Amd phenom 2 1090t hexa v. quad 970 black edition Deneb v. Intel i7

[j3huda]

Hello,
I'm trying to find best cpu for <$300 that will be ideal for my uses: 1. not a gamer at all; 2. still want good graphics ability; 3. new build, so mobo is not yet decided.

I'm tending towards a Gigabyte am3 890* usb 3.0 ATX that supports fast ddr3 (1866+) -- with a $200 amd 1090t hexacore, 3.2 GHz / OR... black edition quad core 970+ 'Deneb' 3.4 GHz for roughly the same price.

BUT I am still open to going with Intel, since they dropped prices on core i7 quad "Bloomfield" ~3.2 GHz with a mobo that has the right socket, ATX, usb3...probably Gigabyte.

I would really appreciate an 'objective' view of best choices given budget (<$500 for cpu/mobo combo).
thanks HJR

 

[oc_mania]

You should go for an i5 2500k and a p67 motherboard -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072&cm_re=2500k-_-19-115-072-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130574&Tpk=P67A-GD65
The i5 2500k is at the same price with an i5 760 and a Phenom 1100t but beats them in everything : http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=203
You will get better performance then a 999$ i7 980x with it : http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=142 .
Also dont forget its easy overclockable even with stock cooling, with an aftermarket cooler you might reach 5ghz.

 

[Guest]

What do you want to do with your PC?

Phenom II x4 Black is nice processor, x6 is not a gimmick, just needs specific Applications/Workflow to make use of the extra cores! (I mean, true multitasking- Handbrake-encoding h264, Torrent Client, Streaming Media Player, Windowed MMO-LOTRO all at the same time across three monitors)

Truth be told though, new i5 chips beat out AMD any day of the week!

 

[omnisome]

skip the phenom II x6. they are gimmicky and few programs outside of video encoding use six cores. AMD's sweet spot would be the phenom II 955, its solid performance and with a simple increase to the multiplier in BIOS you have an instant 965, 970, 975 or 980 (about to launch). its really all the same chip.

Intel has the older 1156 socket with the i5 750 or 760 CPU. It may be older but its a step above the AMD offering and is plenty fast for modern apps and gaming.

The new sand bridge CPUS like the i5-2400 or i5-2500k ($180 at microcenter) are even faster then older i5.

any of those options are within your stated budget.

i would place them as follows
AMD - budget option
i5 750-760 - mid level
i5 - 2400 - 2500k - top tier

for basic computing the phenom II is just fine and can even handle modern gaming (even though you don't game) with no problem. the faster sandy bridge CPUs would increase the life span of your PC but would cost more (still within your budget)

Precise evaluation.

 

[j3huda]

QUESTION RESOLVED!
Thanks a bunch for the great reply ct1615. You pegged it for me and I notice that many others pretty much said ditto. So, I am going for a Core i5 2500K probably with a Gigabyte mobo bundled right now at tigerdirect for $429 or so. P67, socket 1155,etc. will let you know what I pick up as soon as I place my order, etc.

Again, tanks for the replies.

--HJR
=====================

skip the phenom II x6. they are gimmicky and few programs outside of video encoding use six cores. AMD's sweet spot would be the phenom II 955, its solid performance and with a simple increase to the multiplier in BIOS you have an instant 965, 970, 975 or 980 (about to launch). its really all the same chip.

Intel has the older 1156 socket with the i5 750 or 760 CPU. It may be older but its a step above the AMD offering and is plenty fast for modern apps and gaming.

The new sand bridge CPUS like the i5-2400 or i5-2500k ($180 at microcenter) are even faster then older i5.

any of those options are within your stated budget.

i would place them as follows
AMD - budget option
i5 750-760 - mid level
i5 - 2400 - 2500k - top tier

for basic computing the phenom II is just fine and can even handle modern gaming (even though you don't game) with no problem. the faster sandy bridge CPUs would increase the life span of your PC but would cost more (still within your budget)