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Thinking of going AM3 or i5

Nocky24

Nocky24

Nocky24

Soldato
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Cannock
The i5 750 looks like a great cpu and the motherboard i was thinking of getting (asus pro p55) are both on offer at the moment, problem is the am3 platform seems sturdier in the long run for future high end upgrades, whereas intel's high end upgrades will only be on the x58 mobos won't they? I really just need something for gaming and give me a good upgrade path for upgrades (particularly cpu upgrades)

Heres a couple of specs (only need cpu/mobo/HDD):

AMD Phenom II 965
Gigabyte UD4P
WD Caviar Black 500GB

i5 750
Asus P7P55D Pro
WD Caviar Black 500GB
 
AM3 for CPU upgrades, OP is right in his first post about the intel upgrade path, with AM3 you get the chance to drop a 6 core cpu in later on...
 
Hmmm, I'm a bit of a multi-core lover but I question when hexacores will be useful tbh.

Personally I'd go for the i5 setup. It's a new platform and will be where the majority of Intel's sales go, so they have good reason to keep supporting it. AMD might promise future compatibility, but since it's clear they can't compete with the higher end Intel processors I think they will be launching a new socket sooner rather than later.
 
I wouldn't worry about future upgrade paths too much as things change quite quick so you never know what is coming. The i5 1156 socket is new so is maybe the best option?
 
I would go with either to be honest take your pick.

I was running a Gigabyte UD5P along with a Phenom II X4 955BE @ 3.4GHz on stock volts, can play any game no worrys whatsoever.

I only switched to P55/i5 because I like to play with new hardware just out of pure interest, money isnt the issue.

Even if you go AM3, their is going to be new motherboards released with a better AMD 800 series Chipset some time in 2010, which should improve overclocking, may use less energy etc.

AMD are also releasing a revised stepping C3 in the not to distant future which will hopefully run Phenom II's on less volts & provide higher overclocks.

IF you choose INTEL their will most likely be a new stepping of CPU's in about 6 months time that will run cooler & probally clock even better, Intel do this all the time it's their way of getting more money out of us.

So, it doesnt matter who you choose in the long term their is going to be upgrades if you wanted them.

I'm not an AMD or Intel fanboy I wont say buy this because this is better or the other, it's down to price really, either will run anything you put on it.

Gaming Only >> AMD or INTEL

Gaming + Encoding etc >> INTEL.
 
Considering the same move.

I like AMD and Intel even - the only reason I might stick with Intel is because I do a lot of photoshop work... as well as some encoding...
 
I think there are probably a lot of people in the same boat, 2 months ago the choice was easy in this price bracket, AMD. Now the i5 has come along its not so clear cut, both I think will serve you well if its gaming and the odd media encoding etc. As far as upgrades, I reckon by the time the 6 cores come along a lot more apps will be making better use of multi threading, but by then some otherplatform may well be taking your fancy. I had an AMD system in the basket for about a month just waiting for the price to fall a little, but then tried my luck at the MSI 55% MB discount offer on the i5 launch day and got one. Now I'm going i5, but part of me wants to ebay the MSI and go AMD.
 
went amd am3 955 3.5ghz stock cooler perfect and great value/performance .

if you want value id go amd if you want to do video stuff photoshop daily go intel.
 
thebandit said:
I think there are probably a lot of people in the same boat, 2 months ago the choice was easy in this price bracket, AMD. Now the i5 has come along its not so clear cut, both I think will serve you well if its gaming and the odd media encoding etc. As far as upgrades, I reckon by the time the 6 cores come along a lot more apps will be making better use of multi threading, but by then some otherplatform may well be taking your fancy. I had an AMD system in the basket for about a month just waiting for the price to fall a little, but then tried my luck at the MSI 55% MB discount offer on the i5 launch day and got one. Now I'm going i5, but part of me wants to ebay the MSI and go AMD.
Click to expand...

Thats exactly it to be honest mate. I've currently got a q9550/4870 1GB system at the moment, but the old family pc is due for an upgrade so i've taken the opportunity to upgrade my own with newer hardware and give them my old parts for some money to put towards the new spec. Question is what though? I'm mainly a gamer and AM3 seems good but for whats out on the platform at the moment im not sure im going to be seeing much of a benefit over my 775 q9550 setup am i?
 
I'm in the same position.

I want to spend at little as possible.

AMD
Asus M4A77TD Pro AMD 770 - £68.99 (with crossfire support)
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 965 - £159.99
= £228.98

i5
Intel Core i5 750 2.66Ghz (Lynnfield) - £144.99 (only 1 year warranty)
Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 Intel P55 - £86.99 (with crossfire support)
= £231.98

The AMD setup comes out slightly cheaper. That combined with its upgradeability and full 16x dual pci-e pathways takes it for me.

Edit: having looked at the benchmarks more closely, although theres not much in it, the i5 seems to outperform in more game titles (even more so in synthetic, media apps and productivity tests), plus i haven't considered overclockability. How well does the 965 overclock vs the i5?
 
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i5 beats the AM3 option for gaming but I would go for the i7 920 while its still around. LGA1136 shows improvement over AM3 especially in multi graphics set ups. How many games use four cores never mind six? You can only future proof so much but by the time hexacore is desirable AM4 will be out.
 
feeddagoat said:
i5 beats the AM3 option for gaming but I would go for the i7 920 while its still around. LGA1136 shows improvement over AM3 especially in multi graphics set ups. How many games use four cores never mind six? You can only future proof so much but by the time hexacore is desirable AM4 will be out.
Click to expand...

Yeh thats a very good point. Now i really don't know what to do lol. What would be a good cpu/mobo upgrade over my current q9550 for gaming?
 
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