Within the next month or so, I'm going to be buying a new PC but I don't know which processor is better. It's primarily for gaming but with some office use. Which is better ATM, the i5 or i7 8 series?
Here’s that fork in the road: Lynnfield (i5) is cheaper and gets you 90 percent the performance of a Bloomfield (i7) system, but early next year Intel will introduce a CPU code-named Gulftown, aka Core i9. Core i9 adds two more physical cores to the CPU and will likely be the first consumer hexacore CPU. With Hyper-Threading, that’s 12 threads available to the OS and enough to make the most jaded enthusiast perk up. Core i9, however, will only be available on the Bloomfield/LGA1366 platform. If you were to build a Lynnfield LGA1156 box there’d be no six-core for you! At least, not at this point. Intel said it has no plans for an LGA1156 hexacore. You see the dilemma. Save money now and build a really kick-ass LGA1156 or spend the extra $200 to build an LGA1366 that has an easy upgrade path to six cores with Hyper-Threading. It’s not an easy choice to make under normal circumstances, but in this economic climate, it’s even harder—that $200 goes a long way toward a better GPU, better PSU, more RAM, or a bigger hard drive. The choice, however, is up to you.
Welp, how long would my system last with an i5/i7 setup? I've gotten a bit over three years with my current PC but it's starting to age and I have almost no options when it comes to the CPU. If i drop the extra 200, how long will the system last as oppose to one not i9 compatible?
That's really difficult to say. LGA 1156 could be supported for some time yet for more mainstream CPU models, even if it doesn't run the i9 as-is. It's only just been introduced this year as far as I know. It will probably lock you out of an upgrade to the higher end if/when you should choose to do it though. The other question is whether you'd need to in the first place. Quad-cores barely provide any benefit over dual-cores as it is; programs that make use of them are still few and far between. (Programs that need to, likewise - most games seem to place more demands on the GPU than the CPU lately.) Combine that with what looks like a slowing system requirements creep (chalk that up to netbooks, Windows 7, and game studios' apparently decreasing desire to push the graphical envelope since Crysis came out) and it might be a couple years before there is anything an i5 or i7 can't run without breaking a sweat anyway...
Obviously the i7 is mucho better than the i5 but the i5 is still the second best you can possibly do right now with a processor. After that you're looking at either the current Core 2 Quads or AMD's Phenom II 965. Ultimately the decision will end with how much money you can spend. Here's a hot off the press article review of five of the brand new i5 motherboards from Tom's Hardware. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-p55-motherboard,2436.html Saturday, FedEx is delivering my new setup and I'll be putting it all together that night. I chose this: AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition OCZ 2X2GB DDR3 PC3-12800 Platinum AMD Edition memory GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-630SS 630W Power Supply COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black Case Totaling us$398 and change. Shipping came out to a total of 16 bucks (one for 9 and one for 7). I got the case and PSU from NewEgg and the CPU, RAM and Mobo as a set from a user on Hardforum.com (HardOCP's official forums). I can crank that X3 up to 3.5 GHz on air and if I get a cooler it'll go to 4! A friend of mine just gave me a Radeon HD 4850, and since I have a 24" LCD Monitor, keyboard, mouse, hard drive, and DVD burner, I basically got a top-of-the-line new computer CHEAP! And I can just add another inexpensive 4850 to it later for a big speed bump in gaming graphics. So set a fixed budget and reuse anything you already have and it will be much easier.
I dont follow ANY of AMD's stuff. Last AMD CPU I had was utter crap. Are they worth looking into now or should I keep avoiding them?
AMD is fine (and have been for awhile). Their products just don't offer the bleeding-edge performance you see in newer Intel products. Depending on what you're looking to spend, AMD can be a good choice. With that in mind, you really ought to give us an idea on what you're looking to spend.
Ya, I thought that would've helped a while ago. Well, I don't need a video card. Basically, I'm shooting for under 700. I know thats going to be quite a feat. I'd honestly just like something that is pretty current and has room to expand. My system is 3 years old and is starting to show its age. No CPU upgrade available, no SLI/Crossfire capability, and it holds only 8 gigs of ram. It's one of the first batches of dual cores from intel and again, its starting to age. Basically, as cheap as I can go leaving room for upgrades later on.
No video card helps, but I'm wondering how easy it'd be to fit anything current (which pretty much means i5/i7 unfortunately) in there... maybe you can now, since the RAM needn't cost much, and I presume other than that, the CPU, and the motherboard, you wouldn't really need to replace anything. If you want LGA1366, the i7 920 is still where it's at (would cost about $280 I think, so that leaves plenty). Otherwise, i5 might be a better choice. From then it's a matter of finding a decent motherboard that doesn't cost too much. Edit: Let's see... assuming that - taking stuff from newegg.com - you might find better but it gives an idea: i7 920 - $280 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202) ASUS P6T SE - $210 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131386) 6 GB OCZ Gold DDR3-1600 - $130 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365) So, total of $620. Free shipping even.
Well, it'll run you about $700 just to get an i7, a decent Mobo, an aftermarket cooler, and 6gb DDR3. Keep in mind, you will want the aftermarket cooler.
It's not required but the i7 chips tend to get a bit hot, and the best part about them (especially the 920) is their overclocking headroom. You definitely don't try to overclock with the stock cooler.
Yeah, I'm not overclocking, but I think I'd agree with you. Thermal compound didn't make much of a difference.
AMD Phenom II chips are awesome. The newest Athlon are also great if you don't need L3 cache, but as gamers we benefit from that so we'd all chose Phenom II obviously. The reason why I ultimately chose to go AMD Phenom II (socket AM3 is the keyword there) is that their black edition chips are inexpensive and have loads of room for overclocking and the mobos are cheap. The only thing AMD can't compete with right now is i5 and i7, which are both way expensive. The Quad Core Phenom II X4 965 is just as good as anything Intel has other than i5 and i7 and way way cheaper. The chip is 219 and overclocks like crazy. There are some awesome CPU coolers that are really cheap. Zalman and Thermaltake both make really good an inexpensive ones. You might consider it even if you don't overclock because frankly the stock cooler from Intel sucks so bad. You will save a lot of money with the i5 and get 95% of the performance. So that will last you two years of solid gaming. Just make sure you go with the Gigabyte or Asus motherboard and avoid Asrock like the plague. Make sure you post what you finally decide on!
Well, at this point, I'm leaning towards the AMD due to the price and just curiosity. But as my current system still holds up well to the Cry engine, I'm thinking about waiting till after the first of the year for two reasons. One being price drops. I'll be in school then so I'll also be able to write it off as an education expense for my taxes. Plus tax refund time However, I am still considering options at this point.
HardOCP has a test with the Intel i5 and i7 vs. an older version of the AMD processor, the Phenom II 955 which is running at 3.2 GHz instead of 3.4GHz like the Phenom II 965. http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/07/intel_lynnfield_core_i5_i7_processors/ Right now on Newegg the Phenom II 965 is $215 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103692 The Phenom II 955 is $180 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674 The Intel i5 750 at 2.6 GHz is $200 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215 In the HardOCP article, the i5 at the stock setting of 2.6 GHz beats the Phenom II 955 at its stock setting of 3.2 GHz. in 3 of the 4 benchmarks. Once it is overclocked to 3.2 GHz it beats the Phenom II 955 in all of the benchmarks. They didn't overclock the Phenom II to show how well it scales though. They did get an i5 750 to a stable 4GHz though on air cooling. Keep in mind that I am biased though, I work at Intel as a contractor. So be sure to do your own research!
