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Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition OR Core 2 Duo E7500

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs - Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition OR Core 2 Duo E7500

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hey guys!

i'm planning to build a PC setup primarily for GAMING and a few (minor) multitasking purposes...

i'm on a tight budget and i'm planning to spend around $100-$150 for the processor...

when i consulted Tom's Hardware's "The Best Gaming CPU for $100-$150", i found that 2 processors fit this price range...

namely, AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition and Intel Core 2 Duo E7500...

i'm having a really hard time picking between those 2 CPUs that's why i'm asking for your help guys...

which of those 2 processors would you recommend??

and what motherboard would you recommend to come with that processor??

if you have other recommendations other than the 2 CPUs i mentioned that would fit in the $100-$150 range, i would like to check them out...

if you don't mind, kindly include "proof" that would support your recommendation...

THNX so much in advance...

^_^

Add a reply

I would go with the X3 720 if I were you. It performs very similar to the E7500 in most things and is better with multi-threaded apps. The 720 also performs better in games. Heres some benchmarks comparing the two:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/def [...] p=83&p2=87

As for a mobo, depends on how much you want to spend. I just put together a new system for my bro with an X3 720 and a Gigabyte MA770T-UD3P (AM3) and I got a really great combo deal at Newegg so it made the CPU cost around $100. The only issue with it is that it only has 1 pci-e x16 port so no Crossfire or sli. But if you only plan on using one video card thats not much to worry about.

Reply to bige420

720X3 for sure the E7500 is not included in the benchmarks but this cpu is working a Q9450 which is a more powerful gaming cpu than the e7500 I believe http://www.overclockersclub.com/re [...] _am3/8.htm

Reply to scirishman76

If you are planning to Encode decode or watch Blu Ray or other high def content the new AMD 785G chipset is an excellent value this Mobo beats the 790GX in most benchies and costs $20 less. http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2445

Reply to scirishman76

You should tell what you want the CPU for?

But in general the X3 720 is better than E7500.
It has one more core that will benefit for multi threaded apps or games.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to shubham1401

+1
X3 720 runs neck and neck with the X4 940 in gaming. It's also capable of 3.8ghz like the 940.

Message edited by zipzoomflyhigh on 10-15-2009 at 02:50:47 PM

Reply to zipzoomflyhigh

@bige420 - i agree.. i really think having more processing threads would give Phenom II X3 and advantage in multi-threaded apps.. i was actually planning have 2 videocards in Crossfire configuration ( i was thinking of x2 Radeon HD 4670) but i'm still gonna look into that motherboard you recommended.. thnx.. appreciate it! ^_^

@scirishman76 - i wasn't planning t use it in blu-ray but now that you mentioned it, i'm gonna try it!.. Hehehe... THNX!.. =)

@shubham1401 - yeah! i believe having more cores would give Phenom II X3 an edge over Core 2 Duo... Thank you..

@zipzoomflyhigh - Wow! it does? i did't know that... Thnx for the info.. even if you didn't post any "proof" for your claim, it's OK, i'll still count your vote.. Hehehe!... i trust you guys anyway.. ^_^ =)

@ALL - Sorry for the late reply, i've been very busy lately... Thank you so much for the quick responses...

My final decision would be......

AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition

Thnx......

Reply to Juan Carlo

Give me a few to find it....

There's an article that compares the 720, 940 and i7 920 at stock and overclocked speeds using single and dual video card configurations in gaming. The 720BE is very close to the 940 at stock and 3.8ghz.

I could find the article by looking through my past posts but when I'm doing that I keep getting a unresponsive script error and its crashing my firefox. This dang site is the worst!

Message edited by zipzoomflyhigh on 10-16-2009 at 08:07:27 PM

Reply to zipzoomflyhigh

For some reason the article was removed, I'll have to search when I have more time. However here are some benches.

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 148-9.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 48-10.html

(Keep in mind that the i7 benchmarks were skewed by a supposed Nvidia driver issue)

Also 3dmark Vantage and PCmark Vantage benches

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 148-6.html

Reply to zipzoomflyhigh

x3 720

The E7500 is pointless since you need an LGA 775 mobo....

------------------------------ 550 @ 4.0 Ghz 1.425v
BFG GTX 260 (216)
4GB G.Skill @ 960MHz
Thermaltake TP 850w
Reply to OvrClkr

shubham1401 wrote :

You should tell what you want the CPU for?

But in general the X3 720 is better than E7500.
It has one more core that will benefit for multi threaded apps or games.

Well 720 is the way to go except if you use the CPU for decorating a fridge.

------------------------------ Phenom II 955@3,808GHz HT-2380MHz, NB-2380MHz|6GB OCZ Gold DDR3 1600Mhz|Powercolor Ati HD4890|1TB WD Black Caviar|M4A78T-E
Reply to Cryslayer80

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