Intel Core i7 860, Quad Core Vs AMD Phenom II X4 955, Quad Core 3.2Ghz

[yousaf465]

Which one is these i better in terms of performance.

 

[seogoat]

Something helpful here
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclock-phenom-ii,2119.html

 

[loneninja]

The I7 is, but it also costs nearly twice as much.

 

[wyspyr]

I've had both and have to use a car analogy to compare them. The AMD chip is great from 0-60, but after that (60-120+) the intel chip pulls away. Also, it has hyperthreading which IMO is very nice to have. Having four physical cores and 4 logical ones in addition is great for multitasking and photo editing. My only possible regret in switching from AMD is perhaps not going 1366...still love AMD. The Athlon II x4 620 is a little monster when overclocked

 

[yousaf465]

So you are saying that AMD is better for everyday tasks and intel is good for heavy duty tasks.

 

[yousaf465]

Something helpful here
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclock-phenom-ii,2119.html

I will read it.

 

[wyspyr]

Basically in no tech, real world experience, I've found that AMD is quite nice for everyday tasks and gaming. I've been getting into photo/video editing though and noticed an immediate difference in overall crispness, for lack of a better word, when I have large and multiple applications open. An overclocked 955 for gaming is golden and again everyday tasks will be handled with ease on a appropriate AMD chip. Its really only when heavily taxing the system do I find that Intel handles the load better. Hope this helps. What are your planned usages for the PC?

 

[skora]

These are head to head at stock speeds. i7 860 in blue, AMD in orange. Beats the AMD except for 3 or 4 ties. (Higher or lower better is noted on the right of each benchmark.) So check the most relevant apps and decide for yourself if the extra cost of the i7 is worth it over the 955. Both will be quality OC'ers, so I wouldn't expect AMD to make up any ground if OCing factors in.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=108&p2=88

 

[yousaf465]

I usually use computer for net surfing but also often use it for photo editing (only 6 MP camera), occasionally use RAW. Also I want something on which I'm able to watch HD video, browse the net and scan my pc using bitdefender or another AV all at the same time

Also I do play games like FSX and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_Force.

 

[wyspyr]

With those usages and especially if price is an issue, go Phenom II x4 955. It'll handle HD video no problem with the proper graphics card and since you're not working with HUGE file sizes, it'll still perform very well for your photo apps. Again the only differences I've seen between my current core i7 860 build and a past Phenom II x4 955 rig is responsiveness when under heavy load and the ability to have 8 threads for multitasking dreams I have That being said I'm still thinking the AMD build would be better suited to your needs...especially for the price. If you live near a Micro Center then hit them up for a 229.99 Core i7 860 by all means, just be aware that for many common tasks, price is the only difference you'll really notice.

 

[yousaf465]

Will it be able to handle both HD 1080 video and anti-virus scan at the same time ?

What multitasking you usually do ?

Here is the price comparison http://www.czone.com.pk/html/amd_processor.htm and http://www.czone.com.pk/html/products_new.htm

 

[wyspyr]

Yes it will. I usually have a dozen Google gadgets going, a web cam surveillance feed and a web browser with multiple tabs as my base. Then add hulu video streams or Bluray playback, documents and photo editing programs (Picasa, Lightroom, Quicktime Pro - soon!!!) open. This was handled by an athlon II x 4 620 system but would get sluggish with any additional tasks. Really all I had to do was close a few things down and it was fine...RAM wasn't an issue as it was monitored and well under max load. My CPU in that case was my bottle neck. moving to a core i7 860 opened up that top end - again the 60mph -125+ example. Thats were hyperthreading comes in. In a nut shell the 860 behaves as if it had 8 cores which is great for video editing, system intensive tasks, and benchmarking. Honestly though, real world, the Phenom II is plenty. I'm just picky and scatter brained...plus I like to fill my work space (currently 2 monitors...waiting for nVidia for "surround") with busy little beavers For me the 860 shines but I do rely on this PC for work as well so I need to be able to switch gears in a hurry if called upon. Try googling some comparisons between the Phenom II x4 and core i5/7. But remember Intel performs better with synthetics. I've been most pleased with my AMD builds.

 

[skora]

I agree, for what you're doing, the AMD will be more than enough CPU. Use the money you save for a better GPU or a GPS and start Geocaching! Nothing wrong with getting outside.

 

[yousaf465]

But the difference is just 800 rs or $ 10

 

[skora]

Total system difference is just $10?!?!?!?!?! Then get the high power i7 860 and don't look back. In the states, the difference is $120!

 

[yousaf465]

no just the difference in Processor price 😉

 

[skora]

Lucky you!!! If the mobos are close in price and the rest is probably all the same, get the i7 860. It will be a very good CPU for a very long time.

 

[yousaf465]

Which mobo would go with any of these ?

 

[someguy7]

P55.

 

[wyspyr]

MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS, EVGA...P55 chipset.

 

[someguy7]

It is up to you. Take price and the reviews of the boards into consideration.

 

[yousaf465]

anyone of these with p55 chipset ?

 

[someguy7]

Yes. Any p55 based motherboard will work with the i7 860.

 

[wyspyr]

Look for one that supports up to DDR3 1600 memory, or higher. Then its all about whether to not to run multiple graphics cards. I've been gathering that its better to go with one really good graphics cards than two lesser ones. A P55 motherboard can operate 2 PCI lanes @ 8x but can only utilize the full 16x bandwidth with one card. I have my eye on the 5850/5870 or I might wait for nVidia's latest. Although, I have read that to utilize their version of eyefinity ("surround") you need a min of two graphics cards in SLI.

 

[skora]

Might also be worth getting one with USB 3.0 on it now if you plan to keep this for a number of years and regularly use external drives.