Help! I can't decide: i7 or Phenom II?

[Viditor]

You're asking the wrong question...for a timeframe that long, the platform will be more important than the chip (either will be fine).

What do you connect to the system now, and what will you add?
How many SATA devices will you need?
How many USB devices (USB Hubs can be dodgey)?
How many PCI or PCIe slots?
Onboard graphics or video card?
HDMI, Firewire, etc...?

Edit...oops, missed your last post.
For the graphics, ATI is releasing new cards in the next few weeks, soall prices will likely drop again if you can wait.

 

[Sonokamome]

Viditor: I'm looking into getting a DVD burner and, when prices drop, a Blu-ray burner. Two 1TB hard drives (one for windows and the other for Linux as I don't want to raid). One keyboard and mouse that connect via USB (which already have), and one firewire and eSata for the i/o of the case I've got (cosmos 1000), and finally no HDMI (not yet that is) since my monitor has only vga.

So...were looking at a mobo with 8 USB ports, and six SATA, one firewire, and one eSata.

most of it I won't need and anything added in would be misc (like a gaming earphones with speaker which usually call for USB) but other than I think things will be quite simple.

 

[Stoneburner]

I'm in a similar boat, except I don't have a set budget and I don't plan on keeping anything for 7 years. I'm just not sure whether the price premium for nehalem is worth it over PII.

Here's a nehalem system i put together on newegg:


Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920

$288.99


ASUS P6T ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813131359
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$249.99
$239.99


OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK

Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy
-$30.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$139.99
$109.99

Grand Total: $638.97

Here's a PII system:


AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX


$200.00
1

ASUS M3A78-T AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard


$138.99
1

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996599

$66.99
Grand Total: $405.98


So it's basically over a $200 savings. I game more than anything these days with my primary desktop. Don't encode videos and such as often. I'm perfectly happy using ddr2. Hell, My current system is a skt 939 opteron 165 with ddr1 .

Decisions decisions. I could take the $200 i save with Phenom 2, buy a HTPC case, stick in my 939 board and opteron 165 with a HDMI equipped sound card and have a media pc as well.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Stoneburner

So it's basically over a $200 savings. I game more than anything these days with my primary desktop. Don't encode videos and such as often. I'm perfectly happy using ddr2. Hell, My current system is a skt 939 opteron 165 with ddr1 .

Decisions decisions. I could take the $200 i save with Phenom 2, buy a HTPC case, stick in my 939 board and opteron 165 with a HDMI equipped sound card and have a media pc as well.

Yeah, a system built around a PhII can be a heckuva value.

You could chop even more off of the price by using one of the excellent Asrock, Biostar or Foxconn motherboards in place of the Asus.

There's some discussion of the relative merits of gaming with Core i7 vs PhII in this thread.

What video card?

 

[aigomorla]

i so would not get a msi x58.


if your gonna overclock, its a no brainer, the 920 will spank the PH II upside silly.

Ummm dont get crapsus expecially the P6T platform. Mines going in for RMA's due to a memory missing problem. And im not the only one that has it.

I highly recomend the a giggy, or eat the budget a little and grab an eVGA.

If your going to overclock, you will need an aftermarket heat sink, and you will need a beefy one. The i7 is no joke when it comes to heat output under load.

 

[Stoneburner]

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle

Yeah, a system built around a PhII can be a heckuva value.

You could chop even more off of the price by using one of the excellent Asrock, Biostar or Foxconn motherboards in place of the Asus.

There's some discussion of the relative merits of gaming with Core i7 vs PhII in this thread.

What video card?

I've always had excellent luck with asus. What Asrock would you recommend?

Videocard will continue to be my trusty 3870. ATI is releasing new cards soon so I'll upgrade depending on whether ati or NV has the better value.

Of course, the temptation of i7's raw power is getting to me as well. It's just such a fruitless game searching for more power as opposed to best value.

 

[Luminair]

lmao what a thread. the guy with a tight budget has $2000 to spend on a computer that will last 10 years. oh and I hear amd is better for gaming

when you get your new computer you should try this wifi range hack, I got free internet since last year with this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY8Wi7XRXCA

 

[BubbaBooBoo]

BTW, any way of telling if my i7 920 is C0 or D0 witout yankin the cpu out?

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: BubbaBooBoo
BTW, any way of telling if my i7 920 is C0 or D0 witout yankin the cpu out?

u dont have a D0.

Trust me.

If you did you would know.

 

[Stoneburner]

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: BubbaBooBoo
BTW, any way of telling if my i7 920 is C0 or D0 witout yankin the cpu out?

u dont have a D0.

Trust me.

If you did you would know.

Really?

 

[Sonokamome]

Stoneburner: Get the AMD setup; I've got a friend with a 939 socket dual core, and he's just right as rain. Only thing he's done as of late is upgrade the ram and GPU that's it. I got the i7 simply because of the other things I plan to do with my computer aside of gaming.

Luminair: This is not a gaming computer per se; gaming is not my prime objective here. As for what you have "heard" well yes I've heard that too and it was true for a while but they stopped beingpreferred around 2 1/2 years ago. They are good processors for graphics rendering in general, yes I admit to that. But for general purpose applications? not what I am looking for in the present.

I also stated earlier that I have a budget of "~$2000" meaning that it could be more or less that amount that I plan to spend; around a margin of -/+ $300 -400.


aigomorla: I do plan to get the ASUS p6t Deluxe but only in last for the reasons of some board going DOA. So I think that, if in case this does go DOA on me, I will return it. I will consider EVGA board (I will check them up tonight)

I should let you know that I"m NOT OCing. Also, since this is my first build, I would like get something for beginners and I think the P6t would do it.

Any words on that anyone?

 

[Stoneburner]

Any other recommendations for a pII board? Amazon has the PII 940 for 198.99. No way i can't jump on this now. I need a decent overclocking board with a convenient layout.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Stoneburner
Any other recommendations for a pII board? Amazon has the PII 940 for 198.99. No way i can't jump on this now. I need a decent overclocking board with a convenient layout.

I have a Biostar TA790GX that's worked out well. Asus, Foxconn, Asrock all have boards that folks are liking.

IMO, the 790GX or 790FX chipset with the SB750 is the combo to get.

Using Amazon means that you won't have to pay tax, right?

 

[Stoneburner]

Yeah, no amazon tax for me (right now ). If newegg and amazon have the same base price I go for amazon.

Need to research this fast. A mid-range upgrade for around $400? My last mid-range upgrade was $900!

 

[AstroManLuca]

NewEgg has some nice combos for Phenom II processors with motherboards. I picked up an X3 720 with the Biostar TA790GX for $210 shipped (normally ~$255). There are similar deals with the 940:

Foxconn A79A-S (790FX): http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.165050 - $80 combo discount plus $34 MIR, total price $295 ($261 after MIR)
Biostar TA790GX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.165048 - $50 combo discount, total price $260

BTW the Ph. II 940 is $200 shipped from NewEgg right now, down from the usual ~$230. They're really promoting it.

 

[RMSe17]

Yea, there was another combo with a Gigabyte board last night, and I got the combo. Also
OCZ 4GB (2x2) Reaper 35$ after 30$ mail in rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227289

So total was like 350$.

For an i7 solution with Asus Delux or EVGA board with DDR3 RAM would have been around 730$ for me. After I saw that in high res games Phenom II tends to do a bit better than i7, I jumped on it. First time in my life getting an AMD (used to have P2-333, P3-450, P3-800, P4-2.4C, C2D-E6600). I hope I will not be dissapointed

 

[exar333]

get the i7 if you plan to overcoock. It will destroy the PhII.

 

[BubbaBooBoo]

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: BubbaBooBoo
BTW, any way of telling if my i7 920 is C0 or D0 witout yankin the cpu out?

u dont have a D0.

Trust me.

If you did you would know.

Hmm... that must have been the one Intel spec I didn't read about. I know about HT and TDP, but I didnt read about ESP where the CPU tells you telepathicaly what steping it is!

 

[exar333]

Maybe that is because the D0 isn't released yet?!

 

[iCyborg]

CPU-Z shows the stepping.
D0 isn't on the market AFAIK, but some privileged guys do have it by other means, and they know what they have, I guess that's what he meant.

 

[BubbaBooBoo]

Thanks for the tip on CPU-Z. Now Im realy confused. Its telling me 2793 MHz at a x 21.0 Multiplier. Er... how did I get a 21 when its suposed to be set to 20? Factory oc?

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
i so would not get a msi x58.

if your gonna overclock, its a no brainer, the 920 will spank the PH II upside silly.

Ummm dont get crapsus expecially the P6T platform. Mines going in for RMA's due to a memory missing problem. And im not the only one that has it.

I highly recomend the a giggy, or eat the budget a little and grab an eVGA.

If your going to overclock, you will need an aftermarket heat sink, and you will need a beefy one. The i7 is no joke when it comes to heat output under load.

If there's one guy to listen to on these boards its Aigo.

In my experience, MSI is a cr*ppy board manufacturer. "Crapsus" LOL. He MEANS Asus. And Gigabyte.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: ExarKun333
Maybe that is because the D0 isn't released yet?!

Bingo... and if by some chance a vendor did have them, well, they wouldnt mail those out first, because there probably still on a pallet.

Originally posted by: BubbaBooBoo
Thanks for the tip on CPU-Z. Now Im realy confused. Its telling me 2793 MHz at a x 21.0 Multiplier. Er... how did I get a 21 when its suposed to be set to 20? Factory oc?

Turbo On my friend. Thats whats "cute" about the i7. Turbo on gives you +1 multi.

You can call it factory overclocking if you like too.

 

[BubbaBooBoo]

Originally posted by: aigomorla

Originally posted by: BubbaBooBoo
Thanks for the tip on CPU-Z. Now Im realy confused. Its telling me 2793 MHz at a x 21.0 Multiplier. Er... how did I get a 21 when its suposed to be set to 20? Factory oc?

Turbo On my friend. Thats whats "cute" about the i7. Turbo on gives you +1 multi.

You can call it factory overclocking if you like too.

Yippee! Im an overclocker and i didnt even do nuthin! Gonna get me some serious street cred now! Hey, look at me! I OC! This is seriously gonna turn on the chix!