What is the best CPU for $160?

garrypeace

garrypeace

New Member
AMD or Intel. This will be the first component I am buying. Are there any CPUs that you can recommend for a budget of $160 / £100?

Thanks.
 
CardboardSword said:
Doesn't the non-K series have a very hard time overclocking via the bus? I've heard any more than a 5mhz increase on it is pretty much impossible. Still really fast CPU though, go for it if you can afford it.
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yeah i heard the same thing, but if you get a good mobo it should be fairly easy.
 
To the OP... Do you even plan on OC'ing since this is the first time you are buying components? Also, are you buying for a current motherboard or for a new one. It's kind of hard to help you when people don't know what you're going for. Silly people throwing out random CPUs. ;)
 
Rit said:
To the OP... Do you even plan on OC'ing since this is the first time you are buying components? Also, are you buying for a current motherboard or for a new one. It's kind of hard to help you when people don't know what you're going for. Silly people throwing out random CPUs. ;)
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AMD or Intel.This will be the first component I am buying. Are there any CPUs that you can recommend for a budget of $160 / £100?

well since he said this will be hes FIRST component and hes asking which CPU is the best at hes price point AMD or Intel we all assume that this is a new built,useless stated other wise.
 
tech savvy said:
AMD or Intel.This will be the first component I am buying. Are there any CPUs that you can recommend for a budget of $160 / £100?

well since he said this will be hes FIRST component and hes asking which CPU is the best at hes price point AMD or Intel we all assume that this is a new built,useless stated other wise.
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That's why it's always better to ask than assume :rolleyes:
 
Rit said:
To the OP... Do you even plan on OC'ing since this is the first time you are buying components? Also, are you buying for a current motherboard or for a new one. It's kind of hard to help you when people don't know what you're going for. Silly people throwing out random CPUs. ;)
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what was hes question??...oh yeah this, "AMD or Intel. This will be the first component I am buying. Are there any CPUs that you can recommend for a budget of $160 / £100?". your funny you know that.
 
Ugh... His question is like if he was asking 'what tires do you recommend for my car'?:rolleyes:

Bottom line is you don't know what he/she is planning on doing, so how can you best help them by throwing out random information. Do they plan on overclocking? Do they plan on gaming, multitasking, every day use? Depending on their answer you can get a processor that fits their need and could save them money and they could use it else where for more RAM, bigger monitor, etc...

How can you help someone if you don't know what to help them with....:rolleyes:
 
This is a new build, yes. I don't plan on over-clocking the CPU. Just a good AMD or Intel CPU is what I am asking for*.

Do you think I should buy the CPU or Mobo first? Thanks for the responses.

EDIT: *the best CPU for the price of $160.
 
Rit said:
Ugh... His question is like if he was asking 'what tires do you recommend for my car'?:rolleyes:

Bottom line is you don't know what he/she is planning on doing, so how can you best help them by throwing out random information. Do they plan on overclocking? Do they plan on gaming, multitasking, every day use? Depending on their answer you can get a processor that fits their need and could save them money and they could use it else where for more RAM, bigger monitor, etc...

How can you help someone if you don't know what to help them with....:rolleyes:
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its just common sense bro.
 
CardboardSword said:
Doesn't the non-K series have a very hard time overclocking via the bus? I've heard any more than a 5mhz increase on it is pretty much impossible. Still really fast CPU though, go for it if you can afford it.
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Non-K i5 & i7 chips are not completely locked. You have a total of 4 free multiplier above highest turbo frequency. Example, 2600 with a stock multiplier of 34 can be pushed to 39, which is 3.9 GHz on all four cores, 4.1GHz in dual core mode, and 4.2GHz in single core mode.

You should read this article from anandtech
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/...-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/3


Only i3 sandy-bridge are completely locked. So, the only possible way to overclock an i3 is via the bus

However, like I said before non-k i5 & i7 chips are not completely locked
Here's a chart of clockspeeds

Code: 
CPU       Stock           Turbo         |   OC + Turbo (P67 only)
                    4c   3c   2c   1c   |    4c   3c   2c   1c
                                        |
i5-2300    2.8      2.9  3.0  3.0  3.1  |    3.3  3.4  3.4  3.5
                                        |
i5-2400    3.1      3.2  3.3  3.3  3.4  |    3.6  3.7  3.7  3.8
                                        |
i5-2500    3.3      3.4  3.5  3.6  3.7  |    3.8  3.9  4.0  4.1
                                        |
i5-2500K   3.3      3.4  3.5  3.6  3.7  |    5.7  5.7  5.7  5.7
                                        |
i7-2600    3.4      3.5  3.6  3.7  3.8  |    3.9  4.0  4.1  4.2
                                        |
i7-2600K   3.4      3.5  3.6  3.7  3.8  |    5.7  5.7  5.7  5.7
 
tech savvy said:
its just common sense bro.
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It's common sense asking the right questions and not assuming cause then you're wasting time like you're already doing ;)

garrypeace - What kind of computer do you want to build and how much money are you looking to spend? And as far as which to buy first, usually what I like to do and was recommended to me was buy a motherboard first that will 'future-proof' you so you don't have to try to keep up with technology.

That way you can buy a processor/ram that 'works' for the time being, and when funds/technology changes, you can easily upgrade. That's what I did with my current computer. I bought THIS MOTHERBOARD and I'm still using a 'low end' quad core' cause I don't NEED anything higher than that, so why waste my money.
 
Rit said:
garrypeace - What kind of computer do you want to build and how much money are you looking to spend? And as far as which to buy first, usually what I like to do and was recommended to me was buy a motherboard first that will 'future-proof' you so you don't have to try to keep up with technology.
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A pretty powerful one. Spending about $1600 over the course of the next few months. I'll probably find all components and put the specs up here for review.

Thank you.
 
garrypeace said:
A pretty powerful one. Spending about $1600 over the course of the next few months. I'll probably find all components and put the specs up here for review.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Nice budget! Should be able to build a nice computer... But of course you're in the UK, so we have to watch the currency difference :P. But if I have time tonight I can give you a 'cookie cutter' computer in that price range.
 
The cheapest sandy bridge I can find in the UK is £139, for the i5 2300 at scan.co.uk:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/inte...y-bridge-quad-core-28ghz-6mb-cache-95w-retail

The only Phenom quad I found for £100 was the 925, at ebuyer:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/248852

There's also the last gen socket 1156 chips. Best I could find under £100 was the i3 550, at Scan:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/inte...e-320-ghz-4mb-cache-core-ratio-23x-73w-retail

Of the three, I think the best bet would be the Phenom II 925, since it has a better upgrade path through the next generation. (It will work on AM3+ motherboards)

Someone with a better knowledge of the british market may be able to do better than me, but that's the best I could come up with.


By the way, guys, overclocking on Sandy Bridge isn't done with the base clock at all. On the locked ones, it's done through modifying the turbo boost parameters, and is rather limited compared to what the unlocked ones are capable of.
 
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