which CPU to get?

[JMapleton]

Originally posted by: 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...

That i7 system is going to be about 40% cheaper 6 to 9 months from now due to DDR3 prices falling this late summer and autumn. If you can wait, you should.

 

[polarbear6]

Originally posted by: 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.

seriously why does a 7 yr old need a pc listen no pc = less distractions = better grades

comming back to the point

intel core 2 duo > intel dual core
like wise intel core i7 > intel core 2 quad

q9650 > e8400
and q9550 is almost q9650 nearly in performance

in short buy a core i7 if u can afford it or else a q9650 or else a q9550
and if ur still low on budget a phenom 2 or e8400

and comming back to not overclocking
its a sin a serious one so serious that it can even make a angel torment in hell
i seriously recommend you to take advice from you re local church before buying a pc

 

[dust]

I'd go with the 9550, perhaps the "s" if I could find it. I personally find it the best price/performance deal now. It's got an ok stock speed, it's a great overclocker if you change your mind at a later time, works fine with cheaper mobos/ram and it's built on 45nm tech. You'll be fine for two years with it, that's guaranteed.

As for the i7 build, I'd wait until later this autumn to consider it as the price/performance ratio sucks right now and yes, it is outperformed in games by the "lesser" yorkfields even. The cost for the CPU isn't the worst issue, but the mobo/DDR3 combo might be painful. So better forget it for the time being and use the extra cash remaining to add a nice GPU/burner and whatever else you need. I bet you can stay within 1k with all

 

[heyheybooboo]

Phenom II 940
HD 4870x2 2Gb
Asus M3A78-T
Combo Deal: $757

Throw in 4Gb of G.Skill 1066.

With an HD 4870 1Gb the combo deal is $563.

Anand Game Benchies

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: ganesh1
in short buy a core i7 if u can afford it or else a q9650 or else a q9550
and if ur still low on budget a phenom 2 or e8400

All 5 of these are great processors. I wouldn't get anything less than those mentioned here.

 

[i7guy1]

If you can afford the premium of an i7, it will run rings around the quad for video editing and video recoding. It is true a small minority of games do not run faster in the i7, but by and large the i7 smacks down the quad core intel chips in most games, but you pay for it.

The Phenom II is a good choice also. Dependent on your price/performance curve you can't go wrong with any choice.

 

[aigomorla]

hey op, you really should learn how to overclock.

even a slight fsb boost or a bclk boost, nothing too big or major, can give you a noticible increase in performance.

When i said your budget classes are all off, i meant, your not holding the same budget across all platforms.

Overclocking is easy, and its not too difficult, if you do it moderately. And your cpu will still outlive its lifeline.

 

[RallyMaster]

Q9550. Not the S model, unless you're running at stock. Recent AT article showed that there's no power benefit once the S model is overclocked and it doesn't overclock much farther than the regular Q9550 anyway. I agree with aigomorla on overclocking though. Intel C2D/C2Q overclocking is so simple, it's almost not a challenge. I would seriously go for the C2Q route right now.

 

[Imager]

thanks everyone for the replies. I guess I will hold off a little while and see if prices fall, and go the core i7 route.

Yep my son already gets great grades in school (while using the PC he has now). He likes to play some of the newer games out that just chug along on his PC, and will be better equipped using my current one, haha. Excelling in school should be rewarded, so why not with a used PC, LOL!