I3 versus I5 and AH

[Ping]

Is there a reason I should not go with a temp I3 on a MB
versus an I5.
AND,   is there a difference in Aces High using a Dual Core versus Quad Core?

My thoughts are to go with a GA-P55-USB3 board
and upgrade to an I7 later in the summer.

Skuzzy has stated that the onboard vid is bad, my question is How bad
That too and I would love to max out vid card in the summer when I am working again.
In which case I would go with an H55 chipset board.

I want a new system up and running for Feb 12 and gotta keep it on
the,  "dont want the wife ack to get me"  

Any suggestions appreciated, unless I dont like them in which case I
will argue with you

[VAMPIRE 2?]

I would say get the board that will take what ever you throw at it... boards are usually not the budget buster,and are pretty flexible.

I think skuzzy does not want you to get the integrated video on board because then Your CPU will be doing ALL the work including the video workload.
 But you can always add a video card when your working again. using the integrated video while playing games can cause hickups slight lag,screen freezes and whatnot
simply because the cpu can get a little much on it's plate, even if its an I7.  now dont get me wrong it can handle it, but sharing the workload by giving the graphics its own gpu really helps your game play and reduces wear and tear on your rig.

All  and All   listen to skuzzy,   I just say get the board that will take whatever you want to add to it, but still play NOW until you can fork out for the EXTRAS you would like to get this summer.
 
That said, I don't see what harm getting the integrated video would do, you can still add a video card...

[Doctahg]

On board video is VERY bad. Unless you are doing word processing stay away.  You can get very good video cards for under $100, if budget is important, that far surpass the abilites on anuy onboard video.

[BaldEagl]

IIRC the I3/I5 use a different slot than the I7 so you're going to have to go one way or the other.  The I3 is basically the new Celeron CPU.  The I5 should be able to run the game just fine down the road so I3 as a temp solution with an upgrade to the I5 later shouldn't be a bad idea.

According to Skuzzy AH doesn't use more than 2 cores.  Most games don't so a quad core is overkill if AH is your primary reason for upgrading.

An I3 with on-board graphics won't be much of a system so don't get your hopes up.  I'm guessing minimum graphics settings with low res textures and some sliders moved up a little but that's just a guess.  The payoff will come when you can stick in an I5 with a dedicated graphics card.

[Ping]

Thanks for the replies and also HAPPY NEW YEAR 

The board I mentioned supports I3 thru I7-880.

Sounds like I will have to go with at least a Cheap Vid card for now and
stick with the P55 chipset.

TD in another thread mentioned Never an I3, is there anything I am missing?

Thanks again.

[BoilerDown]

Intel has a new CPU and socket coming out on January 5th.  More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Bridge_(microarchitecture)

Even the lowest-end one that's coming out in the next week would be very good for AH.  But even if you want to spend less than that, it would be wise to wait for the "Sandy Bridge" cpus to come out, as it will knock down the prices on everything else currently being sold.

[Krusty]

Boiler, I believe that will use the same high-end socket LGA 1366 that is in use now with i7 processors. New architecture, maybe. New socket? Not from what I've heard.

[Denholm]

Ping, I'd wait and just spend your money on a decent i7 processor. Why spend 1 & 1/2 the money when you can simply remain patient and get a better deal?

[Ping]

Denholm, I would if I could.
I am slated to participate in the Battle Over Germany Scenario and my current
system, P4 2.6GHz with a BFG 7600 agp just wont cut it.
I can wait till the the 1st of february but after that I need to get a new system
up and running.

Boiler and Krusty, thanks for that info, I will hold off as long as I can and maybe spring for a
1366 board and work from there.

My Brain Hurts now.

[BoilerDown]

Boiler, I believe that will use the same high-end socket LGA 1366 that is in use now with i7 processors. New architecture, maybe. New socket? Not from what I've heard.

You've heard incorrectly then.  Sandy Bridge will use a completely new and not-backwards-compatible socket in both the high end (LGA 2011 and/or LGA 1356) and mainstream editions (LGA 1155).  From what I can tell initially it will be all LGA 1155.

I guess Intel might later on release Sandy Bridge CPUs for older sockets, but if so its not on the roadmap for the upcoming year.  And I personally feel they won't do that, in order to force a motherboard upgrade cycle, which is useful (to Intel) for preventing their new technology CPUs from being crippled by old technology motherboards.

More info: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3922/intels-sandy-bridge-architecture-exposed

[Ping]

Boiler, that article makes sense.... I shop at www.canadacomputers.com
and they have a listing for LGA1155 Motherboards, yet there are no
products listed.   

Damn you Intel...Damn you to Heck   

That said I still need a decent comp to run BOG
I as well as any system i build wil be obsolete   

[BoilerDown]

Boiler, that article makes sense.... I shop at www.canadacomputers.com and they have a listing for LGA1155 Motherboards, yet there are no products listed.   

Well you Canadians are in luck, some Fry's locations already have the new CPU, looks like one per store.  Also someone mentioned Canada Computers.  I've been reading here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1572446&page=3

[BaldEagl]

There's always going to be a "best new thing" coming.  If you're always waiting for it you'll never upgrade anything.  When I built my machine the E8400 had just been released but no one had them in stock as the initial run had sold out in days.  I just went ahead with an E6750 rather than waiting and I'm still running it happily (you can see my system specs in the AH gaming rig thread in this forum).

I'd go ahead as though the next big thing wasn't looming on the horizon.  That said, if you want to wait for the newer CPU's you could get an E8400, LGA775 motherboard and a decent video card for about $300-400, reuse all your other stuff and be good for another couple of years until the next big thing after the next big thing is out.

[Spite]

Things to remember ... the "Sandy Bridge" releases slated for Jan 5 are Core i5-2500/2500K, i7-2600/2600K with the 'K' versions being more readily suited to overclocking than their un-'K' counterparts.  These are direct replacements for the current Core i5-750/760 and Core i7-860/870.  That is ALL that is being released at this time.  If those are not your target CPU's, then you have a much longer wait for anything else.  And we are talking 200-300 dollar CPU's here.

The decision of course is motherboards, as the "Sandy Bridge" 1155 sockets will not be compatible with current 1156 socket boards and chips.  Since price seems to be a factor for you, I would suggest that you are good for a few years yet with the 1156 socket boards and prices will only come down for both the boards and the CPU's.  That becomes the best reason to wait another week or so as current 1156 tech parts will likely see a price drop.

Is there a reason I should not go with a temp I3 on a MB
versus an I5.

No reason at all for Aces High, browsing, mail, HTPC etc.  In fact the cheaper the better.  A squaddie recently ordered the Core i3-540 (3.06 GHz) and it flat out kills his older 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo.  I would suggest that even the Core i3 530 @ 2.8 GHz would be fine.

AND,   is there a difference in Aces High using a Dual Core versus Quad Core?

For Aces High and most other general tasks, little to none.  The Core i3's are fast out of the box and will overclock like crazy. (with a good replacement cooler).  I could be corrected, but I highly doubt Aces High will make full use of 4 cores in the first place and so ultimately you are better off with less cores that are higher clocked.

Skuzzy has stated that the onboard vid is bad, my question is How bad

This will be one (of many) of the benefits from Sandy Bridge.  The reviews I have read state that there is a huge improvement in on-board graphics that will effectively eliminate the need for $100 or less cards.  Is that enough to play Aces High really well?  I'm not sure, but I'm skeptical.  Hands on I guess, will be the true test ...

[Spite]

That is ALL that is being released at this time.  If those are not your target CPU's, then you have a much longer wait for anything else.  And we are talking 200-300 dollar CPU's here.

I read those articles some time ago, and another today suggests there may be additional i5 quad core variants, 2300/2400, that may be just under the 200 dollar mark.  The i3 replacements seem to be slated for February, with others to follow.  A few more days and we'll know for sure.