 is plenty for games now that I have a modern GPU (8800GTS G80 wasn't cutting it).

an i7 looks nice, I could get an 860 setup for around $400 new or $300 used, so it would either be $100 or $200 more than an x6 1055T (what about bing cashback?  then couldn't i get the 1055t for $175?)


----------



## Chicken Patty (May 18, 2010)

[Ion] said:


> I now have a job (which is very exciting at almost 16), so I now have more money to spend on computer upgrades.  I'll have a total of around $800 by mid-July.
> Here's what I'm considering:
> 
> Phenom II X6 1055T ($200)
> ...



this is simple.  If it's a crunching upgrade, go i7


----------



## [Ion] (May 18, 2010)

Chicken Patty said:


> this is simple.  If it's a crunching upgrade, go i7



But it would be soooo expensive (at least it would be new, which is how I prefer to go).  I could probably get ~200 for my AMD stuff, JR has offered me 3GB of DDR3 for free, with any luck I could get a used i7 860 and a P55 board for a tad over $300, so then I guess it would only be ~125 to upgrade to i7, which isn't bad I guess (although, I much prefer to buy new because of warranty issues).  I guess if I sell the AMD stuff and get JR's DDR3, an upgrade to an i7 860 shouldn't be much more than $200


----------



## Chicken Patty (May 18, 2010)

[Ion] said:


> But it would be soooo expensive (at least it would be new, which is how I prefer to go).  I could probably get ~200 for my AMD stuff, JR has offered me 3GB of DDR3 for free, with any luck I could get a used i7 860 and a P55 board for a tad over $300, so then I guess it would only be ~125 to upgrade to i7, which isn't bad I guess (although, I much prefer to buy new because of warranty issues).  I guess if I sell the AMD stuff and get JR's DDR3, an upgrade to an i7 860 shouldn't be much more than $200



Depending on who you buy from, it is like new, and warranty is not an issue.  Just try to buy from someone reputable.  At least if it was me per say, you wouldn't have an issue with warranty and product would be like new


----------



## [Ion] (May 18, 2010)

Chicken Patty said:


> Depending on who you buy from, it is like new, and warranty is not an issue.  Just try to buy from someone reputable.  At least if it was me per say, you wouldn't have an issue with warranty and product would be like new



I won't be buying until the end of May at the latest (when I get paid), maybe mid-June since we're going out of town for the first 12 days of June, but I'll see what I can find when I get paid.

I have a sore taste from buying stuff used online ever since I bought a $85 mobo off of someone on [H] that came dead, I couldn't RMA it, and he refused to return it.  So I will still buy used if I can find a reputable seller (ie bogmali), but I really prefer to buy new, just in case


----------



## Chicken Patty (May 18, 2010)

[Ion] said:


> I won't be buying until the end of May at the latest (when I get paid), maybe mid-June since we're going out of town for the first 12 days of June, but I'll see what I can find when I get paid.
> 
> I have a sore taste from buying stuff used online ever since I bought a $85 mobo off of someone on [H] that came dead, I couldn't RMA it, and he refused to return it.  So I will still buy used if I can find a reputable seller (ie bogmali), but I really prefer to buy new, just in case



Let me know when you are ready, I'll see if I can get something lined up for you


----------



## (FIH) The Don (May 18, 2010)

i7 no doubt, its worth it


----------



## Chicken Patty (May 18, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> i7 no doubt, its worth it



Although I prefer AMD, i7 is the way to go when it comes to crunching and benching if you ask me


----------



## (FIH) The Don (May 18, 2010)

+1


----------



## [Ion] (May 18, 2010)

Chicken Patty said:


> Let me know when you are ready, I'll see if I can get something lined up for you



Awesome, thanks!
What sort of clock do you think I would be able to get out of an i7 860 and 3GB of random DDR3, on, say, a P55A-UD3 with my H50?  Maybe 3.8ghz?


----------



## (FIH) The Don (May 18, 2010)

4ghz should not be a problem

but set a goal for 3.8, then youll just be happy if it does 4ghz

remember that p55 isnt triplechannel, and the memory has to be low voltage, or youll have to clock them down to under 1.65v

but you can use 3 stics if you like


----------



## Chicken Patty (May 18, 2010)

[Ion] said:


> Awesome, thanks!
> What sort of clock do you think I would be able to get out of an i7 860 and 3GB of random DDR3, on, say, a P55A-UD3 with my H50?  Maybe 3.8ghz?





(FIH) The Don said:


> 4ghz should not be a problem
> 
> but set a goal for 3.8, then youll just be happy if it does 4ghz
> 
> ...



I notice that 3.8 GHz is the sweet spot, but 4Ghz should be easily doable.


----------



## [Ion] (May 18, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> 4ghz should not be a problem
> 
> but set a goal for 3.8, then youll just be happy if it does 4ghz
> 
> ...



It's actually 1 1gb stick and 1 2gb stick, not ideal, but JR said I could have it, so it's far better than spending $100+ on a 2x2GB kit.  I'm so excited, I really want to get an i7, hopefully I will


----------



## Chicken Patty (May 18, 2010)

[Ion] said:


> It's actually 1 1gb stick and 1 2gb stick, not ideal, but JR said I could have it, so it's far better than spending $100+ on a 2x2GB kit.  I'm so excited, I really want to get an i7, hopefully I will



not to mention, 4kppd from one rig


----------



## (FIH) The Don (May 18, 2010)

oh 

but you could still use a triple channel kit in a dual channel board, but youll only get dual channel, but i guess you know that


----------



## [Ion] (May 18, 2010)

Chicken Patty said:


> not to mention, 4kppd from one rig



Woot!  That's fully twice what I get with the Phenom II X4 (a bit more actually)

Although, just getting an X6 1055T is tempting since it would only be $75 if I sold the X4, $200 if I kept it.  But 8 threads is so awesome.....
Decisions :shadedshu 

EDIT: @Don:  I've found that there's not much difference between single and dual channel, so I don't really care, it's probably about the same between dual and tri.  So as long as it crunches, whatever


----------



## HammerON (May 18, 2010)

I am obviously a little bias
But i7 is what I would suggest. I got an ASRock motherboard for $114 on the Egg, plus there are other cheap and used X58 motherboards out there as they have been out for a while now.


----------



## [Ion] (May 18, 2010)

HammerON said:


> I am obviously a little bias
> But i7 is what I would suggest. I got an ASRock motherboard for $114 on the Egg, plus there are other cheap and used X58 motherboards out there as they have been out for a while now.



So would an i7 920 setup be better than an 860 setup?  I would think that an 860 setup would be cheaper (and it uses less power, which is good), and just as fast for WCG, no?

An i7 really is sounding nice


----------



## theonedub (May 18, 2010)

The 860 is a pretty good solution. I went that route cause it was cheaper and there is no separate Northbridge like on the X58 (which can run hot). After my 780i I was done with hot NBs  

Ever since Rice finished, my 860 @ 3.5 is producing 4k PPD when the weather lets it go 24/7.


----------



## [Ion] (May 18, 2010)

theonedub said:


> The 860 is a pretty good solution. I went that route cause it was cheaper and there is no separate Northbridge like on the X58 (which can run hot). After my 780i I was done with hot NBs
> 
> Ever since Rice finished, my 860 @ 3.5 is producing 4k PPD when the weather lets it go 24/7.



Awesome, so at 3.8-4ghz 4k PPD should be doable (I don't run 24.7, maybe 20.7)

Did you get lower or higher PPD with RICE?  I've found that it was about the same as I got with everything else


----------



## theonedub (May 18, 2010)

With Rice my PPD was lower, like 3500PPD. I think that was the nature of the WU though with the way they had fixed run times and whatnot. 

Here is my last 7 day break down: 





On the 11th and 15th Heat prevented 24/7 use, and today has not updated fully plus I played Dirt2  So with a 3.8 to 4.0 clock you should get the numbers you want. 

However, as a previous North Carolina resident I know there is major heat and humidity to deal with right now so that may affect what you feel comfortable with as far as your OC. Even the 860 with a 95w TDP likes to run warm- mine gets no higher than 62C so far, but has only seen outside temps of 87F with no AC. They can get into the 80s loaded up, so 4.0 might need to wait till fall


----------



## HammerON (May 18, 2010)

[Ion] said:


> So would an i7 920 setup be better than an 860 setup?  I would think that an 860 setup would be cheaper (and it uses less power, which is good), and just as fast for WCG, no?
> 
> An i7 really is sounding nice



Couldn't tell ya as I have never owned a 860...


----------



## JrRacinFan (May 18, 2010)

Go 1366 X58 with a 920/930. The single vs dual vs triple is a moot point currently with it being a cruncher. Although you never know this could turn into your main rig right Ion?

Oh and to clear things up. It's my third stick out of my triple channel kit along with a Corsair XSM3, both default @ 1.65v @ 1333 CL9.


----------



## Chicken Patty (May 18, 2010)

I would vouch for a 920 setup, it's what I've owned and it's great.


----------



## (FIH) The Don (May 18, 2010)

he should only go x58 if he plans to get more gfx's
otherwise its just a waste of money when he get the same performance on the p55 with a 860 

but sure, a used x58 would be nice


----------



## Wile E (May 18, 2010)

I still say the 1055T, as it's a simple drop-in.


----------



## onepost (May 18, 2010)

[Ion] said:


> But it would be soooo expensive (at least it would be new, which is how I prefer to go).  I could probably get ~200 for my AMD stuff, JR has offered me 3GB of DDR3 for free, with any luck I could get a used i7 860 and a P55 board for a tad over $300, so then I guess it would only be ~125 to upgrade to i7, which isn't bad I guess (although, I much prefer to buy new because of warranty issues).  I guess if I sell the AMD stuff and get JR's DDR3, an upgrade to an i7 860 shouldn't be much more than $200



Fry's had a 930 + p6t mobo for $309 - if you are patient you can pick up something new for a good price.


----------



## [Ion] (May 18, 2010)

onepost said:


> Fry's had a 930 + p6t mobo for $309 - if you are patient you can pick up something new for a good price.



Nearest Frys is several hundred miles, I'd go there for that savings, but my parents wouldn't accompany me (and I have a learner's permit, not a full license)

This would be my main rig, I'd sell off the AMD stuff to fund it.  I really think I'll get an i7, but I won't be ordering for a couple weeks at least, so maybe I'll change my mind


----------

