2600k or 3770k ?

[bobbo27]

I currently have a i7 920 cpu (o'clocked to 4.0Ghz)and am looking to upgrade...have to figure out if i want to upgrade to Sandy bridge 2600k or move on up to Ivy bridge 3770k? I DO NOT play games at all, but convert/burn the odd movie and compress/decompress files...i am heavily into overclocking as i just like stuff that is fast....looking for my 'best bang for the buck'.....if i go with the 2600k i will match it with Asrock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 board, but not sure what board to match the 3770k with?
your thoughts?

B

[Urbanfox]

Depends entirely on the prices of your country, I'd say. What online shop do you use?

Realistically, it's looking like without EXCELLENT cooling that the 2nd generation i series (Sandy Bridge) is still the way to go.

[bobbo27]

Newegg is decent......or DirectCanada......want to keep the budget for cpu at $300.00.I have a Prolimatech Megahalems on my current build for cooling that can still be used on the new board/cpu.... I have read that the Ivy bridge cpu's run hot when overclocked....which concerns me....

B

[Dil-tech]

You need more than air, or even water, to soothe the IB beast. With sub-zero the chip flies, but otherwise you'll hit your limit at 4.6-4.8 on water.

With a lil searching though you can find a used 2600k from a IB hopeful for pretty cheap.

[Urbanfox]

Originally Posted by bobbo27

Newegg is decent......or DirectCanada......want to keep the budget for cpu at $300.00.I have a Prolimatech Megahalems on my current build for cooling that can still be used on the new board/cpu.... I have read that the Ivy bridge cpu's run hot when overclocked....which concerns me....

B

I'd go 2500K then, hit 4.6-4.9 and call it a day. It will be a HUGE improvement over your current CPU.

[901-Memphis]

Are you going to keep or resell that 920? Thats about $150+ USD there on ebay right now.

[bobbo27]

Originally Posted by Urbanfox

I'd go 2500K then, hit 4.6-4.9 and call it a day. It will be a HUGE improvement over your current CPU.

Urbanfox,
if you are getting 4.6--4.9 on a 2500k, is it worth the extra $100.00 for the 2600k?

B

Additional Comment:

Originally Posted by 901-Memphis

Are you going to keep or resell that 920? Thats about $150+ USD there on ebay right now.

I have the system already sold when i get my new stuff....

[Urbanfox]

Originally Posted by bobbo27

Urbanfox,
if you are getting 4.6--4.9 on a 2500k, is it worth the extra $100.00 for the 2600k?

B

Additional Comment:


I have the system already sold when i get my new stuff....

With your cooler you should get at least 4.6, if not 4.8+ and I can't see the 2600K being worth the extra money at all. The overclock will probably be less and HT won't offer anything worth noticeable.

[bobbo27]

Originally Posted by Urbanfox

With your cooler you should get at least 4.6, if not 4.8+ and I can't see the 2600K being worth the extra money at all. The overclock will probably be less and HT won't offer anything worth noticeable.

Good to know Urbanfox, even though I want this system to last at least a couple of years,I don't want to overbuy. Can use the money for other toys.whats your thoughts on the Asrock m/b? I plan on using 16 gb ram....is this overkill for what I'm doing?

B

[Urbanfox]

Originally Posted by bobbo27

Good to know Urbanfox, even though I want this system to last at least a couple of years,I don't want to overbuy. Can use the money for other toys.whats your thoughts on the Asrock m/b? I plan on using 16 gb ram....is this overkill for what I'm doing?

B

16GB is a little overkill, 8GB would be perfect. As for the motherboard, for the price it can't be beat by any other Z68 board. Since Z77 is out though, for the same price I'd get one of these:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813157297
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813130645
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16813128543

[hostage67]

It depends on your plans really...

2600k - Get this processor if you plan to OC or the 2500k if you are restricted by budget constraints.

3770k - Get this processor if you are planning to run stock speeds, or for mobile devices where the lower power and increased graphics will benefit you.

It has been shown in several reviews that the 3770k simply doesn't OC as well as the sandybridge processors. The new tri-gate resistors are packed in too tightly and are not cooling well enough at OC speeds.

[bobbo27]

Originally Posted by Urbanfox

With your cooler you should get at least 4.6, if not 4.8+ and I can't see the 2600K being worth the extra money at all. The overclock will probably be less and HT won't offer anything worth noticeable.

can i run 4.6--4.8 on a 24/7 basis or would i need water cooling to accomplish this....?
B

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by bobbo27

can i run 4.6--4.8 on a 24/7 basis or would i need water cooling to accomplish this....?
B

I believe the review I saw indicated IvyBridge was reaching it's thermal limit around 4.5ghz. Meaning you wouldn't want to be going above that without a really good cooling setup.

[Urbanfox]

Originally Posted by bobbo27

can i run 4.6--4.8 on a 24/7 basis or would i need water cooling to accomplish this....?
B

Yes, with the 2600K and sufficient air cooling you should be able run 4.6-4.8 24/7 no problem.

[rich9cinti]

Sheesh... I'm late to this post lol. Anyhow, Urbanfox has some great info for ya. He speaks the truth

I read some things about the 3770K and it seems to be hit or miss in performance vs the 2600K. What I read is anyone who has a Z68 or p67 board with a 2600K, no reason to upgrade to the 3770K BUT for ppl with the 920 may and it was a emphasized MAY look into the Z77 board using the IB CPU.

Here's my take, and I am guilty of repeating this on several posts, if you are doing more than gaming AND you can get a great combo deal like what MicroCenter has to offer, I'd go with a Z68 board with a 2600K. I've been very impressed with my 2600K thus far. I process anywhere from 600-1800 RAW image files at one time using Adobe Lightroom 3.5 and all 8 thread fire up big time. The 2600K is a freakin beast hammering through the files. Each being 25MB+ per image. I have not tested how a 2500K would do since I don't have one to test but as I mention, LR3.5 utilizes all 8.

Hope that helps.

[§k¥¥ |{£øúÐz]

Originally Posted by bobbo27

I currently have a i7 920 cpu (o'clocked to 4.0Ghz)and am looking to upgrade...have to figure out if i want to upgrade to Sandy bridge 2600k or move on up to Ivy bridge 3770k? I DO NOT play games at all, but convert/burn the odd movie and compress/decompress files...i am heavily into overclocking as i just like stuff that is fast....looking for my 'best bang for the buck'.....if i go with the 2600k i will match it with Asrock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 board, but not sure what board to match the 3770k with?
your thoughts?

B

if you have GOOD water cooling (H80 or better), the 3770k would be great for your uses, but if you're going with air cooling or mediocre water cooling, then i would suggest the 2600k.

[PhilZJ]

For what it's worth, using handbrake to convert videos from camcorder to stuff people can watch, it will max out my 2600k, so it seems like HT does help in that situation and HandBrake does take advantage of it. I don't have a 2500K to compare it against though. If someone has a 2500k, PM me we can try to re-encode the same video and post how long it took

[DC]

Originally Posted by §k¥¥ |{£øúÐz

if you have GOOD water cooling (H80 or better), the 3770k would be great for your uses, but if you're going with air cooling or mediocre water cooling, then i would suggest the 2600k.

H80 isn't what I'd call water cooling. Most here are referring to an actual custom water cooling solution, and even with that IB will prove difficult to overclock to SB levels.

It really comes down to do you use multi threaded applications or not?

If you don't and its regular use and gaming - i52500k is for you.

If you do video compression work etc - i72600k is for you.

These are already being unloaded by those that have to have the latest and greatest. Microcenter was selling 2600k out the door for $199 so that's set a sort of accepted base price.

[§k¥¥ |{£øúÐz]

Originally Posted by DC

H80 isn't what I'd call water cooling. Most here are referring to an actual custom water cooling solution, and even with that IB will prove difficult to overclock to SB levels.

It really comes down to do you use multi threaded applications or not?

If you don't and its regular use and gaming - i52500k is for you.

If you do video compression work etc - i72600k is for you.

These are already being unloaded by those that have to have the latest and greatest. Microcenter was selling 2600k out the door for $199 so that's set a sort of accepted base price.

meh, I went from a dangerden block, pump from swiftech, and a 2x120 radiator and after i got tired of dealing with having it in the case, i went with the h80 and honestly the temps didn't change enough to warrant the extra work and leak risks. replacing a motherboard turned into a half day ordeal. it wasn't fun working on the computer when I went with water. my buddy happily took the kit off of my hands and still uses it today, but for me, i'm ok with a premade water kit. they've come a long ways.

and if you aren't overclocking, and can afford it, the 2600k is still better bang for the buck, but you do gain performance going with the 3770k if you can afford it. then again, you might be better off using the saved money getting a fast ssd to use for your scratch space.


the h80 does pretty good cooling for the money. it'll never hit the levels of performance a true custom loop can hit, but for something that's this easy and pain-free to install, it's great.

[ShrimpBrime]

Originally Posted by DC

H80 isn't what I'd call water cooling. Most here are referring to an actual custom water cooling solution

I agree with this statement.

When a water block costs as much as THIS one, You can bet it'll remove the heat rather quickly. Good Rads, Copper, not aluminum, would be the way to go.

I'd set up Ivy with something like custom build. Indeed!!