how much better is an i5 750 over a PII X4 945

[JDub02]

I plan on ordering parts for a computer build tonight.

I'm stuck staring at 3 possibilities:

C2Q Q8400
PII X4 945
i5 750

I've pretty much eliminated the C2Q because the AMD chip will/should give me equal or better performance for less money.

What I'm trying to figure out is if the i5 is worth the $100-150 premium over the PII X4 (including extra mobo expense).

I'm thinking I'm going to stick to my budget and get the AMD unless y'all can talk me into wasting more $$.

Thanks.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Here you go: Anand's benches

Keep in mind Anand benches with Turbo Mode enabled.

Is the i5 worth the extra money? I think that depends on what you do. Overall a $100-$150 price premium probably makes it just as good of a deal as the Phenom 945, price/performance wise. So you can't go wrong with either setup, but the 750 will indeed range from being a little to a lot faster, depending on what application you're using, how Turbo Mode works, and if or if not you overclock.

 

[BD231]

I'd invest the money in a better video card or other parts myself, but I'm a gamer so take that into account. The difference is negligible, but you might have more of an upgrade path in the future with an I5.

 

[JDub02]

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
Here you go: Anand's benches

Keep in mind Anand benches with Turbo Mode enabled.

Is the i5 worth the extra money? I think that depends on what you do. Overall a $100-$150 price premium probably makes it just as good of a deal as the Phenom 945, price/performance wise. So you can't go wrong with either setup, but the 750 will indeed range from being a little to a lot faster, depending on what application you're using, how Turbo Mode works, and if or if not you overclock.

Didn't know about that benchmark comparison thing. Very cool. It was exactly what I was looking for.

I'm thinking socket 1156 has more of a future than AM3. I just need to come up with a good reason for the wife to free up the funding.

I'm coming from a Core Duo T2250 (1.73 GHz). I'm sure either one will seem very fast.

Thanks for the input, folks.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3: $125 ($110 AR)

Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333: $80

If you don't care for Crossfire or don't need eSATA the Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 ($80 -- $70 AR) will save a good bit on money. An eSATA bracket is like $5.

With the 95w Phenom 945, 3.6GHz should be a 'slam dunk' - at stock volts if yah got good Karma but you may need a .025v bump. If you want to go higher you may wish to sang the Enzotech Copper Heatsink for you MOSFETs

PSU on eBlast today: Antec EarthWatts 650w: $80 ($63 With Promo Code EMCMLNL52 valid till 10/26). For a single discreet vid card you don't need that much jam --- it's not the best but a decent, solid performer.

I don't think you will notice much of a difference between AMD/Intel on this one --- and the way it looks AM3 is going to boogie well into 2011 and hopefully i5 will be around, then, too --- I'm not sure how s1156 will transition to Westmere.

 

[RussianSensation]

Phenom II 955 BE is only $15 more now on Newegg.

I am not sure how you are getting such a large premium for the Core i5 though. Mobo would be about $130 for Core i5 (UD3R) and the processor is $200 vs. PII 945 at $165 + $110 mobo. So the price difference is a more reasonable $55. There is also Gigabyte UD2 which can be found for $105-110.

 

[JDub02]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Phenom II 955 BE is only $15 more now on Newegg.

I am not sure how you are getting such a large premium for the Core i5 though. Mobo would be about $130 for Core i5 (UD3R) and the processor is $200 vs. PII 945 at $165 + $110 mobo. So the price difference is a more reasonable $55. There is also Gigabyte UD2 which can be found for $105-110.

I was looking at 160 for the PII and 100 for a quality mobo w/ graphics (on board Radeon)

The P55 boards I found were ~150 for a quality one and I'd have to tack on a video card. Plus 200 for the processor.

I'll be ordering tomorrow at lunch. I threw enough questions at the Warden that she told me to do whatever I want. I'm sure she'll still be questioning the CC statement after my ordering spree is over, though.

I'm willing to go i5 if the bang for the buck performance and better upgrade path are there over the PII.

The reason for choosing the 945 over the 955/965 is the lower TDP. The wife specified that the new PC has to be quiet so I can't have a mess of fans to keep the CPU cool.

 

[richierich1212]

You could get the 955/965 and just keep it undervolted. Also any money saved can go towards a SSD.

 

[Munky]

If you do a lot of work with mp3 or movie encoding, or heavy photo editing, I would go with the i5. If you're mostly just gaming, there's no noticeable difference between the PhII and the i5.

 

[JDub02]

Originally posted by: munky
If you do a lot of work with mp3 or movie encoding, or heavy photo editing, I would go with the i5. If you're mostly just gaming, there's no noticeable difference between the PhII and the i5.

The truth is I could probably get away with a cheaper dual core, but I have a bit of Tim Taylor syndrome ... MOAR POWER!!!

I'm trying to hit that sweet spot where it's going to cost me a bunch more money for a little more performance and also where I only save a few bucks by dropping alot of performance ... aka the best bang for the buck.

The hardest work that my computer sees is re-encoding some video for my PSP and every month or so creating a DVD or 2 for my wife's uncle of some TV shows because he doesn't have cable. Next hardest would be Lightroom for some photo touch-ups. Past that, it's just office apps and web browsing.

 

[SmCaudata]

The thing is with the P55 mobos the $110 gigabyte is a "quality" board as you say. Look at the review here on Anandtech. You get decent OC performance and a really nice I/O panel. Since you likely aren't going to OC heavily with the "quiet" requirement, and likely won't have SLI for the same reason, it is a great board. Feature wise, the bottom end P55 boards are on par with mid-level boards from previous chipsets.

 

[MundoX]

I'll go with the i5, there's better power management and a new P55 with sata6Gb and usb3. AMD will only follow on Q1'2010 with this specs. It's more for the future and less heat, but a bit more expensive.

 

[JDub02]

Originally posted by: MundoX
I'll go with the i5, there's better power management and a new P55 with sata6Gb and usb3. AMD will only follow on Q1'2010 with this specs. It's more for the future and less heat, but a bit more expensive.

USB 3.0 is available?