Phenom X3 710 or E8400?

[caskachan]

get cheapest setup, + A 4870 or 4870x2 LOL

 

[someguy7]

No Physcho I do not own a AMD. That benchmark means obsulelty nothing in real life or even pretend life usage. Its just a bench that Intel fanboys use. I take that back. The bench is usefull for one thing. Only to make sure if your CPU is actually performing as it should. Example. A 3 ghz c2d should perform it in so and so seconds. If yours is way off.....

 

[werxen]

werxen, stop being such a fanboy

If the game has quad core optimization then even if they are both overclocked to the max with the 720 at 3.8/3.9 and the '8400 at 4.4 if you get a good chip then the 720 will pull ahead because of the extra core that the game can use. Sure if you're on a dual optimized or single optimized game then yes the '8400 will pull ahead but we're just coming into the quad-core optimized games and you'll notice the difference with that extra core.

wtf about me makes me a fan boy? i am a gamer at heart and im trying to help this guy out. if you ever read my threads instead of assuming things you will see i always go back and forth between AMD and Intel depending on the situation.

another stupid thing you said is IF. thats right, IF. IF a game is quad core optimized. how many games are quad core optimized so far? gta 4, far cry 2. how many more plan to be quad core optimized? who knows. but what I do know is that there is a greater market for dual core games because thats where the vast majority of gaming computers lie. its not quad core... only 2 of my friends that are gamers have quads and they are avid computer enthusiasts.

i mean REALLY dude do you ever think outside of the box? how long is he gonna have a tri core CPU when by the time it is mainstream to code multi threaded games there is going to be 6-8 core processors out. jeez... THINK a little bit. let the info swirl in your head before making assumptions.

 

[AlvinTheNerd]

Original Phenom's are garbage.

Here's a sad fact. My 3.8Ghz Phenom 2 X4 did Super Pi 1M in 19 Seconds. My 3.15ghz C2D does that same feat in 14.828 seconds. The Phenom's might have come a long way but i'd still buy a C2D over it in a heartbeat.

Quads do worse on super pi across the board. Core 2 Quads do worse on super pi than Core 2 Duos, even when the quad is exactly two of the same core 2 duos.

http://www.ripping.org/benchmarks.php?act=scores&superpi=1M&cpuid=INTEL

 

[JDocs]

Erm... Look at no_name's 7.437 seconds using a QX9650 @ 6121mhz vs ryba's 7.422 seconds using an E8600 @ 6250mhz. Close enough to say that the top are neck in neck at the same speed.

The only reason the dual cores hold the top spot is that its easier to clock them to higher speeds and even then OC Team LATVIA's QX9650 @ 6045mhz managed to beat higher clocked E8600 and QX9650 chips...

No insult intended but please chose a better source to prove your point in future.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

Since the OP mainly uses his rig for gaming, unless theres a fast super pi or die in 1 of the games hes playing, super pi wont mean squat, just another bungholio mark is all it is, just like 3DMark

 

[blackpanther26]

I would still get the cheaper X3 710 becuase you never know what lies ahead down the road. But it is totaly up to you OP. We can't tell you to get this if you don't want it. Only sugestions.

 

[spathotan]

You cant go wrong with the X3 710 and that Gigabyte 790X OP. Probably THE best bang for buck CPU/mobo combo on the market right now. A E8400 and solid P45 will cost $80-$150 more, with similar performance.

 

[spathotan]

it doesn't get much easier than overclocking a Core2. you can go almost 600 Mhz overclock on stock cooling and invest 40 bucks in a Xigmatech 1283 and be humming along at 3.8-4 Ghz 24/7.
that being said, i would trade my e8400 in a minute for one of those X3 720's if i could find a good SLI board. that is one amazing CPU. i am more impressed with it than the 940 to be honest.

What happened to the Foxconn Destroyer?

 

[roofus]

sitting in a friends tower with a 6000 on it. i was too impulsive, then waited too long to send it back so i lost a few dollars but hooked up a friend. really is a nice board! i may revisit the idea of building a system in the near future but the mrs had kittens about it.

 

[spathotan]

So it was wasted for a 6000+ X2?

 

[roofus]

well he is happy so it isn't a total waste. he is looking at a Phenom2 in the near future but has little time to use his pc lately.

 

[LW07]

get cheapest setup, + A 4870 or 4870x2 LOL

I already have a GTX 260 192-core

 

[4745454b]

Have you decided on the rest of the setup? The AMD setup is $60 less, I'd move up to a 790 northbridge and 750SB. Here is a good one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157141

It will support even the 140W Phenoms, is AM2+/AM3 ready, and even has 2 PCIe 16x slots. Best of all its only $30 more then the one you picked. (and no rebate.) I personally would get the cheaper of the two seeing as the performance is so close, but $30 isn't much of a difference... I wouldn't mind hearing which you get.

 

[LW07]

Have you decided on the rest of the setup? The AMD setup is $60 less, I'd move up to a 790 northbridge and 750SB. Here is a good one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157141

It will support even the 140W Phenoms, is AM2+/AM3 ready, and even has 2 PCIe 16x slots. Best of all its only $30 more then the one you picked. (and no rebate.) I personally would get the cheaper of the two seeing as the performance is so close, but $30 isn't much of a difference... I wouldn't mind hearing which you get.

What do you think about this mobo?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128381

I don't really trust ASRock, haven't experienced them but don't really know if they're a good brand or bad like ECS is.

Paired with 4 gigs of G.skill ram and an X3 710(or I may splurge $100 more for an X4 940).

 

[4745454b]

AsRock is Asus's value brand. They are ok. That board is fine as well, just a bit more. You should still be ~$20 or so less then the intel system, but with an extra core and a slightly better motherboard.

Double check that the extra $100 doesn't get you something better in Intel land. The more money you spend, the better Intel looks. Remember, Intel has the better chips, you WILL reach the point where AMD can't compete.

 

[LW07]

AsRock is Asus's value brand. They are ok. That board is fine as well, just a bit more. You should still be ~$20 or so less then the intel system, but with an extra core and a slightly better motherboard.

Double check that the extra $100 doesn't get you something better in Intel land. The more money you spend, the better Intel looks. Remember, Intel has the better chips, you WILL reach the point where AMD can't compete.

I've heard that the X4 940 and its competitor in its price range(the Q9400) trade blows with each other.

So is the 4th core worth the extra ~$80-100 or should i stick with a triple core?

 

[4745454b]

Will you have to sacrifice anything to get it? You said you play RTS/sim games, and those are the ones that need CPU power. The quad might make sense, but not if you have to give up something that you might need.

 

[yipsl]

First, I don't know what the two of you have a problem with, but the OPs thread is NOT the place to air out your problems. Go the F away, no body cares about your issues.

So the question is, E8400 or 710/720? Lets start looking at benchies.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3512&p=8

Look at the L4D benchmark seeing as you play steam. 8400 gets 117, the 720 gets 112, and the 710 gets 107. The 8400 gets 10 extra FPS, or about 10% faster then the 710. All chips are over 60FPS, its not like either gets you that much more. The other game reviews from this site show the same 10% faster, except for Farcry 2 which is only 2FPS faster.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3512&p=5

If you do any kind of encoding/video work, the 710/720 is faster with the exception of encoding to WMV. Windows media encoder 9 only recognizes even numbers of cores, so the extra core that the 710/720 has isn't used. Using other programs however show the 710/720 is faster then the 8400.

So what does all this mean? The 8400 is a bit faster for gaming, and a bit slower in other tasks. None of these chips are so much better then the others that one MUST purchase it above all others. I would get which ever is cheaper, spending your money on better GPUs or drives.

Good post overall. Some people just play games and other people do stuff that benefits from more cores. I expect we'll see games using more cores be much more common over the next year, but then triple cores still have the slightly less IPC than Intel duos.

Me, I'm upgrading to a Phenom II triple core, if not a quad, but I'm not sure when. Right now, the old triple cripple is enough. I get fantastic ultrahigh settings with triple buffering for extra framerates @ 1920 x 1080 in LOTRO and that suits me just fine.

Newegg has the 9600 phenom for $85 after promo code, posted at slickdeals.net. A good price for a quad core.

Not worth it. A B2 Phenom 9600 isn't really any faster than a B3 Phenom 8750, which is slower than a Phenom II X3 720. Now that many AM2 boards have bios' that support Toliman Phenom triple cores, the B2's are a waste of money at that price point.

I've heard that the X4 940 and its competitor in its price range(the Q9400) trade blows with each other.

So is the 4th core worth the extra ~$80-100 or should i stick with a triple core?

IMHO, quad cores are future proofing, but so are triple cores. If you plan on keeping the PC for four years without upgrading, then the quad's worth it. If you don't mind upgrading in two years, then the Phenom II triple is a good deal.

If money were no object, I'd recommend an i7 920, but when Phenom II's go head to head vs. Core 2 Duos and Core 2 Quads, I think AMD has more bang for the buck.

sitting in a friends tower with a 6000 on it. i was too impulsive, then waited too long to send it back so i lost a few dollars but hooked up a friend. really is a nice board! i may revisit the idea of building a system in the near future but the mrs had kittens about it.

My sympathies. My wife would have kittens if I didn't upgrade her PC to at least as close a level as mine.

She plays LOTRO too, mods for Morrowind and Oblivion and does graphics plus video editing. She wants my monitor, but I gave her the choice, an LCD or a new In-Win GD case to replace the old barebones case she had. Plus she got a Corsair 650watt PSU and a 4830 (until new cards arrive in June). At least she doesn't want a 4870x2 (wasted with LOTRO), but she'll get the same monitor. With two PC's to upgrade, couldn't swing a 24" but this is nice enough at 21.5" 1920 x 1080.

 

[kal20mx]

I ran into this Thread even though its been since Feb. IMO however since I am an owner of a 710, and 790gx , and a 4870 1gb running at 1680*1050. I gota tell ya I love this setup. Along with 4gigs of 1066 ddr. I currently have it on 3.2ghz on stock fan and funs crysis on enthusiast with AA off. AOC and WOW play awsome as well. I couldnt be happier with my setup.