i5-750 vs 955 BE

[Atranox]

I'm currently building a PC and am down to deciding between:

Phenom II 955 BE w/ Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P
i5-750 w/ ASRock P55 Extreme

The rest of my specs will be:
4GB DDR3/1600MHz A-Data RAM
750W Corsair PSU
Radeon 5850 (possibility of Crossfire in a year or so)

The price really isn't a huge issue for me. I think the i5 system will cost me like $20-$30 more, which isn't really an issue. I just don't want to buy something that I wont' need.

In terms of what I'll be using my PC for - it will be almost exclusively for gaming. Right now I'm playing LotRO, Left 4 Dead 2, and Call of Duty. I also occasionally run FRAPs while gaming, and use VirtualDub to compress/edit my videos. The majority of the time I don't bother recording with FRAPS, but I still would prefer that it runs very well when I do.

I also do intend on overclocking a bit - something minor to moderate most likely. I would prefer not to mess with the voltages or memory settings. I believe the i5 is better clock/clock when compared to the 955BE, but I'm not too certain how well it will OC with minimal effort. I've read that the 955BE can achieve a 3.6-3.8GHz OC just by upping the multiplier & leaving voltages alone.

Anyways, which would you guys suggest? Again, the cost isn't a major issue - I would just like to know which would be the best for what I intend on doing. Thanks.

 

[veri745]

It sounds to me like you'd be happy with either, since i5 doesn't really have an advantage in most gaming benchmarks. If cost isn't an issue, you might as well get the i5, since it performs slightly better in other applications.

 

[Markfw]

Will you be overclocking ? Then the I5 gets a definite nod.

 

[Atranox]

I'll probably be doing a moderate overclock on air. I don't really like messing with voltages or memory settings too much, so nothing particularly great in terms of overclocking. But I will be OCing a bit.

That was actually one of the things I liked about the 955, was that I would just need to mess with the multiplier a bit, which seems like it would be easier than OCing an i5.

 

[MrK6]

I'll probably be doing a moderate overclock on air. I don't really like messing with voltages or memory settings too much, so nothing particularly great in terms of overclocking. But I will be OCing a bit.

That was actually one of the things I liked about the 955, was that I would just need to mess with the multiplier a bit, which seems like it would be easier than OCing an i5.

Overclocking the i5 is easy. It takes about an hour to sit down and learn about the components, post if you have questions. Anyway, the i5 wipes the floor with the 955BE in just about every comparable metric.

 

[soccerballtux]

if it's only $20-30 more, I'd go for the i5. With overclocking, it would solidly beat the AMD chip.

 

[manimal]

I own both and would give the nod to the i5 because of turbo alone. The i5 runs all the way up to 4.0 at moderate volts but really feels at home at 3.8 with turbo taking non threaded apps above 4.0. The 955 in sig runs loaded at 3.9 Silently and runs much cooler. Heat really isn't a concern with the amd Chips.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

How are people even comparing these two cpu's? i5 is in a another class.

i7/i5>P2X4=C2Q

 

[Atranox]

How are people even comparing these two cpu's? i5 is in a another class.

i7/i5>P2X4=C2Q

Of course the i5 is better when it comes to overall performance and non-gaming usage - that's quite obvious.

But when it comes to gaming, which is what I'll be using my PC for 90% of the time, the two are extremely similar in performance and trade blows depending upon the game. Therefore it isnt crystal clear which one is better for the cost.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

The i5 doesn't cost much more and wouldn't you rather spend the extra money to get a better overall processor? Plus, the i5 is still faster in every game. Now, I'm not bashing AMD at all as I don't care who makes the product, I just go with whoever is better.

 

[MrK6]

The i5 is faster, overclocks better, has more features, uses much less power, and runs cooler (and presumably quieter). It doesn't look like a difficult decision to me.

 

[CraigRT]

I like AMD, but I gotta say.. all recent research suggests I5 is a no brainer. It's just better.

 

[garritynet]

If you can't pick a CPU, then pick a MB. Personally I would go with the P55.