What’s the best budget chip available today for those interested in getting good performance on the cheap? We’ll walk you through the top five chips and tell you which one to buy.
| CPU | Core i7-920 | Core i7-870 | Core i7-860 | Core i5-750 | Core 2 Quad Q9550/Q9550s | Phenom II X4 965 BE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA1366 | LGA1156 | LGA1156 | LGA1156 | LGA775 | AM3 |
| Price (Volume) | $284 | $562 | $284 | $196 | $266 / $320 | $245 |
| Price (Street) | $280 | N/A | N/A | N/A | $220 / $350 | $245 |
| TDP | 130Watts | 95Watts | 95Watts | 95Watts | 95Watts / 65Watts | 140Watts |
| Codename | Bloomfield | Lynnfield | Lynnfield | Lynnfield | Yorkfield | Deneb |
| QPI/HT | 4.8GT/s | 4.8GT/s | 4.8GT/s | 4.8GT/s | N/A | 4GHz |
| Core Clock | 2.66GHz | 2.93GHz | 2.8GHz | 2.66GHz | 2.83GHz | 3.4GHz |
| Turbo Boost (Max 1 Core) | 2.93GHz | 3.6GHz | 3.46GHz | 3.2GHz | N/A | N/A |
| HyperThreading? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | N/A |
| Cores/Threads | 4/8 | 4/8 | 4/8 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 4/4 |
| L1 Cache | 256KB | 256KB | 256KB | 256KB | 256KB | 512KB |
| L2 Cache | 1MB | 1MB | 1MB | 1MB | 12MB | 2MB |
| L3 Cache | 8MB | 8MB | 8MB | 8MB | N/A | 6MB |
| Die Size (mm^2) | 263 | 296 | 296 | 296 | 214 | 258 |
| Transistor Count (million) | 731 | 774 | 774 | 771 | 820 | 758 |
| Process (nm) | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
It’s bad news for AMD’s recently released quad-core. Its best and brightest could never compete with the Core i7-920 in performance, but it certainly outgunned it in price. Now with Intel’s LGA1156 Lynnfields here, it can’t even compete on price. As of this writing, the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition had a list price of $245. The Core i5-750 has a list price of $200 and it mercilessly punts the Phenom II X4 965 BE up and down the field. Only in the mostly-single threaded Photoshop CS3 and POV Ray 3.7 did the Phenom’s 700MHz advantage put it over the top. Against the Hyper-Threaded Core i7’s though, the virtual cores vaulted the Nehalems over the Phenom II X4 965 everywhere. The good news for the Phenom II X4 965 is that it isn’t dead ass last. That falls to its old nemesis, the 2.83GHz Core 2 Quad Q9550. There, the Phenom II X4 965 BE serves space-cold revenge to the only chip here not to sport an on-die memory controller. Yeah, so you Intel fan boys say so what? Core 2 is an end of life CPU big whoop, but you gotta take your victories as you can get them.
The real bad news for AMD is that it’s not expected to get its next-generation Bulldozer core out now until 2011 so it can build it on a 32nm process. With Core i5 pushing the $200 range and Core i3 around the corner and expected to push into the ultra-budget range, there’s going to be very little maneuvering room for AMD’s rather dated design.
Still, there is place for the Phenom II X4 965 BE: existing upgrades. The processor will drop into a large assortment of existing AM2+ boards (you should check your mobo maker’s web site first for support) and even though it’s slower than a Core i5/i7, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to remove your current Athlon 64 X2 part and drop in the Phenom II X4 965 BE. Once you do that, you can thumb your nose at the Intel boys who have to replace their LGA775 boards and likely do an OS reinstall to upgrade to Core i5 and Core i7. Heck, there’s even rumors of a six-core AM3 part which would likely drop into modern AM2+ board so there’s some solace for AMD fans even if the performance isn’t there.
We’ve said for months that Core 2 was a lame duck and it gets even lamer with the introduction of the LGA1156 parts. The Core 2 can’t compete with its Nehalem brethren on any front. Even the lowly – and cheaper Core i5-750 – gives the Core 2 Quad Q9550 such a bad beat down, that AMD would likely feel bad for it. And as we said, even the Phenom II X4 965 BE mostly smokes the Core 2 Quad. Sure, the Core 2 Quad surprisingly outperforms the Phenom II X4 965 BE in a couple of places, but it’s still the loser. We could have reached for the highest bin Core 2 Quad, the 3GHz Q9650, but at $319 on the street and list, it makes no sense.
Hell, even at the street price of $220, it’s hard to justify the Core 2 Quad Q9550 over a new Core i5 rig. Even AMD’s Phenom II has a better roadmap as the company will support it through at least through 2010 with newer, faster CPUs. The same can’t be said of Intel which is unlikely to introduce faster Core 2 parts. There is still a place for Core 2 though: If your box is rolling a dual-core and the LGA775 board supports 45nm quads, it would be dumb not to get one more upgrade out of it. Outside of that, it’s clear Core 2’s glory days are long, long gone.
Comments are closed on this article
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Icefire
September 03, 2010 at 4:08am
If a socket LGA1533 2.8Ghz i7 860 is $304.99 dollars and a socket LGA1366 3.06Ghz i7 950 is $329.99 isn't it worth the extra 20bucks and some odd cents for a 950 chip and the advanced architecture and bus speed on the new mobo's?
LatiosXT
September 16, 2010 at 1:14pm
The total system cost for a decent LGA1366 machine is more expensive than the total system cost of an LGA1156 machine, even if the processors are only $15 and some change.
And unless you're doing video work or something similar, you won't see much of a performance difference.
syderwarp
May 01, 2010 at 1:56pm
uhh help me understand why I would buy this as a "Budget" chip if i7 930 at Microcenter which in Chicago there are 2. The price is $200?! Please Maxium Pc update the prices. I know you say web stuff is cheaper on the web price. But Microcenter first had i7 920 at $200 for a year, and now i7 930 for last couple of months is $200. Thanks but I need updated stats for my new rigs!
yackman01
November 07, 2009 at 11:16am
I'm sorry but my Phenom II 965 BE kicks the crap outta any Intel Core i7. Both in speed and price. I bought it brand new on ZipZoomFly for $189. But I'm sorry I don't truly get how Intel can justify having such high prices. I build an entire gaming rig for the price of intels i7 975. Totally ridiculous. GO AMD!
Emokidnotrly
March 25, 2010 at 10:49pm
we all know that you are another one of those amd fanboys who likes to troll around on reviews... weve seen wayy to many of you... stats are there theres no point of you saying anymore... NEXT PLZ!
johnny3144
November 07, 2009 at 3:27pm
"I'm sorry but my Phenom II 965 BE kicks the crap outta any Intel Core i7. Both in speed and price."
errrr.... the chart and numbers clearly says otherwise on the speed part...
and core i5-750 is only $220 compared to 965's 268...AMD clearly lost in both price and performance. don't take deals into account when comparing products. they are not always aviliable
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&cm_re=i5-_-19-115-215-_-Product
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727&cm_re=965_black-_-19-103-727-_-Product
yackman01
November 09, 2009 at 6:41am
I'm sorry to say this newegg isn't always the cheepest....try ZipZoomFly.com....$189
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010974
Thursday
November 16, 2009 at 8:54pm
Currently ZipZoomFly has the two processors only $10 apart. I would gladly pay the extra $10 for such a big difference in performance. And I don't know what numbers you are looking at or even if you're comparing processors yourself, but the i5 750 and even an entry level i7 will demolish the current Phenoms.
The one place the X4 965 BE has an advantage is upgrade potential. AMD is projecting their next top of the line CPU ("Thuban") to be 100% compatible with the current AM3+ systems. Thuban should get you a 6 core proc with a max TDP similar to the Phenom X4 so it should also overclock well.
To get the same upgrade potential with an i7 you'd need to step up to at least a 920 proc which makes the whole system a lot more expensive than just the $10 difference between the X4 BE and the i5 750.
Thursday
November 16, 2009 at 8:54pm
Currently ZipZoomFly has the two processors only $10 apart. I would gladly pay the extra $10 for such a big difference in performance. And I don't know what numbers you are looking at or even if you're comparing processors yourself, but the i5 750 and even an entry level i7 will demolish the current Phenoms.
The one place the X4 965 BE has an advantage is upgrade potential. AMD is projecting their next top of the line CPU ("Thuban") to be 100% compatible with the current AM3+ systems. Thuban should get you a 6 core proc with a max TDP similar to the Phenom X4 so it should also overclock well.
To get the same upgrade potential with an i7 you'd need to step up to at least a 920 proc which makes the whole system a lot more expensive than just the $10 difference between the X4 BE and the i5 750.
AleceHelix
October 06, 2009 at 7:29pm
That's a fine CPU... my new machine will definitely run on this. Screw Phenom II.
livewire120v
October 02, 2009 at 6:23am
Oh, I can not. It requires a new socket. Unless of course you got the X2 3800 for the new socket. But it was the best proc. at the time. I hate apple because of fan boy lies, AMD fanboys are pushing it as well. I refuse to confuse my feelings for the best tool available and go second best. When AMD tops Intel and I am ready to buy , I will get AMD. If Intel is tops, I will get Intel. But when you use arguments against a competitor and then the competitor changes in favor of your argument, you do not flame them, you embrace the positive move... or you become like Apple - Liars. Think of it as a tool. If I get craftsman because it is the best at the time and I use it daily, I will buy it. If Stanley comes out with something better, I will buy it. If Craftsman starting downing Stanley, I would think them idiots and may not consider them next time (maybe). You change no one with lame arguments against the prevailing champ of the day. You just leave a bad taste in peoples mouth. Intel had to learn this lesson to survive and AMD will have to learn it too. Apple has never learned it and has a whopping 3.1% of the overall computer market,last I checked ( could have went up some with Vista). Because of being proprietary, upgrades(indirectly necessary), and the one I used crashing (loading a game) and I got the "what did you do"treatment - if it was Vista, I would have gotten the "Vista sucks" treatment, etc... I hope you can see the difference and try and understand how it makes people feel repulsed. Well. enough marketing today, tune in later for a psycho-babble on the advertisements vs the reality article.
Atech66
September 24, 2009 at 4:28pm
Atech66
I learned my lesson with the socket 754 Athlon system... 939 #%^&*(!!!
truth be told that box still runs perfectly.. ASUS K8VX etc etc.
But after many trusted articles from good ole Max PC i am sitting at my Core i7 (1366) 920, MSI X58 Platinum 6 Gig Mushikin 1333 system.
once i got use to the temps between the core i7 and the GTX260 and stopped being a nervouse wreck for the first few weeks over em everything has been impressive since.
I do not want to be with out options for upgrading when the Nehalem hits the fan.
LGA1156
September 14, 2009 at 2:42am
I've been noticing that the the i7 860 just runs HOT, I was able for a 4 ghz stable, with a vcore of 1.36 however that temp was reaching 89 on prime 95 with a zalmen extreme. I've ended up running at a 3.8 1.275 vcore with prime 95 temps @ 77 max, I've scene overclocking reviews that show the i5 clocking fast and way cooler, I believe it has to do with the extra hyper threading of the i7s
paradissis.1
September 14, 2009 at 4:46pm
I am curious to see how I stack up vs the new.
Asus P5Q Pro Turbo
Intel Q9550 @ 4.3gh
G Skill DDR2 1066
XFX 4870 X2
Q9550 @ 4.3gh nough said!
LGA1156
September 15, 2009 at 9:26am
I had a Q9650 running a 4.1Ghz on a ASUS Striker II extreme 890, with 8GB of DDR3 1600, and SLI 285s
Same video Cards, Same Ram, on a Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4p with a I7 860 oc to 3.8 with ht on...
Its night and Day, no studder with low load times, to vista lags... I just need some SSDs to complete the package
Barroc
September 13, 2009 at 8:26am
Look at the benchmark results I am not seeing the BOLD scores. Maybe edit those to be Yellow font or something or get rid of the color schemes on the colunms to white with black fonts. Are the bigger scores better or the smaller? Does it differ between benchmarks?
Other than that. Man it will be a difficult decision to make. That budget Core i5 is tempting for a quick budget rig but with upgrades limited it makes me pause. I am constantly taking old machines (atleast here in the past few months its increased, and remaking for friends as second pcs. Had a bud with wife and 3 kids and 1 computer. All 5 used it and had to share. Just thru together an old Pentium 4 rig for them with a gig of ram and windows xp pro for next to no money and tada, kids have a myspace/facebook/email/nick.com pc to use now. Don't see that Core i5 will allow for upgrades other than the three new Core i7 socket1156 chips.
Decisions decisions lol.
ty MPC for a rockn mag
bloodgain
September 13, 2009 at 3:23pm
I'm willing to bet this was an article either in the magazine or meant for the magazine (haven't seen that article yet if it's it this month's). That format is actually quite print-friendly. It just doesn't look as good on a computer screen.
As much as MaximumPC wants to be more online than magazine, they are still first and foremost a magazine right now. I love having the website, including all the major reviews and coverage from the magazine, right at my fingertips. They are still perfecting their online side. I'm willing to sacrifice web-friendly charts if they keep up the high quality of the magazine. I still haven't found a magazine I like quite as much, mostly due to lack of focus and letting magazines become advertisement books with the occasional article in them.
LGA1156
September 11, 2009 at 9:53am
Time to update the best of the best, NEW budget CPU winner i7 860 (mico center 229) or i5 200ish anywhere on the web
MaxV908
September 09, 2009 at 4:52am
Just a funny observation, no sooner than the "Desktops are Dead" proclamation come out, that Intel really raises the mid range performance bar. Sorry AMD fanboys, just stating facts. I'm sure competing products are just around the corner.
So where's the iX mobile versions of this architecture? That would REALLY boost PC sales. Or are we waiting for the promised CPU/GPU cores to come out?
TechJunkie
September 09, 2009 at 2:40am
Get a grip. Some of AMD's innovations and engineering prowess has and was (and still is) being implemented into current Intel chips. Without AMD, some of these advances may not have ever occurred. So if that isn't a path forward I would hate to see your definition of moving backwards.
Yeah, your right, it's maximum PC. But where in the media bubble does it state that MPC cannot post or write other articles about other hardware without comparing them to intel. We all already know Intel beats AMD, yada, yada, yada...in benchmarks. So what? Pretty soon, all you will have left for choices is intel, sparking NO innovation, no advances in tech, and not to mention paying ungodly amounts of money for new hardware because of no competition. And when this happenes, you, MPC, and others can only blame yourselves. I'm not an intel hater by anymeans...but I'm more for competition and choice. There is only so much babble that you can write about intel and nvidia before it all starts sounding the same......
Baer
September 08, 2009 at 1:52pm
This is a well written article. I still cannot however get a good comparison with my rig. My 920 is OCed to 3.8Ghz for 24 7 use and it has been oced to 4.2 Ghz (both Prime 95 stable) but I do not run it above the 3.8. Of course at that OC it benches way better than the stock 2.66. This is my second 920, my first, the C O stepp could not get above 3.64 without overheating as it would not undervolt stably like the D O will do. As for the six core (i9) count me in, perhaps at CES??????
As for the comments about not enough coverage of AMD, this Mag is called Maximum P C and there is nothing Max about AMD anymore. There are other places to read about mainstreem budget CPU's but I apriceate M-PC covering the high end and the path forward.
Nion
September 08, 2009 at 1:22pm
The Benchmark Test Setup table on page 6 has the motherboards flipped for the i7-920 and the Phenom II X4 965 BE.
Should be Gigabyte GA-EX58 UD3R for the i7-920 , Gigabyte GA-MA790 FXT-UD5P for the AMD.
VaMage
September 08, 2009 at 10:58am
Any one have a guess about how long it will be before we see these new procs cause a price drop in 920's? If at all that is.
VaMage
American by Birth, But Southern by the Grace of God.
jcollins
September 08, 2009 at 3:41pm
From the benchmarks, I'm doubtful that they'll lower the prices soon on the 920's. The 920 is still faster than the i5's. Why would they make a faster part cheaper if they didn't have to?
DBsantos77
September 08, 2009 at 11:25am
Probably not. The way I see it, the only way there could have be a price drop is if the lower-ends iX's we're released first, then the i7 920With this setup, the lower-ends would see a price drop.
Xylogeist
September 08, 2009 at 9:59am
Ive been reading their articles for over 2 years now and all they can talk about is how great Intel is :p They apply a simple price drop and OO AH! Intel is amazing because it dropped its price first and OUR computers say it does better!
yourfriendlane
September 08, 2009 at 10:13am
That's because Intel's been at the top of the heap for over two years. Five years ago it was a different story.
Caboose
September 08, 2009 at 10:23am
That may be the case. However the number of articles about benchmarking Phenom II's and other AMD chips compared to benchmarking Intel chips are greatly favouring Intel.
Why not do some benchmarking of Phenom II parts in an optimal setup (AMD CPU, AMD GPU, AMD Chipset) for once.
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
willsmith
September 08, 2009 at 10:44am
We usually only devote magazine space to the best/fastest hardware. When Athlon 64 was dominating Pentium 4, we pretty much exclusively covered Athlon in the mag. With the low-end Intel CPUs pretty much dominating everything AMD has to offer, we'll devote space to Intel.
yourfriendlane
September 08, 2009 at 10:26am
That's what Better-Than-Average-But-Still-Not-Quite-As-Good-As-The-Other-Options PC is for. This is Maximum PC, boyo.
nekollx
September 08, 2009 at 3:43pm
well i don't know about you but ienjoy reading my copy of BTABSNQAGATOO PC Mag
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
Xylogeist
September 08, 2009 at 8:12am
I think Max PC is biased... I have 2 gaming rigs virtually the same other than the mobos and the processors, and the AMD Phenom 2 rig out preforms the i7 920 day in and day out. I have a ventrilo server, MS Private Server, and WoW private server, running all day and I play criysis once a day and the intel never beat the AMD rig...
Baer
September 08, 2009 at 2:00pm
Let me crank my 920 back to 4.2 and lets see what your AMD rig does in comparison. I just do not believe it would even play on the same feild. I am not an Intel fanboi but I love high end and for the last four years or so I have not even been able to consider AMD. I would love for them (AMD) to get competitive there but they are not seeming to even catch up. I do give them credit for waking up Intel however and boy did they wake up!!!
paradissis.1
September 14, 2009 at 5:18pm
Lets compare
Q9550 @ 4.33gh nough said!
[URL=http://img182.imageshack.us/i/4335windows.jpg/][IMG]http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/6350/4335windows.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
yourfriendlane
September 08, 2009 at 9:13am
Obviously you haven't been reading Maximum PC for very long. A few years ago it was tough for Intel to even get a mention in the magazine because AMD was slapping them around so hard.
mjanzen
September 08, 2009 at 7:24am
Have I read that right? The text on page 6 says a GTX280 was used, but the chart lists a GTX295.
gendoikari1
September 08, 2009 at 6:33am
731 million trannys? You were aware of the other meaning of "tranny", right?
Anyway, I noticed that their initial Core i7 preview had two arms holding the processor, and this preview only has one. Does it imply anything?
TechJunkie
September 08, 2009 at 6:24am
I just don't understand Intel's logic in how all this can be good for consumers. Most people, and enthusiasts alike, want to buy a system that kicks ass with an upgrade path. Intel here seems to only give you two choices: build a system around LGA1366 that gives you an upgrade path but pay out the nose for it, or build a system around LGA1156 and save a little cash but your stuck with what you bought. With too many choices abound, consumers usually tend to go the easiest route and Intel here provides nothing of the sort. I say, why give yourself a headache trying to figure all this out to get the best performance to price ratio when Intel will most definatley make your choice now obsolete in 6 months.
I run an AMD PII X4 940 rig now and am happy with it's performance. It does what I want it to do. Period. So what that it's slower than intel's counterpart, I at least know the hardware I bought will last me through next year and beyond. I am in no way dissing on Intel, just that AMD IS the easiest route to go and that's what I will stick with. I actually considered (at one time) upgrading to an intel system giving this one to my children, but after reading this article, I will stick with my AMD guns saving myself the frustration of Intel's unwieldly stupid naming scheme and upgrade paths that look worse than a New York City road map.
Caboose
September 08, 2009 at 10:20am
Thats one of the main reasons why I stick with AMD. I can buy a motherboard. And upgrade my CPU 2 or 3 times in it before I need to upgrade my motherboard. And the fact that AMD has got backwards compatibility in mind is great.
-= I don't want to be dead, I want to be alive! Or... a cowboy! =-
chocobo
September 08, 2009 at 3:36am
So right now I can go out and buy an i7 motherboard and an i7 processor and have them be incompatible with each other.
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!?
Yusonice
September 08, 2009 at 3:35am
cheaper than p2, lower power draw and performs better!!!!!!!!!
Jeffredo
September 07, 2009 at 10:52pm
I know from countless reviews that a PII X4 955 or 965 is the equal (and occasionally better) of a stock i7 920 in real world gaming resolutions and quality options. I don't see that changing with the i5. No, I'm not disappointed in my PII build. Does exactly what I want it to do for the price I wanted to pay at the time I needed a new PC.
If you live and die by other types of benchmarks why would you build a PC with a Phenom II in the first place?
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