A little technical 'advice' needed

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DaEvAnAm

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Hi there,

I'm not entirely sure if this is the correct place or even the correct forum to post such a post, but I’ll give it a go. My mother (KatOH) suggested i post this query here so here goes.

Basically, I’m busy designing my new PC which will be used to programming and gaming so it needs to be quite a powerful system. I've been debating on whether to go for the core i5 750 CPU or the AMD X4 Phenom 965 BE. As far as I’ve gathered, the overclocking capability of the Intel chip sets it slightly ahead of the AMD chip. Your thoughts on my dilemma would be appreciated.

Just another thing to add, which motherboard would you suggest for each chip. I've read reviews on the Asus P7H55D, but i've gathered there are several variations to the same board which is adding to my confusion.

On the AMD motherboard side, Asus M4A79XTD seems to be the best board for what im looking to do. So there isnt too much confusion that side, but if you have any other suggests, feel free to contribute.

Thanks
 
Very little difference between the i5 750 and 965. Just choose whichever one makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. If you are overclocking the latest 965 revision has dropped it to 125W (down from 140) so it overclocks to give the same performance as the i5 can. The Phenoms do run cooler though which is nice.

As for the mobo's, I'd avoid those Asus boards cause they only have 4 pin CPU power sockets, instead of everyone else who is putting 8 pin power plugs on for the CPU. Probably makes very little real world difference, but if you are overclocking then those few more copper lanes on the board could provide better longevity/stability. Just look for something at the same pricepoint from other vendors and you'll be fine.
 
I have 2 issues. 1 being the longevitity of the i5-750 and im not too sure if we have the revised version of the 965 in SA yet do we?
 
The Phenoms do run cooler though which is nice.
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They do? The Intel's run cooler in all the tests I've seen - they use less power.
I have 2 issues. 1 being the longevitity of the i5-750 and im not too sure if we have the revised version of the 965 in SA yet do we?
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Do you mean the longevity of the Socket-1156 platform? Because the CPU itself is usually the most durable component in a PC. No issues with longevity there.
I'm not sure if SA have the new revisions of the 965.
The i5-750 is also a pretty good deal IMO, but so is the Phenom II 965. Great time to be a buyer!
 
Yes, i meant the socket life. I'm not sure if i've been misinformed, but i keep hearing something about an Instanbul chip coming out, 6 cores or something outrageous like that. Surely that would shift the 1156 down a level and put the 1366 into the 1156 place as the mid to high end CPU.
 
Well Intel have the 6-core Nehalem on Socket 1366.

Socket 1366 is definitely high-end, and 1156 is midrange to highish end. Nothing wrong with it!
 
The 6core for desktop should be here in 2months and actually be affordable to mere mortals.

Platform wise AM3 has more longevity.
 
Ok, well, if you were in my position, looking to do what i want to do with my pc (Gaming and programming) which CPU would you go for?

Theortically speaking, of course :P
 
It doesn't matter - Intel and AMD have pretty much the same price/performance across the range. You can't go wrong. Choose your fav.
 
Synaesthesia said:
They do? The Intel's run cooler in all the tests I've seen - they use less power.
Do you mean the longevity of the Socket-1156 platform? Because the CPU itself is usually the most durable component in a PC. No issues with longevity there.
I'm not sure if SA have the new revisions of the 965.
The i5-750 is also a pretty good deal IMO, but so is the Phenom II 965. Great time to be a buyer!
Click to expand...

On the stock cooler the i5 gets to around 80 degrees, phenoms top out at 60.

Anyway, yes we do have the C3 version of the 965, eg over here. And neither platform (1156 or AM3) will dissappear any time soon. But AMD will let you drop in a six core CPU in the coming months (probably around June for between $200 - 300), whereas the roadmap for 6 cores CPUs on the Intel side are so far restricted to the 1366 socket.
 
Ok, thanks for clearing that up alot.

So effectively, i can just sell my X4 and pop in an X6 chip into my same mobo, AM3?

Well, thats just convient.

Thanks once again.
 
DaEvAnAm said:
Ok, thanks for clearing that up alot.

So effectively, i can just sell my X4 and pop in an X6 chip into my same mobo, AM3?

Well, thats just convient.

Thanks once again.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you may need a bios update though.
 
Ye, but thats just alittle flashing and a new CPU. Its not like i need a new Mobo and CPU and so on and so forth.

Thanks alot guys.
 
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