550 or 720

[Guest]

Looking to build new pc. Need help deciding between the 550 or the 720? any thoughts, or recommendations.

 

[logainofhades]

If the increased price is not an issue, go with the 720. It should easily overclock just as well as the 550 and you get an extra core. If price is an issue the 550 is still a good choice.

 

[rambo117]

It should easily overclock just as well as the 550 and you get an extra core. If price is an issue the 550 is still a good choice.

mmm debatable.. i personally like the 550 because its a dualcore and generates less heat which offers more headroom for OCing. of course though with the benefit with an extra core on the 720 you get more threaded app optimizations but still, in overclocking, id go with the 550.

 

[Guest]

I am trying to build a new system mainly for gaming. Price is close enough with these 2 chips, that money is not a deciding factor. I have also considered the 955, but that seems to put me over budget. How big of a deal is it in gaming to have a 3rd, or even 4th core.

 

[Chronobodi]

ah... get the triple core, most games can only take advantage of 2 or 3, and the 4th core is left dangling, being unused.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/multi-core-cpu,2280-10.html

 

[Chronobodi]

and, that triple core could be unlocked into a full quad, but don't bet on it, it depends on a lot of factors and luck, like, "Do you have the right processor, right bios, right mobo etc."

 

[beef1218]

I am also considering these two phenoms.
The 550 just came out with $110, seems a little expensive to me. I was expecting it at around $100, and the reviews said it was $102.
I will wait several days and wait for more reviews on 550.

 

[beef1218]

ChronoBodi,
The Game Benchmarks review you linked was done before 550 came out. It might not be able to reflect the difference between 550 and 720.

 

[Chronobodi]

ChronoBodi,
The Game Benchmarks review you linked was done before 550 came out. It might not be able to reflect the difference between 550 and 720.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/phenom-athlon-ii-x2_9.html#sect0
That one should show the difference between the new dual cores versus the triples.

 

[beef1218]

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/phenom-athlon-ii-x2_9.html#sect0
That one should show the difference between the new dual cores versus the triples.

Yes, it does. Thank you for bringing that up.
550 and 710 were quite close in that review. No wonder 550 is only $10 cheaper.

 

[sprucebr1]

Depends, E5500 is faster, clock for clock. But the 720 BE does have the extra core. I guess that depends on your intentions, The 720BE is slightly better in Games. Personally I'm going E5500, seeing as I already have LGA775. New? get the 720BE+790X+AM3+DDR3+HD4870!! Hope that helps.

 

[TripGun]

If your gaming with the system, 9 times out of 10 higher clock speeds will beat more cores especially if you plan to overclock. I would go with the 550 personally, because the extra core would just be sitting there doing nothing most of the time.

 

[Helloworld_98]

@sprucebr1,

WTH are you on about? we're talking about the phenom II 550 BE and 720 BE.

 

[xaira]

720 b3 morre and more apps are being built to take advantage of more threads 3 cores running at 3.4 just imagine it.

 

[logainofhades]

Most phenom II's seem to be clocking in the 3.6-3.8ghz range regardless of cores. Go with the 720BE unless the price for the 550 drops or you cannot afford more than that. As of yesterday there was no free shipping on the 550 where there was on the 720 making the price difference even smaller.

 

[NeilCar]

I just purchased a 720 and there are a lot of combo deals with motherboards that will save you $20 or more. I dont know about the 550 but the 720 was an awsome deal with at 135 less the $20 combo discount.

 

[Chronobodi]

It's more awesome if you're lucky enough to unlock it into an quad, but that's more for the earlier made Phenom II 720s, not the newer ones.

 

[beef1218]

I also want to thank everyone that helped in this thread. I learned from this thread and I just ordered the 720 with a 4850 in a combo deal from newegg.

 

[sprucebr1]

LOL, P2 550, I would still get the X3 720BE. Stupid numbers.

 

[OvrClkr]

Get the x2 550 and unlock it, you have a very good chance of ending up with a quad that overclocks to 3.8Ghz 1.4v on air. Worked for me and most on Newegg. Out of 8 peeps that I know personally, 6 have ended up with a stable quad.

Or wait till the i5's come out and choose what fits your needs.

 

[Malcolmk]

Get the 720. There isn't much difference in price and your more likely to get the fourth core working.

 

[AlphaOmegaX]

I say the 720.

It's not much more than a 550.

And if you're doing any new builds soon, you could pick up a mobo with the 720 for a decent price. 194.99 when I got it. Looks like 204.99 now but still.

You're paying 20 bucks more for a processor with an extra core that you can up the multi to 16 and have a 3.2ghz tri core

I like mine, maybe I'm biased

Let me build a pc with a 550 and get back to you

 

[OvrClkr]

I agree to an extent, it really comes down to what you will be using your pc for. For example if you are the kind of person that has many apps running at the same time then the 720 is a no-brainer (3 cores).

On the other hand to this date I still have not been able to max out both cores on the 550. I have tried running 2 instances of prime95, defrag and stream video all at the same and still the chip has headroom to spare. Of course all this was done at 3.5Ghz but still, for 102.99 it is really a piece of art.

 

[meodowla]

Go for 550 BE. That'll give more head space for O.C. Also better performer.

 

[AlphaOmegaX]

Go for 550 BE. That'll give more head space for O.C. Also better performer.

I wish everyone had told me that when I bought my 720...jeez I guess everyone else is stupid.