AM3, P55 or X58 Which One?

[jetbruceli]

OK I know there is 3 major platforms available that use the newer chips but my concern is for how long.
Over the years, I went from an AMD FX60 chip, to Intel Core 2 Quad 6700. Each time, a new socket, which means, new mother board, new ram.
So now I want to build a new desktop in which I can upgrade without having to worry about changing everything next year.
Right now, I am on a notebook, clevo D901c w/ q6700
I want to build a Desktop since I no longer need a laptop to handle my computing needs. I game but mainly convert videos, run sound programs like Sony Acid Pro.
I have been looking at AMD x6 series mainly cuz I heard thier new Bulldozer will use the AM3 socket. I keep hearing socket 1156 isnt going to be around lond. But what about x58? If the i7 series is going to be around longer, I will look into getting that. I know they are fast, overclockable, and destroy all other CPU's in benchmarks.
Like I said, I just want something so that i am not replacing a complete rig next year because AMD and Intel cant make it simple enough to just make CPU sockets last.
AM3
X58
or
P55?

 

[moody89]

It mainly depends on your budget but for your needs the i7 would probably offer you the best performance. As you mentioned they convincingly beat any other CPUs at encoding/converting tasks and would also be more than enough for your gaming needs. Out of the platforms you mentioned, I would imagine that the LGA1366 will outlast LGA1156. I can also see AM3 being around for a little while longer so if you're looking at upgradeability I would stick with one of these two. Which one, depends on your budget and how much you are willing to spend. Hope this helps!

 

[lordszone]

OK I know there is 3 major platforms available that use the newer chips but my concern is for how long.
Over the years, I went from an AMD FX60 chip, to Intel Core 2 Quad 6700. Each time, a new socket, which means, new mother board, new ram.
So now I want to build a new desktop in which I can upgrade without having to worry about changing everything next year.
Right now, I am on a notebook, clevo D901c w/ q6700
I want to build a Desktop since I no longer need a laptop to handle my computing needs. I game but mainly convert videos, run sound programs like Sony Acid Pro.
I have been looking at AMD x6 series mainly cuz I heard thier new Bulldozer will use the AM3 socket. I keep hearing socket 1156 isnt going to be around lond. But what about x58? If the i7 series is going to be around longer, I will look into getting that. I know they are fast, overclockable, and destroy all other CPU's in benchmarks.
Like I said, I just want something so that i am not replacing a complete rig next year because AMD and Intel cant make it simple enough to just make CPU sockets last.
AM3
X58
or
P55?

Hi
its just a rumor that the next gen intel processors will work on a different platform, it has not been confirmed officially. but if we follow the rumors then socket 1156 will be obsolete in the 1Q of next year and the socket 1366 will be on the 4Q, but that socket will still be there for server processors. if you have upgrades in your mind then AMd might be better. As per performance, core i7 is better than AMD's 6 core proc. but the difference apart from gaming isnt too much and also one thing that currently games and many softwares are not optimised for quad core and thus 6 core proc will also not be optimised. thus it performs weakly. but once this optimisation is done, im sure core i7 will not come even near to the 6 core proc. Not the AMD route is cheaper as compared to the Intel route. the most expensive will be the x58 route then the p55 route and finally the AMD so its upto u. I suggest go for AMD, because i think it has a much unused potential. and when that potential will be used, they will show the difference. When looking at the benchmarks, look at the difference between the performance of AMD's 6 core proc and core i7, not just who came first and how many times. u will see that AMD isnt far back from intel in many things, only a few. Hope i helped

 

[apache_lives]

Future proofing is BS - buy your system to spec and be done with whatever you get will be out-dated within a year anyhow

 

[Hellboy]

personally my money would be on a am3 right now... Its proven to go from a 4 core to a 6 core with out breaking the bank. its cheaper for perfomance on a budget too.

you could hold on forever but what ever you buy it will be powerfull and have a good life in front of it. tend to go for something with usb 3 and sata 3 if budget allows

Intel could just as easily move on from 1156 or 1366 but who knows..

Why cant Intel be honest and tell us for a change what can and cant expect from these sockets.

 

[Computerrock1]

AMD has a tendency to make their sockets last for quite a while, I would suggest going with AMD's AM3 Socket.

 

[ksampanna]

I'll say this - If you put together a great rig based on any of the above platforms (X58, P55 or AM3), rest assured, it will last you atleast a couple of years without ANY upgrade. At the *** end of it's lifecycle, it might not be amongst the best or break any benchmark record, but it certainly will run most applications quite satisfactorily.

Also except cpu+board, everything is going to remain more or less constant. Like DDR3 will remain DDR3 for the forseeable future; it's certainly not going to become DDR4/5 (atleast not for another couple of years). Same in case of SATA/SATA II.

So get any of the above platforms + USB3 + SATAII, & you should be good for atleast a couple of years.

 

[jetbruceli]

Hey guys thanks,
I went with the AMD x6 1055T.
Budget wasnt too tight but after looking at tons of reviews and forums,
the 1055T was faster than the 750 and 920 in the areas which I use a computer mainly.
You can really see how using all 6 cores helps. I dont care about gaming frame rates when they over what my screen can produce.
As far as i5 750 beating the 1055T its not by much and surely only in a few that dont apply to my usage.
I am happy with my decision for now, when it's here and built I am sure I will be happy.
I basically got for about 1000,
MB GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 RT
PSU OCZ|OCZ700MXSP 700W RT
VGA ASUS| ENGTX470/2DI/1280MD5 RT
CPU AMD|PH II X6 1055T 2.8 G AM3 RT
MEM 2Gx2|GSKILL F3-10666CL9D-4GBRL
CASE CM|RC-922M-KKN1-GP BK RT
HD 500G|SEAGATE ST3500418AS % - OEM

And here's the killer, I told my buddy I would build a computer for under a thousand
Less than the cost of one i7 980x

 

[vvhocare5]

People should understand there is no "future proofing" or upgrades on cpu's and motherboards. I have seen the slide decks for new processor releases and in almost every case they will require new sockets.

Secondly, motherboards, sockets are designed with certain characteristics - frequency ranges, memory bandwidth, power consumption, PCI lanes etc. The idea of coming along 1 to 2 years later and popping in a new CPU was always a fallacy. It is always the system - not an individual component.

Build the best system you can and maybe add a little more RAM a year down the road or maybe update the graphics card - but replace anything else in the system - you are wasting you time...

Personally I am glad you were able to build a system for under a $1k - its a middle range system admittedly. I have friends who buy clothes second hand and they tell me how much they save - thats great. More power to you all. I buy $500 pants and you probably cant tell the difference when we walk down the street. I too am happy...

 

[Slayer697]

People should understand there is no "future proofing" or upgrades on cpu's and motherboards. I have seen the slide decks for new processor releases and in almost every case they will require new sockets.

Secondly, motherboards, sockets are designed with certain characteristics - frequency ranges, memory bandwidth, power consumption, PCI lanes etc. The idea of coming along 1 to 2 years later and popping in a new CPU was always a fallacy. It is always the system - not an individual component.

Build the best system you can and maybe add a little more RAM a year down the road or maybe update the graphics card - but replace anything else in the system - you are wasting you time...

Personally I am glad you were able to build a system for under a $1k - its a middle range system admittedly. I have friends who buy clothes second hand and they tell me how much they save - thats great. More power to you all. I buy $500 pants and you probably cant tell the difference when we walk down the street. I too am happy...

This is some really great advice. I wish I'd had this advice a week ago when I was struggling to make up my mind about whether I should get an i5-750 or not. I hope that more people just getting into their first build will read this so they can feel at ease about making a purchase like the i5-750 and accompanying "dead socket" 1156 motherboard.

 

[WC Aftermath]

AMD ROCKS!! Go with amd it has the best bang for your buck and will get you hooked up on your way to an awesome system

 

[mindless728]

it doesn't really matter that much IMO, get want you want and be happy, i would tend towards AM3 for the possible Bulldozer compatibility, though the i5-750, i7-8XX, and i7-9XX have good performance as well

 

[jetbruceli]

Best answer selected by jetbruceli.