jprevost :
I'm not trying to start a flame thread here, I just want people's honest answers.
What builds are Phenom's good for right now. Same question goes for the x2's.
I totally understand that people can upgrade from the 64 to the x2's and from slower x2's to higher clocked be's but if I were to build a completely new system, when would I consider AMD's processors?
A Phenom 9150 (the 1.8 gigahertz B3 65 watt Phenom arriving soon) would be great for an HTPC with a TV Wonder 650, a Blu-ray drive and a 3450 or 3470 in hybrid Crossfire on a 780G board.
A Phenom 9850 may (or may not) overclock well (we'll have to see). A Phenom 9750 should do well vs. a Q6600 at stock speeds. The 780G is the best budget chipset right now from anyone. Nvidia's trying to compete there but Intel simply cannot.
The triple core Phenom's are great for existing 690 boards with Phenom capable bios updates. The real Phenom's will be Deneb @ 45nm, expected late third quarter this year. I'll still go Phenom B3 to hold me over, though whether I'll go 9750, 9850 or just an 8750 remains to be seen. I'll get a 780 board as well, with new RAM.
The big thing for me, is that there should be AM2+ Denebs that might not require a bios update. If I went Intel for Q6600, Penryn or Wolfdale (good luck finding those in stock), then I'd need a new board for Nehalem. Though Nehalem should be faster than Deneb, I'm not sure it will be a repeat of Q6600 Kentsfields vs. B2 Phenoms. I expect Phenom to be clocked at 3.0 or 3.2, with some overclockablity, this time next year.
So, since I hate just buying new boards and RAM, I'll put an 8750 in our ASUS 690G board, move my signature board, CPU and RAM to a PC in the bedroom, and get a 780G board with a Phenom to hold me over until Deneb. Then, I hope to just stick a Deneb in without any hassles. Only if I finally decide I want CrossfireX next year will I get a new board.
Budget reasons, plus I like ATI/AMD chipsets over Intel or Nvidia. Those reasons probably don't work for most here. Too many people here want SLI on Nvidia boards, or want the absolute fastest overclock they can get to even consider Phenom a reasonable upgrade.
That's okay, there are different types of enthusiasts and people build PC's for different reasons at different price points. Yet, even if I had the money for an extreme edition Intel CPU, I'd still go Phenom because I like the underdog and I expect Deneb to deliver next year.