Hi, I'm looking to build a new PC to replace my 5 year old Athlon XP based system. I've narrowed my CPU choice down to either the Phenom II X6 1090T or the i7-930. My main concern is the longevity of the AM3/1366 sockets. I'd rather not commit to a system where in a few years I'll have to upgrade the entire thing rather than just stick in a new CPU/Fan because the socket is obsolete and no new processors are available. I've read somewhere that the AM3 socket is due to be replaced in 2011 which might mean that there won't be any future CPU's that will be compatible with my mobo. Does anyone have any thoughts on what's going to have the longest shelf life?
Both AMD and Intel are moving to new sockets in 2011. I imaging that the new Socket AM4 (if it going to be called that) Will more than likely be backwards compatible with Socket AM3. If your looking for a gaming PC, I would choose the i7 920 or930 (plus you get 8 threads) with HT. Cheers, Simon.
Both come up with a new socket way too often, but AMD has made hell of a better job keeping the sockets compatible with each other. Also if you're afraid of having to replace everything, just stick to the cheaper AMD-stuff and save some cash already for the future build...
You're recommending more threads for a gaming PC? The only games I can think of off the top of my head that use multiple cores well are Supreme Commander and BF:BC2. Gaming on Conroe vs. i7 vs. Phenom doesn't seem like a big difference at all.
According to this, it is: http://www.legionhardware.com/artic...ossfire_cpu_scaling_performance_part_2,1.html
I do love the idea of the 6-core AMD, but the reality is that Intel will offer a much better gaming chip. Go a i5-750 or i7-930 ... or the slightly older 920 if it's cheaper. The 1366 platform for the 930 is best, as you can at least go up to the intel 6-core once it comes into normal price realms.
P.S. AMD should really be applauded for keeping their processors backwards compatible for so long. It's just at the high end Intel dominates - and being able to fit a 6-core, 12-thread 4.2GHz+ clockable CPU in your system should keep you sweet for a long time.
Well, that's partially because they haven't bothered to design a faster better architecture for their CPUs, and has been stucked on the K10 all these years. Let's hope AMD Bullozor would do better and is with a new architecture. and not another K10...otherwise they'd never catch up with Intel. I want AMD to be able to actually exchange blows with Intel so the pricing would be more competitive for the new techs for both sides, not just delivering a lesser performer at a lower pricing.
You obviouly haven't read my post properly. So get off your high horse. I7 930 is faster clock for clock than the 1090t. The i7 930 is faster for gaming, giving you faster minimum FPS which can decide whether a game is playable or not. I also included that the i7 930 has more threads, which will help in multi tasking. I like to have 4 or 5 app running at once. Simon.
Crossfire/SLi scaling is different from raw gaming performance, and it's been known since the launch of i7 (when multi-GPU scaling increased by a whole lot) that faster CPUs do help multi-GPU scaling. Well, after refreshing myself on reviews of 1090T and i7 930, you're right - the 930/920 is generally better than the 1090T for gaming, based on AnandTech's 1090T review. Overclocker's Club shows the 1090T, i7 920, and 980X to be about equal for gaming, however. My point (directed at OP as well, I might add) was more that higher thread count does not directly translate to better gaming performance; it's the clock-for-clock advantage of the 920 that puts it above the 1090T in some situations. It's great that you multitask a lot (so do I, and I have a 920), but for a pure gaming comparison 6 vs 8 threads has little direct effect. I'm also glad you backed up your point with data after insulting my reading ability. To the OP: The 930 is the better buy out of the two, but why pick that over the 920?
i was going to buy a 1090t and 890fx board but changed my mind when i went to collect it, i ended up buying a asus p6t se and a corsair h50 cooler, i then picked up a second hand 920 and 6gig of triple chanel ram from ebay, and after 10 min in the bios its now running at 4ghz and handles everything, im sure this will last me untill even after sandybridge and bulldozer
Thanks for the advice guys. I've decided to go the Intel route with probably the i7 920. Hopefully that way at some point in the future I'll be able to pop in one of those fancy 6-core CPU's that Intel have released without the need for a mobo upgrade. My initial thought was that it was the best one available without the incredibly high price tag. But now having looked at the price diff (approx £50 at Scan) and the performance difference (http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=24332&page=9), 920 it is.
on price i found the only downside was the cost of triple chanel ram which is a bit more than dual but proberly still worth it in the long run
