Phenom II X2 vs Core 2 Duo

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protokiller

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Alright guys, I'm in the position to buy a new CPU and need to buy a new mobo anyway so I thought it would be fun to see what AMD has to offer.

What do you think is the better buy the AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition or the Core 2 Duo E8400?
 

xtc28

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http://itreviewed.net/index.php/amd-phenom-ii-x2-550-black-edition/

I believe it is very close to performance with the E8400 and the price tag is lower. Then we get into the realm of OCing it does hold its own there too. AND THEN we have the possiblity of quad core unlock with the right board. Also doesnt the PII 550 support DD3 while the e8400 doesnt? Correct me if Im wrong but those are some good reasons to buy the PII 550.
 

mlcloud

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You specifically said "better buy," so I say Phenom II x2 550.

The e8400 has a higher overclocking headroom, but people can reach 4ghz with the 550, and although you really shouldn't rely on it; some people even unlocked the third and fourth cores with decent overclocking (3.5ghz-3.6ghz).

The e8400 will be marginally better, but for the price difference...
 

xtc28

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Gigabyte ma790xt-ud4p...................... excellent.

Also my favorite HSF for AM2/AM3 is a Thermal Take Spin-Q. It has great results for OCing on air. Although the V8 is a top contender too it is awefully big.
 

sanchz

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The E8400 ($167) is way much more expensive than the 550 ($100), and faster only by little.
For less than the price of the E8400 you can get a Phenom II X4 920 (2.8 GHz) for $150 or the 940 X4 (3.0 GHz) for $185.
Any of the Phenom II X4s will be way much better than the E8400, for their price cannot be beaten. Decide upon your budget: the Phenom II X2 550 or Phenom II X3 710 for $100; the 920 for $150 or the 940 for $185.
 

sanchz

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Actually, the Athlon X2s and original Phenoms could compete well at their corresponding price points, its just that the Core 2 family performed better, but for 2x the price.
 

jimishtar

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for the same price as E8400 (what i have) u can get AMD Phenom 720 BE. It east the e8400 right out of the box, imagine when u overclock it :) aaaaand dont unlock cores, put more money in it and get a proper (real) quad cpu. the cores are locked for a reason.
 

xtc28

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Not always mate. Sometimes they are locked because of being defective, most times this is not the case. If you do unlock the 3rd and 4th core just make sure you load test the CPU intensively. If it fails you have a chip with two bad cores, just lock them back and enjoy the two you have. Yes it is possible to unlock PII 550 on the giga ma790xt.
 

mlcloud

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xD. The beginnings of coherency... beautiful.

I'm pretty sure he's trying to address the fact that 550s do not necessarily have dysfunctional 3rd and 4th cores - rather, they were designated as 550s because

a) the cores might not last the warranty period, hence, losing AMD money in the long run. Longevity.
b) the CPU has to pass certain thermal specifications that include negligence on part of the user, such as poorly ventilated cases. In other words, working isn't enough; there has to be some thermal leeway.
c) and uh, the other conclusion, that the 3rd and 4th cores were dysfunctional.

My translation =).
 

smithereen

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Well, I was tired. And in something of a hurry. That's pretty much what I was trying to say. That the CPU may not bin as a 955 or 945, but that doesn't mean the the extra cores are completely useless.
 

smithereen

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Yes, but it is 55% more money. Sure, you will get higher FPS in most games, at least on a freshly installed and unbloated Windows install like benchmarking sites use, but that lead is reduced in the real world when you have itunes/bloatware/spyware/antivirus/torrents running in the background, and a 3.8gHz triple will easily best a 4.5gHz dual in more multithreaded apps.
 

BadTrip

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you are mistaken. A core 2 cpu doesnt support any memory because the memory controller isnt on the chip. It is located on the northbridge, there are plenty of socket 775 boards that support ddr3.
 

xtc28

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you are right! ha ha...... but really I was pointing out a mute point that really means nothing, the PII/AII "Supports" DDR3 as the C2D does not. The reasons are as you stated in your above post. It is architecture specific placement of the RAM controller ..... AMD - on CPU die........ Intel - northbridge. Some would argue that a CPU direct link to the RAM Gives better/faster performance, as for me I cant really say. With that in mind, we have really said the same thing, only at first I really wasnt trying to get all technical and stuff. I was just trying to answer a question with the most efficient answer at that time. If the OP wanted to learn about memory controller he may have asked about memory controllers and not about a Processor. AND yes I mentioned RAM in an answer to a processor, because it is neat information to know that your PII/AII actually supports the memory, WHERe as the Intel counterparts do no such thing.
 
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