# i7, i5 or am3?



## DrOctopus (Sep 6, 2009)

Planning to sell my rig to a friend of mine that needs a desktop, i have some money from one of my other systems that i sold also. So i currently have the three options go i7 go i5 (im in china its out already) or go am3. Which chipset do you think will be most future-proof/ best choice? 

Current mock-ups:

i7 920 do
Msi m-atx X58M
6gb 1333 

3400kuai: 490usd

i5 750
p7p55d
4gb 1600

3300kuai: 475usd

x4 955
dfi lp 790fx
4gb 1600

2800kuai: 400usd

Thanks in advance!


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## erocker (Sep 6, 2009)

What is the main purpose of your computer?


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## BroBQ (Sep 6, 2009)

am3


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## ShadowFold (Sep 6, 2009)

If you're just gaming, go with the AM3, but step it down to a 720BE and get a better GPU


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## DrOctopus (Sep 6, 2009)

yeah, im just gaming mainly. but i have plenty of money atm, so i wanna go quite hi-end. so that i dont have to upgrade cpu for a while. I basically want a solid rig that can handle new gpu's for the next 1-2yrs (if possible). This will also be the last rig i build before movin bak to aus.

Im kind of leaning towards i7/i5 because you can crossfire/sli, which would be good for future upgrades.


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## DonInKansas (Sep 6, 2009)

You can CF/SLi in AM3 too, dude.


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## IINexusII (Sep 6, 2009)

DonInKansas said:


> You can CF/SLi in AM3 too, dude.



really? which motherboard does that


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 6, 2009)

#6 yeah i would like to know that too


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## human_error (Sep 6, 2009)

#6 doesn't know what #6 is talking about, there are no AMD boards which can do sli and cf currently(and am3 boards which can do sli are quite uncommon atm). If you're gonna do multi-gpu setups i'd say go i7 as that is the most powerful setup and so is least likely to cpu bottleneck future multi gpu setups, although there is no guarantee that it would or even if the cpu bottleneck would matter.

The one thing you can consider is that i5 if you want to upgrade to have more pci-e lanes in the future (say x16 x16 in sli/cf) you'd need to replace both the board and the cpu, whereas the am3 or i7 you could just replace the mobo for more pci-e lanes (if they were available of course, and if they were needed).


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## exodusprime1337 (Sep 6, 2009)

i'd go am3 only because unless your purely benching a crossfire 4890's setup with 4 gigs ddr3 1600 and a phenom 965 would probably be your best bet.  I personally have both an i7 920 and an amd phenom 2 940 and i find that there is almost no difference in performance on a real world scale that i can notice without a benchmark.  And on top of it the price is not worth it imho, intel always seems more expensive.  My 2 cents anyways.


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## exodusprime1337 (Sep 6, 2009)

DonInKansas said:


> You can CF/SLi in AM3 too, dude.




i don't think he means on the same board, i think he's merely referring to the posibility that you can use crossfire or sli depending on which board you get.


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## DonInKansas (Sep 6, 2009)

Oh, you meant the same board for both.  I really need to sleep.   Don't mind me and my idiocy.


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## exodusprime1337 (Sep 6, 2009)

what do you mean sleep, i can't be 11am there yet lol, i got up early for the first time in weeks, to start the open beta of aion lol, i know what you mean there about the ssleep issue.


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## Th0rn0 (Sep 6, 2009)

AM3. Just got my 955. It fucking flys!

A little OC when my waterblock arrives and its on par with a i7.


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## LittleLizard (Sep 7, 2009)

You dont want to upgrade = i7
You want bang for the buck = am3
You want to wait = i5


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## Zubasa (Sep 7, 2009)

DrOctopus said:


> Planning to sell my rig to a friend of mine that needs a desktop, i have some money from one of my other systems that i sold also. So i currently have the three options go i7 go i5 (im in china its out already) or go am3. Which chipset do you think will be most future-proof/ best choice?
> 
> Current mock-ups:
> 
> ...


Go with the 955 and 790FX.
If you wanna go high-end go and wait for the HD5000 series and get DX11.
Since you are a gamer and 6GB doesn't do shit in games.
99% of games a 32-bit only.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Sep 7, 2009)

If you do go the AMD route, don't go with the DFI board. I run one on my AM2+ setup, but the other AM3 topend boards are just better. MSI GD-70 (cheaper and better), Gigabyte UD5P (a bit more expensive and better), or Asus M4A79T Deluxe (quiet a bit more expensive).


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## Zubasa (Sep 7, 2009)

1Kurgan1 said:


> If you do go the AMD route, don't go with the DFI board. I run one on my AM2+ setup, but the other AM3 topend boards are just better. MSI GD-70 (cheaper and better), Gigabyte UD5P (a bit more expensive and better), or Asus M4A79T Deluxe (quiet a bit more expensive).


I vote for the Gigabyte


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## 1Kurgan1 (Sep 7, 2009)

Zubasa said:


> I vote for the Gigabyte



Theres a few here that say thats great, the MSI is an awesome board also, and so is the Asus. Either one of these boards you really cannot go wrong with. The DFI just isn't in the same league as any of those 3 boards, sad to say as it's matching their prices.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 7, 2009)

Oh hey Doctor Oct.:
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=102418

I can vouch for him. I talk to him everyday. Great guy, he used the board in a review and its near mint with all accessories.


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## imperialreign (Sep 7, 2009)

"future-proofing" for gaming . . . I'd recommend the AM3 route as well.

you'll never have a need for a x64 OS, nor will you require any more than 4GB of DRAM installed . . . put the extra money towards a good GPU (or two) and a Velicoraptor HDD (or two) - those HDDs are pure gold for their fast R/W and access times.


The i7 and i5 systems, though, are much better for true multi-tasking and the "jack of all trades" systems.  They perform much better with CPU-intensive apps.


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## DrOctopus (Sep 7, 2009)

Well it is seems that 790fx + 955 is winning out. Im pretty much convinced. I pretty much only use it for gaming anyway...tho ima stick wif x4 955, considering the price there's no justification for 965. 

i just assumed for future-proofing the 1156 would be best, considering its a new socket and all. im only reluctant as its VERY new + cooling options are currently limited (and expensive).

@JrRacin - That is a damn good deal! thing is every time i get somethin imported to china it takes month/month an half to get here. Then if it looks expensive, local customs may try to charge me twice what its worth. Thanks tho.


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 7, 2009)

Eeek, sorry, just glanced and saw USD currency. I am totally sorry and apologize. 

EDIT:

I should have asked first


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## DrOctopus (Sep 7, 2009)

lol, its cool.


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## thraxed (Sep 7, 2009)

if ya want to use the i9 go with the i7


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## DrOctopus (Sep 7, 2009)

will i9 only be compatible with the 1366 socket?


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## JrRacinFan (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes it will be. Also I vote go i7 as well, so then you would have the option of SLI or CrossfireX, if you decide to go a multi-gpu configuration in the future. For such small premium.

EDIT:
UNLESS you must restrain yourself budgetwise. ~90USD can get yourself a nicer case, better power supply, etc .... 

I think you know where I am going with this.


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## btarunr (Sep 7, 2009)

I will pick #2: i5 750, P7P55D LE, 4GB Dual-DDR3 1600. The platform cost will be around $390/2600 RMB.


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## MilkyWay (Sep 7, 2009)

if your not that botherd go with the AM3 with DDR3 and an new 8 series chipset board

if you are bothered and have the cash get a i7 its got some expensive motherboards but are feature packed

i would just miss out on the i5 we know its lower than the top i7s and its an unknown quantity at the moment

its usually about budget tho get what you can afford really or what stuff you intend to use it for, i mean if im just gaming i would go AM3 myself but if i had the cash i dunno! i might go i7 then again sli/crossfire sounds tasty ive never done it myself


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## Zubasa (Sep 7, 2009)

thraxed said:


> if ya want to use the i9 go with the i7


There isn't much point in the i9 if the rig is used only for gamming.


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## DrOctopus (Sep 7, 2009)

Ultimately, my only justification for i7 against am3 is that there will be less risk of the cpu bottle necking new gpu's in the next yr or 2, and the cf/sli option. do you think i7 is overkill? would x4 955 suffice?


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## Zubasa (Sep 7, 2009)

DrOctopus said:


> Ultimately, my only justification for i7 against am3 is that there will be less risk of the cpu bottle necking new gpu's in the next yr or 2, and the cf/sli option. do you think i7 is overkill? would x4 955 suffice?


http://en.expreview.com/2009/08/19/thorough-review-of-intel-core-i5-750.html/14
The i5 is pointless its seems.

If you are worrying abut CPU bottleneck, I will say forget about it it is very unlikely the 955 will become the bottleneck.
Higher the resolution and quality you go, more the GPUs becoming the actual bottleneck.
You should worry about getting the best Cards you can.


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## n-ster (Sep 7, 2009)

I say i7... How much would it cost with Gigabyte ud3R and 6gb of Crucial 1066 cl7 or 1333 cl9? It all depends on cost really... i7 is obviously a better CPU and will IMO last longer than the PII, by how much though is unknown. CF/SLI is a great choice to have.

If you don't want to OC though, AM3 is the way to go


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## btarunr (Sep 7, 2009)

Socket AM3 has a bleak future. Maybe Phenom II X4 chips look good right now, but they certainly won't remain "good enough" around this time next year. Don't expect great gaming  performance out of next year's Phenom II X6 either. I'm really skeptical about how they're going to run the X6 at well over 3 GHz, and maintain low TDP on 45 nm, and decent performance for low parallelism applications such as games. If you're aiming at a thorough SLI/CF system that's future-proof for at least the next 2~3 years with the option of going for Core i9, then pick up an LGA-1366/i7 920 setup. i7 920 will give you the same amount of future-proofing Q6600 promised, and rightfully delivered on.


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## TheLaughingMan (Sep 7, 2009)

I don't consider my PII 955 as "Good enough".  And I sincerely doubt any game next year or the year after will be too much for it to handle.

I agree on not being sure they will be able to pull off the X6 at over 3 Ghz within a 140W thermal or less.


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## Kantastic (Sep 7, 2009)

Yeah... but when you overclock the 955/965 aren't you already drawing more than 140W of power?


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## skylamer (Sep 7, 2009)

1156 and 1366 is the *future!*


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## extrasalty (Sep 7, 2009)

DrOctopus said:


> yeah, im just gaming mainly. but i have plenty of money atm, so i wanna go quite hi-end. so that i dont have to upgrade cpu for a while. I basically want a solid rig that can handle new gpu's for the next 1-2yrs (if possible).
> 
> Im kind of leaning towards i7/i5 because you can crossfire/sli, which would be good for future upgrades.



Those were my reasons when I got my i7 in May. Don't forget a pair of the cheapest GTX260.


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## TheLaughingMan (Sep 7, 2009)

Kantastic said:


> Yeah... but when you overclock the 955/965 aren't you already drawing more than 140W of power?



No, the 140W and 125W TDP is a Thermal rating.  It is how much heat will need to dissipated for the CPU to function within normal guidelines.  This has nothing to do with is power draw; however it tends to be true that process with a higher TDP will draw more power because it is larger or faster.  This is obvious quickly distorted when comparing new processors to older ones.


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## imperialreign (Sep 7, 2009)

DrOctopus said:


> Well it is seems that 790fx + 955 is winning out. Im pretty much convinced. I pretty much only use it for gaming anyway...tho ima stick wif x4 955, considering the price there's no justification for 965.
> 
> i just assumed for future-proofing the 1156 would be best, considering its a new socket and all. im only reluctant as its VERY new + cooling options are currently limited (and expensive).
> 
> @JrRacin - That is a damn good deal! thing is every time i get somethin imported to china it takes month/month an half to get here. Then if it looks expensive, local customs may try to charge me twice what its worth. Thanks tho.





Well, the 1136/56 sockets _will_ continue to hold their own for quite a few more years . . . but, then again, so would a C2Q 775.

Thing is, there aren't too many apps yet that fully support quads.  At least, as far as games are concerned, most don't support them _properly_.  Even though a lot of newer games are multi-threaded, they're not fully optimized to make use of the potential.

In terms of software, a lot of *professional* level applications do support quads properly - but these are programs typically found in use by those who use them on a daily basis for work . . . programs like Photoshop, Sound Forge, Wave Lab, AutoCAD, etc.  Your run-of-the-mill applications don't support such processing power . . . although, that doesn't mean you won't see any benefit at all from a high-end CPU while running these programs (Intel's CPUs are blazing fast at CPU-intensive activities).

So, I mean, if "future-proofing" is a major concern, you could even go with a C2Q setup . . . a Q9650 on an X48 mobo will continue to be relevant for years (I figure), and the only real hardware one would have to address would be the GPU.


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## 1Kurgan1 (Sep 8, 2009)

Anyone of these choices is good, but I can't see the AM3 chips becoming bottlenecks within a years time. Maybe for benching, but even then that would be benching in CPU related tasks. The advantage of i7 is the HT. It is better clock for clock, but as far as anything not involving HT the top AM3 chips hang with the 920. So if the 955 or 965 was going to be a bottleneck in a years time, that would also mean the 920 would be, unless it was something that actually used HT.


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## DrOctopus (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks, for the input guys! I think ive decided to go i7. I have the money, so im willing to fork out a liitle extra for more options and hopefully a longer lasting socket. 

Any mid-range boards that you guys recommend? i chose the msi x58m cause its cheap and apparently overclocks well....its a pity it looks like poop. lol


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## TheLaughingMan (Sep 8, 2009)

Seems like a good choice to me.  MSi x58m, good board, good layout.  I kinda like the blue/black color scheme.


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## DrOctopus (Sep 8, 2009)

im pretty sure it has a brown pcb tho :s


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## TheLaughingMan (Sep 8, 2009)

Yeah, it does.


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## johnnyfiive (Sep 8, 2009)

DrOctopus said:


> Planning to sell my rig to a friend of mine that needs a desktop, i have some money from one of my other systems that i sold also. So i currently have the three options go i7 go i5 (im in china its out already) or go am3. Which chipset do you think will be most future-proof/ best choice?
> 
> Current mock-ups:
> 
> ...



BOLD = Winner.


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## MKmods (Sep 8, 2009)

what I did was to get an X58mobo (so I could switch between SLI and Crossfire) and instead of a 920quad I picked up a w3503 dual core for $100 US(to save money)

I can always add an i7 or i9 in the future


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## n-ster (Sep 8, 2009)

i7 is obviously a better choice than i5 IMO looking at the price difference. I would recommend the gigabyte UD3R board.... It's really good


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## daps (Oct 2, 2009)

btarunr said:


> Socket AM3 has a bleak future. Maybe Phenom II X4 chips look good right now, but they certainly won't remain "good enough" around this time next year. Don't expect great gaming  performance out of next year's Phenom II X6 either. I'm really skeptical about how they're going to run the X6 at well over 3 GHz, and maintain low TDP on 45 nm, and decent performance for low parallelism applications such as games. If you're aiming at a thorough SLI/CF system that's future-proof for at least the next 2~3 years with the option of going for Core i9, then pick up an LGA-1366/i7 920 setup. i7 920 will give you the same amount of future-proofing Q6600 promised, and rightfully delivered on.



AM3 doesn't have a bleak future. for one the Phenom II's are as good as core i5 and core i7 for gaming. here area couple of links to sites that benchmarked in gaming. 

http://www.pureoverclock.com/article809.html

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/819/12

but core i5 and core i7 dominate in synthetic benchmarks, that provide no indication of real world performance. now maybe core i5 and core i7 can do winrar and a few other things faster. but all i care about is gaming. if i need something on a professional level for other types of things, well lets be honest, i am not going to be looking at mainstream processors from anyone. 

the 1156 socket has issues. for one it can only run two pci-e cards in crossfire or sli at 8x. and because the pci-e controller is in the cpu's in all the new intel processors this won't be fixed by a new chipset. also once pci-e 3.0 comes out all of the current intel chips will be obsolete and not very good for moving into systems because the platform won't be able to upgrade. you will have to buy a new processor to get pci-e 3.0. also from what i understand you have to buy a new cooler if you like third party coolers because the 775 ones aren't compatible. so that kind of sucks. and lastly the six core processors from intel won't be coming to the 1156 socket. so to me the 1156 socket is a dead end with little upgrade path in the future. 

Now AM3 can use the same coolers as previous generations. the pci-e is build into the motherboard chipset so later down the line we should be able to move AM3 cpu's into pci-e 3.0 motherboards. Also the six core AMD processors are coming out next year for the AM3 platform. Also a new revision of the Phenom II cores is coming out next year that is going to lower the TDP requirements on existing Phenom II cpu's. For instance a 95W TDP version of the X4 955 is coming out. This new revisions is also allowing for faster clocked Phenom II cpu's to be made. An X4 975 clocked natively at 3.6Ghz is coming out next year thanks to this revision. So AMD and AM3 are fine. And if all you want to primarily use your pc for is gaming then going AM3 with AMD is the way to go and you can use the saved money and buy a better gpu, which will serve you much better than buying a more expensive cpu.


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