i5/i7 or Bulldozer?

Ninjavampire · Jul 17, 2011

Hey guys, I'm gonna build my first gaming rig and I'm wondering about what processor I should get.

I could get an Intel i5 2500k or an i7 2600k, but I was thinking, maybe it would be a better idea to wait and see how good AMD's Bulldozer will be? In my laptop I have an i7 processor and I love it, but I've read Bulldozer will have 8 cores and will most likely cost in around the same price as an i5/i7.

I want to start building my PC soon, but I don't want to get the wrong motherboard in case Bulldozer owns i5/i7.

What do you guys think?

ZRock · Jul 17, 2011

So far, no prelim screens of bulldozer i've seen have been "owning" the SB i5/i7, most signs indicate they'll be very similar performance wise.
`

Neuromancer · Jul 17, 2011

Top bulldozer will be the same price as a 2600K. ~$330

TBH.. from paper specs, the one below that looks like the chip to get. Slightly lower CPU speed, but much less wattage. Of course, no real performance leaks have occurred yet, only faked.

I love my AMD setups... people seem to think that a massive CPU is needed for gaming and it just is not the case.

I ran World at War on my Athlon x2 (am3) CPU oced to 3.5GHz on stock cooler and stock 6850. Maxed out settings at 1920x1200 resolution and had no problems (stock CPU I did get some stuttering which is why I oced it...)

Any decent chip will run any game fine.

the point where CPU becomes a bottle neck in games, is...

The Game is really old/the resolution is really low, and the GPU is so advanced that a cheap CPU might limit it to 100FPS where as a 6GHz sandybridge would bump it to 200 FPS.

Massive physics and a game engine designed for multicore processors. (Have not come across any yet myself)

So far Civilization 5 seems to be about hte hardest game to run. Not that it is hard (only uses about 25% of my CPU... but turns take FOREVER in late games with large maps.

ZRock · Jul 17, 2011

The CPU-z BD pic of it being OC'd to like 4.8 was forged?

Ninjavampire · Jul 18, 2011

Neuromancer said:
Top bulldozer will be the same price as a 2600K. ~$330

TBH.. from paper specs, the one below that looks like the chip to get. Slightly lower CPU speed, but much less wattage. Of course, no real performance leaks have occurred yet, only faked.

I love my AMD setups... people seem to think that a massive CPU is needed for gaming and it just is not the case.

I ran World at War on my Athlon x2 (am3) CPU oced to 3.5GHz on stock cooler and stock 6850. Maxed out settings at 1920x1200 resolution and had no problems (stock CPU I did get some stuttering which is why I oced it...)

Any decent chip will run any game fine.

the point where CPU becomes a bottle neck in games, is...

The Game is really old/the resolution is really low, and the GPU is so advanced that a cheap CPU might limit it to 100FPS where as a 6GHz sandybridge would bump it to 200 FPS.

Massive physics and a game engine designed for multicore processors. (Have not come across any yet myself)

So far Civilization 5 seems to be about hte hardest game to run. Not that it is hard (only uses about 25% of my CPU... but turns take FOREVER in late games with large maps.

I was looking at the minimum reqs for Arma 3 coming out next year and it says that the min CPU is either a i5 processor or Phenom ii x4. I could imagine that that game will be very CPU demanding and it may get bottlenecked using an i5/x4 processor and a high end card like a GTX 570 or a 6750.

Janus67 · Jul 18, 2011

I say just wait it out until after Bulldozer is released, although it isn't showing very good signs if it keeps getting pushed back and no real performance information has been given. It is mostly all speculation or hard-to-prove screenshots.

Woomack · Jul 18, 2011

So far we know nothing about Bulldozer performance, almost all leaks are from the same site and we still don't know when cpus will be in shops so I can only say ... patience ( hard to say how long

).
Lately I sold 2600K and I'm playing on 2nd rig in my sig ... I have no problems in 1920x1080. I see lower max fps but min are the same and in real what's the difference if it's 80 or 100fps max ... True that SB beats anything from AMD in benchmarks but in games I wouldn't worry so much.

Tokae · Jul 18, 2011

Bulldozer is like Duke Nukem Forever, expect it to arrive sometime in the next decade and be equivalent to the intel socket that was released a year ago...

Kidding. But If you really want bang for the buck, and are not afraid of used stuff, there are TONS of i7 920,930, and 940s floating around out there. A lot are selling from 150 up to 200 bucks! Thats a high end quad cpu capable of high 3ish to low 4ghz overclocks... Waiting is a neverending game, there is always something being released. You just have to jump in when you are ready to spend money...

Ninjavampire · Jul 18, 2011

Tokae said:
Bulldozer is like Duke Nukem Forever, expect it to arrive sometime in the next decade and be equivalent to the intel socket that was released a year ago...

Kidding. But If you really want bang for the buck, and are not afraid of used stuff, there are TONS of i7 920,930, and 940s floating around out there. A lot are selling from 150 up to 200 bucks! Thats a high end quad cpu capable of high 3ish to low 4ghz overclocks... Waiting is a neverending game, there is always something being released. You just have to jump in when you are ready to spend money...

Nice comparison, I was a big fan of Duke Nukem in the 90's. I was a bit disappointed with Forever but it was still a good laugh

Anyway.... That's a good idea about buying secondhand, but I am one of these people with terrible luck, so as soon as I buy anything electronical secondhand, it usually doesn't work for long

A domestic website sells i5 unlocked for 180 euro which I will definitely pay, I just don't want to buy it and end up being disappointed when I could get a better 8 core processor for a similar price (if things go that way

).

Tokae · Jul 18, 2011

Yeah that is the only drawback with buying second hand, you can never truly know the history of the cpu. But if you did happen to find a decent i7 920 for 150 bucks.. You are set for gaming for another 2 years or more!

Bisquit · Jul 19, 2011

8 cores will proof handy for certain apps. I suppose games wont use them all, at least not for a while.
Still, by the end of this year, things should be getting more clearer, from intel and amd camp.
If you're looking in upgrading now, 2500k is a nice cpu, 2600k has extra threads, again, games wont use them much now, but that could all change in the nearby future.

I spend about 3 years with my upgrades, then I need to get newer/faster equipement.
Maybe you want to do longer with your purchase, then it's best to wait it out a little bit longer, and see what amd has to offer.

Ninjavampire · Jul 19, 2011

Tokae said:
Yeah that is the only drawback with buying second hand, you can never truly know the history of the cpu. But if you did happen to find a decent i7 920 for 150 bucks.. You are set for gaming for another 2 years or more!

Thanks for the advice man, I will definitely look around for some older models

Bisquit said:
8 cores will proof handy for certain apps. I suppose games wont use them all, at least not for a while.
Still, by the end of this year, things should be getting more clearer, from intel and amd camp.
If you're looking in upgrading now, 2500k is a nice cpu, 2600k has extra threads, again, games wont use them much now, but that could all change in the nearby future.

I spend about 3 years with my upgrades, then I need to get newer/faster equipement.
Maybe you want to do longer with your purchase, then it's best to wait it out a little bit longer, and see what amd has to offer.

Ya, maybe waiting for a while is a better idea. I want a rig that will last me at least 3/4 years, so I'm gonna make sure I get the most for my money.

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