Existing motherboard Asus A8V is now at least six years old and although mid-life upgraded to dual-core AMD processor is now showing its age when dealing with Vista Ultimate, particularly on the memory side - only 1 GB and the disk thrashing in Vista is getting annoying and none of the software tweaks are making it any better.

At the moment, looking at the specifications of current range of "second-line" processor/board combinations, I have to say that the Intel range seem to be more technically advanced, with more component integration, speed and capability, and has the facility of a mid-life upgrade to i7, whilst AMD seems to be "Last years design".

OK, as expected, an AMD package is about 2/3 the price of an Intel, but my feeling is that it's outdated.

Is my judgement on this correct ? And does the higher Intel spec washout into better actual performance ?

Nick

If you are thinking of upgrading the i7 CPU at a later date I would look out for the i7 based motherboards as Intel have just changed the form factor of the latest i7 cores.

The first ones were LGA 775 but the newer ones are LGA 1156. So if you want a LGA 775 it might be obsolete with no upgrade path available.

But then if you went direct to the i7 it looks a bit of beast of a CPU so should last for ages without upgrading (so long as you not playing games on the PC, which seem to really drive the hardware requirements).

IMHO wait until after Xmas for PC purchasing, Windows 7 is out then and everyone's pricing should be lower to reflect the i5 release and the new pricing for AMD systems.

HTH

I would say it all depends what you computer needs are. AMD Phenom II ( Socket AM3 ) are reasonably cheap and if you get a Black Edition have an unlocked multiplier which makes it easier to overclock.

Intel i7 first slotted into LGA 1366 with both the processor and motherboards being expensive and are now available for LGA1156. You could also look at getting a Quad core2 ( Socket LGA775 ) processor.

I wanted a true 4 core and believe that, on the Intel side of the park, only the 1156 socket would support this capability onto the m/board . Being a bit of a tight git the procurement strategy () was to insert an i5, which, at the moment, are £100-£150 cheaper than the equivalent i7. And I found a board (1156) that would support an I5 to I7 upgrade at a later date.

As said above, my existing board (Asus A8v) is now 6-7 years old and I'm surprised that none of its component parts have given-up the ghost yet.

Just looking for a board that won't struggle with vista/W7 on the memory side. Vista really needs 2GB min and I've got only 1 GB installed and I can't find matching Corsair XMS SIMMS of that vintage to upgrade. Any replacement board must be able to handle the usual MS Office Suite, lightweight games/simulation use and plenty of electronic media, including HD Video . .eventually.

Nick

Edited 15 October, 200916 yr by Clunkclick

Vista really needs 2GB min and I've got only 1 GB installed and I can't find matching Corsair XMS SIMMS of that vintage to upgrade.

Ive got 2x Corsair XMS platinum 512mb DDR400 matched pairs just sitting in a draw, if they are any use to you let me know.

Alex