Intel VS AMD system

[baldinie]

ok, here's my dilema, i know that the intel x58 and nehalem systems are out soon, but i need my new system soon. and i know that the new intel wont work with current CPU's and that the new CPU's wont work on current Mobos.

So I want people's oppinions on these set ups.
starting with the parts that will stay the same in either system

NZXT Tempest
Corsair TX 750W PSU
2x2Gb OCZ PC6400 Reaper CL4 RAM
Powercolor HD4870 PCS 512Mb
500Gb 32Mb cache Seagate HDD
Vista home premium 64-bit

Now, the Intel system will use Asus P5E mobo (if i can find one) and a Q6600 (maybe over clocked)

The AMD will be an MSI K9A2 Premium, and a Phenom 9950 BE

The intel is better in most benchmarks, but the the AM3 Cpu's will most likely work on the AMD system. ALSO the MSI mobo can take 4 graphics cards at PCI 8x,8x,8x,8x, givin an AWESOME upgrade path and graphics performance, just imagine 4 HD4870's or even 4870 X2's which will be cheap by the time i upgrade.

but is the phenom so far behind the intel that it wud be better to get the intel and overclock it then scrap it all and a build a new system in a few years.

Thanx

 

[krazyk12]

honestly either way, i would recommend waiting till winter.

if u rebuild now it will take u a while to get it all setup and configured as wanted.

intel is releasing 3 cpus in q4, the cheapest being the4 2.66 quad for ~289.

from the figured they easily outperform anything available right now. some benchies have tripled compared to the q6600.

it will save u time and money.



u might think u need to rebuild right now, but im telling you, just wait.

 

[baldinie]

but that'll still be £150 for the CPU, the x58 will be at LEAST £140 most likely, and then they will be workin with DDR3 which is like £100 for 2Gb. You really think that it'll be better to wait another month for the Nehalem?

 

[ahslan]

Well the q6600 will definitely outbench the phenom when OCd (you should get to 3.4ghz on the q6600)...

Currently (i dont think) there is not a significant increase in performance when having more than two video cards...but I dont know how future games will perform with 4 video cards...

So this means that the only "real" pro for the phenom build would be that its mostly likely compatible with future processors...

Practically it comes down to this, if going high end gaming, intel offers the best performance....(and this is coming from an AMD fanboy)...when on a tight budget, AMD offers great performance for the price...

But either way you go, you wont be dissatisfied with your build...dont get me wrong, the 9950 is by no means a crappy processor...It will definitely hold up to all your needs...

 

[dagger]

A stock 2.6ghz 9950be is a bit slower than stock 2.4ghz q6600. With both overclocked, q6600 is far faster. So it depends on if you plan to oc or not.

As for quad 8x upgrade path, it's a bad idea. You're better off with dual pcie2.0x16. 8x bottlenecks cf.
http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1472/7/page_7_benchmarks_crysis/index.html

 

[baldinie]

well, the AMD can do 2x16 Crossfire too, since its an AMD. am not big on overclocking, like to keep my CPU's comfortable. but i've seen that the q6600 is so easy and stable to overclock. i've also heard though that the phenom can hit 2.8-3GHz at stock voltages. anyone confirm this?

 

[baldinie]

also, the AMD 4 by 8x slots is much better than the nvidia or X38/48 set up which will only do 2 and 16x and a 3rd at 4x.

 

[dagger]

well, the AMD can do 2x16 Crossfire too, since its an AMD. am not big on overclocking, like to keep my CPU's comfortable. but i've seen that the q6600 is so easy and stable to overclock. i've also heard though that the phenom can hit 2.8-3GHz at stock voltages. anyone confirm this?

At 3.0ghz stock voltage, a typical 9950 will boot and handle most less stressing tasks fine, but fail prime95. You'll need to increase vcore for it to be fully stable. Also keep in mind that 3.0ghz 9950 will perform below 3.0ghz q6600 due to less yield per ghz.

also, the AMD 4 by 8x slots is much better than the nvidia or X38/48 set up which will only do 2 and 16x and a 3rd at 4x.

4x will bottleneck horribly. Forget about that 3rd slot some x38/48 boards have, it's unusable anyway. They're limited to 2 pciex16 slots. x8, while better than x4, shouldn't be used either. It's not worth it to have expensive cf setup just to have it bottleneck.

 

[lunyone]

I only see a couple of options. If you think the AM3 chips will work (which should, if their smart) with the AM2+ mobo's than I'd seriously consider the AMD build. If you don't think the AM3 chips won't work in an AM2+ mobo than I'd consider the Intel build.
One other thing to consider is the DDR2 that is required to run either system. IIRC the Phenom will run best with 1066mHz speeds. The Intel can run fine on 667mHz (if not OC'ing too much). This can make a price difference between the 2 builds. 99% of OC'd Intel builds are usually built on CAS4 DDR2 800mHz memory. The price/performance on the 800mHz DDR2 is hard to beat. I know the Phenom's can run on 800mHz DDR2, but I'm trying to find the article on the 1066mHz stuff.

 

[krazyk12]

it may seem expensive, but i bought my q6600 at $250, so 3x performance, in some apps, is worth $30 to me

but it all comes down to your budget.

if you really wanna build one now, go AMD, its cheaper, and you can put away more money for a nahalem later

 

[dagger]

it may seem expensive, but i bought my q6600 at $250, so 3x performance, in some apps, is worth $30 to me

but it all comes down to your budget.

if you really wanna build one now, go AMD, its cheaper, and you can put away more money for a nahalem later

Q6600 is $185 now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115018

 

[baldinie]

the systems are about the same price, only about £20 between the AMD and the intel (phenom 9950 is £104 and q6600 is £110), and if i built now it would be at least 18months till i build another system. I keep reading that the i7 and X58 are due out within the month, but no one has any news on stocking the parts. and no one is supplying tripple channel RAM yet.

 

[dagger]

the systems are about the same price, only about £20 between the AMD and the intel (phenom 9950 is £104 and q6600 is £110), and if i built now it would be at least 18months till i build another system. I keep reading that the i7 and X58 are due out within the month, but no one has any news on stocking the parts. and no one is supplying tripple channel RAM yet.

Ddr3 have been out for quite a while now, it's just overpriced.

 

[baldinie]

i know DDR3 has been out, but thats still dual channel, the x58 uses tripple channel. am i wrong there?

 

[lunyone]

Oh and another thought. The 9950+ BE DOESN'T come with a CPU HSF, so you'll have to add that to the list. This makes it about $25 more , depending on your CPU HSF that you use. I'd probably lean more towards the q6600 OC'd to 2.8-3gHz on the stock HSF!!! You'll get more performance and will be about the same cost, if not cheaper than the AMD build. The ONLY plus that the AMD rig that you've stated, is the possibility of installing a AM3 chip later. So that might be a crap shoot and might not be worth the chance. I don't know if that is a major gamble that you want to take or not.

P.S. I still haven't found a good review on the 1066mHz DDR2 over the DDR2 800mHz for Phenoms, so I'm saying that memory that you have would work out just fine!

 

[krazyk12]

Q6600 is $185 now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115018

i know that, and its made me quite mad dropped $50 the week after i got mine... lovely how it works

the systems are about the same price, only about £20 between the AMD and the intel (phenom 9950 is £104 and q6600 is £110), and if i built now it would be at least 18months till i build another system. I keep reading that the i7 and X58 are due out within the month, but no one has any news on stocking the parts. and no one is supplying tripple channel RAM yet.

and money is saved money.. keep that in mind.

i know DDR3 has been out, but thats still dual channel, the x58 uses tripple channel. am i wrong there?

it supports it, but i doubt it will require it, if thats what your getting at.

 

[baldinie]

at www.overclockers.co.uk they state that the 9950 BE comes with HSF, and the new 45nm AMD's are set to be quite good. but i'd imagine the new i7's will beat them again.

 

[dagger]

at www.overclockers.co.uk they state that the 9950 BE comes with HSF, and the new 45nm AMD's are set to be quite good. but i'd imagine the new i7's will beat them again.

It really doesn't matter. If you plan to do any kind of overclocking for 9950 or q6600, you need an aftermarket cooler.
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm
They're not that expensive. The highest performing air cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

 

[lunyone]

It really doesn't matter. If you plan to do any kind of overclocking for 9950 or q6600, you need an aftermarket cooler.
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm
They're not that expensive. The highest performing air cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

The q6600 can be OC'd w/out an aftermarket cooler pretty well, which is why I stated it that way. Even if the 9950 BE comes with a stock HSF, you won't be able to get the same performance out of it as the q6600. This is already known, but if your hoping to put an AM3 CPU in later the AMD makes more sense (assuming it'll work that way).