[Susanfm5f]

I just read your article "Inside Intel's Next-Gen Processors", and I wondered why you compared the fastest new i7, the i7 2600K, with an older, slower i7? I ordered a new Dell computer two weeks ago, and I checked out the new i7's and I found that the older i7-990X is the fastest chip, so I went with that.(not to mention that the old chip has 6 cores, and the new one has 4.) Shouldn't you have compared the fastest new chip to the fastest old chip to see which chip is the fastest?

This post has been edited by Susanfm5f: 19 March 2011 - 01:31 PM

[coastie65]

Susanfm5f, on 19 March 2011 - 01:31 PM, said:

I just read your article "Inside Intel's Next-Gen Processors", and I wondered why you compared the fastest new i7, the i7 2600K, with an older, slower i7? I ordered a new Dell computer two weeks ago, and I checked out the new i7's and I found that the older i7-990X is the fastest chip, so I went with that.(not to mention that the old chip has 6 cores, and the new one has 4.) Shouldn't you have compared the fastest new chip to the fastest old chip to see which chip is the fastest?

Hi Susan and welcome to the forums. Personally, I think it is like comparing apples and oranges. Yeah, the 990x AND the i7 2600k both run at 3.4 Ghz, but the 990x being a Hex core, would probably out perform the other. The 990x is the latest 1366 X58 based processor to be released ( probably the last for that chipset ) and not that "OLD". At 3.4 Ghz, it certainly is one of the fastest, AMD does have at least one running at that speed, although I think the 990x is at the top at the moment ( need to revisit an article I was reading on that ). That computer you ordered with that Processor should be a horse. A lot of folks are hyping the new Sandy Bridge processor, but I think the jury is still out on all those claims. As for me, I am happy with my i7 960.

This post has been edited by coastie65: 19 March 2011 - 02:41 PM

[Susanfm5f]

Hey there Coastie! Whenever I need to get a new computer, I always go with the biggest and the fastest since I'll be keeping it for as long as I can, and I don't want to have it become obsolete too soon. I guess I could build my own computer, but I'd rather let someone else build it (in this case Dell), so that all I have to do is set it up and use it. Of course, letting some company build it for you results in certain limitations.....like the 24 GB of triple channel RAM I ordered is only at 1333Mhz, and not at 1600 or 2000Mhz. Then there is the issue of them not offering their Ultrasharp 24 inch monitor with this system, so I had to order that separately. I was able to add two 3.0 USB ports to the existing eight USB 2.0 ports that it came with, so I'll have ten USB ports to play with.

The SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium sound card was okay, but the ATI Radeon 5870 video card was so-so. Maybe I'll upgrade that to a better one.(any suggestions?) I know that this computer is overkill for my needs, since my needs are for just playing around.(I don't need a computer for anything, I just like having one.)

Anyway, thanks for your comments, and if you know of a really good video card, let me know.( I don't care about cost.....as long as it will physically fit in my system.[a Dell Dimension 9100]).

[coastie65]

Susanfm5f, on 24 March 2011 - 02:35 PM, said:

Hey there Coastie! Whenever I need to get a new computer, I always go with the biggest and the fastest since I'll be keeping it for as long as I can, and I don't want to have it become obsolete too soon. I guess I could build my own computer, but I'd rather let someone else build it (in this case Dell), so that all I have to do is set it up and use it. Of course, letting some company build it for you results in certain limitations.....like the 24 GB of triple channel RAM I ordered is only at 1333Mhz, and not at 1600 or 2000Mhz. Then there is the issue of them not offering their Ultrasharp 24 inch monitor with this system, so I had to order that separately. I was able to add two 3.0 USB ports to the existing eight USB 2.0 ports that it came with, so I'll have ten USB ports to play with.

The SoundBlaster X-Fi Titanium sound card was okay, but the ATI Radeon 5870 video card was so-so. Maybe I'll upgrade that to a better one.(any suggestions?) I know that this computer is overkill for my needs, since my needs are for just playing around.(I don't need a computer for anything, I just like having one.)

Anyway, thanks for your comments, and if you know of a really good video card, let me know.( I don't care about cost.....as long as it will physically fit in my system.[a Dell Dimension 9100]).

Hi Susan, I was looking at the Dell XPS 9100 and it is indeed a horse. As for a Video card, You could upgrade to an ati ( AMD ) 6xxxx or Nvidia 580 ( Pricey ) Both should fit. This Gateway is in the same boat with the memory. I can Run 1600 Mhz, but only at 1066 Mhz as it is locked to that speed. I did find an Unlocked version of the BiOS for the Motherboard, but had some difficulty with flashing it so decided to quit before I bricked the machine. You are Future proofed with that thing for sure. It should be in the game for quite some time. When you build your own, you aren't stuck with a locked BiOS and cna get what you want as far as performance goes. I was planning on doing a build, but when this Gateway came up, I looked it over and realized I couldn't build to the specs for the price that it was being offered at. Granted it was a refurb, but that has never really bothered me much. If you are a gamer, that computer will keep you in the game for a loooong time. As for 24 Gb of Ram, that was probably a little overkill, unless you are planning on doing Video editing or some such thing. I have 6 Gb in here, and haven't even come close to using it all ( usually about 2 Gb max ). I think we have another member with an XPS 9100, but with a smaller processor.

[Susanfm5f]

coastie65, on 26 March 2011 - 05:09 AM, said:

Hi Susan, I was looking at the Dell XPS 9100 and it is indeed a horse. As for a Video card, You could upgrade to an ati ( AMD ) 6xxxx or Nvidia 580 ( Pricey ) Both should fit. This Gateway is in the same boat with the memory. I can Run 1600 Mhz, but only at 1066 Mhz as it is locked to that speed. I did find an Unlocked version of the BiOS for the Motherboard, but had some difficulty with flashing it so decided to quit before I bricked the machine. You are Future proofed with that thing for sure. It should be in the game for quite some time. When you build your own, you aren't stuck with a locked BiOS and cna get what you want as far as performance goes. I was planning on doing a build, but when this Gateway came up, I looked it over and realized I couldn't build to the specs for the price that it was being offered at. Granted it was a refurb, but that has never really bothered me much. If you are a gamer, that computer will keep you in the game for a loooong time. As for 24 Gb of Ram, that was probably a little overkill, unless you are planning on doing Video editing or some such thing. I have 6 Gb in here, and haven't even come close to using it all ( usually about 2 Gb max ). I think we have another member with an XPS 9100, but with a smaller processor.

The reason I wanted 24 GB or RAM was for Photoshop. Photoshop will use as much memory as it can (especially when working on large pictures with many layers), so I figured 24 GB should help with that. Thanks for the tip on the video cards. I'll check them out.

This post has been edited by Susanfm5f: 27 March 2011 - 01:41 PM