I5 2500k vs Phenom II X4 955

argueta789

Distinguished
Oct 13, 2009
154
0
18,680
i5-2500K vs Phenom x4 955
ASUS P8H61-M ASUS M5A97
HYPER 212 PLUS Liteon IHAS124
Liteon IHAS124 SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 ripjaws 8gb 1600
corsairs xms 1333 8gb hyper 212 plus
OCZ 700 W PSU OCZ 700 PSU
$616 AFTER Rebates Coolermaster elite 430 case
$592 after rebate
already have case

dont know which route to take mainly using it for surfing,gaming,music
please let me know if i should change some components
budget $600
 
Generally speaking the Core i5-2500k is an overall much better CPU than the Phenom II x4 955. There is simply no comparison.

It can give you better gaming performance, however the higher the resolution, the less performance difference there will be from the CPU because most games are dependent on the video card's performance.

See link below for performance differences @ 1680 x 1050 resolution (no other resolutions are benchmarked). At 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 resolution the difference will be smaller. At 2560x1440 or 2560x1600 resolution the difference will be even narrower.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/20

If the Core i5-2500k is within your budget then there's no reason not to get it. If you want to save money or spend more money on a video card, then get the Phenom II X4 955. Just be aware that getting the Core i5-2500k can postpone when you think you may want to upgrade your PC simply because the processor is faster.

If you wanna support the little guy, then get the Phenom II.
 

argueta789

Distinguished
Oct 13, 2009
154
0
18,680
see the problem is i cant spend more then 600 because i am already streched, if i take that mother board its an extra 40 buck plus another 40 bucks on a new case. i need a motherboard below 100$ or it can be above 100 but has to be micro atx
 

redsunrises

Distinguished
Oct 11, 2011
127
0
18,690
I would say 955, its cheaper and it will do everything you want it to do, since your not doing anything too hardcore. i5-2500k is much better, but to tell the truth, I have used both (for casual gaming, web browsing, and music) and didnt really notice a difference. Just what I would do :)
 
Jaguarskx made some of the only intelligent remarks up there.
No one is suggesting for a moment that a 955BE performs anywhere near a 2500K...BUT...a miserable little Athlon II X2 260 can play just about any game out there (and I can't name any it simply cannot). What that should tell you is that your focus need not be on the CPU, particularly if you want to be sure your other parts are decent and will last.
Take a hard look at an i3-2100 or -2120. It tends to perform similarly to the 955BE in some things, but generally a little better in games; and it leaves an i5 as a viable upgrade path if needed. For the 955BE to have an upgrade path requires two things, one of which is highly uncertain. First, you need to get a socket AM3+ mobo, which will be more expensive; second, you need to hope that Piledriver is what Bulldozer should have been, and I'm not sure that's the way to bet.
 

argueta789

Distinguished
Oct 13, 2009
154
0
18,680
probably going with this
ASUS M5A97 AM3+ USB3.0
Sapphire HD Radeon 6870 1gb
Phenom II X4 955 BE
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus
CoolerMaster Elite 430 Case
Liteon Optical Drive
Ripjaws 1600 8GB
OCZ 700 W ModXStream

total after rebates and taxes $604


 

pro-gamer

Distinguished
Aug 27, 2011
1,545
0
19,860

everyone knew that 2500k is the king but why people choose 955 because they don't have money to buy expensive cpu that's why he is agree on 955 build.
 
I'd avoid any Coolermaster product (the company is dishonest, and does not deserve business); also the case will likely have untapped screw holes and may suffer from minor misalignment. Otherwise I can't think of any reason you'd be unhappy with that build, so I'm not going to try to tweak it to death. Have fun!

 
just a little heads up ...

At one time there was some issues with the Modstream PSUs (I had one go bad), and I think the ModXStream PSUs got into a p'ing contest over labeling at HardOCP (probably not a surprise).

I think it was a petty something about rated temps for the PSU and the way [H] ran tests. They failed the first unit and OCZ got a second test after lowering the rated temps on the label.

I don't think I'd worry about it unless it's really hot where you live -- and it probably would not be an issue, anyway, with an OC'ed 955 and single OC'ed HD6870 or HD6950. A Crossfire and maxing rated watts might freak things up a little bit ...

 
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=41337&vpn=RR%2DB10%2D212P%2DG1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER&promoid=1190
ASUS M5A97 Evo ATX
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=62519&vpn=M5A97%20EVO&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1190
ASUS M5A97
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10530BD2677&vpn=M5A97&manufacture=ASUS
AMD Phenom II X4 955
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10360AC6599&vpn=HDZ955FBGMBOX&manufacture=AMD
AMD Phenom II X4 965
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10360AC7665&vpn=HDZ965FBGMBOX&manufacture=AMD
SAPPHIRE 100314-3L Radeon HD 6870
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948&nm_mc=OTC-sho6b0tCA&cm_mmc=OTC-sho6b0tCA-_-Video+Cards-_-Sapphire+Tech-_-14102948
Coolermaster Elite 430
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC5936&vpn=RC-430-KWN1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER
Zalman Z9 Plus
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=57910&vpn=Z9%20Plus&manufacture=ZALMAN TECH&promoid=1190
Samsung SH-S243D/BEBE 24X
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=45667&vpn=SH%2DS243D%2FBEBE&manufacture=Samsung&promoid=1282
Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Blue 8GB
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=59431&vpn=CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1190
Corsair CML8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance Lowprofile 8GB = what i'd buy
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=61961&vpn=CML8GX3M2A1600C9&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1190
OCZ FATAL1TY 550W
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37047&vpn=OCZ550FTY&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1282
Go to NCIX and Pricematch all the non-ncix links in the checkout.
You could order the GPU from NCIX it's the same price $179 sans the $10 promo.= Newegg wants @12 for shipping though
Pretty sure the rebate isn't a Newegg exclusive but rather a Sapphire Canada/US wide.
NCIX FTW = Newegg.ca can't compete.
 
The Phenom II isn't that bad of a CPU but for gaming the I5 is the best right now. So to answer your question I would say go with the I5. As for mob's I would look at the Gigabyte Z68-UD4-B3. So far I have had no trouble at all with mine and I definitely glad I got it over the P67 chipsets.