[Tech Report] A fresh look at processor value

1137 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Adrienspawn, Mar 19, 2009

SZayat

Discussion Starter · Mar 19, 2009

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/16570/1

Quote:

Speaking of the Phenom II X4 940, we didn't just pick it as a random example-this processor really looks particularly compelling. It's a somewhat better deal than the Core 2 Quad Q9550, and it's not only as fast as the Q9400, but also slightly cheaper when we account for the lower prices of AMD enthusiast motherboards. (Actually, the X4 940 is 30 bucks cheaper than the Q9400 on Newegg right now, even though official price lists give the advantage to the Q9400.) You might find the X4 920 more enticing because of its even lower price, but the 940 has an unlocked upper multiplier, which can make overclocking considerably easier.

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Generally speaking, AMD's Phenom II X4 processors appear to be slightly better deals than the Intel Core 2 Quad equivalents. Not only are they great performers for the money, but the Socket AM2+ and AM3 platform has a better upgrade path than Intel's soon-to-be-retired LGA775 platform. The Phenom II X3 720 is more of a mixed bag, since it's the top performer neither in single-threaded tasks nor in heavily multithreaded ones. However, the 720 is still a good middle ground between cheap quad-cores and high-end dual-core CPUs.

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Slappa

· #2 · Mar 19, 2009

IMO, Phenom II outpaces the Q9550 greatly in value.

-Can OC just as high
-Perform about on par clock for clock +/- 5%
-Cost less
-Better upgrade path (as stated in this article)

etc etc

ML Infamous

· #3 · Mar 19, 2009

I guess this is based off of "Stock Clocks", and the average user?

Derp

· #4 · Mar 19, 2009

Great article but posted incorrectly. You should have just quoted the entire conclusion rather then cherry picking everything positive that was said about the phenom II.

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We can't really condense 64 different graphs or 11 pages of analysis and peripheral information into a short conclusion. However, we spotted several noteworthy constants in all of these graphs.

Generally speaking, AMD's Phenom II X4 processors appear to be slightly better deals than the Intel Core 2 Quad equivalents. Not only are they great performers for the money, but the Socket AM2+ and AM3 platform has a better upgrade path than Intel's soon-to-be-retired LGA775 platform. The Phenom II X3 720 is more of a mixed bag, since it's the top performer neither in single-threaded tasks nor in heavily multithreaded ones. However, the 720 is still a good middle ground between cheap quad-cores and high-end dual-core CPUs.

Also, the Core i7-920 really distances itself from other processors in multithreaded tasks, but without giving much ground to dual-core chips in other tasks. Pricey X58 motherboards and DDR3 memory make the i7-920 an expensive step up, but clearly, you're not throwing your money out the window. The i7-920's position bodes well for upcoming mainstream Nehalem derivatives (Lynnfield), provided they're not dramatically slower.
We should probably give a few pointers to folks who are shopping for a new CPU right now, as well. To start off, while this article contains many useful nuggets of information, we strongly recommend you also read our system guides and performance-oriented processor reviews to get a more complete picture of the market.

If you're still unsure of what to buy, then take a step back and think about all of the applications you run. Looking at the relevant tests here should help you determine which processor can do the best job overall for the money. You'd be ill-advised to pick a CPU strictly based on our average-performance scatter plots on the previous page, because our test suite may not reflect what you'd run in your day-to-day activities. If you use your PC for nothing but games, for example, then a dual- or triple-core processor with a high clock speed may be a better investment than a part like the Core 2 Quad Q8200.

Otherwise, your processor choice should depend in large part on your overall budget. We've established that going from a cheap duallie to a decent quad-core processor doesn't break the bank when one considers the cost of an entire system. However, that doesn't mean you should allocate a disproportionate portion of cash to a fast processor and neglect other pieces like the graphics processor and memory. Our system guides should help you make that call better than this article can.TR

There, readers get the real conclusion.

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SZayat

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 19, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Auld

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There, readers get the real conclusion.

I posted what i thought was interesting and noteworthy. There is a link on top of the thread to read the full article.. ur right thou

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odin673

· #6 · Mar 19, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slappa

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IMO, Phenom II outpaces the Q9550 greatly in value.

-Can OC just as high
-Perform about on par clock for clock +/- 5%
-Cost less
-Better upgrade path (as stated in this article)

etc etc

For most users I would have to disagree. There are tons of Q9550's on this site at the 4 GHZ mark on air. How many phenom II 940's? <10%?

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HowHardCanItBe

· #7 · Mar 19, 2009

Holly crap look at the i7

freakin expensive

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mr. biggums

· #8 · Mar 19, 2009

good read, i really like there views on the phenom II's

but it really shows everything has its place currently.

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Derp

· #9 · Mar 19, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slappa

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IMO, Phenom II outpaces the Q9550 greatly in value.

-Can OC just as high
-Perform about on par clock for clock +/- 5%
-Cost less
-Better upgrade path (as stated in this article)

etc etc

Umm where have you been? check some posts here on this forum, for an example the Q9550 thread which is home to 30 Q9550's overclocked to 4GHZ and most on air with proof. thats a 2.83 --> 4ghz or almost a 1.2Ghz
overclock.

http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/...50-club-_.html

Check the phenom II thread? yeah i did, only 1! phenom II 940 at 4GHZ on air. 2 on water, 1 on a TEC, 1 on phase and a 4.8 suicide on dry ice. thats a smaller 1GHZ overclock so it should be easier but its just not happening.

http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/44...-database.html

when you consider the stock clocks of each processor you can clearly see the Q9550 overclocks higher much more often then the phenom II 940.

I do agree with your two statements about a better upgrade path for people who already have the motherboard and also agree that it is cheaper

.

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Slappa

· #10 · Mar 19, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Auld

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Umm where have you been? check some posts here on this forum, for an example the Q9550 thread which is home to 30 Q9550's overclocked to 4GHZ and most on air with proof. thats a 2.83 --> 4ghz or almost a 1.2Ghz
overclock.

http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/...50-club-_.html

Check the phenom II thread? yeah i did, only 1! phenom II 940 at 4GHZ on air. 2 on water, 1 on a TEC, 1 on phase and a 4.8 suicide on dry ice. thats a smaller 1GHZ overclock so it should be easier but its just not happening.

http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/44...-database.html

when you consider the stock clocks of each processor you can clearly see the Q9550 overclocks higher much more often then the phenom II 940.

I do agree with your two statements about a better upgrade path for people who already have the motherboard and also agree that it is cheaper

.

I was aware of the Q9550's OC ability.

Yeah but to combat that point I'd have to say:

-1) To hit 4GHz you need good enough ram to be able to OC due to the chips low multi. This isn't as easy as you think. Especially with the majority of users opting for 2X2GB setups. I know my ram can't support 475-500FSB speeds. Maybe thats just me.
-2) The motherboard also has to be able to handle the FSB. Most of which have troubles with a quad above 450FSB
-3) The needed mobo and ram add up and it gets more and more expensive. Not the mention the Q9550 is already more expensive to begin with.

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Adrienspawn

· #11 · Mar 19, 2009

Q9550 and i7-920 lookin' good in their range. AMD needs a better chip to compete on top.

Choggs396

· #12 · Mar 19, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slappa

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-1) To hit 4GHz you need good enough ram to be able to OC due to the chips low multi. This isn't as easy as you think. Especially with the majority of users opting for 2X2GB setups. I know my ram can't support 475-500FSB speeds. Maybe thats just me.

FSB:RAM Divider

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slappa

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-2) The motherboard also has to be able to handle the FSB. Most of which have troubles with a quad above 450FSB
-3) The needed mobo and ram add up and it gets more and more expensive. Not the mention the Q9550 is already more expensive to begin with.

A Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P can be had for ~$125, and from what I've read, can reach 450MHz FSB (with a Quad) with relative ease. Gigabyte even sells similar, sub-100 dollar P45 chipset motherboards (albeit with less features).

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VulcanDragon

· #13 · Mar 19, 2009

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Originally Posted by aakar

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Holly crap look at the i7

freakin expensive

Well, the 965 sure, and I suppose the 940. But the 920 is only a couple hundred bucks more expensive than the top LGA775 chips; and I think that's good value for the significant performance improvement and a socket that isn't dead.

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ilhe4e12345

· #14 · Mar 19, 2009

LET THE FLAME WARS BEGIN!!

honestly though this review was really interesting. It showed the positives and the negatives of both chips. I love my Phenom 920 and i know that the i7's are more powerful and the 940 has an unlocked multi BUT.......i can turn my pc on, boot into Vista Ulti in 18 seconds, play all the games i want, bench decently and i have it sitting at 3.5 on stock air pretty stable with 2 gigs of RAM.......it runs all my games, and is super fast.....i loves it

lets not flame each other guys and girls, the review was very good and both chips are capable of doing alot.....

hopefully AMD will bring out a new chip or atleast something that can compete clock for clock with the i7's that would be nice

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Adrienspawn

· #15 · Mar 19, 2009

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Originally Posted by ilhe4e12345

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...the 940 has an unlocked multi BUT.......i can turn my pc on, boot into Vista Ulti in 18 seconds, play all the...

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