X4 965 vs i7-860 for multimedia

[cutcopypaste]

I'm looking to build a new pc and am trying to decide between 2 roads diverging in the wood... AMD which will cost me 100-140 bucks less, and the i7-860 which is reportedly superior in general and will use less power.

I primarily will be using the comp for heavy multimedia.. photoshop, illustrator etc with a small amount of video editing and also heavy multitasking and general use.

If I was going to be primarily gaming, pretty sure I'd go for the AMD, but everyone seems to say the intel chips excel with mixed use and multimedia because of the hyperthreading.

these benchmarks looks like the i7 is quite a bit faster, but I've heard that can be skewed and everyone I know personally is encouraging me to go with AMD saying they are just as fast just don't fare as well on benchmarks.

Just looking to get some more opinions thrown into the mix.

 

[ksampanna]

The 860 does outperfom the 965 in most games & definitely in almost all the apps; & proof of this are the countless web reviews, & none of them are skewed, I assure you. So go w/ the 860.

 

[cutcopypaste]

I'm now considering the new hexacore from AMD because it's not really much more than the 965... I've seen some benchmarks that put it above the 860 and some that put it below.. this one for instance puts them largely neck and neck.. but for $100 more doesnt make the 860 seem worth it. do you know of any tests that focus more on multitasking and graphics work over video rendering and gaming?

 

[olpal]

I'm now considering the new hexacore from AMD because it's not really much more than the 965... I've seen some benchmarks that put it above the 860 and some that put it below.. this one for instance puts them largely neck and neck.. but for $100 more doesnt make the 860 seem worth it. do you know of any tests that focus more on multitasking and graphics work over video rendering and gaming?

just the obvious..

have you compared these 2 chips @ Tom's charts w/ test that reflect your usage..

I wat AMD badly, but will go with I7- 860 $ 199 @ MC for 30 less watt usage & more CPU speed in areas i'll use.

Hope this Helps!

 

[cutcopypaste]

tom's charts ain't working for me at all... whenever i select an option there's no cpus in the list to compare. My main curiosity right now is what real world difference the 6 cores on the new AMD X6 will make for someone who does heavy multitasking (i've often got photoshop, illustrator, indesign, a bunch of browser tabs etc open and working at the same time) and whether that would near to edging out the i7s

 

[warmon6]

tom's charts ain't working for me at all... whenever i select an option there's no cpus in the list to compare. My main curiosity right now is what real world difference the 6 cores on the new AMD X6 will make for someone who does heavy multitasking (i've often got photoshop, illustrator, indesign, a bunch of browser tabs etc open and working at the same time) and whether that would near to edging out the i7s

Hmm... i would say either would support you well although the Phenom II x6 is a bit better due to having 6 cores vs 4 cores/8 threads.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/108?vs=147

 

[foxmulder13]

The i7 860 is the best choice!

 

[ksampanna]

tom's charts ain't working for me at all... whenever i select an option there's no cpus in the list to compare. My main curiosity right now is what real world difference the 6 cores on the new AMD X6 will make for someone who does heavy multitasking (i've often got photoshop, illustrator, indesign, a bunch of browser tabs etc open and working at the same time) and whether that would near to edging out the i7s

Well for your multitasks even the 860 would suffice. I'd say it is worth going the 6 core way, only if you get the 1090T BE. If you planning for the 1055T, then the 860 is much better.
For graphical tasks, Intel's CPUs are usually much better, as is seen in the various reviews.

 

[cutcopypaste]

I've seen a few photoshop benchmarks and they did put the i7 ahead by 15 to 20%.. but I can also save almost $150 by getting the 1055, which I could use for extra RAM and food. What's hard for me to be sure of is how much of a difference I would actually notice. I do appreciate the lower power consumption of the 860 as well. Are those tomshardware charts not working for anyone else or is it just me?
Also.. what kind of multitasking would I or would I not see a benefit from on the six core? I'd like to be able to be rendering something out in an audio program while listening to music and working on a big-ass photoshop document with a number of tabs open etc etc... do you really need 6 straight up intense tasks for the 6 cores to make an appreciable difference?

 

[warmon6]

1055T is on average as fast as the 920. I'd go with it over the 860

Hey, long time no see.

I see in your sig, either a you're about to upgrade to a phenom ii x6 or just have.

 

[warmon6]

Hey bro.. How's it going?

Hmm not much. other than about to move to South Carolina. Although i got mix feelings for going down there.

While i love water and it will be me first time seeing the ocean (only large body of water i see it lake Superior), im not much a heat person. like the cold a lot better. So im going to be sweating big time down there until i get use to the different temps/humidity.

Yeah i had a 955 C3, dropped it for a 32nm westmere Quad and am now back to amd and the 1090T. I just like to waste money. :lol:

Hmm, is it you like to waste money or is it you got an extreme case of upgrade fever that never goes away? :lol: