Need Help Deciding on CPU/MB Combo

[okbo]

I need help in deciding between two CPU/MB Combo offered through ewiz. I have two sticks of Corsair DDR3-2GB-1333 RAM, 4860 Video Card, and 750W Power Supply that I'll be using for this setup.

Combo #1
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 Motherboard
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-750 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1156 CPU, Retail
Original Price: $307.98
You save: $ 33.00

Total Price $274.98
- $15 Coupon Code SHAMROCK10 - $15.00
____________________________________
Final Price $259.98 + Free Shipping


Combo #2
Asus M4A78T-E Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X4 Processor 955 (3.2GHz) AM3, Retail (Black Edition)
Original Price: $283.99
You save: $ 15.00

Total Price $268.99
- $20 Coupon Code MORE20 -$20.00
- $15 Mail-in-Rebate -$15.00
+ Free Modern Warfare 2 PC Game
__________________________________
Final Price $233.99 + Free Shipping



So the choice is either:

#1) Intel Core I5-750 with GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 Motherboard

or

#2) AMD Phenom II X4 955 with Asus M4A78T-E Motherboard

Primary purpose of this system will be for gaming. Although #2 is cheaper and comes with the free Modern Warfare 2 game, I think the I5-750 is faster. It's a tough decision.

Which combo should I get?

 

[klocwerk]

Although they're quite close, the AMD does actually come out ahead in a few of the tests over at Tom's Hardware.
Here's the charts: http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/...s-update-1/3DMark-Vantage-1.0.2-CPU,1398.html

Frankly they're so close that I'd go for the cheaper one with the free game, aka. AMD.

EDIT: That's if you're not overclocking. If you want to mess with it I'm pretty sure the i5-750 has more headroom.

 

[Daleon]

You probably can't go wrong with either. I've got an i7-920 at 4ghz and just got a 555BE\785 combo I'm messing around with and out of the box I'd say you have much fewer issues getting what you want out of the i5 than the AMD.

 

[joseps75]

I just donated my older dual core box. I wish to replace it with core i7-860 or i7-920.
I like i7 because of 4core/8thread capability. I will use it primarily for Distributed computing which can run 8 work units simultaneously.
Which one is advantageous for my purpose? I already built last month the i7-860, but can someone tell me if i7-920 is better? I will appreciate very much your comment/input. I may use Msi or Gigabyte or Asus mobo. Many Thanks to all
joseps75

 

[Arkaign]

Go 1366 or go home

I think PhII makes more sense at that lower price point. Unless you're crossfiring, there's no damn reason to spend a ton of $ on a board for a PhII Black. The unlocked multi means that even a $70 MSI 785G board can run the sucker at 3.8ghz on air (albeit with a tower cooler recommended). That will lower costs considerably, and you still get support for 16gb of ram, 6 sata ports, PCIE 2.0, gbit lan, etc, etc. You just don't get a full atx board with crossfire support.

Bonus points as you get an onboard video in case you want to repurpose the system and move your gaming GPU to another setup down the road.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

get freakin intel. intel rules. dhey da bist

 

[Swivelguy2]

The PhII has the slight edge in multi-core performance and price, but the i5 has lower heat output and better single-core performance due to turbo mode. Probably a lot more overclocking headroom too.

 

[bigchieftaco]

I'd go this the Intel, just my opinion. If you like CoD, then I guess go with the AMD. Its pretty much a tossup. The AMD is cheaper and comes with a nice game.

 

[InfoTiger]

Sell the game easy for $34. Now you'll see the price difference.