Phenom II 955 vs Q9550?

[Ertaz]

I've been out of the game for a while. My current pc is an athlon 3200+


I've kind of narrowed it down to these two CPUs as starting points. I want a rig to do standard definition video capture/rendering/burning with an eye towards adding hd-video later.


I plan on using an existing case and using onboard video(unless you guys tell me that's a no-no)

I will be buying:

1 TB HD (7200RPM SATA 32mb)
Motherboard
firewire card (or use a motherboard with a built-in one)
6 to 8 Gigs of Ram(depend on what the board will do)
New 750W Modular psu.
Sata DVD writer.

I want to save as much $ as I can, but I may be willing to spend more...

 

[Ertaz]

I suppose I should have also said: I'd like your suggestions for new hardware, as I hold the anandtech populace in high esteem.

 

[OCGuy]

Both solid processors, buy the one you can get the best deal on.

i7 920 is never a bad idea either, with how cheap the X58 mobos are getting.

 

[michael19]

Why not wait a month and get the same if not better performance than a i7 920 with a i7 860. You will also get less power consumption and heat output. I think you will be much happier with a i7/I5 over a core 2 if you are doing video editing. But if you don't want to wait, I would get a Q9550.

Modular PSU?
http://www.pcpower.com/technology/myths/#m3

nice psu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817703009

I like samsung hds. I have had bad luck with WD and segate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822152102

 

[deputc26]

I would get a Ph 955 due to AMDs far superior integrated graphics. If you are planning on eschewing discrete graphics then I would say the 955 is a no-brainer given the very similar performance of the two CPUs but widely disparate performance of the IGPs especially since you are considering HD content in the future. Get a high end 790gx board.

I'll throw in my opinion and recommend the WD Caviar Black as your Tb drive, it is the fastest and has built itself an excellent rep.

Samsung generally makes the best DVD burners, I like Lightscribe but there's one without it for a couple bucks less.

 

[richierich1212]

You can get the 955, overclock the NB as well.

But maybe if you set a budget people can help more easily.

 

[Keysplayr]

The Q9550 is 20.00 more than the PHII 955. (at newegg)
Which one is actually faster overall?
And if performance is similar, which platform (with comparable mobo's) is cheaper?

Ah, here is a link to AT's PHII 955 review.
Trades Blows. Sometimes neck and neck.

So they are similar in performance. All comes down to price per total platform.
Overclocking (if the OP is so inclined) may weigh in the decision as well. I know the Q9550 can o/c very well, not so sure about the PHII955.

 

[dguy6789]

At stock speeds, the 955 is a tad faster overall. When both are overclocked as far as they go, the Q9550 will have the edge. The Phenom II is cheaper, but DDR3 is more expensive than DDR2. I'd recommend the Phenom II over the Q9550 because Socket AM3 is going to be around for a while and Socket 775 is finished. In two years time, someone who bought a nice AM3 motherboard today could drop in a brand new processor if they wanted. Someone who bought a Q9550 could not.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
At stock speeds, the 955 is a tad faster overall. When both are overclocked as far as they go, the Q9550 will have the edge. I'd recommend the Phenom II over the Q9550 because Socket AM3 is going to be around for a while and Socket 775 is finished. In two years time, someone who bought a nice AM3 motherboard today could drop in a brand new processor if they wanted, someone who bought a Q9550 could not.

I would agree. But at the same token, might want to wait til Sept. and see what the new Intel CPU's and mobos go for. At that point, everything else AMD has to offer will be lower in price anyway. Only about a month out, so it might not hurt to wait this one out.

 

[dguy6789]

Agreed. i5 stuff is supposed to be coming out soon and that could be a very nice option.

 

[dennilfloss]

If one keeps waiting, one will never buy as there's always new hardware on the horizon. I can't say anything about Intel's offerings but I just upgraded from a Socket 939 X2 4200+ with 3GB RAM to my current setup and it feels very much faster. And it runs quite cool at default speed (goes up to 48C when gaming).

 

[apoppin]

either one would be a good choice

the AMD PC gives you more upgrade options; you are dead end with Q9550

.. waiting a *bit* .. might also be OK; but IF you need one now, i'd give the edge to the AMD PC

 

[MegaWorks]

Phenom II X4 955, I might get one for my AMD setup.

 

[Ertaz]

Thanks guys! I don't want to go over $600. If September brings the prices down then I can wait a bit.

 

[Shmee]

If you have a microcenter near you, you can get a Q9550 for $170. Make sure you get the E0 stepping if you pick one out.

Though as said above, waiting might also be wise.

 

[Gikaseixas]

out of these two i'd pick the AMD cpu

but if you don't mind waiting an extra month then a i5 might just be what you need

 

[cusideabelincoln]

For his purposes, waiting and getting a LGA 1156 processor with Hyperthreading would be a good move, although this still might not fit within his budget of $600. It will probably be tough trying to get a Q9550 or 955 within his budget, although it should be doable.

Also, ertaz, why do you want a 750W PSU? You don't really need this much power for this proposed system. Heck you only need one-third that. A good 500W PSU should be plenty and offer room to upgrade, and should be much cheaper than a 750W unit.

 

[dguy6789]

Get a Corsair 520HX It will save you some money and be plenty of juice and is modular. The rig in my signature is using one and at absolute full load it doesn't come close to 500 watts.

 

[Ertaz]

ok so I can scale down the psu and that will save me some $

 

[Darkerson]

Go for the Phenom II 955

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: Ertaz

I will be buying:

1 TB HD (7200RPM SATA 32mb)
Motherboard
firewire card (or use a motherboard with a built-in one)
6 to 8 Gigs of Ram(depend on what the board will do)
New 750W Modular psu.
Sata DVD writer.

I want to save as much $ as I can, but I may be willing to spend more...

Phenom II X4 810: $145
(the 820 should be out soon)

Asus AM3 785G : $100
(with eSATA and firewire)

G.Skill 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1333: $115

Samsung Black 22X SATA DVD Burner: $29

2 x WD Caviar Black 500Gb hard drives: $120
(with code EMCLWLT28 valid till 11:59pm PT 08/07/2009)

Corsair 450w power supply: $75 ($60AR)


Total: $585 ($560 AR)



I'd blow the $600 budget by $20 (after the rebate) and purchase a third hard drive. I'd create a 60Gb or so partition on one of the drives for your OS/Apps and use the remainder for long-term storage. You could then either RAID the remaining 2 drives or I would use them independently: one for capture/working and one for final output.

Carefully review you software recommendations for hard drive set up.