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Help with AMD? - Only know intel

wingnutta

wingnutta

wingnutta

Associate
Joined
10 Oct 2007
Posts
208
Location
Spain - Finally....
Ok, the CPU and motherboard i WAS thinking about for new build was i5 750 and p7p55d-e (I want USB 3.0 and SATA 6gbs) - however a friend at work gave me a stern telling off for not considering an AMD setup. I will be honest - i dont know much to make the decision to switch hence asking for advice on here.
I have now seen the AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail [HDZ955FBGIBOX], along with the Gigabyte GA-790FXTA-UD5 (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard [GA-790FXTA-UD5]. It all seems to fit the bill? Or any better combinations out there? Uses are video editing and photoshop mainly - but only enthusiast level. No gaming.
Are they as easy to overclock/setup etc as an intel as thats all i have ever used?
Cheers in advance :D
 
wingnutta said:
Uses are video editing and photoshop mainly - but only enthusiast level. No gaming.
Are they as easy to overclock/setup etc as an intel as thats all i have ever used?
Click to expand...

Your friend sounds like an AMD ***boy ( I can't bring myself to type it )

The i5 750 will clock to 4ghz and destroy that AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition in the tasks you need.

THIS IS FACT wayne :D
 
Well an Intel processor like the i5 750 will be a bit faster in video editing and photoshop but the Phenom II 955 is no slouch either.

AMD systems are as easy to setup as Intel setups and what l particularly like about AMD is how the CPU coolers are fitted. I hate Intel stock coolers since those pins are very fragile.

Logically the AMD setup will be cheaper and it will provide solid performance. For future-proofing the AMD AM3 socket provides a better upgrade path than the socket used by the i5 range of processors. Either way you go, you will get a nice system :)
 
easyrider said:
Your friend sounds like an AMD ***boy ( I can't bring myself to type it )

THIS IS FACT wayne :D
Click to expand...

Unstoppable Force Mr.Wayne meets the Immovable object, Mr.Easyrider, or Visa versa! :p:p

For video encoding though I would defenitely get the i5. And as Easy Rider said, it'll be better for pretty much everything compared to Phenom 955 x4 and also it's older brother, the 965 x4...

The i5 will be easier to Overclock to 4ghz stable as well. But the AMD 955 (125w) will probably do it but will take a bit longer to tweak and get hotter as a result.

Both will get the job done, but the i5 seems to be the better chip.. although the AMD Is still fantastic Value for what processing power it provides... and if you were on a tighter budget, I'd recommend that... equally however... I would recommend the I7 920 since that's more futureproof than the i5 and is much better for encoding, and overclocks well too. (Refer to the benchmarks)

As theforce mentioned, the AM3 socket is more futureproof and will last you longer with 6 core Phenom II's coming out later this year compared to the i5's socket which seems be a bit dead-end as far as I'm aware.
 
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Sharpsilver said:
Unstoppable Force Mr.Wayne meets the Immovable object, Mr.Easyrider, or Visa versa! :p:p

For video encoding though I would defenitely get the i5. And as Wayne said, it'll be better for pretty much everything compared to Phenom 955 x4 and also it's older brother, the 965 x4...

.
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You mean as easyrider said;)

Fact is the Amd Chips are good but the socket AM3 future proof ideology is quite frankly nonsense.

Newer chips although AM3 may still not work on todays current AM3 mobos.

The AM3 socket is not the holy grail...

Just like REV 3.0 S775 mobos support intel chips that the same model REV 1.0 mobo doesn't.

Voltage requirements etc...have a factor on generic mobo sockets.
 
ok, thanks for the replies. Am i right in thinking then the following: As budget is not a huge issue (Although cheaper always helps :D ) - i am better going down the intel route but expect to want a new mobo and processer down the line, whereas if i go AM3 - potentially i could maybe only need a new cpu for 6 cores (appreciate what you said easyrider about maybe not) down the line?
This is turning out to be really hard decision which i was not expecting. Initially i just thought bam - i3 ramp it up to 4ghz job done, i guess its not that easy ;)
At least deciding the case was easy!! Ha

Cheers all

ps - i am also getting the Corsair H50 so the stock cooler is going regardless
 
From a cost perspective I'd seriously look at the Phenom II cpus as they do offer exceptional value for money. The i3 are only dual core cpus while the phenoms are X3 and X4 cores. I personally benched a Phenom II 720BE X3 core @3.6ghz against an E8400 @3.8ghz and "CINEBENCH R10" in the multi cores test part of the app, the phenom creamed the e8400, but was beaten in the other tests. So I would assume that the 720be would also beat the i3 in multi core applications due to having the extra core. Encoding on the other hand, the 720BE is beaten by the e8400, all down to the higher FSB I'd have thought.
I also encoded a DVD (me son's X-men) in about 14-15 minutes using DVD shrink on me son's 550BE @ 3.8ghz (got two phenom based systems here) phenom II but I can't accurately confirm that time, I could always do it again I suppose
So for rendering go phenom II, for encoding go i3. If considering i5, that platform would beat both of the other two at all applications.
Wrt mobo, ram, etc, you can get a relatively cheap AM2+ mobo for about £60, use your old DDR2 memory, and slap a X3 cpu in it, or for aboput £20 more you can put a X4 phenom in it, and have a quad system.
 
If you are only doing video encoding and Photoshop - and budget is not too limited - get either a i7 860 or i7 920 - they both have hyperthreading which'll help in the applications that you will be using. The i7-860 system will work out a little cheaper - P55 motherboards are cheaper than X58 ones and dual channel memory is cheaper than triple channel.

PS. I have AMD...
 
pieman109 said:
From a cost perspective I'd seriously look at the Phenom II cpus as they do offer exceptional value for money. The i3 are only dual core cpus while the phenoms are X3 and X4 cores. I personally benched a Phenom II 720BE X3 core @3.6ghz against an E8400 @3.8ghz and "CINEBENCH R10" in the multi cores test part of the app, the phenom creamed the e8400, but was beaten in the other tests. So I would assume that the 720be would also beat the i3 in multi core applications due to having the extra core. Encoding on the other hand, the 720BE is beaten by the e8400, all down to the higher FSB I'd have thought.
I also encoded a DVD (me son's X-men) in about 14-15 minutes using DVD shrink on me son's 550BE @ 3.8ghz (got two phenom based systems here) phenom II but I can't accurately confirm that time, I could always do it again I suppose
So for rendering go phenom II, for encoding go i3. If considering i5, that platform would beat both of the other two at all applications.
Wrt mobo, ram, etc, you can get a relatively cheap AM2+ mobo for about £60, use your old DDR2 memory, and slap a X3 cpu in it, or for aboput £20 more you can put a X4 phenom in it, and have a quad system.
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He was going to go i5 though, which creams all of the Phenom IIs including the 965 black edition. :)
 
ghop said:
He was going to go i5 though, which creams all of the Phenom IIs including the 965 black edition. :)
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In what universe?

The total ignorance of some people is laughable..

go i5/i7 if you want to encode where you will see a difference otherwise you will notice NO DIFFERENCE so why spend the money?
 
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I got the AMD 965 and the Gigabyte UD5 with 4GB corsair ram.

USB3 and sata6GB/s is really handy. These will be used a lot in the next year or so.

I don't think you can go wrong with this. Awesome for games.
 
pieman109 said:
coulda sworn that I saw i3. Still, gives a few alternatives though:D
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- Sorry - my bad, i shall clear it up. When deciding on the build i read a review of the i3 and thought "thats what i am going for - 4ghz etc..) then i was advised on here that a i5 750 would be better (quad core) so thats what i was going for - then this thread on now maybe going to AMD instead of the i5 after speaking to my mate. My apologies for the mess and confusion.
I appreciate all the help guys. I still am really at a loss as to what to go for - i just cant make up my mind. It seems all the cpus have something going for them, and my uses would suit all of them too!! :(
I defo want the usb 3.0 and sata 6gps on the motherboard so that narrows down my choices, and i think quad core is a must so that rules the i3 out me thinks.
No doubt in a 2 months time 6 core cpus will be out and give me more of a headache! :D
Still its all good fun coming on here and seeing whats what eh!
 
Pneumonic said:
In what universe?

The total ignorance of some people is laughable..

go i5/i7 if you want to encode where you will see a difference otherwise you will notice NO DIFFERENCE so why spend the money?
Click to expand...

Allright, allright! Calm down! There is a difference, only a slight difference but a difference nontheless. And last time I checked, the 965 was 140 quid, and the i5 750 is 140. Sure you get more motherboard for your money with AMD but there's really not a huge difference in price.
 
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