Test Systems And Benchmark Setup
First off, we'd like to thank Long and the crew at MemoryExpress and Wayne at Computer Boulevard in Winnipeg, Canada, who helped us with some last-minute test-equipment requirements; we couldn't have finished this review without their assistance.
| Phenom II System | Core i7 System | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition | Intel Core i7-920 2.66 GHz, | |||
| Motherboard | ASUS M4A79T Deluxe, | DFI LANParty Jr X58-T3H6 Micro-ATX | |||
| Networking | Onboard Gigabit LAN controller | Onboard Gigabit LAN controller | |||
| Memory | G.Skill 10666CL7T 4.0 GB DDR3-1064 | G.Skill 10666CL7T 6.0 GB DDR3-1064 | |||
| Graphics | 2 x HIS Radeon HD 4890 in CrossFire | 2 x HIS Radeon HD 4870 in CrossFire | |||
| Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda ST31500341AS | Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB | |||
| Power | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad S75QB | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad S75QB | |||
| Software and Drivers | |||||
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows Vista 64-bit 6.0.6001, SP1 | ||||
| DirectX version | DirectX 10 | ||||
| Graphics Drivers | Nvidia GeForce 185.85, ATI Catalyst 9.6 | ||||
Notice that we had to use different hard drives in our test systems. This was unavoidable, as we were running concurrent benchmarks and we didn't have two of the same model drives on hand. However, SiSoft Sandra demonstrated that the drives performed very similarly to each other and we're confident that that the disparity did not cause any performance variations.
Our Phenom II overclock went very smoothly and, using identical timings as the Intel Core i7 overclock, we managed to get the Phenom II 955 to 3.7 GHz with little trouble. With a slight CPU core voltage increase to 1.42 V, the memory voltage increased to 1.675 V, and the northbridge voltage increased to 1.2 V. We set the CPU multiplier to 17x and the front side bus (FSB) to 218 MHz, resulting in an overclocked CPU speed of 3,706 MHz. This is about 100 MHz faster than the overclocked Cyberpower Gamer Dragon system we tested. From what we've seen, Phenom II 955s can get to 3.6-3.7 GHz with little trouble and minor voltage and heat increases, but they hit a wall soon after.
We have also benchmarked many more games this time around to satisfy folks who didn't think we had enough of a cross-section in the Cyberpower article. Here are the games and their settings:
| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
3D Games | |
| Crysis | Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit executable, benchmark tool |
| Far Cry 2 | DirectX 10, in-game benchmark |
| Stalker: Clear Sky | Average of 4 segments "A-Tested Object" |
| World In Conflict | Patch 1009, DirectX 10, timedemo |
| Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. | DirectX 10.1, in-game benchmark |
| Fallout 3 | Custom THG Benchmark |
| Left 4 Dead | Custom THG Benchmark |
| Prototype | Custom THG Benchmark |
As expected.
Very good article. Too bad that it wan't done with nvidia cards. We need to see how GTX260-216 SLI with Core i7 920 can beat Phenom II 955 with two GTX 275.
good article...happy to see the phenom hangs in there
Why weren't the graphics cards included in the price breakdowns for both systems? Especially considering the cards were different...they should be in there, no?
Adding in nvidia cards would be interesting to see, yes, but then we're moving more into engine optimizations and such, and things get less exact. Maybe the effect of software preferences on hardware architecture can be a future writeup? Nice article, here, though.
how about all the AMD Fanboys stop complaining about Intel. so what if people say they are better. who FREAKIN cares. you should expect them to perform better, they are pricier. you buy AMD BECAUSE of the price, so therefor, you should expect less performance. AMD is awesome, and so is Intel, its like complaining about a Honda Vs. a BMW or something along those lines, they are different, and because of price, you should expect one to out perform the other. so if you want to save money, by the damned AMD, but dont complain when other people favor Intel whether they are right or not, you end up looking like imature Fanboy's who are jealous they cant afford the Intel (which is just a generalization). BTW, without Intel, AMD wouldnt be cheaper, nor would it be as powerful as it is without competition to keep the company improving it.
Currently there is a huge newegg discount on a 955/790FX combo making it quite attractive, but of course that kind of thing has to be left out of an article like this.
As I expected on the numbers, but I now want to see if the 790X chipset is to blame, or the Gigabyte board itself, or perhaps the memory controller onboard the CPU is to blame?
its annoying to see that toms hardware seems to be very pro intel
its annoying to see that toms hardware seems to be very pro intel
Did you read the conclusion at all? AMD lost by the numbers. That's not pro-intel, it's pro-logic. It's pro-science. That's the way the world works.
how about all the AMD Fanboys stop complaining about Intel. so what if people say they are better. who FREAKIN cares. you should expect them to perform better, they are pricier. you buy AMD BECAUSE of the price, so therefor, you should expect less performance. AMD is awesome, and so is Intel, its like complaining about a Honda Vs. a BMW or something along those lines, they are different, and because of price, you should expect one to out perform the other. so if you want to save money, by the damned AMD, but dont complain when other people favor Intel whether they are right or not, you end up looking like imature Fanboy's who are jealous they cant afford the Intel (which is just a generalization). BTW, without Intel, AMD wouldnt be cheaper, nor would it be as powerful as it is without competition to keep the company improving it.
Wow. You take things way too seriously.
only at toms site are such performances
Ahslan .... buy your own pc ...not your daddy
right now newegg has a combo for 189 it consists of a phenom 940 with a free yes thats right free motherboard. i couldn't resist.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.209473
I think this is a great review. You can't ignore the numbers. Intel's Core i7 is better. But I think we all expected that.
I still love AMD, though. I don't need the extra muscle that Intel gives. I'm happy with what AMD's processors give me, in terms of gaming.
I love supporting the underdog! I just can't help it. =] Intel might make great processors, but I just don't like their arrogance. That's why I support AMD. =]
really tom ...with the money remain is not necessary to buy another pairs of gpu's you can buy a nice case or video camera or a phone or 200-300 condoms...the pc is not everything ...ooo let's put all our money in intel 920 to play prototype ...and after 6 months you loose 40% from pc value ... 10x toms for a good advice ....
you realize that with this kind of articles you play with peoples money?
let assume the same case, hardrives,psu, and dvd drives, for a 1100 dollar build which would be about 70+70+70+20=230 (these where just average guesses) then lets move on with the guts for the i7 system i7 920 = 279
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130227 mobo= 169
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220378 ram = 85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121291 4870 1gb times 2 =320 total =1083
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.209473 phenom 2 940+mobo =204
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227289 ram =65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102809 4850x2 times two = 420
total=919 so thats the truth but if you want you could switch out the graphics for two gtx 285 or a 4870x2 or a gtx295 its up to you.
sorry for double post (damn thing doesnt look neat) but the total for the i7 system is 1083 and i used the cheapest ram and mobo. As for the phenom II 940 i used the combo deal, good ram, and a pair of 4850x2s for a total of 919. note:i didnt include the mail in rebates for the systems (lets assume thats tax. PS you have 181 dollars left for the phenom II build (beer money).
Very nice Review. You take a Core I7 and equip it with everything it needs and compare to a PhenomII.
VERY MANY people buying I7 only pair it with one graphics card and save money everywhere in the system to be able to buy the I7 (talking about gaming systems).
Of course if you put in 2 great Gpu's, you need a very strong Cpu to handle them. Most people throw the I7 at 1 4890.
It would be very intresting to compare a PhenomII x3 720 system with Two 4890's to an I7 build with only one. (same price or amd even cheaper^^)
You compare the most expensive and not much overclockable 955 to the cheapest I7 with most overclocking headroom. Why don't you compare it to the cheaper PhenomII which also reach the 3.6 Ghz the 955 reached? Maybe even the x4 810.
After that Article I agree that If you have the money for two 4890 and still can afford an I7 it's the best choise.
But what if you dont have the money for an I7 and Two high end cards? Whats if you have to make compromises in you I7 build just for the sake of having an I7?
I think that's were the Phenom II shows its strength.
You Take the I7 best price/perfomance point and give the same budget to an Amd system. It's clear that Amd can't compete that well. It seems that you first build the I7 system you think is best and then take the money to build an Phenom II system.
Please try it the other way round once! Build a Phenom II gaming system (720/810/940 with two graphics)and THEN take the money you used and build an I7 system (maybe sacrificing the second card? or just Xfiring two lower end cards? I don't know where but you then will have to save some money)
Most benchmarks show that the X3 720 overclocked shows performance numbers on par with the 955 (oc) so why spend all the money for the 955?
really tom ...with the money remain is not necessary to buy another pairs of gpu's you can buy a nice case or video camera or a phone or 200-300 condoms...the pc is not everything ...ooo let's put all our money in intel 920 to play prototype ...and after 6 months you loose 40% from pc value ... 10x toms for a good advice ....you realize that with this kind of articles you play with peoples money?
Umm have you taken any time to read any Tom's articles? This is their bread and butter, the reason the site exists. People read these articles because they want to know what to do with their money, the THG authors know what they are doing. The reason for these articles is to show performance differences, and this article does that very well.
for me is simple ...the guys from tom are a software witch make random articles .... no brain just fill the blanks with the component name and press enter
for me is simple ...the guys from tom are a software witch make random articles .... no brain just fill the blanks with the component name and press enter
WOW thats rude.
They made a great article comparing two cpus. Its good to know which one performs better in gaming.
Again the article was very helpful good work