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Should I get the Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8GHz?

L

llee8820

Member
At B&M Microcenters, they are having a sale on Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8GHz + Motherboards. I can get this http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr.....] id=0358103 and this http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0358103 for a mere $158. I currently have a Intel e7200 2.53 Ghz dual core and was going to hold out and buy a i5 2500k next year when I could find another sale for the i5. But this deal looks good too. What do you guys think? Should I hold out or jump on this? How does this hex core CPU hold out against the i5? I'm sure I'll see an improvement if I upgrade to this AMD CPU, but I'm afraid that an i5 is that much better and should wait.

As for the motherboard I'm fine as it is simple. I'm not going to crossfire, and I think my e7200 is bottlenecking my 6870, hence wanting to upgrade. Only think I would like is usb 3.0. If i get a usb 3.0 pci express card attachement, is this essentially the same thing?

I should also add that I am not a hardcore gamer. My 6870 is a recent purchase, but that was only for Skyrim which I play on occasion. I'm in grad school so I don't forsee myself playing games often. I'm more looking into a general boost in performance overall.


Thanks for the input guys.
 
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jhu said:
What software do you plan to run with your computer?
Click to expand...

Uh..not a lot lol. I'm no graphics artist, nor a computer programmer. I'm a grad student so I mostly use my computer for writing papers, browsing the internet (god I sound like a idiot), and on occasions some games.

I guess I'm just looking for an excuse to spend money on a computer upgrade since it has been about 3 and a half years. I just don't know if its justifiably to drop $300 on a i5 2500k with mobo rather than a this phenom/mobo for $158.
 
Vesku said:
Are there any non-MSI options? It's just MSI has had historically bad power distribution on many of their motherboards, not sure of the VRM situation for that particular motherboard.

See: http://www.overclock.net/t/1173276/please-msi-make-better-boards-pretty-please and several other threads in that forum.
Click to expand...

There are but they are all mATX and I'm pretty sure my case is an ATX case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16811156189). So this motherboard is my only choice 🙁
 
MSI boards are great. They use the same high grade Japanese capacitors as any other high grade motherboards and overclock very well. The power phase at times is where they fall short, but even so it shouldn't stop you from maxing out that x6.

Definitely jump on it, that will be a nite and day upgrade you can't beat for the money. That's a free motherboard.
 
Vesku said:
Are there any non-MSI options? It's just MSI has had historically bad power distribution on many of their motherboards, not sure of the VRM situation for that particular motherboard.

See: http://www.overclock.net/t/1173276/please-msi-make-better-boards-pretty-please and several other threads in that forum.
Click to expand...

Seems like everything still works. If I were in your situation, I'd save my money until my computer is unable to do what I want, then I'd start looking. A faster and cheaper computer is always going to be just around the corner.
 
I have that same setup except the MSI 890gx board and with an OC'd 460 gtx its a pretty darn solid system. I have mine Oc'd to 3.5-4.1Ghz with all auto settings and turbo enabled, 244Mhz FSB.

It will definitely meet all your i5 expectations as well, you will just have to figure out what to do with that extra $200 in your wallet.
 
I still use a C2D laptop to write papers and surf the net. I only use my desktop to play Skyrim. You'll be fine with a 1055t. Put an SSD in there and it'll fly, at least for your purposes.

Also, you can fit an mATX board into an ATX case, just not the other way around.
 
Good buy. Don't worry about the MSI board, there was a bios update that solved the burning VRM issue a while ago I believe
.
 
Ok I lied one more question too. Did I read this right and this phenom is 45nm? So if my e7200 is a 45nm also, I should in theory be able to use the same CPU cooler. I have a artic cooler CPU fan that has proven me well over the past years. Its more money to save!
 
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llee8820 said:
Ok I lied one more question too. Did I read this right and this phenom is 45nm? So if my e7200 is a 45nm also, I should in theory be able to use the same CPU cooler. I have a artic cooler CPU fan that has proven me well over the past years. Its more money to save!
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Not necessarily. Check to see if your cooler supports socket AM2+/AM3 or if it has the necessary mounting brackets (it should). Coolers aren't "rated" by the process size, they're rated by the sockets they can mount to.
 
chubbyfatazn said:
Not necessarily. Check to see if your cooler supports socket AM2+/AM3 or if it has the necessary mounting brackets (it should). Coolers aren't "rated" by the process size, they're rated by the sockets they can mount to.
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Hrmmmm. I bought this one in 2008. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134. Now the newegg page says "new rev.2" that supports AM3. When I bought it in 2008 it was already rev.2, so now I have no idea if it will support AM3 or not...great.
 
llee8820 said:
Hrmmmm. I bought this one in 2008. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134. Now the newegg page says "new rev.2" that supports AM3. When I bought it in 2008 it was already rev.2, so now I have no idea if it will support AM3 or not...great.
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The mount didn't change from AM2+ to AM3, so you're probably good. I remember using my AC Freezer Pro 64 that I pulled from my 939 system on my current AM2+ system. AM3 didn't come out until early 2009, hence the "new" revision. Worst case scenario, buy a CM 212+ for $25 😛
 
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chubbyfatazn said:
The mount didn't change from AM2+ to AM3, so you're probably good. I remember using my AC Freezer Pro 64 that I pulled from my 939 system on my current AM2+ system. AM3 didn't come out until early 2009, hence the "new" revision. Worst case scenario, buy a CM 212+ for $25 😛
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Cool thanks for the help. I'll try it first, worst comes to worst I can always go stock until I buy a better one.
 
MSI motherboards...the only board I ever had catch fire on me...and only because I overclocked my new X6 Processor...I will never use MSI again btw.
 
jhu said:
Seems like everything still works. If I were in your situation, I'd save my money until my computer is unable to do what I want, then I'd start looking. A faster and cheaper computer is always going to be just around the corner.
Click to expand...

Getting a setup that brings you to i5/i7 performance levels with the motherboard included for $160 bucks is major. You're lookin at $220 minimum on just one of those CPU's alone.
 
If you don't do anything demanding then AMD cpu is ok choice.
Then again that 160$ is more than microcenter was asking for 2500k so technically you are wasting 60% of budget needed to jump to much better cpu that will last years more than X6 before it feels slow.
 
zlejedi said:
If you don't do anything demanding then AMD cpu is ok choice.
Then again that 160$ is more than microcenter was asking for 2500k so technically you are wasting 60% of budget needed to jump to much better cpu that will last years more than X6 before it feels slow.
Click to expand...

That might not always be true, talking about the future. Programs scaling to use more cores could give X6 cpus longer legs then the rest of the phenom II line. 2500K is more powerfull of course, but its still locked at X4.
 
zlejedi said:
If you don't do anything demanding then AMD cpu is ok choice.
Then again that 160$ is more than microcenter was asking for 2500k so technically you are wasting 60% of budget needed to jump to much better cpu that will last years more than X6 before it feels slow.
Click to expand...

What defines "demanding"?

At least for me, my 1090t drives my 2 cards to 99% usage in BF3, the witcher 2 and Skyrim.

It also allows me to browse the web, run Photoshop/Illustrator and watch blue ray on 3 separate screen.

I do a lot of compression as well and it drives my SSD to the wall.

So, really, an X6 is just as good as the $200 more expensive counter-price intel chip for every day task quad-core, and then some.
 
zlejedi said:
If you don't do anything demanding then AMD cpu is ok choice.
Then again that 160$ is more than microcenter was asking for 2500k so technically you are wasting 60% of budget needed to jump to much better cpu that will last years more than X6 before it feels slow.
Click to expand...
I own both so I don't really care. But I do lots of video editing... consistently loading cores to 90-100%. At this load, it can give 2500k a good run for its money.

Talking about the future... I suspect, multi-threading shall increase its importance with time.

The current "problem" with software (mostly games minus BF3) on AMD systems is inability to fully utilize hardware resources.

If you can afford, however, get a 2700k / 3960x instead ;-p
 
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The 1055T is $119.99 at microcenter. The site still shows $139.99, however if you click on the bundle, it comes in at $119.99.
The Gigabyte board (GA-78LMT-S2P) also has a $10 rebate. The rebate works even with the free board. I've done this twice.

For the price, it is difficult to pass up. I have 2 of the gigabyte boards. One is powering the 1055T. Sure, it's a micro atx board, but it easily holds my 212+ cooler and ripjaws ram (not the x).

In Chicago, it cost me $130 after tax for the combo.
 
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