Which CPU is best for me?

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mazinya

New Member
I wanna buy myself a new PC and im in a dilemma about the CPU that would suit me best.

My 3 main choices which are all at the same price range in my country are:

Intel E8400
Phenom II x3 Tripple-Core 710
Phenom II x3 Tripple-Core 720

The E8400 is the most expensive one out of the 3 but it also runs at higher clock.
I thought about the 720 cuz it runs a bit faster than the 710

* Im not a gamer, just like to play a good game from time to time, nothing big. thats why i intend on buying the HD 4850.

* I want the CPU to run cool and fast and i have no problem to add a fan if needed, like the Freezer 7 pro. Also i want it to be low on power consumption.

* Im not gonna OC.

* Last important thing.. I want it also to be good for the future.. since im not a gamer and i have no high demands from my PC i have no intentions to upgrade it in 2-3 years but i do want my CPU to run fast and not fie on me when im using 2-3 programs at once

So which of the 3 is the best in your opinion?
 
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Y

yhahh

New Member
E8400
I've got it and it has never deceived me. Sometimes I'm running like 6 or 7 programs in the same time (games, msn, firefox, photoshop, avast, and littles softwares as coretemp, steam...), all the time the CPU works fine and fast.
That CPU is a sure worth.
 
Z

zer0_c00l

Active Member
well i would go for the 720b.e. ,one more core for multitasking,unlocked multiplier,easy overclock past the e8400,last but not least socket 775 is a dead socket now,meaning no more new cpu's :D
 
Y

yhahh

New Member
Mazinya won't overclock, the unlocked multi is useless in his situation.
The socket 775 isn't dead, it stay the last Intel socket after the 1366 which is a bit so expensive for the moment.
I think the choice may depend of the motherboard that Mazinya shall be buying in the two cases (AM2 or 775). What mobo do you plan to buy in AM2 and 775?
 
8

87dtna

Active Member
The E8400 is overpriced.

I've built a system with the 710, it's creates practically NO heat at all. All black editions I've ever had have run 10 degree's hotter at idle than the 710 did and get hot under load. With stock heatsink and fan, it idles 2-3c over the case temp and never more than 10c more with 100% load.

Can't you get the 550? Thats the best bang for the buck, stock is 3.1ghz and 7mb of cache.

If you can't get the 550, out of those three I recommend the 710 for sure. Doesn't sound like you need high clock speed, and the 710 will be able to play any game you throw at it, I tried! It's also a very good overclocker if you ever get into it, 3.1ghz stable which is a high overclock for a non-black edition.
 
Fatback

Fatback

VIP Member
yhahh said:
Mazinya won't overclock, the unlocked multi is useless in his situation.
The socket 775 isn't dead, it stay the last Intel socket after the 1366 which is a bit so expensive for the moment.
I think the choice may depend of the motherboard that Mazinya shall be buying in the two cases (AM2 or 775). What mobo do you plan to buy in AM2 and 775?
Click to expand...

Your right the socket 775 isn't dead not yet but will be soon and DDR2 RAM will come soon after. I wouldn't buy AM2 or 775 because they are both outdated I would go i7 or Phenom II/ Athlon II that way in a year when he wonts to upgrade his CPU or RAM he can with out buying used CPU's and over priced out dated RAM take a look at DDR it is out dated but cost a a lot that is what is going to happen to DDR2 once it becomes rare. If he doesen't mind having outdated technology then by all means by the socket 775 motherboard but you will regret it when your computer can't keep up any more and you won't to upgrade but can't because parts for you motherboard are no longer being made. Besides he is going to pay just as much for an AM3 CPU and AM3 motherboard. So why pay the same for soon to be out dated tech.

To mazinya the Phenom II x3 720/710 is the best bang for your buck that is a powerful CPU that will pretty much handle anything from internet browsing to heavy gaming. By the way you may think that the 4850 is not a good gaming card but you have been told wrong I have easily maxed out newer games and still go as much as 100FPS the only game I seem to have a problem with is Flight Simulator X which is a pretty graphics intense game but the card handles it just fine.
 
M

mazinya

New Member
Havent really thought about the MOBO. I dont want something expensive since im not gonna OC and also im gonna buy a GPU so no need for an onboard card. If im going for the AMD i thought about the M4A78-EM

Is there any point on waiting for the intel's i5?
 
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Fatback

Fatback

VIP Member
mazinya said:
Havent really thought about the MOBO. I dont want something expensive since im not gonna OC and also im gonna buy a GPU so no need for an onboard card.

Is there any point on waiting for the intel's i5?
Click to expand...

Not really as they will probably cost a pretty good bit and probably wont preform any better then the current Phenom II's.

FYI motherboards with onboard video actually cost less then motherboards without. I would get an AM3 motherboard with DDR3 RAM.
 
M

mazinya

New Member
My mind is pretty much set on the 710 or 720 (probably 720 for the extra clock speed).

@87dtna: I cant buy from newegg.

My options on the price range for a MOBO are GIGABYTE MA780G-UD3H or ASUS ‏M4A78-EM (AM2+, AM3, 780G, DDR2 1066, VGA ATI HD3200, HDMI‎)
 
Fatback

Fatback

VIP Member
mazinya said:
My mind is pretty much set on the 710 or 720 (probably 720 for the extra clock speed).

@87dtna: I cant buy from newegg.

My options on the price range for a MOBO are GIGABYTE MA780G-UD3H or ASUS ‏M4A78-EM (AM2+, AM3, 780G, DDR2 1066, VGA ATI HD3200, HDMI‎)
Click to expand...

Well the Gigabyte is a better option if you will wont to run crossfire if not then I would go with the ASUS which a can tell you is a great motherboard because I have the exact one.
 
8

87dtna

Active Member
Fatback said:
I bet you are liking it my motherboard will not support DDR3 but it will support any AM2, AM2+, AM3 CPU on the market right now.
Click to expand...

Wel I upgraded because my old motherboard only had an SB700, running the same CPU but obviously couldn't unlock the cores. It was an ASRock 780fullHD, perfectly fine board and I have 4gb of G.Skill 1066 memory at 5-5-5-15. I wanted an SB710/750 to unlock my phenom II 550 and see if I could get a quad out of it. I had success, so it was way worth it.
In windows 7 experience my ram score went from 7.3 to 7.5, CPU score went from 6.8 (dual core) to a 7.4 as a quad. My 3dmark06 scores went from 15,000 to 17,600.
 
Fatback

Fatback

VIP Member
87dtna said:
Wel I upgraded because my old motherboard only had an SB700, running the same CPU but obviously couldn't unlock the cores. It was an ASRock 780fullHD, perfectly fine board and I have 4gb of G.Skill 1066 memory at 5-5-5-15. I wanted an SB710/750 to unlock my phenom II 550 and see if I could get a quad out of it. I had success, so it was way worth it.
In windows 7 experience my ram score went from 7.3 to 7.5, CPU score went from 6.8 (dual core) to a 7.4 as a quad. My 3dmark06 scores went from 15,000 to 17,600.
Click to expand...

Wow that is amazing I can see you got your moneys worth. My score don't reach anything near that my 3dmark06 was only like 10,000 and most of that was from my GPU my CPU and RAM barely scored anything. I got $1400 saved up already and once I reach my goal of $2500 I will be building me a kick a** system that will do anything I won't it to so until then my rig will hold me just fine.
 
maroon1

maroon1

New Member
mazinya said:
I want the CPU to run cool and fast and i have no problem to add a fan if needed, like the Freezer 7 pro. Also i want it to be low on power consumption.


Last important thing.. I want it also to be good for the future.. since im not a gamer and i have no high demands from my PC i have no intentions to upgrade it in 2-3 years but i do want my CPU to run fast and not fie on me when im using 2-3 programs at once
Click to expand...

So, I recommend this for several reason
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115057

1- Quad core will last you longer than dual or triple core
2- Quad core will run multiple applications at once faster
3- This is one of the coolest running quad core on the market

EDIT: It cost the same as E8400, so I think it will fit your budget. And I do strongly recommend that you get a quad core, if you don't want to upgrade for long time
 
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Fatback

Fatback

VIP Member
maroon1 said:
So, I recommend this for several reason
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115057

1- Quad core will last you longer than dual or triple core
2- Quad core will run multiple applications at once faster
3- This is one of the coolest running quad core on the market
Click to expand...

I'm first thing that does not fit his budget Intel has always been overpriced and this CPU is not exception. Second he has no use for a quad since like he said he will not be doing any aggressive performance with his computer.
 
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8

87dtna

Active Member
mazinya said:
My mind is pretty much set on the 710 or 720 (probably 720 for the extra clock speed).

@87dtna: I cant buy from newegg.

My options on the price range for a MOBO are GIGABYTE MA780G-UD3H or ASUS ‏M4A78-EM (AM2+, AM3, 780G, DDR2 1066, VGA ATI HD3200, HDMI‎)
Click to expand...

Oh sorry, are you not in the USA?

The 720 is a good CPU. Can you get a 550 where you are though? The 550 is 3.1ghz, a dual core but it's still a Phenom II with 6mb of L3 cache. It's the fastest dual core from AMD right now.
 
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