Can't decide between 3 CPUs.

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Erfinjerfin

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Jan 1, 2009
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I can't decide whether to get the Intel Core 2 Quad 8200, The AMD Phenom X4 9850, or the AMD Phenom II X3 710. Could you guys give some opinions on what I should buy?
 
If you're going to get one of those, get the 9850 or the X3. IMO 4 cores is better than 3, though many games don't take advantage of multiple cores yet. (Left4Dead does, TF2 should soon*, and CS:S probably will in the future)

However, if I were you, I'd get a Phenom II series, much better performance. The PII 940 competes with the i7 when overclocked, and considering the price difference, that's quite crazy.

*Soon, Valve Time, which probably equates to 3-6 months. There are commands in TF2 which enable the use of multiple processor cores, the most notable being mat_queue_mode 2, but it's unstable at the moment and you'll probably crash at some point
 
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id spend the extra money and get the phenomII at least the 920 , if not the 940 , they are insane , and its so funny i run a phenomIi 940 and beat most i7's and intel people get so mad :)
 
HardHat said:
The Q8200 is one Quad you should stay away from. Between the two Phenom's, go for the X3 710. Here's a review of the 710: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2009/02/11/amd-phenom-820-810-720-710-am3-cpus/13
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Agreed that you should stay away from the q8200.
I would suggest a Q6600 or Q6700 G0 (SCLAR) stepping for under $200 on newegg. I have this in my current machine and run it stable @ 3.2 (from 2.4ghz) at decent temperatures with forced air cooling. I can run it at 3.6 but only with liquid cooling.
IMO AMD cpus arn't as powerful/fast as intel's but are quite a bit less money so its a trade off.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017
 
Well, it may be out of your price bracket, but nothing beats the Intel i7s, they walk all over the Phenoms and don't look back. Really though, I like the C2Ds, as was said before most of your applications don't use all 3/4 cores of the Phenom/C2Qs.
 
I've already chosen the Phenom II - The i7s are waaaay too expensive, and I haven't really noticed a processor speed difference between AMD and Intel Systems.
 
Erfinjerfin said:
I've already chosen the Phenom II - The i7s are waaaay too expensive, and I haven't really noticed a processor speed difference between AMD and Intel Systems.
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I read a review that said i7s are horrible for gaming because of its low cache. It said that high end Core 2 Quads perform better in gaming.
 
phenom of course, but can anyone tell something about i7 processors. i got my eye on them for a while now, but i am not completely sure whether should i get them or not
 
eAStW00d said:
phenom of course, but can anyone tell something about i7 processors. i got my eye on them for a while now, but i am not completely sure whether should i get them or not
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Well, thinking about the future and having enough cash to spend, I would heartily recommend that you get an i7. As far as I've read from test results, it's an insane processor even if the game doesn't support more than two cores (Dead Space + GTX295 + i7 920 = 200fps+).
I7 OR, then get the Phenom II X4, because it gives a bang for you're buck as well.
 
I have always tried to stay conservative when I upgrade. Cost of course, is the deciding factor, but what good is new technology if there is nothing out there to support it? I stay about 6 months behind and read the forums for problems and solutions for the items that I upgrade. That keeps me up and running. I may not be the fastest or newest, but my gaming rig is stable and trouble free.
 
lumpy_d_great said:
I have always tried to stay conservative when I upgrade. Cost of course, is the deciding factor, but what good is new technology if there is nothing out there to support it? I stay about 6 months behind and read the forums for problems and solutions for the items that I upgrade. That keeps me up and running. I may not be the fastest or newest, but my gaming rig is stable and trouble free.
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First, there is plenty that benefits from the i7 abilities, just not that many games right now, but there will be and you'll want that power. Second, if you buy something today, you want the platform to be competitive tomorrow as well, especially when upgrading. If you can afford to wait, then wait, but if your rig is way old and need something today, then get something that will last. Cuts down on the number of computers/upgrades you'll end up buying. Phenom II and i7, and soon the i5, are the only platforms I'd consider for a rig designed to last.
 
For the future

I am just adding to what others have said about the i7 Intel processors. I love my new i7 965 cpu, overclocked to 3.81, and yes it is overpriced, but I bought it for longevity and my gaming experience is on a new level. In DODS I went from 30 fps on the average to 220 fps on the average. I can run graphics and resolutions at their max on Far Cry 2, Assasins Creed for example, and my wife Kelly said the games looked almost like a movie. So the i7 technology is state of the art. The i7 920 is a great cpu for the money (under 300) and it can overclock up to 4.0: www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/11/06/overclocking-intel-core-i7-920/1
You do need an X58 mobo etc., but the new i7's were built to overclock and give you more for the future. I personally would rather buy the fastest computer that I can afford once every four or five years, with the occasional video card upgrade, instead of nickel and diming myself to death, for a few months of extra fps. I know speed is expensive in the computer world, but the computer build I have now is faster than almost anything from last year back and it still costs less to build. Our sponsers such as IBuyPower have i7 based computers starting at $700.00:
http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=378
I am not telling anyone what to do, but not bad for an i7 based system that can overclock well and will last awhile. Also Intel is coming out with two new i7 chips soon, the i7 975 and i7 950. My chip and some of the others will probably drop in price. Good luck with your project!
 
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