Intel i3 vs AMD Phenom 2

eggybob · 28 Jun 2011 at 10:15

also I have a 570w trust psu will this be ok on the setup cmndr_andi is suggesting? with a evga gtx 550 Ti fpb, just untill i can up this to maybe an ocz stealthXstream700 -750w?

stulid · 28 Jun 2011 at 12:03

james.miller said:
-.-

i'd take another look at that chart. i make it 21/40 for the phenomII

Concentrate on the gaming results

Reaper 392 · 28 Jun 2011 at 12:09

with your budget on CPU, mobo and ram i would go for this:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2400 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £145.99
1 x MSI H67MA-E35 Intel H67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro-ATX Motherboard - (Sandybridge) **B3 REVISION** £59.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £30.98
Total : £236.96 (includes shipping : FREE).

the i5 2400 will beat the Phenom II X4 no matter what overclock you manage to get on it, despite not being able to be overclocked itself

cmndr_andi · 28 Jun 2011 at 12:13

eggybob said:
back to my previous post does the I5 2500k stock cooler provide ample cooling for overclocking the cpu?

also if I brought these parts seperatly I'm a little worried id find it hard to asemble and configure BIOS etc. I've never really built my own system before..

Yes, the stock cooler can actually allow you to overclock the CPU rather well - since the Sandy Bridge 32nm chips are relatively cool.

Have a look at this article.

As for assembling it, a guide like this is really useful.

Compared to the bundle the only additional things you need to do when assembling the CPU/board/RAM yourself is install the CPU into the socket and install the RAM into the slots. Even with the bundle you need to attach the CPU cooler yourself and apply the thermal paste.

As for overclocking - getting a multiplier unlocked sandy bridge CPU (like the 2500K) past 4GHz really isn't hard and in general overclocking these chips is simple. The best way to overclock is to familiarise yourself with the process first (what is a multiplier, which volts go up) then look for an overclocking guide for the specific P67/Z68 motherboard you went for. From there you should be able to take your CPU nice and far.

Marine-RX179 · 28 Jun 2011 at 12:14

james.miller said:
-.-

i'd take another look at that chart. i make it 21/40 for the phenomII

Yes...because running Cinebench and Video encoding all day everyday is a new breed of PC gaming...

eggybob · 28 Jun 2011 at 12:47

Reaper 392 said:
with your budget on CPU, mobo and ram i would go for this:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-2400 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £145.99
1 x MSI H67MA-E35 Intel H67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro-ATX Motherboard - (Sandybridge) **B3 REVISION** £59.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMX4GX3M2A1600C9) £30.98
Total : £236.96 (includes shipping : FREE).

the i5 2400 will beat the Phenom II X4 no matter what overclock you manage to get on it, despite not being able to be overclocked itself

Does the h67 allow for overclocking though?

Reaper 392 · 28 Jun 2011 at 13:02

eggybob said:
Does the h67 allow for overclocking though?

no, but a standard clocked i5 2400 will beat an overclocked Phenom II X4

Phenoms can usually get to around 4.2Ghz at best. the comparison site only goes up to 3.7Ghz, but the i5 2400 still thrashes it:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/362?vs=363

eggybob · 28 Jun 2011 at 13:08

seems good but i feel if i get that then i may as well try and get the i5 2500k

oh decisions decisions.

pastymuncher · 28 Jun 2011 at 13:15

If i was you i would upgrade the crappy Trust psu first.

eggybob · 28 Jun 2011 at 15:06

I plan too. do you think it wiser to do it before getting the upgrade as to after then?

Tomcat825 · 28 Jun 2011 at 15:15

Yes.

Or, even better, at the same time if you can save for that long without getting the itch to just order something.

JamesM · 28 Jun 2011 at 15:44

I moved from a i5 750 to an AMD 995 and it has been a great CPU imo.

I've overclocked it and it's now running at 3700MHz (200x18.5 instead of 200x16) and it's been rock solid, vcore at 1.35 too. I can honestly say I've not noticed a difference between CPUs and I'm a gamer

I'd go with AMD, use the X4 as a stop gap and if you have the cash move over to BD at a later date.

pastymuncher · 28 Jun 2011 at 16:48

eggybob said:
I plan too. do you think it wiser to do it before getting the upgrade as to after then?

Before or with the upgrade. I certainly would'nt leave it until after.

pastymuncher · 28 Jun 2011 at 16:50

JamesM said:
I moved from a i5 750 to an AMD 995 and it has been a great CPU imo.

I've overclocked it and it's now running at 3700MHz (200x18.5 instead of 200x16) and it's been rock solid, vcore at 1.35 too. I can honestly say I've not noticed a difference between CPUs and I'm a gamer

I'd go with AMD, use the X4 as a stop gap and if you have the cash move over to BD at a later date.

Why on earth did you do that? Seems a bit of a backward step to me. In my opinion Bulldozer is too much of a unknown at the moment to take a gamble on.

cmndr_andi · 28 Jun 2011 at 17:24

pastymuncher said:
Before or with the upgrade. I certainly would'nt leave it until after.

+1

If needs be I would suggest delaying the CPU/Mobo/RAM upgrade (if you can wait) so you can get the money together to buy the PSU at the same time or before the main upgrade.

Running a high-end system on a low quality PSU is really asking for trouble.

Moothead2 · 28 Jun 2011 at 17:35

Stulid, most of the games in the link you provided are around 2+ years old and will be unlikely to use more than 2 cores effectively. I honestly think though that OP should keep their current rig or whatever and save up the extra 30-50 quid and get an i5k setup.

I did a bit of searching and I found a 2500k setup for around 270 quid.

james.miller · 28 Jun 2011 at 17:42

Moothead2 said:
Stulid, most of the games in the link you provided are around 2+ years old and will be unlikely to use more than 2 cores effectively. I honestly think though that OP should keep their current rig or whatever and save up the extra 30-50 quid and get an i5k setup.

I did a bit of searching and I found a 2500k setup for around 270 quid.

yeah. for instance, a 965 is quicker than an i7 870 in batman AA (still an old game, mind), but because the i3 2100 was never benched in that game, it isnt included in the i3 vs 965 results.

that does skew the results somewhat. but what does it matter anyway, stupid old dead over the hill tech

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/59

Moothead2 · 28 Jun 2011 at 17:46

james.miller said:
yeah. for instance, a 965 is quicker than an i7 870 in batman AA, but because the i3 2100 was never benched in that game, it isnt included in the i3 vs 965 results.

that does skew the results somewhat. but what does it matter anyway, stupid old dead over the hill tech

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/59

Yup, why I dumped it on my dad and built me a 2500k setup

.

eggybob · 28 Jun 2011 at 18:21

can you guys suggest a great psu for about 50 pounds? I was thinking a stealthXstream maybe 600w or 700w ?

cmndr_andi · 28 Jun 2011 at 18:42

Antec High Current Gamer 520W or XFX Core 550W pro would be my PSU choice in that price range. Both are high quality Seasonic designed units.