AMD X4 vs i7 860

[samk]

I was planning on getting an amd x4 965 BE but i noticed a price drop on an i7 860 for 229.99 not including tax, is it worth it? If so, guess i'll have to start looking for MoBos again...microcenter also has ihe i5 750 for 169. And the i7 930 for 199.

I have a coolmaster haf 932 and a GeForce GTX 460, i don't want to have to overclock yet, so id prefer somethign that's either really easy to overclock or is already unlocked-it's mostly for gaming so i'm leaning twds the i5 750 but if the other processors are that cheap will there be a big enough boost in performance tow arrant it?

 

[enzo matrix]

In most games, any quad core priced at about $160 or more will be more than enough for your needs. So don't sweat the details and get what you can afford. That's my opinion anyway.

 

[samk]

Thanks enzo, the money isn't a huge issue for me, I'd like to keep this build for at least 2-3 years before i upgrade, so for the Mobos backward compatibility would be nice but i have to decide...

Why is the i7 930 cheaper than the i7 860? Makes me a little wary of it. Maybe b/c the 930 components cost more and they hope to recoup it there?

No design/anything like that for me, just watching videos, blogging, gaming. Power efficient is nice too. If it's a difficult card to overclock or needs overclocking to run efficiently, it would be nice to eliminate those options as well

 

[loneninja]

If your shopping at microcenter I think they're still giving a $40 discount on cpu/motherboard combos for AMD. The I5/I7 processors are more powerfun than Phenom II, but with gaming you'll usually be gpu limited so either processor will give very similar results.

 

[enzo matrix]

socket 1366 motherboards do sometimes run for more money but I would expect both i7s to be at about the same price or the 930 to be more expensive.

As for upgrading, I always recommend you just get what you need now. There's no guarantee that even if a new CPU is socket compatible that it will be compatible with the motherboard. I usually plan to get a new motherboard with my new CPU.

 

[samk]

Hmm ok I'm down to

i5 750 with Asus P7P55D-E PRO LGA 1156 P55 ATX Motherboard
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0325863
for 381 dollars
or the
AMD Phenom II X4 965 with Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5 Socket AM3 890FX ATX Motherboard
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0335515
for 391 dollars

with my cooler master haf 932 and palit gtx 460 sonic platinum. I know the i5 is more power efficient and the amd is already souped up so i dont need to overclock, so i'm really not sure what to decide on between the two...10 dollars difference doesn't make a difference heh

 

[loneninja]

Despite the clock speed advantage, the Phenom II is actually slower than the I5 in the majority of benchmarks, and if you ever decide to overclock the I5 will really show a performance gain. I would grab the I5, especially since it's $10 cheaper, not that $10 is much money.

 

[samk]

Thanks- I decided to get the i5 750 on Microcenter and the asus p7p55d-e pro on Amazon to save 15 bucks on tax (plus 2 day shipping is free). Thanks for everyones help.

 

[samk]

Best answer selected by samk.