Windows04 Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Allright, so i'm going to buy my new hackintosh, but i don't know what to choose between these 2 setups (core i7 vs core 2 quad). Now to make things clear: 1) The prices are from ALTERNATE (a belgium computer shop) so they're accurate. 2) Price actually doesn't matter for me. As you will see, the difference between these 2 setups are 100 euro . 3) Both these setups are fully compatible with Macintosh. 4) I already have 3 HDD and a case, so that's not included in the setup or price 5) My only question is: Which setup is the fastest? Setup 1 - GA-EP45-UD3P (150 euro) - ATI RADEON 4890 HD (219 euro) - 2 sata DVD burners (60 euro) - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0 GHZ (329 euro) - 2 x Kingston KVR800D2N6K2/4G 4 GB DDR2-800 Kit (in total: 90 euro) - Corsair CMPSU-650TX (100 euro) TOTAL: 948 euro Setup 2 - GA-X58-UD5 (260 euro) - ATI RADEON 4890 HD (219 euro) - 2 sata DVD burners (60 euro) - Intel Core i7 920 2.66 GHZ (280 euro) - Kingston KHX12800D3K3/6GX DIMM 6 GB DDR3-1600 Tri-Kit (in total: 129 euro) - Corsair CMPSU-650TX (100 euro) TOTAL: 1048 euro. As you can see, the difference is 100 euro, so that's acceptable. My biggest question is actually the processor. Is the core i7 2,66 GHZ faster than the core 2 quad Q650 3.0 GHZ? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoGades Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I can't tell you which CPU is better since I have not used either. But buying a setup with DDR3 RAM makes more sense - it's likely your DDR3 RAM will work for your next upgrade, but DDR2 would be obsolete (like DDR is today). It's a small factor to take into consideration. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/#findComment-1157632 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Get the Core i7. You'll keep it much longer. G.Skill just released an affordable 6GB kit of 2000MHz DDR3. In France, it costs about 150€. It's almost a bargain for that kind of stuff. Just be aware you'll need a 600W PSU and that it'd be foolish to use a crappy HDD for your OS with such a rig. If price really doesn't matter, get an SSD, or at least a Velociraptor. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/#findComment-1157648 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windows04 Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 Well, you need DD3 ram if you have a core i7, so i will need to buy that . About the G.skill DD3 ram, i live in Belgium and well... we're not really keeping up with the latest technologies so well, i don't think i can buy that . But I will try to get the best DD3 ram i can get for a good price. About my hard drives: I have a 7200 rpm Maxtor, Seagate and Western Digital drives. I'm going to see if i buy a new one, but if i do, i want it to be a SSD + a good price . But thanks anyway PS: Anyone knows a good brand for PSU's ? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/#findComment-1157658 Share on other sites More sharing options...
c0rk007hck Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Core i7 is modern even in 2020 Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/#findComment-1157671 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 The best PSU money can buy is the Enermax Modu82 series. From 425 to 625W. Very expensive. Cheaper and almost as good is the Corsair HX 620W. If Belgium is not techie enough, try to get your stuff in Germany. Hardwareversand.de should do the trick. You can set most of the site in English, just like that: http://www1.hardwareversand.de/1VsmV8ODTgB...d=523&lid=2 About SSDs, cheap ones are {censored}. Look for the OCZ Vertex models, but they are expensive at the time cause Apple as bought all the Nand chips available on the market. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/#findComment-1157810 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windows04 Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 Core i7 is modern even in 2020 I know that the core i7 is very modern, but it's still in it's early stage... I've heard a 6 or 8 core version is going to be released soon... And if those are not compatible with my motherboard, i know i'm going to hit myself in the face for at least a day xD. So if i buy the 920 version, would it be good (if you look to what's coming in the near future?). And thanks for the PSU advice . I've found a good PSU of Corsair HX (650 watt, Corsair CMPSU-650TX) for 100 euro . About the SSD's, they're just too expensive right now, i know that i can spend some money, but 130 euro for a SSD of 30 gigs is just too many for me . Also, will this be a good overclocking setup? I just want to overclock the core i7 a little (2.8 or 3.0 GHZ). I've read a lot about overclocking the core i7 920 and for the speeds i wanna get (3.0 GHZ max) i just need to adjust the Base Clock (in the bios) to 150 and do nothing else (even with the stock cooler!). Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/#findComment-1158007 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 If you want to overclock, you'll need a good cooler. Intel radbox is crappy, anyway. For 40$, The new Scythe Mugen 2 will be your new best friend if your case is large enough, 'cause it's 16 cm high — about 5" 1/2. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/#findComment-1158215 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windows04 Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 If you want to overclock, you'll need a good cooler. Intel radbox is crappy, anyway. For 40$, The new Scythe Mugen 2 will be your new best friend if your case is large enough, 'cause it's 16 cm high — about 5" 1/2. Mmm weird, reviews about the intel core i7 said that i could overclock the processor to 3.2 GHZ if i use the stock cooler... And i just want to have 3.0 GHZ . Also, my case has 4 case fans so won't that be enough? It's a case from aerocool . Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/#findComment-1158620 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 There are no universal rules in cooling. All depends on the CPU, frequency & voltage, weather condition, heatsink & case fans quality, etc. Intel stock cooling will be noisy and will have poor performances (70, 80°C or even higher on burn). I'm warning you, but your choice… Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/166603-whats-the-best-choice-between-these-2-setups/#findComment-1159221 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts