PhII 955BE+5850 vs i5 750+4890?

[phatphoeater]

After failing to get satisfying results with testing a gts 250 on my opteron 170 @ 2.8ghz with the BFBC2 beta on 1680x1050, I'm debating on the above build. I do office work/browse and only intend to play BFBC2 and maybe BF3 if it ever comes out. My current system does everything I need it to except play BFBC2.

I figured I could go with the lower end quad and higher end GPU which would be about $65 more than an i5 750 with a lesser GPU. I think the PhII 955BE would be plenty power for my non gaming tasks and would still have me GPU limited.

My current rig has served me well over the past 5 years and I hope to have the same length of use with my new rig. I don't need a super high benchmarking beast, just something to play decent frames for BFBC2 and maybe BF3.

Is there even more room to go with a lower CPU without getting CPU limited? Like one of the non-BE Ph II x4s? The Ph II x4 925 and 5850 pairing would get me down to only $45 over the i5+4890 option.

 

[Markfw]

I think the PhII 955BE+5850 is a perfect gaming rig. You might actually want to play another game.....

 

[ExcaliburMM]

As a rough rule of thumb, if its for a game, get the bigger GPU.

I think the AMD setup would work well for you, and as long as you OC the 955BE.

You could roll the dice and get a PII X2 550 BE and unlock the other 2 cores, thus granting you a 100$ BE x4.

 

[Markfw]

As a rough rule of thumb, if its for a game, get the bigger GPU.

I think the AMD setup would work well for you, and as long as you OC the 955BE.

You could roll the dice and get a PII X2 550 BE and unlock the other 2 cores, thus granting you a 100$ BE x4.

I did.... I lost....

If you need a quad, get one. I was just playing, so it didn;t matter (see sig)

 

[phatphoeater]

Just saw this fry's combo for $119 after MIR.

phIIx4 945 and am2+ mobo

This appears to be the non BE flavor and some cheap micro atx board with only 2 RAM slots. This would bring my total costs way down as i was expecting to spend about $100 on the mobo for either amd/intel cpu. would running ddr2 1066 be a significant drop-off from ddr3 1600?

edit: another fry's deal for $140 after MIR, dunno if the first one is legit, but this one comes from a newspaper ad

phIIx4 945 and am3 mobo

am3 and 4 ram slots, thoughts?

 

[tweakboy]

Go with Intel my friend. Better tech and faster then Phenom X4 ,,

gl

 

[VirtualLarry]

Go with Intel my friend. Better tech and faster then Phenom X4 ,,

gl

In absolute synthetic benchmarks, perhaps, but for gaming, AMD is hands down the price/performance leader.

 

[cbn]

In absolute synthetic benchmarks, perhaps, but for gaming, AMD is hands down the price/performance leader.

Is this really true?

Core i3 @ 4 Ghz actually beats Phenom II x4 @ 3.4 Ghz in the most heavily quad optimized game to date: Dragon Age Origins.

P.S. I was actually quite shocked by those results. Before the Anandtech review I was speculating that the one game Athlon II x4 (not even Phenom II x4, mind you) would beat Core i3 would be DA:O.

 

[tweakboy]

You can get the best bang for your buck, Get the Phenom II X4 955BE along with a 5870 card. gl

 

[Udgnim]

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/radeon-hd5870-cpu-scaling_4.html#sect0

pay attention to min FPS, resolution scaling, and 8AA/16AF numbers

it doesn't cover the specific CPUs / GPU you're asking about, but it could be used to infer that the CPU with better architecture and higher clocks helps min FPS while average FPS becomes more GPU limited as resolution and AA / AF is increased.

 

[RussianSensation]

Is this really true?

Core i3 @ 4 Ghz actually beats Phenom II x4 @ 3.4 Ghz in the most heavily quad optimized game to date: Dragon Age Origins.

Ok but are you are comparing this with the same videocard (likely 5870)? I would rather choose the PII + 5850 combo.

 

[Markfw]

Is this really true?

Core i3 @ 4 Ghz actually beats Phenom II x4 @ 3.4 Ghz in the most heavily quad optimized game to date: Dragon Age Origins.

P.S. I was actually quite shocked by those results. Before the Anandtech review I was speculating that the one game Athlon II x4 (not even Phenom II x4, mind you) would beat Core i3 would be DA:O.

And why not compare the i3@4 to a Phenom II x4 @ 4 ? even I can get 3.8 out of one. Not fair, max OC on one, but not the other.

 

[Makaveli]

if you are really intent on playing this game the Phenom rig should give you better numbers. However that other guy is right the i7 will give you better min and probably avg fps with the same card.

If you can wait, see how the benchmarks play out then decide what is the better route.

 

[phatphoeater]

if you are really intent on playing this game the Phenom rig should give you better numbers. However that other guy is right the i7 will give you better min and probably avg fps with the same card.

If you can wait, see how the benchmarks play out then decide what is the better route.

I understand that the intel option would perform better with the same GPU. I have been trying to get a handle on the best cost/performance efficiency. The other variable here is BF3, if it ever comes out and how it will play on a given platform.

I'm coming to the realization that I used my current rig for 5 years making only 1 GPU upgrade in the first year. If I can make my next rig last that long, it might be worth "future proofing" by going with the newer i5 750 tech even if it costs another $50. Over 5 years that's $10/yr.

 

[lopri]

I have no idea where this "faster CPU = higher minimum FPS" myth originates from. (?) If anything, faster CPU will give higher maximum FPS. Turn the camera to a blank wall or up above the sky, or any scene where you feel less graphically intense. Usually the FPS will go UP with faster CPUs.

Now, I am not saying that there is no case where CPU affects minimum FPS, but more often than not the opposite is true.

 

[zerocool84]

Always go for the higher GPU. You won't be holding back that 5850 with either but the 5850 is faster than a 4890.

 

[andy5174]

955+5850 ftw!

 

[CraigRT]

955+5850 ftw!

For sure.

I agree that the i7 is better overall, but for a gaming rig on a budget, nothing wrong with AMD.

I recently went through it all and almost went AMD. Fact is, I got a smoking deal on my i7 from a connection through Intel so that was the deciding factor. For a while it was looking like a 955BE for me though.

 

[andy5174]

For sure.

I agree that the i7 is better overall, but for a gaming rig on a budget, nothing wrong with AMD.

I recently went through it all and almost went AMD. Fact is, I got a smoking deal on my i7 from a connection through Intel so that was the deciding factor. For a while it was looking like a 955BE for me though.

Just to clarify that I was just saying that 955+5850 > i5-750+4890 instead of AMD is better.

 

[jinduy]

is it safe to say that comparing the i5/i7 to the phII is a difference of no more than 5fps on average on the same gpu?

 

[andy5174]

is it safe to say that comparing the i5/i7 to the phII is a difference of no more than 5fps on average on the same gpu?

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3641&p=7

 

[DVJ Rick Kraft]

Go with Intel my friend. Better tech and faster then Phenom X4 ,,

gl

Funny thing is I've been a steadfast AMD supporter for years, and since starting video editing, I -must- get an Core i5 soon, for sheer number-crunching power + overclockability. I already have this X2 555 unlocked to an X4 B55 running at 3.83Ghz, but it's not enough!