Which is better? core i5 3.1 or phenom ii 965 3.2

[phoenix061992]

I am currently thinking of upgrading my CPU. i presently have amd phenom ii x2 550 3.1 ghz. My motherboard is asus M4N68T-M LE V2. It supports upto x6. But will it be wise to just shift to amd phenom ii x4 955/965 or will it be better if a get a new board which supports intel core i5 2400 3.1 ghz and buy that processor. is there any difference among the 2 processors? if yes then by how much.
[i realy want to save some money ] .

 

[wintermint]

i5-2400 will demolish AMD. You can get a budget H61/H67 motherboard with the i5-2400 because you won't be overclocking with it. You will have to go for the i5-2500k along with P67/Z68 if you plan to overclock. One more thing, if you're only gaming... the i3-2100 can match up to quad cores at gaming. I believe it even beat the Phenom II x4 970. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i3-2100-phenom-ii-x6-1075t,2859-10.html

 

[phoenix061992]

it depends on your current grahics card and resolutions, since you already have that board i would reccommend going down the phenom 965 route, its a great CPU, and should be able to handle up to an ati 6870/gtx560Ti with little/no bottlenecking, and a 6870/gtx560Ti in crossfire/SLI with still little bottlenecking. It would also save you the hassle of replacing mobo/reinstalling OS/buying another copy of the OS, be sure to upgrade your BIOS first tho:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3/M4N68TM_LE_V2/#download

i'd reccommend a phenom 955 and a CPU cooler (depending on what fits in your case) to allow you to overclock a bit.

Can u suggest me a good aftermartket cooler????

 

[popatim]

hyper 212+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

 

[sportsfanboy]

I would also go with the 955 and a decent cooler. Overclock it to around 3.8 and the performance will be close enough to the i5 @3.1 and you won't have to upgrade anything else. From what I have seen briefly, the A70 is similar to the 212+ in performance. The only problem is the fan that comes with the A70 is kinda crappy. If you go that route you might want to throw a better fan(higher CFM) on it or use a good fan that you have lying around.

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

I would also go with the 955 and a decent cooler. Overclock it to around 3.8 and the performance will be close enough to the i5 @3.1 and you won't have to upgrade anything else. From what I have seen briefly, the A70 is similar to the 212+ in performance. The only problem is the fan that comes with the A70 is kinda crappy. If you go that route you might want to throw a better fan(higher CFM) on it or use a good fan that you have lying around.

The difference between a i5 2400 and a Phenom II X4 BE 980(3.8ghz) isnt close in my standards.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/362?vs=363

 

[sportsfanboy]

Close enough I said, the i5 will still be faster. For the difference in the upgrade over buying a completely new system, I like that option.

 

[erick81]

I'd suggest the 955 with the Hyper 212+ you can pick up another fan to make a push pull cooling system for ten bucks by cpu alone you would be saving almost a hundred dollars rather then having to switch out the cpu,motherboard.

 

[jaguarskx]

Considering that a Core i3 can beat a Phenom II X4 980 BE in games, I'm pretty the Core i5 is better than the Phenom II X4 965 in games.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=362

 

[erick81]

This isn't an Intel vs. Amd thread he is asking advice on an upgrade while trying to save money that I3 still costs an average of ten dollars more than a 955 not to mention he already has a motherboard that is perfectly compatible with the Phenom.

 

[phoenix061992]

Exactly! I dont want to change my complete system until its a very huge upgrade. I dont mind overclocking my cpu a bit. Bt wil the intel give me a huge performance boost in games???? If yes then i shall switch to intel.

 

[oby20]

in playing games you dont need to spend alone for a better processor, just get a decent processor and a hi end gcard. i5 2400 is better than any amd quadcore today, but if you already have a board amd compatible, then i suggest just get another amd processor for upgrade, i mean the phenom 965 can also run any games extremely. you wont get a huge difference with the processor alone. if you get an intel then you have to buy a processor, and a mobo.
still it will not make huge difference because you need a good videocard and more ram probably, and it cause you alot already. if you get a phenom 965 and save the mobo, you can save your cash for a better videocard. i have core i7950 but i can say phenom 965 is no joke man, its one of amd's best creation.

 

[phoenix061992]

in playing games you dont need to spend alone for a better processor, just get a decent processor and a hi end gcard. i5 2400 is better than any amd quadcore today, but if you already have a board amd compatible, then i suggest just get another amd processor for upgrade, i mean the phenom 965 can also run any games extremely. you wont get a huge difference with the processor alone. if you get an intel then you have to buy a processor, and a mobo.
still it will not make huge difference because you need a good videocard and more ram probably, and it cause you alot already. if you get a phenom 965 and save the mobo, you can save your cash for a better videocard. i have core i7950 but i can say phenom 965 is no joke man, its one of amd's best creation.

I have a sapphire radeon hd 6850. Recently i dont want to upgrade my gpu because my 6850 isnt even 2 months old. n its a high end card of amd i guess????

 

[phoenix061992]

don't worry your current CPU is fine, the phenom 955/965 should give you a performance increase in some games and a performance increase overall, have you tried unlocking that phenom 555?

I have a phenom ii 550. yea i unlocked but found out that the 4th core is completely unstable whereas the 3rd core rarely freezes (once a week i guess ).

 

[RetiredChief]

I'm not a gamer, But
(1) does he want to blow $100+ on just a CPU and Just how much of a gain will this provide in gaming. Seems that unless the CPU is bottlenecking the Current GPU (6850), then for GPU intensive games, probably not worth it.

(2) Also depends if the $100+ Cpu upgrade is worth interms of "time", ie when do you plan on complet upgrade?? If in the next 6 Monthes - forget it.

(3) A much better upgrade would be MB and CPU - the cost difference is about $126 -> 150. As HE could reuse all other components. Just the CPU ties him into a AMD system later, or accept the fact that he Just flushed $100+ down the Lew.
.. Reason for going the MB/CPU route is not just the CPU but to replace all the other dated chipsets. New MB adds USB 3, and SATA III. Not sure If current MB suports Xfire, but a new MB will support 2 GPUs @ (8x,8x) and He could buy that as an upgrade to improve gaming say 6 months after upgrading the MB/GPU. Note: USB3 and Sata III will not really improve gaming, BUT does improve overall Computer performance.
... While the AMD route is OK, My preference is the Intel SB route.

Added. Just ran across a very simular thread, Good read:
Intel Core i3 2100 Vs AMD Phenom X4 955 for GAMING.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/310141-28-intel-core-2100-phenom-gaming

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

I'm not a gamer, But
(1) does he want to blow $100+ on just a CPU and Just how much of a gain will this provide in gaming. Seems that unless the CPU is bottlenecking the Current GPU (6850), then for GPU intensive games, probably not worth it.

(2) Also depends if the $100+ Cpu upgrade is worth interms of "time", ie when do you plan on complet upgrade?? If in the next 6 Monthes - forget it.

(3) A much better upgrade would be MB and CPU - the cost difference is about $126 -> 150. As HE could reuse all other components. Just the CPU ties him into a AMD system later, or accept the fact that he Just flushed $100+ down the Lew.
.. Reason for going the MB/CPU route is not just the CPU but to replace all the other dated chipsets. New MB adds USB 3, and SATA III. Not sure If current MB suports Xfire, but a new MB will support 2 GPUs @ (8x,8x) and He could buy that as an upgrade to improve gaming say 6 months after upgrading the MB/GPU. Note: USB3 and Sata III will not really improve gaming, BUT does improve overall Computer performance.
... While the AMD route is OK, My preference is the Intel SB route.

Added. Just ran across a very simular thread, Good read:
Intel Core i3 2100 Vs AMD Phenom X4 955 for GAMING.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/310141-28-intel-core-2100-phenom-gaming

Yes i agree, he could of course save more money than buy a very outdated phenom II X4.
I mean he will have a larger choice of better performance upgrades and not only that one p67 motherboard is cheap.

 

[oby20]

with radeon hd 6850 no need to upgrade it, thats a pretty good gcard for gaming, all you need is upgrade your processor to 965 black edition(runs cooler than 965), overclocked it to 3.8ghz and add some cpu cooler and more ram, then your done!
you have a monster gaming pc!

 

[RetiredChief]

^ If you are refering to me, I'm Not an Intel Fan boy. I do have some companies that I do NOT buy, such as OCZ SSDs and Sony products (Unless I have to). As to CPU out dated -Did NOT say, I was referring to the MB chipsets!.

In which case if he opts to go with MB And CPU, I do stand by the Intel SB choice over AMD MB and CPU. My choice is NOT based soley on gaming. Not sure about AMD BD as that may be a good option for Him.

Your last question though is valid - But need to also look at future as to if the Monitor will be replaced.

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

^ If you are refering to me, I'm Not an Intel Fan boy. I do have some companies that I do NOT buy, such as OCZ SSDs and Sony products (Unless I have to). As to CPU out dated -Did NOT say, I was referring to the MB chipsets!.

In which case if he opts to go with MB And CPU, I do stand by the Intel SB choice over AMD MB and CPU. My choice is NOT based soley on gaming. Not sure about AMD BD as that may be a good option for Him.

Your last question though is valid - But need to also look at future as to if the Monitor will be replaced.

He is referring to me.
I am an Intel Fanboy

JaguarSKX also looks like an Intel Fanboy.

 

[phoenix061992]

with radeon hd 6850 no need to upgrade it, thats a pretty good gcard for gaming, all you need is upgrade your processor to 965 black edition(runs cooler than 965), overclocked it to 3.8ghz and add some cpu cooler and more ram, then your done!
you have a monster gaming pc!

I got 6gb of ddr3 1333mhz ram. i dont think i need to upgrade that????

 

[phoenix061992]

there are quite a few Intel fanboys here... but what you guys are failing to recognise is that a phenom 955 is a current CPU, many people are still buying it, it may be a bit outdated, but it still is a high performance CPU, you also fail to recognise that buying a new mobo/CPU will also require buying another copy of windows (+$100 minimum) and quite a bit of hassle. If he has an upgrade path that will give him great performance (ok maybe upgrading to an i3-2100 will give him similar/better/worse performance depending on the game, but why spend all that money when a 955 could give him a similar performance increase?).

im suprised i havent asked this yet (i was quite tired last night), but what games do you plan on playing/what games do you currently play and what resolutions do you play at?

i am planing to play games such as Assassin's Creed Revelations, Batman Arkham City, Call of Duty MW3, Saints Row The Third, Need For Speed-The Run and few others yet to be released this year. I play at 1280x1024. But going 2 change my monitor the next month to samsung LED 22 inch.

 

[ghnader hsmithot]

i am planing to play games such as Assassin's Creed Revelations, Batman Arkham City, Call of Duty MW3, Saints Row The Third, Need For Speed-The Run and few others yet to be released this year. I play at 1280x1024. But going 2 change my monitor the next month to samsung LED 22 inch.

If you are gaming an extra 2gb of ram might not be of use.

But nowadays i recommend the 8gb of ram.

 

[phoenix061992]

at your resolution and even at 1080p (probably the resolution of the new monitor) you should be set with a phenom 955 for quite a while.

Thanks. Den i shall go for either a 955 or 965 BE. Hw much will a x6 cost????

 

[jaguarskx]

This isn't an Intel vs. Amd thread he is asking advice on an upgrade while trying to save money that I3 still costs an average of ten dollars more than a 955 not to mention he already has a motherboard that is perfectly compatible with the Phenom.

Then what's the point of having a thread called:

Which is better? core i5 3.1 or phenom ii 965 3.2

????

If budget is a concern, then the most logical choice would be to upgrade to another AMD CPU. Perhaps wait for the Bulldozer CPUs to come out.