CPU price for Performance

[stratego51]

I am going to build a new Computer and wanted to know what is the best CPU for the price on the market. I was going to go with an i7 and then an i5 but there both are $$$ costly. I was wandering about the Q6700 and if it is worth the $200 compared to the core i5 for $190. The only thing is that the core i5 mobo's are Expensive the cheapest I found was an msi for $150 but for the Qxxxx an XFX nForce 750i mobo was only $100 so what would be the best to go with. or would a dual core be best. I do game to if that helps.
Thanks!

 

[technuttso]

So...u are using this computer for...... what? Gaming,video-encoding and photo-shop,internet surf and chat? Best CPU for the price for what use? U have plenty of choices starting with Atom finishing with i7 on the Intel side as long at the AMD side have plenty of other good choices for many purposes. There are some nice articles on Tom's hw about Cpu-s,systems (at build your own),as there are many others tech sites that do hardware reviews and tutorials on how to build your own system for different purposes, with ideas for the top notch systems as for the more balanced or even budget hi quality systems. Just find,read,learn...is so beautiful this tech world.

 

[Herr_Koos]

Not looking at AMD options?

 

[mi1ez]

Not looking at AMD options?

+1

If you're after a cheap quad (which looks to be the case) Your best bet is to look at AMD.

What do you need performance in? Video encoding? (what software?) Photoshop? (version?) Gaming? (What games?)

 

[shubham1401]

+1 to both above me.

If you are on a budget and don't want top of the class performance(A little lower)
then Athlon II X4 620 is a very good option for $100.

 

[cjl]

What will you be using the computer for? The right processor for you will depend on what you need to do with it.

 

[jsc]

Yep. Primary purpose.Then budget.

 

[stratego51]

WOW lots of reply's! well mainly Gaming cod6 , crysis , empire total war, sins of a solar empire, I have an AMD Athlon x64 4400+ and it locks up like cRaZy. Everything is fast on a fresh install but as I use it' it gets slower locks up more and I cant stanz no more! My brother in-law bought a gateway with an AMD phenom X4 and it is really.......slow.I've seen the AMD Athlon X4 but I was just going to avoid AMD since every one I've talked to says Intel is better. I do want good quality and Speed. Wanted something that would last me a long time so I wouldn't have to upgrade every time a new game came out. I do lots with media too' pics, music, video , Animation.
Hope that helps
I have looked around and triad to find the answer but no one really says what is best for what


Thanks for the Reply's

 

[gtvr]

newegg has several full ATX p55 mobos for 139, I bought the asrock since it had 8x/8x PCIe for crossfire (some others had 16x/4x), as well as firewire & esata ports. If you live near a microcenter, i5 750 is 149, which is the best value quad core out there I believe. I can't imagine that the older quad core chips can keep up with this chip in terms of value - it overclocks fairly well.

 

[loneninja]

Well to put it simply there is absolutely no reason to spend $200 on a Q6700, the I5 easily out performs it, but if you don't want to spend more money on the motherboard, than go AMD. You can get a Phenom II X4 925 @ 2.8Ghz and it'll compete very well with the Q6700 for $140, or you can drop about 10% performance and get and Athlon II X4 630 @ 2.8Ghz for $112.

Your brother in laws gateway is probably one of the many featuring an original Phenom, with the TLB fix enabled making it even slower, while probably clocked at 1.8Ghz.

 

[pete3867]

I guarantee you wont think the latest AMD procs are inferior to intel , while it is true that intel chips like the i7 are faster than the phenom II, when you take bang for buck into consideration it points to AMD

 

[cjl]

WOW lots of reply's! well mainly Gaming cod6 , crysis , empire total war, sins of a solar empire, I have an AMD Athlon x64 4400+ and it locks up like cRaZy. Everything is fast on a fresh install but as I use it' it gets slower locks up more and I cant stanz no more! My brother in-law bought a gateway with an AMD phenom X4 and it is really.......slow.I've seen the AMD Athlon X4 but I was just going to avoid AMD since every one I've talked to says Intel is better. I do want good quality and Speed. Wanted something that would last me a long time so I wouldn't have to upgrade every time a new game came out. I do lots with media too' pics, music, video , Animation.
Hope that helps
I have looked around and triad to find the answer but no one really says what is best for what


Thanks for the Reply's

If everything is fast on a fresh install, your problem isn't your CPU, and a faster CPU likely wouldn't help much. It's probably a bunch of useless junk clogging the startup menu, and the fact that Windows (especially older versions like XP) tends to slow down as it ages.

As for AMD being slow? The current fastest Phenoms, the Phenom II 955 and 965, are roughly equivalent to an i5-750 or a Core 2 Quad Q9550 in performance. They certainly aren't slow. If your motherboard supports it, a Phenom II would be an excellent upgrade, and a heck of a lot cheaper than switching to an intel system.

 

[stratego51]

Well to put it simply there is absolutely no reason to spend $200 on a Q6700, the I5 easily out performs it, but if you don't want to spend more money on the motherboard, than go AMD. You can get a Phenom II X4 925 @ 2.8Ghz and it'll compete very well with the Q6700 for $140, or you can drop about 10% performance and get and Athlon II X4 630 @ 2.8Ghz for $112.

Your brother in laws gateway is probably one of the many featuring an original Phenom, with the TLB fix enabled making it even slower, while probably clocked at 1.8Ghz.

Is TLB something you can disable? and ya it is clocked at 1.8

Thanks this has been Lots of help I looked at the AMD's the prices are a little more In my range! I may go with one of the Phenoms II x4. Are MSI mobo's good quality boards?
Another question that I can find no good answer for' Is High Cache better or Low Cache?

 

[stratego51]

If everything is fast on a fresh install, your problem isn't your CPU, and a faster CPU likely wouldn't help much. It's probably a bunch of useless junk clogging the startup menu, and the fact that Windows (especially older versions like XP) tends to slow down as it ages.

As for AMD being slow? The current fastest Phenoms, the Phenom II 955 and 965, are roughly equivalent to an i5-750 or a Core 2 Quad Q9550 in performance. They certainly aren't slow. If your motherboard supports it, a Phenom II would be an excellent upgrade, and a heck of a lot cheaper than switching to an intel system.

It's weird when I format it works fine but two weeks later it locks up randomly. I can play a game and it never locks up but when I click on the Start Menu or click on a Folder it just freezes. there are only 30 processes running.
I think I will go with an AMD They are a lot cheaper! I never even looked at the AMD's before so I am glad I asked before I spent more money then I needed to spend.

Lots of help this has been. Thanks!

 

[Bluescreendeath]

Q6700 is old and outdated. I'm assuming you want to go the 775 route to upgrade your comp (if you're starting from scratch, don't get 775 since Intel isn't making chips for it anymore)

For $200, you can get a much better 45nm Quad Core such as the Q9400.

Or if you live next to a Microcenter, you can get a Q9400 for $140ish, and a powerful Q9550 for an amazingly cheap $170 (it costs $240ish online).

The i5 is the newest generation technology, and equals the Q9550 in terms of performance. The i5 also rivals the higher end PhenomIIs.

 

[stratego51]

Q6700 is old and outdated. I'm assuming you want to go the 775 route to upgrade your comp (if you're starting from scratch, don't get 775 since Intel isn't making chips for it anymore)

For $200, you can get a much better 45nm Quad Core such as the Q9400.

Or if you live next to a Microcenter, you can get a Q9400 for $140ish, and a powerful Q9550 for an amazingly cheap $170 (it costs $240ish online).

The i5 is the newest generation technology, and equals the Q9550 in terms of performance. The i5 also rivals the higher end PhenomIIs.

ya I am starting from scratch.....sorta. I am only upgrading the CPU, MOBO and RAM I have everything else. I'll list them.
These are the parts that will still be in the computer: 150gb Raptor, 9800GTX, Ultra LSP650-watt PSU, and a 500gb sata.
boy oh boy which one i5 or AMD Phenom II x4.

 

[cjl]

It's weird when I format it works fine but two weeks later it locks up randomly. I can play a game and it never locks up but when I click on the Start Menu or click on a Folder it just freezes. there are only 30 processes running.
I think I will go with an AMD They are a lot cheaper! I never even looked at the AMD's before so I am glad I asked before I spent more money then I needed to spend.

Lots of help this has been. Thanks!

That's almost definitely not a processor issue then.

Is the hard drive light on when it freezes?

 

[stratego51]

That's almost definitely not a processor issue then.

Is the hard drive light on when it freezes?

ya it does come on and stay on. I think it is the motherboard because I switched the mobo and and no lock ups' I switch back to the other mobo and problem comes back. It's puzzling though because everything works fine it just freezes when I'm not really doing anything.
Any suggestions on a fairly cheap setup that's Good stable and fast. And can run all the latest games for a while.
I can't decide between an Intel core i5 or a phenom II x4 965. Getting the i5 would be nice because I could upgrade to the i7 when the price drops.

Thanks for replying!

 

[cjl]

If it comes on and stays on, I would suspect the hard drive as the cause then. The motherboard is a possibility, but it's less likely.

 

[stratego51]

If it comes on and stays on, I would suspect the hard drive as the cause then. The motherboard is a possibility, but it's less likely.

But it never locks up with a different mobo. Could it still be the hard drive? it does make some funny noises and it use to make a loud click when I turn it off.
Does the Phenom 925 run at 2.8GHz or 2.08GHz? On TigerDirect the tittle says 2.8 but the specs says 2.08?


Specifications
Manufacturer: AMD
CPU Type: Desktop
Processor Interface: Socket AM3
Processor Class: Phenom II
Processor Speed: II X4 925 / 2.08GHz
Cores: Quad
L2 Cache: 2MB
L3 Cache: 6MB
Bus Speed:2000MHz (4000 MT/s)
Fan:Included
Wattage: 95W

Additional Technologies: Cool'n'Quiet
AMD Virtualization
HyperTransport 3.0
Unlocked Multiplier: No

 

[kiren]

Runs at 2.8GHz

 

[stratego51]

Runs at 2.8GHz

Thanks!

 

[Herr_Koos]

I can't decide between an Intel core i5 or a phenom II x4 965. Getting the i5 would be nice because I could upgrade to the i7 when the price drops.

Thanks for replying!

Eh, only if it's an LGA1156 (Lynnfield) I7. The Bloomfield (920 and up) i7's use a different socket.

 

[stratego51]

Eh, only if it's an LGA1156 (Lynnfield) I7. The Bloomfield (920 and up) i7's use a different socket.

Oh ok thanks! I think I am going to go with a phenom II x4 925. The prices are good!

 

[stratego51]

Do not confuse the old Agena Phenom X4 with the new Deneb/Prous Phenom II X4 and Athlon II X4.

If your mates Phenom I was clocked @ 1.8 GHz it was most likely the low end Phenom X4 9100. The high end Phenom I's were the 9850 and 9950.

To answer your question buying socket 775 makes little sense unless you've got the motherboard already, although the Q6700 is capable its old technology, if you've got a small budget your only choice is AMD. Sorry.

Those games you listed earlier will require a beefy video card regardless of your CPU choice.

Edit:

All my hard disk drives that made clicking noices died shortly afterwards. I would RMA it

Ya I am going with the Phenom II x4 925 or the 945.
I have a 9800GTX. That should run all of them shouldn't it?