i5 vs Phenom II x4($1000 new build) UPDATE

[Stensby]

Ok, so I am building a computer for my brother and am torn on the i5/phenom II debate. He will use it for gaming on a 1680x1050 22" display(already owned).

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
GAMING, LIGHT VIDEO EDITING(POSSIBLY HEAVIER LATER?), INTERNET, MSN etc.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
AS CLOSE TO $1000 AS POSSIBLE(DEFINITELY LESS THAN $1200)

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
CANADA(MEMORY EXPRESS W/ PRICEMATCHING)

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.
NO, HE DOESN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE:P

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I HAVE ALREADY DECIDED ON A PSU AND 2 GPU'S FROM A FRIEND BECAUSE THEY ARE A REALLY GOOD DEAL. I ALSO ALREADY HAVE KEYBOARD, MOUSE, SPEAKERS, and MONITOR.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
READ A BIT ON THE DEABTE BETWEEN i5 and Phenom II.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
A MILD OVERCLOCK ON THE CPU ONLY.

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
NEXT WEEK

9. What resolution do you use?
1680x1050
Same Parts:
Case: Coolermaster Storm Scout: $89.99
PSU: Antec EA 750W PSU(used from friend):$90
HSF: Coolermaster Hyper 212+:$23.60
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB DDR3: $100.99
HDD: Western Digital 640GB Caviar Black: $56.99
TIM: MX-3(already have tube):$0
GPU: 2x HD 5770 (used from friend): $220($110 each)

Intel:
i5-760: $199.99
ASUS P7P55D-E LGA 1156(USB 3.0/SATA 6.0Gb/s): $154.95

AMD:
Phenom II X4 955 BE: $147.91
ASUS M4A89GTD PRO 890GX AM3(USB 3.0/SATA 6.0Gb/s): $149.26

I really like the idea of being able to upgrade the cpu to bulldozer in the future as I think when he gets older he will be very likely to make use of the 6/8 core processors for school. The LGA 1156 socket is already dead(no more upgrades), however it seems currently that it preforms better than the 955. What are everybody's thoughts on my debate and the build overall? As you can see the price works out to pretty much the same so it could go either way.

-=Stensby=-

EDIT: New Debate

My local computer store doesn't carry a P55 motherboard that will do 8x/8x crossfire and has USB 3.0/SATA 6.0Gb/s! However, the AM3 motherboard will do everything I want, with a tiny bit less perfomance! I am now leaning towards the AM3 because of this-USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0gb/s would be really nice to have. You guys can all take a look: Memory Express Computer Products Inc. - Canada's Source for Computers, Laptops, Monitors & more... and see if you can find a P55 motherboard around $150-$180 that supports both crossfire and USB 3.0/SATA 6.0Gb/s.

-=Stensby=-

[_dangtx_]

with that budget you can get a 24 incher lcd wise

try to get a dual 460, youd need to go intel or hack drivers for amd. quad may or may not be needed now. perhaps a 530 on a giga p55 sli mobo?

and unfortunately you wont be able to use an am3 mobo with the new chips, from what they say

or if you dont want to change your parts list, either will be ok. intel will show more fps due to the lower resolution used. again, try to get a 24 inch lcd.

[TheGrapist]

the i5 will out preform the 955 with programs that only utilize 2 cores,where the 955 wins in programs that use all cores obviously.I really like the case you chose,i also have one.Have fun with your build!

[Zero82z]

Originally Posted by Stensby

I really like the idea of being able to upgrade the cpu to bulldozer in the future as I think when he gets older he will be very likely to make use of the 6/8 core processors for school. The LGA 1156 socket is already dead(no more upgrades), however it seems currently that it preforms better than the 955. What are everybody's thoughts on my debate and the build overall? As you can see the price works out to pretty much the same so it could go either way.

You will not be able to upgrade to Bulldozer without replacing the motherboard. A quad-core i5 will be much faster clock for clock than a quad-core Phenom II in any CPU-intensive tasks.

Originally Posted by TheGrapist

the i5 will out preform the 955 with programs that only utilize 2 cores,where the 955 wins in programs that use all cores obviously.I really like the case you chose,i also have one.Have fun with your build!

The i5 760 is a quad-core CPU. It will always outperform the Phenom II.

[rickbmb]

ASUS P7P55D-E LGA 1156(USB 3.0/SATA 6.0Gb/s): $154.95


Not sure if you're aware of it but I believe that mobo does x16/x4 in crossfire while the amd one does 8x/8x. May or may not be a factor, worth researching.

[DkRk]

The Phenom 955 is a fine CPU, but if you're hoping to upgrade to 'Bulldozer,' you'll likely be out of luck. I'd vouch for the i5-750, and this is coming from someone who has a 955 himself. The performance is exemplary, and the 'dead platform' schtick is meaningless, as the P55 platform will offer more than enough computing power for years to come. AM3 is more or less a 'dead platform' too, as it appears that AM3 CPU's may be transferable to an 'AM3+' board, but Bulldozer chips will not work with Socket AM3 boards. The i5-760 has a lower TDP than the Phenom too, so it runs comparatively cooler.

Either way, you cannot go wrong. While the i5 is the better chip all-around, the 955's value makes up for its shortcomings if your priorities are mainly gaming, and general productivity.

You got a really awesome deal on those 5770's! Just make sure you and your friend are both aware that Crossfire scaling in games may not always be that great, and to keep your eyes out for updated drivers and Crossfire Profiles. But at 1680x1050, even one 5770 is perfectly fine.

[Bond007]

As mentioned above, AM3 CPUs will work in AM3+ socket boards but bulldozer will not work in AM3. It is still an easier upgrade path for the future, since you could grab a new MOB then upgrade other parts as you can. That being said the 750/760 is a marginally better performer at stock settings and does overclock better (though you pay a bit more for this performance). Either way you won't be going wrong in my mind. Go cheaper with partially usable upgrade path, or get slightly better performance knowing that it will require a full rebuild down the road.

[Stensby]

Thanks for all the responses guys! I obviously misunderstood the AM3+ stuff so thanks for that heads up! I will definitely be going for the intel build then as it does slightly better than the 955 in all the comparisons I read. Thanks for the feedback!

EDIT: New Debate

My local computer store doesn't carry a P55 motherboard that will do 8x/8x crossfire and has USB 3.0/SATA 6.0Gb/s! However, the AM3 motherboard will do everything I want, with a tiny bit less perfomance! I am now leaning towards the AM3 because of this-USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0gb/s would be really nice to have. You guys can all take a look: Memory Express Computer Products Inc. - Canada's Source for Computers, Laptops, Monitors & more... and see if you can find a P55 motherboard around $150-$180 that supports both crossfire and USB 3.0/SATA 6.0Gb/s.

-=Stensby=-

[rickbmb]

gigabyte ga-p55a-ud4p 169.99 @ ncix right now

memory express will price match

[Stensby]

Originally Posted by rickbmb

gigabyte ga-p55a-ud4p 169.99 @ ncix right now

memory express will price match

First off, thanks for finding this! However, after reading some material it seems that using the USB3.0/SATA 6.0Gb/s ports the graphics cards lanes are reduced? Am i understanding that right? Is this a problem with all P55?