Which processor would be better?

[mvdu]

I'm having a computer built and I'm wondering which processor to use of these:

1) Intel Pentium E6300 Dual-Core 2.8GHz processor

2) Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz Quad-Core Processor Model

Now the i7 is the newest Intel processor, but the Dual-Core is 2.8 GHz. So which would you choose?

[kC_]

well its more down to what you want & how much money you have to spend

the e6300 is about £60
2.8ghz x 2



the i7 is about £170
2.66 x 4


bit of a no brainer for performance... its all down to your pocket

[mvdu]

Thanks; I can afford either. The i7 is really a lot better in performance?

[JRViejo]

mvdu, according to PassMark:

Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67GHz (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7+920+%40+2.67GHz) - Ranked #9 - Intel Specs (http://www.intel.com/products/processor/corei7/specifications.htm)

Intel Pentium E6300 @ 2.80GHz (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+E6300+%40+2.80GHz) - Ranked #128 - Intel Specs (http://www.intel.com/products/processor/pentium_dual-core/specs.htm)

If you can afford either, the i7 would be my choice.

[mvdu]

-{ Quote: "mvdu, according to PassMark:

Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67GHz (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7+920+%40+2.67GHz) - Ranked #9 - Intel Specs (http://www.intel.com/products/processor/corei7/specifications.htm)

Intel Pentium E6300 @ 2.80GHz (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+E6300+%40+2.80GHz) - Ranked #128 - Intel Specs (http://www.intel.com/products/processor/pentium_dual-core/specs.htm)

If you can afford either, the i7 would be my choice." }-

Thanks again; it appears that the i7 is worth the extra cost, then.

[JRViejo]

mvdu, you're welcome! There used to be a time that Clock Speed meant everything but today, that's no longer true. That i7 with 8 MB of cache and DDR3 memory, besides being quad core, beats the Pentium any day. Good choice. Take care.

[NICK ADSL UK]

i have the Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67GHz and am well pleased with it

[Eliot]

Q9650 FTW! :D

[mvdu]

I ran into a bit of a problem; the i7 would require a motherboard that's more than I wanted to spend. How is the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 as a replacement?

[JRViejo]

mvdu, if you look at Passmark: Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83GHz (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Quad+Q9550+%40+2.83GHz), that CPU ranks #28 so the benchmark drop-off is not that severe.

According to Intel Specs (http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=33924), that CPU seems to have a higher L2 Cache (12 MB compared to 8 MB of the i7) but I believe is dual 6 MB, however, its Front Side Bus Speed (1333MHz) is better than i7 (1066MHz), provided it also handles DDR3 memory sticks (can't find that info, yet that depends on the chosen motherboard).

Overall, is not a bad substitution and perhaps a Wilders member, who has that same CPU, would attest to that.

[mvdu]

-{ Quote: "mvdu, if you look at Passmark: Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83GHz (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Quad+Q9550+%40+2.83GHz), that CPU ranks #28 so the benchmark drop-off is not that severe.

According to Intel Specs (http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=33924), that CPU seems to have a higher L2 Cache (12 MB compared to 8 MB of the i7) but I believe is dual 6 MB, however, its Front Side Bus Speed (1333MHz) is better than i7 (1066MHz), provided it also handles DDR3 memory sticks (can't find that info, yet that depends on the chosen motherboard).

Overall, is not a bad substitution and perhaps a Wilders member, who has that same CPU, would attest to that." }-

Thanks again, JRViejo, for your help. Sounds good.

[JRViejo]

mvdu, you're welcome! Take care.

[DVD+R]

I have the i7-965 Extreme Processor-3.2GHz and its like going down hill on the worlds fastest roller coaster ;D

[JRViejo]

DVD+R, I'll bet! That i7-965 is ranked #4 by PassMark (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7+965+%40+3.20GHz) and the Intel Specs (http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37149&processor=i7-965&spec-codes=SLBCJ) are mighty fine as well! ;)

[Coolio10]

-{ Quote: "DVD+R, I'll bet! That i7-965 is ranked #4 by PassMark (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7+965+%40+3.20GHz) and the Intel Specs (http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37149&processor=i7-965&spec-codes=SLBCJ) are mighty fine as well! ;)" }-
I believe its #3, unless an Intel 000 really exists.

[JRViejo]

-{ Quote: "I believe its #3, unless an Intel 000 really exists." }-
Coolio10, according to their Current Top 10 List (http://www.cpubenchmark.net) (scroll down past charts), that CPU is an Intel Xeon, ranked #2 today, and, their Top 20 Computer System Benchmarks (http://www.passmark.com/baselines/top.html) details that CPU baseline. However, looking at the Intel Xeon Processor Family (http://ark.intel.com/ProductCollection.aspx?familyId=594), there's no 000. So perhaps the CPU designation is somehow lost during in the submission to PassMark. :-\

[DVD+R]

Unless I'm reading those charts wrong its #1 8)

[Ragzarok]

-{ Quote: "mvdu, if you look at Passmark: Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83GHz (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Quad+Q9550+%40+2.83GHz), that CPU ranks #28 so the benchmark drop-off is not that severe.

According to Intel Specs (http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=33924), that CPU seems to have a higher L2 Cache (12 MB compared to 8 MB of the i7) but I believe is dual 6 MB, however, its Front Side Bus Speed (1333MHz) is better than i7 (1066MHz), provided it also handles DDR3 memory sticks (can't find that info, yet that depends on the chosen motherboard).

Overall, is not a bad substitution and perhaps a Wilders member, who has that same CPU, would attest to that." }-

My Pentium 4 still does MS Word processing just as well as any i7 you can find. The question is not C2D or i7, the question is: what does you need done that you want them there CPU's go done? You can spend $50 US to buy an E6600 and run it @ 4Ghz and it will game faster than Q9550 that costs $230. You can spend $170 on Q9550 and run it @ 4.5G and it will still game just as fast as that $1000 that other noobs shell out for i7-965, I did. ~snipped - Possibly Offensive Phrase Removed as per TOS (http://www.wilderssecurity.com/tos.php). ~

[renegade08]

Maybe you will find this article interesting:

TechSpot PC Buying Guide - August 2009

http://www.techspot.com/news/36006-techspot-pc-buying-guide--august-2009.html