I7 870 + GTX680 Question

Salute · September 2015

I m having an Evga GTX 680 2GB gpu and a Quad Core Q9400 cpu (also 8GB 1066 DDR3 RAM, 700w coolermaster psu and 1TB WD HDD). I can get by a friend for 70-80$ an I7 870 http://ark.intel.com/products/41315/Intel-Core-i7-870-Processor-8M-Cache-2_93-GHz and the https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P7P55D_PRO/ mb.

Do you think it will be a great boost from my current cpu or not? Do you also think it will bottleneck with GTX680? Is there finally a point buying the cpu+mb for that price, or is it better to wait until i can get more money to buy a better cpu?

I m mostly use the pc for gaming and especially mmo's.

Thank you.

Vrika · September 2015

I think that depends on how good do you want your computer to be.

If you want just to get games running as cheaply as possible, then it's a good upgrade because it's cheap. If you want to run things with settings nearly maxed out, then I'd buy a more expensive upgrade because I7 870 is already an older processor too.

Your GPU is fine with I7 870. You might not be able to run everything maxed out with that GPU any more, but it should run any game in existence as long as you're ready to lower the graphic settings on some of the newest games.

PS. You should buy an SSD while upgrading your computer if you can afford it.

IceAge · September 2015

For that money, I say yes! It will be an important boost for you! Around 30%-40% from what you have now! As Vrika said, if you can also afford an SSD ( I recommend Intel 330 or 535 Series - 120 GB ) , you will see a huge boost!

All in all , you can't go wrong for that money!

CoNk3r · September 2015

Give me your money! You obviously have no idea or are too green behind your ears and your "dumb" friend is literally scamming you 80 bucks out of your pocket kid!

Your current cpu the Q9400 uses the socket LGA775
The scammer´s i7 870 cpu requires a socket 1156 motherboard

http://ark.intel.com/products/35365/Intel-Core2-Quad-Processor-Q9400-6M-Cache-2_66-GHz-1333-MHz-FSB
http://ark.intel.com/products/41315/Intel-Core-i7-870-Processor-8M-Cache-2_93-GHz

whoopsy

imho not worth the upgrade, unless you´re able to get up to $200 or more for your old system. The i7 870 is only "few inches" faster ... not worth the trouble.

IceAge · September 2015

CoNk3r said:

Give me your money! You obviously have no idea or are too green behind your ears and your "dumb" friend is literally scamming you 80 bucks out of your pocket kid!

Your current cpu the Q9400 uses the socket LGA775
The scammer´s i7 870 cpu requires a socket 1156 motherboard

http://ark.intel.com/products/35365/Intel-Core2-Quad-Processor-Q9400-6M-Cache-2_66-GHz-1333-MHz-FSB
http://ark.intel.com/products/41315/Intel-Core-i7-870-Processor-8M-Cache-2_93-GHz

Someone hasn't read everything on the OP post !

Hint : "and the https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P7P55D_PRO/ mb"

Salute · September 2015

Ok guys thx!

Now a better cpu + mb will cost me more than 4-5x for what I ll give for the i7 870 + P7P55, so I think I ll just buy the 870, especially if it doesn't bottleneck with the gpu.

IceAge do you really think an ssd will give a huge boost in games? I know it doesn't affect fps, just loading times etc.

IceAge · September 2015

Salute said:

Ok guys thx!
Now a better cpu + mb will cost me more than 4-5x for what I ll give for the i7 870 + P7P55, so I think I ll just buy the 870, especially if it doesn't bottleneck with the gpu.
IceAge do you really think an ssd will give a huge boost in games? I know it doesn't affect fps, just loading times etc.

Yes, it will, trust me!
And don't listen to Conk3r. As I said, it will boost you for around 30-40% more then what you have now, and that's only the CPU. Add MB boost + GPU boost ( yes, GPU will actually perform better with the new MB ) .

And you are right. If you want a better upgrade, you will pay a lot more for the components! Go this way, is a cheap and worthy upgrade!

DarLorkar · September 2015

Salute said:

Ok guys thx!
Now a better cpu + mb will cost me more than 4-5x for what I ll give for the i7 870 + P7P55, so I think I ll just buy the 870, especially if it doesn't bottleneck with the gpu.
IceAge do you really think an ssd will give a huge boost in games? I know it doesn't affect fps, just loading times etc.

SSD does more to improve the quality of life for old computers than just about any other upgrade.

And yes that is on loading, not much for games. But stop to think a minute about that....everything on that computer needs to be loaded to work. So just one day of sitting in front of a computer that has an SSD will save you so much time watching and waiting on loading screens you will never want to do without ever again.

Everything that needs to load will have the time taken by loading reduced by more than half most likely, if not much more than half. So yes they are more than worth it, even for older computers, hell especially for older computers. Will make them feel like a brand new computer, i kid you not.

Salute · September 2015

Thx again. I ll follow your advice and also will buy a descent ssd

IceAge · September 2015

DarLorkar said:

Salute said:

Ok guys thx!
Now a better cpu + mb will cost me more than 4-5x for what I ll give for the i7 870 + P7P55, so I think I ll just buy the 870, especially if it doesn't bottleneck with the gpu.
IceAge do you really think an ssd will give a huge boost in games? I know it doesn't affect fps, just loading times etc.

SSD does more to improve the quality of life for old computers than just about any other upgrade.

And yes that is on loading, not much for games. But stop to think a minute about that....everything on that computer needs to be loaded to work. So just one day of sitting in front of a computer that has an SSD will save you so much time watching and waiting on loading screens you will never want to do without ever again.

Everything that needs to load will have the time taken by loading reduced by more than half most likely, if not much more than half. So yes they are more than worth it, even for older computers, hell especially for older computers. Will make them feel like a brand new computer, i kid you not.

Actually, will perform more then decent on games too and that is my opinion after using a SSD for around 2 years! Every loading in-games will load faster, including but not limited to textures, maps, and any other things which requires a "loading" !

Quizzical · September 2015

You certainly shouldn't buy a Core i7-870 new today, but used for $70 isn't bad if it's in good working order. I'd say it depends on how long you're going to keep it. It's a waste of money to throw $70 into an aging system that you'll replace later this year, but if you'll get a few years out of it, have at it.

As for the SSD, they usually don't affect your frame rates, but they do make everything else faster, and I think they're a huge deal. Now that you can get 240 GB for well under $100, I'd say sure, get one if you're going to keep the old computer for quite a while longer.

Salute · September 2015

Ok Quizzical. I ll ask you a question then. Which (intel) cpu would you suggest for a gaming pc? Do you think its the right time for a skylake like the i5 6600k, or its too soon and i must wait for something better in the near future?

cobaltshadow · September 2015

SSD Would by far be the biggest upgrade.
If your not 12 boxing Everquest 2, your not coming to close to using an i7's full power, but at the price your friend is willing to sell it, thats a big upgrade over a quad core cpu. As long as its in decent shape and you use an SSD you should notice a very large improvement.

I have first gen i7-960 that still run games like Skyforge, blade and soul, and Black Desert all in the 60+ fps range with a Geforce GTX 770. 32gb ripjaw ram (pretty old).

Nitth · September 2015

I7 920 with a 280x

Still need to overclock to get optimal frames from my video card, just some input.

cobaltshadow · September 2015

Nitth said:

I7 920 with a 280x

Still need to overclock to get optimal frames from my video card, just some input.

SSD? Those first gens do need a little bit of oc but they are very stable cpu's to oc by 15-25% as long as you have even a mediocre fan and good airflow.....Why the 280x??

Nitth · September 2015

cobaltshadow said:

Nitth said:

I7 920 with a 280x

Still need to overclock to get optimal frames from my video card, just some input.

SSD? Those first gens do need a little bit of oc but they are very stable cpu's to oc by 15-25% as long as you have even a mediocre fan and good airflow.....Why the 280x??

I bought the 280x('s) when they were the fastest thing on the market and i manage a 3.8ghz over clock on the cpu with an SSD.

I lose a substantial amount frames when i go to factory clock settings.

So just throwing some input in that you might not get the best experience straight out the box with that generation of CPU and might need a slight overclock to balance things out.

cobaltshadow · September 2015

Nitth said:

cobaltshadow said:

Nitth said:

I7 920 with a 280x

Still need to overclock to get optimal frames from my video card, just some input.

SSD? Those first gens do need a little bit of oc but they are very stable cpu's to oc by 15-25% as long as you have even a mediocre fan and good airflow.....Why the 280x??

I bought the 280x('s) when they were the fastest thing on the market and i manage a 3.8ghz over clock on the cpu with an SSD.

I lose a substantial amount frames when i go to factory clock settings.

So just throwing some input in that you might not get the best experience straight out the box with that generation of CPU and might need a slight overclock to balance things out.

Ahh gotcha. Well that's one of the nice things about the first gen i7's imo. They can OC quite beefily for many years of abuse. I was 12 boxing on Everquest 2 for a very long time and that was drawing out the beast at 95%+, and its still going strong

Malabooga · September 2015

Thats actually quite decent for 60-70$. And yeah, for rest of the money (instead going something like 6600k) buy SSD, RAM, nice case, some peripherals..... as it will matter more in this case

It will certainly be good until something revolutionary happens with CPUs

As it stands now, in 4-5 years theres been only fluff (marginal) upgrade on CPU performance (for gamers). Other (rather limited) areas received some love but nothing concerning gamer.

Quizzical · September 2015

Salute said:

Ok Quizzical. I ll ask you a question then. Which (intel) cpu would you suggest for a gaming pc? Do you think its the right time for a skylake like the i5 6600k, or its too soon and i must wait for something better in the near future?

Depending on budget, overclocking, and performance needs, you could readily justify a Core i5-4690, Core i5-4690K, Core i5-6600K, Core i7-4790K, Core i7-6600K, or Core i7-5820K. If not willing to spend at least what it would take to get a Core i5-4690 and build around it properly, I'd just grab your friend's used Core i7-870 for cheap and call it good enough.

The next significant shakeup to the CPU market is AMD Zen, which isn't coming until next year and won't necessarily be any faster than the Intel CPUs that you can buy today.

-----

A Windows license is usually tied to the motherboard. If you install your friend's Core i7 in your computer, your Windows license is no longer valid. Your friend's Windows license, on the other hand, would be valid in what is then "your" computer, but probably not in whatever computer he replaces it with. So if you go the used route, you may want to get his Windows license key with it.

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