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I7 870 vs. i7 875 vs. Phenom II X6 1090T

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Hello,

And Greetings.

I wanted to know which processor offers better performance for:

> Multi-tasking (Multiple browsers...~55 tabs + MS Word 2010 + Photoshop open)
> Moderate-to-heavy programming
> 3D modeling (zBrush, 3ds Max, Blender, Maya)
> Compositing (eyeOn Fusion, The Foundry Nuke, AfterEffects)
> Photo and video editing (Photoshop and Premiere)
> DCC (AutoCAD, Inventor, Solidworks, CATIA)...

Synthetic benchmarks, IMHO, tell only one half of the story.
I also noticed that the i7 870 offers 3MB of L3 cache while the 1090T only offers 2MB.

My priorities are:

1. Performance, and
2. Power consumption (the lower, the better)


I am not considering the i7 900x series because of there higher prices for similar performance to the 800x series...

For example, i7 870 vs. i7 940:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/107?vs=46&i=2.3.4.5.6.25.26.27.28.29.30.31.32.33.34.35.36.37.38.39.40.41.42.43.44.45.46.47.48.49.50


I don't plan on gaming and don't plan to upgrade for atleast the next 5-6 years, ergo, I don't want to overclock in order to enhance the life of my CPU.

I would like to have a Hackintosh (some problems with getting it up and running on AMD systems, I think).


The i7 870 and 1090T are priced the same with the Phenom showing a slightly better Passmark score:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

This is, IMO, primarily due to its higher Cinebench R10 multi-threaded score:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/107?vs=146&i=2.3.4.5.6.25.26.27.28.29.30.31.32.33.34.35.36.37.38.39.40.41.42.43.44.45.46.47.48.49.50.51.52.53.54.55.56.57.58.59.60.61.63.64


So should I go in for the AMD chip or the Intel i7 870 or pay a premium and go in for the i7 875k (assuming its available where I live - India)? Please give me a ranking of your choices.

For example:

1. Intel i7 875k
2. AMD Phenom II X6 1090T
3. Intel i7 870

Thanks a ton.

More about : 870 875 phenom 1090t

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CPUs Authority

On a normal basis id say the 1090T. For hackintosh, its basically intel or nothing, but i cant help ya there as it isnt legal ;)  As far as logic goes, id wait a little for Sandy Bridge, it seems to be getting +10-20 performance easy. You also benefit from a decent IGP, which saves you the money on not having to get a video card. If you are willing to wait a month to 3 months, you can really get a way better computer.
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CPUs Master

i7 950 + 12GB (3 x 4GB) RAM should set you up pretty nicely.. I am not sure on the hackintosh setup though.. Not only is it illegal (until you get a licensed OS dvd) but you'll be hard pressed to find a reliable GPU with ready drivers..

The i7 950 is out of my budget. The Hackintosh is not strictly illegal if you go in through the Boot 132 method (or so I heard).
I'm considering the Radeon 4870 soft-modded to FirePro v8700.
The Radeon card is used in one of the Mac systems.

notty22 said:
IMO, go for the I7 870. You benefit from the recent price cut, and this model turbo's up to 3.6. http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41315
Which is fast/aggressive. Perfect for someone who is not going to manually overclock. That is also why I would not spend the extra money for the 'K' model. Thats more for easy overclocking.


Thanks for replying...and yes, I don't plan to overclock, but if you look here:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

..., it says that the i7 875K performs better at STOCK voltage than the i7 870.
I'm guessing that this is due to the unlocked multiplier...
So I am wondering if the difference in performance is worth paying the $50 premium...

Thanks.
CPUs Master

Apple makes custom drivers for video cards to use in their systems.. I am not sure if you'll find those drivers commercially.. The i7 950 has got a heavy price cut recently and is available for less than 300$ i guess..
CPUs Authority

The 875K and 870 are identical as far as performance. The only real benefit of the 875K is the unlocked multiplier. At stock, this means NOTHING. However when you overclock, it allows you to adjust the multiplier, which can be easier than having a fixed multiplier and a adjustable bus. Think of it like this, CPU frequency is multiplier x bus speed. On my 955, at stock it has a multiplier of 16, and a bus of 200. 16x200= 3200 or 3.2 GHz. Since its a "K" edition of sorts, and unlocked multiplier, i can make the multiplier 17, or 18, or 19, or higher. I can still make the bus 210, 220, and so on, but that brings other components into play. With the 870, you wouldnt be able to change the multiplier (20 in my case, different for different cpu), and only be able to increase the bus. It just makes overclocking easier for some people, and generally higher stable OC as other parts arent brought into it as much.

ares1214 said:
On a normal basis id say the 1090T. For hackintosh, its basically intel or nothing, but i cant help ya there as it isnt legal ;)  As far as logic goes, id wait a little for Sandy Bridge, it seems to be getting +10-20 performance easy. You also benefit from a decent IGP, which saves you the money on not having to get a video card. If you are willing to wait a month to 3 months, you can really get a way better computer.


I would still need to geta GFX card as I need to use 3ds Max, Maya, AutoCAD and SolidWorks...maybe Fluent as well. And I would like to upgrade my machine within the year.
CPUs Authority

The next year?! Dont take this the wrong way, but come back when you are about to buy, within a week or so. A LOT can and will change in a year. Id recommend waiting atleast until sandy bridge, maybe ivy bridge and bulldozer.

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CPUs Expert

I suggest that you wait 3~4 months more if you are not in a hurry.

p.s. Sandy Bridge's i5 should perform on par with the current i7 according to Anandtech's review and it should cost less too.
CPUs Authority

hmdhruvarora said:
I said within the year, not 'next year'. I am ready to buy.


Like i said, sometimes its good to wait for things and now is one of them, so if you CAN wait a little bit I WOULD wait a little bit.
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