intel vs amd upgrade

[amenx]

In gaming (and other benchmarks), the i5-760 rapes the 1055t:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/191?vs=147

Even though the 1156 is a dead end upgrade road, I've found I tend to upgrade the mobo anyway with each and every CPU change. A same socket mobo doesnt mean very much if a newer CPU is more optimized for a newer chipset that takes advantage of newer features on the CPU. (as in the 775 socket)

 

[oliharan92]

it never seems like a good time to upgrade to me because im always left thinking somethings just around the corner. but tbh i just want to get it done! will there be vast improvement in my fps if i wait for the new cpus?

 

[Gikaseixas]

use your current memory and get a cheap AM2+ MB and a 1055T

 

[oliharan92]

should i pay the extra for an i7 or stick to a i5? is there much diffrence?

 

[ther00kie16]

i7 has HT so in addition to 4 physical cores, you get 4 logical cores. It's a pretty big deal for $60 difference: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.493876 (only $60 more than cheapest i5 combo). Might as well get the best possible for the platform now since there will be no new generations for 1156.

 

[Sp12]

should i pay the extra for an i7 or stick to a i5? is there much diffrence?

Depends on what you're doing. Some apps, like games, actually show slight negative scaling with hyperthreading. Others, like video encoding and 3D productivity work (Maya, autodesk) can get significant (20%+) boosts from it.

 

[ther00kie16]

Depends on what you're doing. Some apps, like games, actually show slight negative scaling with hyperthreading. Others, like video encoding and 3D productivity work (Maya, autodesk) can get significant (20%+) boosts from it.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/9
Don't really see any negative scaling. Besides, if op is looking for any future-proofing, extra $60 to step up from i5 to i7 isn't bad at all.

 

[oliharan92]

Just to let you know I live in the uk and prices for this kinda stuff is higher over here lol

 

[betasub]

Having recently bought hardware in the UK, I'm well aware of the £ mark-up for i7 over i5-750/760.

If you don't know already whether your usage benefits any from going i7, then you should definitely stick to i5-750/760. A fast quad at a reasonable price.

 

[taltamir]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/9
Don't really see any negative scaling. Besides, if op is looking for any future-proofing, extra $60 to step up from i5 to i7 isn't bad at all.

what future proofing? the i7 is faster than the i5, but it is not in any way more future proof.
The question the op needs to ask himself is "how much am I willing to pay for an increase of X% in performance".
As long as he knows exactly what X is and exactly how much more it costs and exactly how much more he is willing to spend for it, then the decision is easy. And its something only he can decide, based on his wealth and willingness to spend it on computer components.

 

[bryanW1995]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/9
Don't really see any negative scaling. Besides, if op is looking for any future-proofing, extra $60 to step up from i5 to i7 isn't bad at all.

terrible advice.

OP, you have 2 options:

i5 760 is one way to go, it's inexpensive, mobos are reasonable to go with it, and it is unbelievably easy to clock up to 4ghz +. I got i7 920 largely b/c of ht, it's mostly marketing fluff (plus a huge PITA to oc with it). this is definitely going to be FAST and should last you a long time at a reasonable price. For your usage you will probably not in the entire lifetime of the computer wish that you had gotten an i7 instead. When it's obsoleet and time to upgrade any i7 rig @ 4ghz would be as well. you will need to upgrade to ddr3 for this.

x3 720 or similar cpu that is "unlockable" to x4 would allow you to keep your ddr2. probably saves you about $100-$150 total though won't be as fast. you will no longer be cpu limited in the vast majority of games (including the ones you listed). oc should be ok on one of these, figure 3.5 or so, and unlocking 4th core is not guaranteed.

 

[taltamir]

terrible advice.

OP, you have 2 options:

i5 760 is one way to go, it's inexpensive, mobos are reasonable to go with it, and it is unbelievably easy to clock up to 4ghz +. I got i7 920 largely b/c of ht, it's mostly marketing fluff (plus a huge PITA to oc with it). this is definitely going to be FAST and should last you a long time at a reasonable price. For your usage you will probably not in the entire lifetime of the computer wish that you had gotten an i7 instead. When it's obsoleet and time to upgrade any i7 rig @ 4ghz would be as well. you will need to upgrade to ddr3 for this.

x3 720 or similar cpu that is "unlockable" to x4 would allow you to keep your ddr2. probably saves you about $100-$150 total though won't be as fast. you will no longer be cpu limited in the vast majority of games (including the ones you listed). oc should be ok on one of these, figure 3.5 or so, and unlocking 4th core is not guaranteed.

not everyone OCes and unlocks cores.

 

[Voo]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/9
Don't really see any negative scaling. Besides, if op is looking for any future-proofing, extra $60 to step up from i5 to i7 isn't bad at all.

Negative scaling was mostly a problem with XP/Vista.. Win7 handles virtual cores much better and you shouldn't see any negative scaling.

 

[taltamir]

Negative scaling was mostly a problem with XP/Vista.. Win7 handles virtual cores much better and you shouldn't see any negative scaling.

also, there is turbo boost and its AMD equivalent.

 

[ther00kie16]

$60 more for stepping up to i7 isn't terrible. Once games start taking advantage of more cores, it would be very useful. If op were to go with an i5, it may eventually be worthless if he decides to upgrade the CPU only to an i7, at which point it would've been better to get an i7 in the first place.

But this is beside the point now that we know op lives in UK. If you want to recommend an unlock, could try a AM2+ 5000 and just sell it if it doesn't unlock. Phenom x3 is fine but it's getting pretty rare as it was an AM2+ part. I would recommend against it though since AMD is worse than Intel when it comes to gaming. Looking at the review again,
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/9
the x6 loses out to core 2 quad at the same clocks. And those core 2 quads generally oc to 4ghz easier than any of the AMDs, sometimes on stock volts. So if op wants to use his DDR2, I'd say look into prices for a q9650/q9550/q9450 and then q9500/q9400. Any of those 5 processors should have a good chance of hitting 4ghz and would beat any AM3 CPU in gaming.

EDIT: just to illustrate my point -
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/146?vs=48

 

[amenx]

I was faced with the same question recently, to go i7 or i5. After researching, reading many reviews, benches, there seems a few areas that the i7 betters the i5, but gaming is not one of them. OP needs to study which areas of performance matter most to him.

Heres an i5 750 vs i7 920 performance comparison overview. These procs are same speed (2.66mhz). In gaming, the 750 does a little better than the 920 due to its slightly more aggressive turbo-mode. I think very few (if any) games atm support more than 4 threads or hyperthreading for the i7 to take advantage of.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/109?vs=47