Phenom II's w/AM3 Vs. Core i7's ; Researching CPUs is making my head explode.

StuffGuy

First, sorry if this discussion has already been had, my efforts at searching for it were thrawted by the minimum search term length.

So for the first time in a year I'm looking at computer hardware in the interest of building a brand new computer, and Ive discovered that Intel has these brand new Core i7's out using a new socket type and supporting DDR3 and all sorts of other cool shit. Unfortunatly the cheapest ones are just under $300, and the cheapest motherboards I've seen for them are just under $200.

Then I find that AMD has released a Phenom II line, some of which are also designed for their new socket AM3, which also comes with DDR3 support. Apparently the AM3 stuff has only been out for a couple of weeks, so I figure itll be priced in the range of the Core i7 stuff.

Turns out its not. The new AM3 processors are running in the $120-$200 price range, and the motherboards for them are a good $80 cheaper then the Core i7 ones. This puts them in the price range of the Core 2 Duos / Core 2 Quads. Attempts to find a solid comparison of how they fare versus the Core 2 Duos/Quads/Extremes or the Core i7s isnt going so well. Ive seen it suggested that theyre supposed to actually be competing against the Quads, with the bonus that the new socket type will give you better upgradeability then buying a Quad would.

So Im wondering if anyone has any idea how well these really run. Are the socket AM3's as totally outclassed by the i7's as the price point would suggest? If you dont want to drop the money on a shiny new i7, are these the way to go? Would dropping the money on an i7 actually be worth it for the upgrade capability of the new motherboard, or would sticking with the LGA 775s be best for now?

Scrublet

The Core i7 is the top of the market. Those things scream. Without going into huge detail, awhile back AMD adopted integratd memory controllers, yielding them a speed boost. Intel persevered without this controller for some time, and still managed to kick the shit out of AMD with the Core 2 Duos NOT having this controller. The i7 is Intel's first on-chip memory controller, and it has yielded them that same speed increase that AMD took advantage of years ago. These things run fast as hell, and the only possible problem is that I'm hearing the stock heatsink sucks.

Someone else will have to elaborate on the new AMD CPUs. I know the DDR3 switch didn't gain them anything, but from what I recall hearing the DDR3 hasn't really impacted i7 versus if they had just used DDR2. I DO know that the i7s will beat AMD, as well as most core 2 duos I believe.

As my 2 cents, I would be getting core i7 with this motherboard with 6 GB of DDR3 (3x2GB) running in tri-channel. But I tend to build for computers that will last 3+ years.

Ego

The i7 is tops for performance, and you pay out the nose for it. If you want the fastest you can buy and budget's no matter, your choice for CPU is pretty simple here.

Phenom 2's and core 2 duo's / quads are pretty comparable in performance, trading off wins and losses in benchmarks. Both are actually pretty affordable these days but (in my opinion) the Phenom 2 gives the nod to AMD, especially the new tri-core's (which are an excellent balance between number of cores for software that takes advantage of it and raw clock rate for everything that doesn't.)

For a budget build, the new tri-core phenom 2's are incredible. You can pack them into an quality AM2+ board (you don't need AM3 for Phenom 2 unless you want DDR3) with good DDR2 memory and get killer performance out of it for the cost. Slick processors. Great at overclocking too. Definitely what I'd choose over an intel duo or quad if I were building right now.

But as said, the i7 is great. If you can afford it and want the performance edge it gives, there's nothing wrong with it. Most people would be better off waiting for i5, the mainstream version, however.