AMD 975, 960T or i5-2500 budget build

[LordSoth]

Hey all.

Seeing the AMD PhenomII are no longer being produced &
they are no longer on sale I have been rethinking my budget computer build.

The AMD Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition Deneb 3.6GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core
is back up to $160 on Newegg.
At this price point is it worth sticking with this processor?
Should I be looking at another AMD that is less $$ (AMD Phenom II X4 960T).
OR
Should I be looking at Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core. $210..

Benchmark wise the i52500 is clearly the winner & consumes much less power than the AMD.
BUT its much more money especially if I grab an AMD in the 100-125 range.
My hesitation with AMD though is the Phenom2 is gone, FX got horrible reviews so if something goes wrong I'm out of luck!

Is the difference for gaming & video processing going to be that great compared to the money spent? I know what ever i get is going to be a huge improvement over what i had, but at the same time I want to "future Proof" (lol) my self as best i can & if that means spending a little more now I'm fine with that.

 

[LordSoth]

or is this a good compromise
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103893&Tpk=N82E16819103893

 

[esrever]

whats your entire budget and what are you gonna do with the computer?

the i5 2400 might be a more economic and offer performance similar to the 2500 but cost below $200.

you might also consider the i3 if you are looking at cpus at the $130 range.

 

[PreferLinux]

An i3 will probably be better than an AMD quad for anything less than very well-threaded workloads. And an i5 2400 is definitely the only i5 to go for (other than the i5 2500K for overclocking) – minimal performance difference, but much more significant price difference.

 

[LordSoth]

Thanks for the reply's so far

My plans for this computer are a gaming rig & to process & edit video from a GoPro2 helmet cam.

Lets say I'm trying to keep my budget around a grand.
I need everything but a monitor. I could get away with using my Thermaltake Tsunami case but I was thinking about a haf2.

I'll have to check the difference between the 25/2400.
What's a good motherboard for intel? Something in the $100-$120 range.

 

[esrever]

you can easily fit a 2400 in a build for under a grand, you can even get a 2500k if you want to oc. If you don't care for OC you can get a h67 mobo for about $100 and a 2400 for $185, lots left for everything else.

 

[LordSoth]

Thanks!
I am going to splurge & pick up the i5-2500. Its only a $20 difference.
Not sure if I would over clock or not. By the time I would need to o.c. I figure the Ivy Bridge
will be down in price.
I found this mb: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
Looks like I'll be researching motherboards at work today :lol:

 

[LordSoth]

Best answer selected by LordSoth.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey