Buy an i7 now or wait until AMD Phenom II?

[TitanT30]

Alright my current system (Intel Pentium 4 3.0Ghz 478 socket, ASUS P4C800E-Deluxe) is has been outdated and since my mobo has fried, I think its time for me to get a new one.

So I have been following the i7 since it was first named "Nehalem" and now that it has finally been released I am looking to buy it. Right now it is $300 for the 920 i7 and I was wondering. If I wait will the i7 get a price drop next year or when the Phenom II comes out?

Also, is there going to be a sale for the i7 on black friday?

Thanks a lot.

 

[chaohsiangchen]

From the looks of Opteron 2384/8384, Phenom II should be performing just about the same to Penryn clock for clock. LGA1366 is not meant to be cheap. If you want one, then just buy it on Black Friday. I don't expect LGA1156 system would be as great as LGA1366. My prediction is that i7 920 may drop to about $200 a year later before 45nm process being phased out by Intel, while 965 EE will never drop price.

 

[scarywoody]

If you aren't in a hurry and don't have a preference for brand I would wait for the phenom II. There is a chance it will live up to what a lot of people here want it to be.

 

[Guest]

if i were you i would get a e7200 ddr3 mobo etc....
no need to get a nehalem nor a phenom 2.....
why? because its too expansive.... and like 95% of the population YOU DONT NEED A QUAD CORE!

 

[rwayne]

if i were you i would get a e7200 ddr3 mobo etc....
no need to get a nehalem nor a phenom 2.....
why? because its too expansive.... and like 95% of the population YOU DONT NEED A QUAD CORE!

I agree.

Regardless of the benchmarks Phenom II it is likely going to be sold for above market value for the first 30 days by e-tailers before it sinks to a more competitive price.

If your motherboard is fried now go with bang for your buck which is the e7200. You will be amazed at the performance increase plus you have plenty of headroom for overclocking.

If you go with i7Core you are going to be paying a premium for DDR3 memory which really does not give you that much of a performance boost.

Another great value right now is the 9800GT video card. You can get it for as little as $114 and even cheaper with rebates.

If you are going to buy do it in the next week or two. There is going to be no great values with the Next Gen technology this year.

 

[smithereen]

If you are going to get anything, wait at least until Black Friday or Boxing Day of course... personally, I'd wait until the Phenom IIs come out, competition is always good for prices, no matter what side of the fence you're on.

 

[stoner133]

How bad is the itch in your wallet to buy is the big question. For the time, just over a month before PhenomII comes out, I would wait till it does and look for some real testing. It's release could also help on the prices if the I7.

 

[mi1ez]

If my motherboard had blown and I was sans PC I think I'd have an itchy wallet!

 

[Hatman]

Tbh id wait for phenom 2. I7 will be clock for clock higher then phenom 2 yes but the black edition AMD cpus are much cheaper than the extreme edition intel ones... and it looks like this chip has some serious overclocking headroom : )

 

[chookman]

If you can wait i would wait...

1. Phenom II is realised you can check performance.

2. i7 should drop in price a tad by then.

 

[TitanT30]

Well I am going to check the BF deals and if I don't find anything good then I am going to wait.

If I don't find anything I might get a cheap AMD Athlon 64 and use that until next year.

 

[roofus]

definitely wait if you are in a position where you can. as far as price drops on the i7, dont hold your breath. i saw a few places had ok deals on them but i wouldnt expect anything major for a while. i7 isnt aimed at the mainstream with these 3 releases so dont expect any price wars with them.