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Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > CPUs > Quality, Speed and Reliability of Intel & AMD CPU's?

Quality, Speed and Reliability of Intel & AMD CPU's?

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs Quality, Speed and Reliability of Intel & AMD CPU's?

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Is the Phenom II x4 965 (3.4GHz) worth the extra $20 compared to the Phenom II x4 955 (3.2GHz) its only a 200MHz increase.
I don't plan to overclock ether so it doesn't matter which one can OC better.

OK........this question might be stupid because there are TONS of reviews on Intel vs AMD. But' I was wondering witch would be the better for someone wanting a stable, Fast, and Good Quality Processor. Yes I have read alot about Intel vs AMD but I thought I would ask someone here. And I really DON'T want people just saying...Oh Intel is better than amd by far! or AMD is the best!.... Those threads never get anywhere! I understand Intel CPU's are on top right now but I think AMD is just as good! Of all the research I have done to determine which is the better of the two I have decided it is just a matter of Opinion.
I REALLY want your input!
Thanks! :)

Reply to stratego51
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stratego51 wrote :

Is the Phenom II x4 965 (3.4GHz) worth the extra $20 compared to the Phenom II x4 955 (3.2GHz) its only a 200MHz increase.
I don't plan to overclock ether so it doesn't matter which one can OC better.

OK........this question might be stupid because there are TONS of reviews on Intel vs AMD. But' I was wondering witch would be the better for someone wanting a stable, Fast, and Good Quality Processor. Yes I have read alot about Intel vs AMD but I thought I would ask someone here. And I really DON'T want people just saying...Oh Intel is better than amd by far! or AMD is the best!.... Those threads never get anywhere! I understand Intel CPU's are on top right now but I think AMD is just as good! Of all the research I have done to determine which is the better of the two I have decided it is just a matter of Opinion.
I REALLY want your input!
Thanks! :)


It's not a matter of opinion but rather a matter of definition. I define best as in best overall performance. In that case it would be the Intel Core i7 Processor and as such it is my current favorite product from either manufacturer.

As far as stability goes, Intel Chipsets tend to be top notch in that department but ATi chipset (AMD) are catching up. They still have a few issues when it comes to USB and SATA performance (RAID) but as time goes by they should be ironed out.

Speed = Core i7

Quality? I would put both on the same level there.

AMD does hold the best price/performance in the value segment though and that seems to be all they have going for them right now.

PS.. I would go for the Phenom II X4 955 over the 965.


Message edited by ElMoIsEviL on 12-12-2009 at 09:25:13 AM
------------------------------ Cosmos II Ultra Tower | Intel Core i7-3930K | Asus Rampage IV Extreme | 32GB Kingston HyperX Genesis PC3-12800 | 2 X 60GB Corsair Force 3 RAID0 | 2x 2TB WD Caviar Black | 2x Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB | MSI GTS 450 1GB OC PhysX | XFX Black Edition 1050W
Reply to ElMoIsEviL

At any given CPU speed, I doubt if 98% of computer users could tell what's inside the box in a blind test.

Reply to jsc

bang for your buck amd is the go both have been reliable in the past for me have had my fair share of dead motherboards so i would be the most worried about what motherboard you get rather than your cpu for the reliability. personally i have been with intel ever since they went past single cores and every single cpu i have owned has overclocked minimum 40% 24/7 and i havent one of them die yet. i know thats not what you want urs for but i have found intels easier to get big stable clocks to me that means a good tolerance and margin for error in their manufacture. go the 955 doesnt sound like you want the big clocks anyways.

Reply to jasont78

What are you planning to use the PC for? As far as quality goes, if the CPU is not DOA (rare) then the rest of your components will likely die long before the CPU, in either manufacturer's case. I would be running an Athlon Thunderbird had I not sold the rig recently. People still run 386's.

Reply to randoMIZER

As stated both are fast/stable and good quality.

Reply to someguy7

So as many have stated they are equally good.....just get the best deal you can and run with it......cause prices never stay the same and new processors are always coming out!!!!!
(wispers....go intel...lolol!)
JQ

------------------------------ Gigabyte GA-EP45-UDP3L Intel E8400 C2D @3.2Ghz OCZ 1066 Vista Platinum DDR2 ram, BFG GTS250oc 512MB, Corsair vx550 Power Supply, AOC 23\" 1920 x 1200 LCD monitor, Logitech Z-2300 speakers with Missil satilite speakers.
Reply to johnnyq1233

if ur not planning to oc, just get a 945 95w?

------------------------------ Athlon X2 5800+|ECS A740GM-M|Kingston 2GB DDR2
Reply to xaira

jasont78 wrote :

have had my fair share of dead motherboards so i would be the most worried about what


I have been lucky. I have not seen any DOA motherboards in, well, never. But I've built only about twenty (not counting give-away systems built out of junk parts) in the past 10 years or so

Reply to jsc

Thanks for the reapply's! That pretty much answers my Questions :D
Would this rig be a good one?

ASUS M4N82 Deluxe Motherboard Hybrid SLI, 3-Way SLI

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor - 3.20GHz, 6MB Cache, 2000MHz FSB,

OCZ SLI-Ready Dual Channel 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz (or would 1066 be better)

9800GTX

Thanks agin :)


Reply to stratego51

jsc wrote :

I have been lucky. I have not seen any DOA motherboards in, well, never. But I've built only about twenty (not counting give-away systems built out of junk parts) in the past 10 years or so




The most common failures are:

Hard Drives

Power Supplies

Motherboards

RAM


I have personally only seen a handful of dead cpus. Usually they were seriously abused: overclocking, failed fans, etc..

Reply to BadTrip

Intel has historically grabbed "mindshare" as the performance leader whereas AMD has historically worn the image as "value leader". Same is true in the GFX arena.

------------------------------ If a man speaks in the forest and no woman hears him, is he still wrong ?
Reply to JackNaylorPE

randoMIZER wrote :

What are you planning to use the PC for? As far as quality goes, if the CPU is not DOA (rare) then the rest of your components will likely die long before the CPU, in either manufacturer's case. I would be running an Athlon Thunderbird had I not sold the rig recently. People still run 386's.



Those Athlon T-Birds were great in their day. :)

As for Intel vs AMD: Intel is the performance champion today. AMD is the price champion. As far as reliability, it's much like Randomizer said. As long as it works from day one, your life expectancy is about the same.

As far as Phenom II X4 965 vs Phenom II X4 955... unless you're a real stickler for having the fastest and best (which would be i7 really) I'd save the $20 and get the 955. Spend that $20 on something else. The 200Mhz difference is not going to become a dealer breaker. And if you ever did choose to OverClock in the future, that small difference would disappear really quick anyhow.

------------------------------ i5-750 4Ghz @ 1.32V / Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P / Xigmatek HDT-S1283
GTX 470 SLI / 8GB GSkill DDR3 1600 9-9-9-24 @1.5v
2 x WD Caviar Black 1TB / Thermaltake Armor BWS8003
Win 7 64bit / Antec TPQ-850 / Vantage P31806 / 3dMark06 25351 / 3dMark11 P7597
Reply to jerreece

JackNaylorPE wrote :

Intel has historically grabbed "mindshare" as the performance leader whereas AMD has historically worn the image as "value leader". Same is true in the GFX arena.


History and image in the minds of customers is irrelevant. One must look at the facts here and now. I'm not saying that what you said was wrong, just that it's a strawman argument regardless of who you say is the "value leader" or whatever.

Reply to randoMIZER

why are you buying DDR2 memory? you should be going with AM3 board with DDR3

 

"ASUS M4N82 Deluxe Motherboard Hybrid SLI, 3-Way SLI

 

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor - 3.20GHz, 6MB Cache, 2000MHz FSB,

 

OCZ SLI-Ready Dual Channel 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz (or would 1066 be better)

 

9800GTX
"
Isn't the 9800GTX too old? what resolution are you playing if its for gaming?

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by goonting on 12-13-2009 at 01:30:55 PM
Reply to goonting

goonting wrote :

why are you buying DDR2 memory? you should be going with AM3 board with DDR3

"ASUS M4N82 Deluxe Motherboard Hybrid SLI, 3-Way SLI

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor - 3.20GHz, 6MB Cache, 2000MHz FSB,

OCZ SLI-Ready Dual Channel 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz (or would 1066 be better)

9800GTX
"
Isn't the 9800GTX too old? what resolution are you playing if its for gaming?



Thats the only ASUS AM3 Motherboard that supports SLI that I could find' and only supports DDR2. I already have the 9800GTX. I am running a 22" monitor. I want a 24" could my card run a 24"? That's why I wanted that board so I can just buy another one and stick it in there.

Reply to stratego51

My 22" and 24" monitors have the same native resolution of 1080p. LOL
Resolution is what counts.
Since you're going to go SLI the 9800 pair should run most games ok.

Reply to popatim

stratego51 wrote :

Thats the only ASUS AM3 Motherboard that supports SLI that I could find' and only supports DDR2. I already have the 9800GTX. I am running a 22" monitor. I want a 24" could my card run a 24"? That's why I wanted that board so I can just buy another one and stick it in there.


It's actually a AM2+ motherboard that supports AM3,AM2+,AM2 CPU's

Reply to jj463rd

popatim wrote :

My 22" and 24" monitors have the same native resolution of 1080p. LOL
Resolution is what counts.
Since you're going to go SLI the 9800 pair should run most games ok.


Ya I know that.....lol I said that because most 24" monitors are 1080p so I didn't see the need specify the Screen res :lol:
Could 'one' card run all the games on a 24"?

Reply to stratego51

jj463rd wrote :

It's actually a AM2+ motherboard that supports AM3,AM2+,AM2 CPU's


Oh didn't know that..lol Would that be a good board to go with since its not ddr3? Would it make a noticeable difference? I really want an SLI board :sarcastic:

Reply to stratego51

stratego51 wrote :

Oh didn't know that..lol Would that be a good board to go with since its not ddr3? Would it make a noticeable difference? I really want an SLI board :sarcastic:



Not a major noticeable difference.It depends on the type of DDR2 memory used though.With DDR2 1066 memory the difference between using that and DDR3 -1333 memory would be negligible just a few percent in lesser performance.With slower DDR2 memory like DDR2-800 it will be a little larger but not significant.Slower DDR2 memory than that would not be advised though.


The major difference is that AM3 specific (DDR3 memory type) motherboards will likely have longer future CPU support but an AM2+ motherboard would be less costly and could be quite adequate.

Reply to jj463rd

jj463rd wrote :

Not a major noticeable difference.It depends on the type of DDR2 memory used though.With DDR2 1066 memory the difference between using that and DDR3 -1333 memory would be negligible just a few percent in lesser performance.With slower DDR2 memory like DDR2-800 it will be a little larger but not significant.Slower DDR2 memory than that would not be advised though.


The major difference is that AM3 specific (DDR3 memory type) motherboards will likely have longer future CPU support but an AM2+ motherboard would be less costly and could be quite adequate.


So I guess I'll go with DDR2 1066

Reply to stratego51

the difference between ddr2 and ddr3 is negligible

Reply to BadTrip

isnt ddr3 actually cheaper than ddr2 right now?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 9&name=2GB

------------------------------ Athlon X2 5800+|ECS A740GM-M|Kingston 2GB DDR2
Reply to xaira

Both memory types have been creeping up substantially in price.
Last year I got 8 gigabytes(4 sticks of 2 GB) of DDR2-800 RAM for around $108.
The system which I built a few weeks ago I obtained 4 GB of DDR3-1600.
Since then it has gone up 50% in price at newegg.It wasn't even on sale either.
I don't know why but memory prices have been going up just like some of the ATI graphics cards.

Reply to jj463rd

The cost of memory chips has more than doubled this year.

Reply to randoMIZER

Is there a reason to the price increase?
Does anyone know like increased demand/lower supply?
Or is it that the worldwide economy has done poorly so the corporations are making up for any loss by increasing the price on consumers.

Reply to jj463rd

Supply is down because in recent history it's been ridiculously high (outweighing demand) and thing are balancing out. It was something to do with price fixing. I don't remember the details so you'd have to do some research.

Reply to randoMIZER
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