Core i5 vs AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE, recommendations?

Hi guys,

I was wondering what your thoughts are on this plan of mine to buy one of these 2 processors, and to compare a Biostar mobo to an MSI one which seemingly have very similar features.

I have a small table comparing their price points, but I need an expert opinion on which one is better to spend my money on because I am limited to a budget of $550 CAD +/- $20.

Also, I need to know whether (in the future) I can count on processor upgrades from either without having to switch boards, and what are my options? I am hinting at 6 core processors for both Intel and AMD that are planned for release this year, 2010.

I really appreciate your thoughts guys ^_^

PS: I already own a GTX260core216 and an Earthwatts 500W PSU 80+ cert. My Case contains 7 fans, 5 of which are LED and out of them, 4 are Thermaltake Blue smart fans; I wasn't sure if that info would be a factor in choosing the correct CPU/Mobo combo...

The Core i5 750 is definitely a better processor. However, being an AMD fan, I also love the the Phenom II 955BE. If your budget permits, then go for the i5 setup.

Both the Phenom II and the i5 cater to each manufacturer's flagship socket. The LGA 1156 from Intel and the AM3 from AMD are here to stay. So you wouldn't really have to switch boards if you upgrade the CPU in the near future. However, in this regard AMD is more reserved. Intel seems to come up with new sockets fairly quickly.

The 6 core processors are Intel's Gulftown and AMD's Thuban. The Gulftown will be based on the LGA 1366 socket. The Thuban will be AM3. So if you would like to upgrade to a 6 core system without swapping the motherboard, AMD is the way to go.

All looks fine in your system. Just feel that you may be cutting it a little close with that PSU.

Thanks Ritwik! That's awesome, so I think I will have to go AMD's way since their Thuban processors will mount on an AM3 socket for sure, but the Intel Gulftown will only mount on an LGA1366 (which is too high above budget).

For my PSU, I used Extreme Power Supply Calculator and achieved 483W (which is with a 10-20% overhead, acc to the creator of the calc), on my setup using the Phenom II x4 955. Can you confirm whether this is close to accurate?

At least now I know what CPU I will be going for; however, what motherboard do you recommend, though?

The Biostar or the MSI. Which one has better stability / features / OC ease?
Or is there another one you can recommend with at least an extra PCIe x16 2.0 for upgradeability to SLI/X-Fire?


PS: I have attached my setup's specs from the calc, and here is the link:
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

Well, I think the MSI GD70 790FX board would definitely be a better buy over a Biostar. However, that's a personal choice.

ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI are all really good boards. So is DFI, as some (especially one! ) would suggest. I would always tell you to pick the AMD 790FX chipset. But that would be ultimately decided by your budget.

As for Extreme Power Supply Calculator, I'm not too sure. With my setup it says I need a minimum of 341W.

I got 463W using ur profile info and only some guessing ( ) :
- High End Desktop category
- I used the same vcore voltage but 3.6GHz for ur cpu
- 4 sticks DDR3
- I assumed 7 fans on ur CM690 case
- 1 High RPM SATA
- 1 DVD/RW drive
- 15% capacitor aging since I don't know how long u've had ur rig


That mobo suggestion of urs is wicked! for 20 bucks more or so, I get a wicked board, and newegg.ca even has a combo deal with a Phenom II x4 965 BE!! Thanks a bunch for that man! Dual and Quad X-fire is awesome on this considering I would go the AMD way for video cards in the future for a Dual X-Fire setup at some point in "far far away" (love shrek lol)

Glad I could help.