shift., on Jan 11 2009, 14:54, said:
Double post, but one quick note!
With the recent introduction of Core i7 to Intel's CPU line, many people will be wondering whether it is beneficial to switch to Core i7.
From the benchmarks that I have seen, it doesn't seem to blow Core 2 out of the water just yet. So if you're still running a Core 2 system (maybe a Q6600 or E7200 type of system) I would guess those systems will still be good for AT LEAST another year.
If you're running anything lower than that (ie., E2100 or E2200 / E4500, E4400 or maybe even Pentium D, Pentium 4, Athlon X2 systems) it would be way better use of your money to go for a Core i7 system (given it fits within your budget)
+1 - I'm in the midst of putting together a Core i7, I'm upgrading from a AMD X2 3800+.
This is a great article but I think when you looking at Bang for your Buck you also have to decide how long you plan to live with that system. If you're going to be living with a system for a while then saving $40 by going with a slower processor might not look like such a good decision in a year or two.
Also, I can't see why anyone would want to stick with the stock cooler when for a modest price you get less noise, lower temperatures and less chance of your hardware dying. I don't overclock but when putting together my new build the thought of using the stock didn't even cross my mind.