Intel i7 960 vs. AMD Phenom II x6 1100T

[jbseven]

So I'm a long time amd fan torn between the 1100t flagship and an i7 960. Based on the benchmarks i'm now not even sure if the amd build can handle crossfire. This is the build I'm looking at:

AMD Build:

AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
ASUS Sabertooth 990FXA
8GB Gskill Ripjaw CL8 1600mhz
2x2GB Powercolor 6950 Crossfire
OCZ Vertex 3 120GB

Intel Build:

Intel i7 960
ASUS Sabertooth X58
12GB Gskill CL8 1600Mhz
2x2GB Powercolor 6950 Crossfire
OCZ Vertex 3 120GB

So will i get bottlenecked by the amd cpu or components? I can't seem to find any current intel vs. amd multi gpu benchmarks. Also is it unwise to go with crossfire on an intel board? any other comments/suggestions?

 

[FinneousPJ]

Certainly not the 960. If you want i7, consider 2600K.

 

[vitornob]

Why do you want to get an old LGA 1366 - X58 platform?
Stick with the LGA 1155 (i5-2500k) - Z68 chipset , for games is faster and cheaper.

 

[vitornob]

i5-2500k or the i7-2600k as per FinneousPJ recommendation

 

[de5_Roy]

for intel, get a z68 board with an i7 2600k or an i5 2500k.
for amd, get a ph ii x4 with the 990fx.
it's not unwise to go with intel for cfx. apparently cfx works better with sandy bridge cpus.
core i7 2600k vs ph ii x6 1100t be
2500k and 2600k perform almost similarly in gaming. with a 2500k you'd save money.

 

[jbseven]

i'm still (perhaps wrongly) under the impression that triple channel ddr3 is better than dual?

 

[FinneousPJ]

Better how? IMO you're not likely to notice any difference except in benchmarks.

 

[jbseven]

wow guys thx a million for the advice! i was clearly going about it the wrong way cos my build was quite simply overpriced.

now i'm on the hunt for the cheapest board that fits my needs. ill do my homework but perhaps you guys can help. im looking for:

asus, gigabyte or msi boards
crossfire capable at 8x/8x if not 16x/16x
at least 2 sata 6gbps capable of raid
at least 2 back panel usb 3.0
and possibly support for front panel usb 3.0

again really appreciate the input!

 

[de5_Roy]

there are plenty of z68 boards to choose from.
this is a list of z68 atx motherboards from $99.99 and up. among those are:
GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $149.99
ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $169.99
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS $209.99
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $124.99
recommendations are based on price.

 

[Somebody_007]

3 channel vs 1 channel ram tests result in a 1% difference max in real life everyday senarios

 

[pro-gamer]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/203?vs=100

see in the link and decide which one is better.
my vote is for i7

 

[megamanx00]

If you can live without quick synch a good P67 is also a good option. Also, don't go for the more expensive boards that promise 16x/16x unless you really want tripple SLI. The added latency of the NF200 chip actually lowers performance slightly compared to the 8x/8x native to Sandy Bridge

 

[jbseven]

All great input. Surprisingly the build costs virtually the same as the amd build. For anyone interested i've now narrowed it down to this build:

Intel i5 2500k
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3
8GB Gskill Ripjaw CL8 1600mhz
2x2GB Powercolor 6950
OCZ Vertex 3 120GB

Thanks for the assistance!

 

[de5_Roy]

since you'll be using the 2500k with z68, get an aftermarket cpu cooler like cooler master hyper 212+ or evo. also get a good 80+ psu to power the oc 2500k and the dual 6950s.

 

[pro-gamer]

very well, now you got the exact point.

 

[de5_Roy]

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler Review
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler Review
make sure that the coolers you choose fit your chosen case. you will also need proper airflow within the case so that you can run the 6950s cool.

 

[jbseven]

I'm thinking about the dark rock pro for cpu cooling. best aircooling temps as far as i can see.

hope the board doesnt limit my oc though. my 955be was stuck at 3.8ghz cos of the cheapy asrock board.

i think 850watt should be plenty for a decent oc and crossfire no?

looking along the lines of a Thermaltake Armor A60 or an antec 900 ii v3 for efficient case cooling.

about the sapphire 6950's. would i have to get an aftermarket cooler if i unlock to 6970? im concerned about temps and lifetime cos ive had far too many gfx cards crap out on me. noise/temps very important for me.

 

[jbseven]

Antec 900 II doesn't have efficient case cooling versus a case like the 600T or 500R

The sapphire cards already come with an aftermarket cooler if you looked at them.

Phantek has the #1 air cooler right now, beats the Noctua NH-D14 and Thermalright Silver Arrow.

What exactly do you mean by efficient cooling and why doesn't the antec 900 v3 have it?

 

[jbseven]

Best answer selected by jbseven.