What's best AMD for general use?

[holabr]

I'm building a new AMD system for general use. I do want to do some video editing and gaming but primarily I use the system for digital photo editing/storage, internet surfing and office applications. I am looking at a 870, 880 or 890 mobo but really haven't figured out which is best yet. My question is what processor will satisfy my needs without being overkill. Since I keep my systems for a relatively long time (4 to 5 years) should I go for the X6 non BE or is an X4 BE a better buy. The choices are:

X6 1055T 2.8Ghz non-BE at $199
X4 965 3.4Ghz BE at $179
X4 955 3.2Ghz BE at $159

Also do the 2 extra cores make up for the processor speed? I would like to do some OC. Can even the non-BE be OC'ed and what are the expected max speed for each of these? How much OCing can the stock HSF handle?

 

[Vette73]

See what programs you will be mostly using. If they can use 6 cores then go for the 1055T. The 955 is not a 6 core CPU, its also a 4 core.

Now the best bang for the buck would be one of the $100 4 core Athlon X4's. You live near a microcenter?
If not then for $100...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103882

if you want L3 cache then for $139...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103809

and lastly the $200 X6

Also is you are not going to do more then 1 video card then the 870 chipset with a 8XX series southbridge would also be the bang for the buck as well. I like gigabyte and Asrock. Asrock is little cheaper but you give up a little as well.

 

[abbadaba]

If your primary workload is photo work you may want to check if your photo editing software is optimized for six cores. If it is get the X6 otherwise get the X4.

All of those chips are overkill for office apps/surfing, none of them are overkill for gaming/video editing.

The X4 chips will be faster for games.

The X6 should be faster for video editing.

The non BE can be overclocked but it is more difficult and requires more fiddling with BIOS settings. Most enthusiasts don't recommend overclocking with a stock HSF.

Think I got most of your questions.

 

[holabr]

I definitely like the Gigabyte motherboards. I'm trying to decide between the

GA-870A-UD3 with an MSI R4350-MD512H Radeon HD 4350 512MB video card ($122 after rebates)
GA-880GA-UD3H with on-board 4250 video ($118)
GA-890GPA-UD3H with on-board 4290 video ($140)
GA-890XA-UD3 with the same MSI R4350 video card ($140 after rebates)

All use the SB850 southbridge and the northbridge is 870, 880G, 890GX and 790X respectively.

Any suggestions?

 

[soccerballtux]

If your primary workload is photo work you may want to check if your photo editing software is optimized for six cores. If it is get the X6 otherwise get the X4.

All of those chips are overkill for office apps/surfing, none of them are overkill for gaming/video editing.

The X4 chips will be faster for games.

The X6 should be faster for video editing.

The non BE can be overclocked but it is more difficult and requires more fiddling with BIOS settings. Most enthusiasts don't recommend overclocking with a stock HSF.

Think I got most of your questions.

I think a 3.4ghz chip might be a little better for his photo editing needs than a hex 2.8ghz processor, because of the clock speed. But that's just me.

 

[holabr]

Newegg actually has a $10 gift card promotion with the 1055T now.

Another novice question:
Will Windows 7 allocate the processors to the app or do the apps have to be written to use multiple processors? In other words if I am running 4 single thread apps will the OS assign each to a different processor?

 

[abbadaba]

I think a 3.4ghz chip might be a little better for his photo editing needs than a hex 2.8ghz processor, because of the clock speed. But that's just me.

This chart here shows the X6 processors outperforming the X4s at applying a buncha filters to a TIF image in Photoshop. So long as the program is sufficiently multi-threaded multiple cores should beat higher clocks.

And yeah holabr if you are running a bunch of single threaded apps the workload should automatically get spread amongst the cores in most cases.

 

[Markfw]

I think a 3.4ghz chip might be a little better for his photo editing needs than a hex 2.8ghz processor, because of the clock speed. But that's just me.

He said he would OC, those two chips both OC, in fact the 1055T has a very good chance of getting 4 ghz !!!!

 

[Sp12]

Indeed, the 1055t is a E0 revision chip, those 955/965s have a chance to be C3.

1055t will overclock much better.

 

[evolucion8]

Even if he gets the latest 965 revision which overclocks to 4GHz like a dream, a 1055T at 4GHz will be faster nevertheless.

 

[DrMrLordX]

1055t will overclock much better.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. E0 stepping ftw.

Whether his applications can use six cores or not, he will probably get a 100-200 mhz advantage going with the 1055T after overclocking, unless his motherboard is beyond terrible. Plus, let's not forget about turbo (if he decides to use it).

 

[ShawnD1]

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. E0 stepping ftw.

Whether his applications can use six cores or not, he will probably get a 100-200 mhz advantage going with the 1055T after overclocking, unless his motherboard is beyond terrible. Plus, let's not forget about turbo (if he decides to use it).

If he gets a motherboard cheaper than $100 then he has no hope in hell of getting it up to 4ghz. I think I paid something like $120 for my board and it's a 790GX chipset but it still won't go any higher than 270mhz bus (at 14x multiplier that would be 3780mhz). Other motherboards in my house use the 785 chipset and they only go up to 250mhz bus. If you want to hit 4ghz on a $50 motherboard, you can only do that with a black edition processor. It might be best to just get a quad core black then buy a really cheap board.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Didn't Mark get 4.2 ghz on his 1055T using an $80 motherboard? Or did he spring for the 1090T? <-- a quick check of his sig indicates 1090T

edit: it's open-box (YMMV), but:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813130223R

That's my board. I've done 315 mhz HTT with it before, and it probably has more headroom (RAM is my limiting factor since the 1:2 ratio is b0rked on these c2 chips I keep running). 790FX boards are getting phased out in many places, but you can probably get an equally-good 790FX board somewhere for less.

 

[jvroig]

I think I paid something like $120 for my board and it's a 790GX chipset but it still won't go any higher than 270mhz bus (at 14x multiplier that would be 3780mhz).

In that case, can you still use Turbo so that you are normally at 3.78GHz but can go higher (4 - 4.1 GHz if the Turbo can be set to 15 or 15.5x multiplier) when only 3 cores or less are used?

If so, that might be a way to get around using cheaper boards while settling for a 1055T.

 

[LoneNinja]

Honestly Athlon II X4 comes to mind due to the thread title. Usually general use doesn't call for one of AMD's top of the line processors. lol

Really it comes to what you want to spend, I would personally go with either the 955 to save money, or get the 1055 for the extra cores. I just don't like where the 965 is priced when a cheaper 955 gives you equal overclocking or the slightly more expensive 1055 gives you 2 more cores.

 

[Scali]

This chart here shows the X6 processors outperforming the X4s at applying a buncha filters to a TIF image in Photoshop. So long as the program is sufficiently multi-threaded multiple cores should beat higher clocks.

It also shows that the Core i5 750 outperforms the 1055T...
i5 750 is a good compromise... nice turbo mode for good gaming performance, and its 4 cores are very fast, so it holds its own in multithreaded environments well.
It also overclocks like a maniac, and is about the same price as a 1055T.

So: forget AMD, get Intel.

 

[ShawnD1]

It also shows that the Core i5 750 outperforms the 1055T...
i5 750 is a good compromise... nice turbo mode for good gaming performance, and its 4 cores are very fast, so it holds its own in multithreaded environments well.
It also overclocks like a maniac, and is about the same price as a 1055T.

So: forget AMD, get Intel.

Yeah, the i5 overclocks well if you spend an extra $50 on an aftermarket cooler. Guys have posted pics here where the thing runs 80C even at stock speeds.

 

[Scali]

Yeah, the i5 overclocks well if you spend an extra $50 on an aftermarket cooler. Guys have posted pics here where the thing runs 80C even at stock speeds.

You'd want an aftermarket cooler on the AMD anyway, if you want to overclock it. So I don't see the problem.
And $50? Yea only if you go for a high-end one. A $30-$35 Zalman will do just fine aswell, if you don't want super high-end cooling.

 

[DrMrLordX]

So: forget AMD, get Intel.

The OP asked about AMD CPUs, not Intel CPUs. If he had wanted an i5-760 (750 has been more or less replaced), he would have asked about one.

edit: A Zalman HSF? Are you serious?

 

[Scali]

The OP asked about AMD CPUs, not Intel CPUs. If he had wanted an i5-760 (750 has been more or less replaced), he would have asked about one.

He didn't specify why he'd want an AMD CPU though (I can't think of any reason, but why don't we let him explain himself).
I'm just pointing out that Intel has some options that may suit his particular needs better.

With you it's simple, you're a fanboy.


It is unacceptable and highly counter-productive to call names in the midst of a serious technical discussion, no matter your personal feelings. You will be infracted for this, and it is NOT to be repeated.

Perknose
Forum Director

 

[jvroig]

How about let's all stop it right there and let the OP return here for comment before this turns into yet another Intel vs AMD thread, which previously it wasn't. He can tell us why he wanted an AMD system (in which case we can then resume the previous course of this thread) or if he would be amenable to a lynnfield system (in which case we can then open up the thread to superior Intel alternatives).

For all we know, the OP already has an AM2 system or just simply wants to reuse existing DDR2 RAM, hence an AM3 processor in an AM2+ board was desired. We just won't know until he comes back.

 

[Scali]

For all we know, the OP already has an AM2 system or just simply wants to reuse existing DDR2 RAM, hence an AM3 processor in an AM2+ board was desired. We just won't know until he comes back.

I thought about it, but since he mentioned motherboards (with DDR3 support)... I figured not.

 

[heyheybooboo]

GA-890GPA-UD3H / Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333: $218

or

Phenom 945 / Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3: $270


The 890gx (and -fx) are more likely to get BIOS updates for BD Zambezi.




--

 

[jvroig]

I thought about it, but since he mentioned motherboards (with DDR3 support)... I figured not.

Right, I missed that. Well that's one reason down off the top of my head. Aside from possibly cheaper motherboards, I personally can't see any other reason when the CPU budget is good enough for lynnfields. I suppose we'll see when he gets back and enlightens us.

 

[soccerballtux]

He said he would OC, those two chips both OC, in fact the 1055T has a very good chance of getting 4 ghz !!!!

Oh that changes it, I missed that detail. I think he should upgrade his HS though.