which CPU to get?

[Imager]

Getting a new PC but not sure which CPU to go with. I got roughly $1200-1300 to spend. Would like to stay with a GX260 or 280, and will need about 1.5-2.0TB of storage.

CPU's I've been considering:

Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHZ
Core 2 Quad 9550 2.83GHZ
Core i7 2.66GHZ
and
AMD X4 9550 Black Edition or AMD Phenom II x4 940

I'll be using the new rig for Gaming and a lot of burning of videos that I take. Need the big storage for the videos and music.

Any/all thoughts would be appreciated!

I know I'm going to get flamed for this part, but with the health of my family right now, I don't have the time or patience to put a PC together as I have in the past, so I'm leaning towards places like cyberpowerPC, etc.

 

[angry hampster]

E8400 should do you quite well.

 

[LoneNinja]

I'm not sure what programs your using to burn videos, or if your converting them or anything before hand, but my guess is a quad would be beneficial to your tasks. You didn't mention if you'll be overclocking so I'll leave that out of the equation as well. I would say go with the I7 if you can afford it, otherwise get the cheaper Intel/AMD platform with either the Q9550 or Phenom II X4 940. If prices are very similar between the C2Q and Phenom II I would pick the C2Q as it does perform better.

 

[Imager]

I have a few editing programs that I'm using, as well as CS4. To burn the images, I just use dvdDcrypter. No, i will not be OCing.

this is a total upgrade from what is in my Sig which will be passed down to my 7yr old. I purchased the sig PC about 3.5yrs ago. If that helps with any insight/recommendations.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

The dual-core is - very slowly - dying out. Some games now take advantage of quad, as does Photoshop CS4.

Honestly, there's no point in even considering the Phenom I's. Check out AT's review of Phenom II - it compares lots of CPUs, including th eones you've listed.

 

[Imager]

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
The dual-core is - very slowly - dying out. Some games now take advantage of quad, as does Photoshop CS4.

Honestly, there's no point in even considering the Phenom I's. Check out AT's review of Phenom II - it compares lots of CPUs, including th eones you've listed.

AT's review? is that a sticky? I don't see it...sorry...

 

[Imager]

Originally posted by: Imager

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
The dual-core is - very slowly - dying out. Some games now take advantage of quad, as does Photoshop CS4.

Honestly, there's no point in even considering the Phenom I's. Check out AT's review of Phenom II - it compares lots of CPUs, including th eones you've listed.

AT's review? is that a sticky? I don't see it...sorry...

NM, I think I found the review - http://www.anandtech.com/cpuch...howdoc.aspx?i=3492&p=4 but it says: Bad Request

 

[betasub]

AT = main site = original & only Anandtech.com

AT's PhenomII review

 

[techmanc]

My pick would be the newest Intel CPU with the highest FSB and highest GHZ you can afford and dual core or above.

 

[Imager]

Looking at that review, it's looking more and more like a Core 2 Quad might be the way to go. It seems like it's saving about 200+ overall from a core i7.

 

[aigomorla]

the budget classes of all your machines is so off.

LOL...

The best is obviously the most expensive, which is the i7.

The second best is the next highest priced. Q9550

Then would come the PHII940

Last would be the cheapest, the dual core E8400.

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
The dual-core is - very slowly - dying out. Some games now take advantage of quad, as does Photoshop CS4.

If your going by this logic OP, then a i7 has 8 possible threads with HT on, also consumes less volts @ idle by shutting cores off.

And if you overclock, most of them easily do 3.6-3.8 on an upgraded air sink, and 4.0 on water.

i7 would be your better cpu if it fit in your budget.

 

[Imager]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
the budget classes of all your machines is so off.

LOL...

The best is obviously the most expensive, which is the i7.

The second best is the next highest priced. Q9550

Then would come the PHII940

Last would be the cheapest, the dual core E8400.

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
The dual-core is - very slowly - dying out. Some games now take advantage of quad, as does Photoshop CS4.

If your going by this logic OP, then a i7 has 8 possible threads with HT on, also consumes less volts @ idle by shutting cores off.

And if you overclock, most of them easily do 3.6-3.8 on an upgraded air sink, and 4.0 on water.

i7 would be your better cpu if it fit in your budget.

Not quite sure what ya mean, with your first comment...I just listed the CPU's I had considered, then was getting some ideas from others here. Sure the i7 is the top CPU out there, but not necessarily the best for gaming from what I read on the AT's review.
As I stated, not OCing, so no need to take that into consideration.
for about a $1300 budget, I know i7 is doable (minus some hdd space), but maybe not the best choice. Which is why I was looking for some recommendations on best bang for the buck, and at the same time best performance for the budget I'm in.
Now I was able to spec out a core i7 with about 2tb storage and a GX280 for roughly $1700. That puts me $400 over budget...is the $400 over budget worth it just to get a i7 ?!

 

[Kraeoss]

err ur obviously buying something u don need right now.... why not get i7 920 + $200 gigabyte board+6 gigs ddr3 1333+2 tb hdds (on special @ the egg for a limited time lol) 4870 1gb and a 610w pc power and cooling psu.... i'm pretty sure that's in the price range u have...

yup this build is like 1200 w/o case
Hdd
Video card
PSU
Memory
Motherboard
Cpu

so if u can just addin a case for like a $100 u'd be gtg

 

[Imager]

Originally posted by: Kraeoss
err ur obviously buying something u don need right now.... why not get i7 920 + $200 gigabyte board+6 gigs ddr3 1333+2 tb hdds (on special @ the egg for a limited time lol) 4870 1gb and a 610w pc power and cooling psu.... i'm pretty sure that's in the price range u have...

yup this build is like 1200 w/o case
Hdd
Video card
PSU
Memory
Motherboard
Cpu

so if u can just addin a case for like a $100 u'd be gtg

WOW - nice spec! How good is that PSU and that brand of memory though? I think the coolmaster cases like this one aren't bad from what I here.

This case is a bit more, but probably a much better case. But also looks a lot bigger too

That puts me at $1298 considering the psu and memory brands are good.

But what about what I've been reading about the i7's not running games as fast?

AND are the ATI's better then the GX280 series? I thought ATI had issues with driver updates and such...or is that a thing of the past?

 

[Kraeoss]

well i know ppl who have bought adata ram and it works fine if u want u can do some research on different brands, also pc power and cooling are the top psu in quality power. and yea i beleive that the ATI cards out perform the nvidia cards on a p 2 p basis... ie. more bang for buck and lately their drivers are working fine afaik.

 

[Imager]

610W enough to power all what I would have as well as another GPU if I chose to add on later?

 

[Kraeoss]

well... iono u could choose a bigger psu later when u decide to upgrade the card or get more cards but that psu should be enough for now.... 750w interestinly can be had for just a few dollars more or the same price

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: Kraeoss
well... iono u could choose a bigger psu later when u decide to upgrade the card or get more cards but that psu should be enough for now.... 750w interestinly can be had for just a few dollars more or the same price

There are a lot of bad reviews in the last 30 days on that for DOA. My favorite is the OCZ 700 that is really a rebadged Fortron 700. I have 4 of them, and they are quiet.

 

[Kraeoss]

ok cool thx for the heads-up mark i stand corrected....

 

[Imager]

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: Kraeoss
well... iono u could choose a bigger psu later when u decide to upgrade the card or get more cards but that psu should be enough for now.... 750w interestinly can be had for just a few dollars more or the same price

There are a lot of bad reviews in the last 30 days on that for DOA. My favorite is the OCZ 700 that is really a rebadged Fortron 700. I have 4 of them, and they are quiet.

Nice call, thanks!

Which 700 series in particular I see a few of them on newegg:

one
two
three
four

are the ones I saw...

 

[Imager]

Originally posted by: Kraeoss
err ur obviously buying something u don need right now.... why not get i7 920 + $200 gigabyte board+6 gigs ddr3 1333+2 tb hdds (on special @ the egg for a limited time lol) 4870 1gb and a 610w pc power and cooling psu.... i'm pretty sure that's in the price range u have...

yup this build is like 1200 w/o case
Hdd
Video card
PSU
Memory
Motherboard
Cpu

so if u can just addin a case for like a $100 u'd be gtg

Opps, forgot about a burner, and OS - that'll add on another (about) $200. I knew there had to be a reason why it came out so much lower

 

[Kraeoss]

err cant u just recycle the old burner ??

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: Imager

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: Kraeoss
well... iono u could choose a bigger psu later when u decide to upgrade the card or get more cards but that psu should be enough for now.... 750w interestinly can be had for just a few dollars more or the same price

There are a lot of bad reviews in the last 30 days on that for DOA. My favorite is the OCZ 700 that is really a rebadged Fortron 700. I have 4 of them, and they are quiet.

Nice call, thanks!

Which 700 series in particular I see a few of them on newegg:

one
two
three
four

are the ones I saw...

Number 1. Notice the >85% efficiency

 

[Imager]

Originally posted by: Kraeoss
err cant u just recycle the old burner ??

nope! I thought I mentioned that I'll be passing this down to my son.

I guess in reality it just comes down to either:
Core 2 Quad 9550
or
Core i7

which ever I can afford...

 

[Kraeoss]

well Q9550 system is gonna be like 2-300 bucks less than due to cheaper boards, ram etc. so if it's probably the better choice for now....will go a good while still too