Phenom II X6 vs AMD quads

[BoomerD]

Boomer, as good as the i5/i7 are for games, if you can hold out until SB that would be the ideal solution. Intel generally doesn't discount EOL products, just look back at the Core 2 lineup after Core i7 was released, prices didn't drop at all, and I wouldn't bet on them dropping this round either.

I'd be looking at the i5 2500K, yes I realise you don't overclock right now, but if you ever decide to dabble in it, you will greatly appreciate the unlocked multiplier. The 'K' version denotes that the chip is unlocked, and it's only some ~$10 more than a locked i5 2500. Overclocking an i5 2500K will be easy, all you have to do is literally increase the multiplier in the BIOS and do the usual tests for stability. I'd wager 99% of i5 2500Ks can do 4GHz (stock is 3.3GHz/3.7GHz Turbo) out of the box, early samples of these chips have been pushed as high as 5GHz, albeit with high voltages.

In regards to onboard sound, honestly my 3 year old X-Fi Xtrememusic blows away any onboard sound that I've heard of, it's just so much crisper. Most mobos nowadays have 'OK' onboard sound, but if you are after quality sound an aftermarket soundcard is a must IMO.

I agree that a dedicated sound card usually sounds MUCH better...and I WILL get one eventually...but want "decent or better on-board sound for now.

Everything I've read indicates that Intel will be showing off the Sandy Bridge at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. If the expected prices stay where they are now, that should make for some sweet deals...IF motherboard prices are reasonable. (The socket 1366 boards are pretty spendy)

Of course, there's no telling how long it will take before these processors are available on the general market...

Even though I'm (finally) ready to drop the hammer on a new i5 build, I'll probably hold off until the Sandy Bridge release...just out of curiosity.

 

[perdomot]

Real world update on my switch from my X3 720BE@3.4 Ghz to the i5-760 2.8Ghz. Haven't OC'd it yet but I ran a test on video encoding and the difference is staggering. I encoded an MKV file with subs using Mediacoder in 2:21 avg FPS of 245. The 720 took 5:30 avg FPS 105. Can't wait to see what its like when I OC to 4Ghz.

 

[brownstone]

Real world update on my switch from my X3 720BE@3.4 Ghz to the i5-760 2.8Ghz. Haven't OC'd it yet but I ran a test on video encoding and the difference is staggering. I encoded an MKV file with subs using Mediacoder in 2:21 avg FPS of 245. The 720 took 5:30 avg FPS 105. Can't wait to see what its like when I OC to 4Ghz.

That is remarkable! Thanks for the real world update, as I enjoy real user scenarios much more than synthetic/canned benchmarks.

 

[brownstone]

I think you will notice a difference in games where the minimum framerate is below 60fps (or ~30fps in non FPS games like SC2).

I've got both games and there *is* a noticeable difference between my i5 750 @ stock and at my 24/7 overclock of 3.65GHz, especially in the case of SC2. It's not a 'night and day' difference but I can appreciate the extra performance, minimum framerates never drop below mid 30s when overclocked whereas they can sometimes dip into the 20s at stock clocks.

Out of curiosity, what video card are you using on your i5 system?

 

[brownstone]

Excellent card. I recently moved to a 6870 from a 4890 with a small gtx460 stop in between. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably have just stuck with the 4890 for awhile longer...oh well, live and learn. I do really enjoy the 6870 though and the 460 wasn't a bad stop gap either, but it was the 768mb version.

 

[Deathhorse]

Excellent card. I recently moved to a 6870 from a 4890 with a small gtx460 stop in between. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably have just stuck with the 4890 for awhile longer...oh well, live and learn. I do really enjoy the 6870 though and the 460 wasn't a bad stop gap either, but it was the 768mb version.

i always feel short changed when i upgrade cards. I blame it on not being patient and the human nature to consume.

 

[betasub]

^ ah, the curse of the Human Condition!

 

[brownstone]

i always feel short changed when i upgrade cards. I blame it on not being patient and the human nature to consume.

That sums it up nicely...in this case I don't feel shortchanged performance wise, but by the fact that I could have had an extra $350 or so right now and still have a good card.

 

[perdomot]

Another real world update: Able to OC the 760 to 4Ghz with idle temp of 55 on this HSF. Waiting for my better HSF. Ran the video encoder and although the system overheated and shut down, I saw the FPS jump to 360. Can't wait for the new cooler to get here.

 

[GundamF91]

Excellent card. I recently moved to a 6870 from a 4890 with a small gtx460 stop in between. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably have just stuck with the 4890 for awhile longer...oh well, live and learn. I do really enjoy the 6870 though and the 460 wasn't a bad stop gap either, but it was the 768mb version.

Hey Brownstone, for reference, how much did GTX460 feel faster compared to 4890? And then again how did 6870 feel compared to 460? Reason I'm asking is that I have 4850...which is getting pretty old, and I'd like to jump to something better...but just not sure what card yet.

Just to be sure I'm on point about CPU. I have the Q9450 oc'd to 3.4Ghz for daily use, and I don't think that's the bottleneck on games. It should still do pretty well with new GPUs.