CPU Comparison Chart

[Sk3]

A little CPU comparison chart I made before making a decison on my gaming CPU.

Benchmarks are from Passmark.com
^{CPU benchmarks http://www.cpubenchmark.net/
Video Card benchmarks http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/
Performance Test 7.0 Download http://www.passmark.com/products/pt.htm <--I recommend you download and use this program to fully appreciate what all these Passmark scores mean by comparing it to your current PC.}

Prices from Newegg.com

Passmark.com is a pretty good website for getting benchmarks, basically you download Performance Test 7.0 for free, benchmark your PC and upload the stats. A ton of other people do this so it lets you compare yours to theirs, or you can check how well other CPU/GPU combos do.

I recommend copying and pasting this list on Excel so you can re-arrange it in ascending/descending order based on score, price, or score per dollar.



1) Passmark Score
2) Price
3) Score per dollar
4) Product Name
            
1398   $55.00   25.42   AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5200+
1493   $57.00   26.19   AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5400+
1648   $58.00   28.41   AMD Athlon II X2 240
1665   $59.00   28.22   AMD Athlon II X2 245
1697   $62.00   27.37   AMD Athlon II X2 250
1808   $68.00   26.59   AMD Athlon II X2 255
2390   $63.00   37.94   AMD Athlon II X3 425
2512   $66.00   38.06   AMD Athlon II X3 435
2557   $75.00   34.09   AMD Athlon II X3 440
3127   $102.00   30.66   AMD Athlon II X4 620
3360   $99.00   33.94   AMD Athlon II X4 630
3367   $100.00   33.67   AMD Athlon II X4 635
         
2935   $87.00   33.74   AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core
1880   $88.00   21.36   AMD Phenom II X2 550
2053   $99.00   20.74   AMD Phenom II X2 555
2223   $119.00   18.68   AMD Phenom II X3 710
2585   $104.00   24.86   AMD Phenom II X3 720
3561   $100.00   35.61   AMD Phenom II X4 820
3414   $131.00   26.06   AMD Phenom II X4 925
3670   $118.00   31.10   AMD Phenom II X4 940
3578   $140.00   25.56   AMD Phenom II X4 945
3933   $160.00   24.58   AMD Phenom II X4 955
4326   $180.00   24.03   AMD Phenom II X4 965
5563   $200.00   27.82   AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
6488   $296.00   21.92   AMD Phenom II X6 1090T
         
         
528   $41.00   12.88   Intel Celeron 430 @ 1.80GHz
1677   $52.00   32.25   Intel Celeron E3300 @ 2.50GHz
1341   $63.00   21.29   Intel Celeron E3400 @ 2.60GHz
         
2723   $115.00   23.68   Intel Core i3 530 @ 2.93GHz
2869   $148.00   19.39   Intel Core i3 540 @ 3.07GHz
3393   $152.00   22.32   Intel Core i3 550 @ 3.20GHz
3167   $180.00   17.59   Intel Core i5 650 @ 3.20GHz
3061   $200.00   15.31   Intel Core i5 660 @ 3.33GHz
3218   $200.00   16.09   Intel Core i5 661 @ 3.33GHz
3206   $290.00   11.06   Intel Core i5 670 @ 3.47GHz
3073   $312.00   9.85   Intel Core i5 680 @ 3.60GHz
4201   $200.00   21.01   Intel Core i5 750 @ 2.67GHz
3452   $210.00   16.44   Intel Core i5 K 655 @ 3.20GHz
5527   $280.00   19.74   Intel Core i7 860 @ 2.80GHz
5790   $580.00   9.98   Intel Core i7 870 @ 2.93GHz
5576   $280.00   19.91   Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.67GHz
5835   $290.00   20.12   Intel Core i7 930 @ 2.80 GHz
6282   $560.00   11.22   Intel Core i7 950 @ 3.07GHz
6662   $570.00   11.69   Intel Core i7 960 @ 3.20GHz
6980   $980.00   7.12   Intel Core i7 975 @ 3.33GHz
6456   $330.00   19.56   Intel Core i7 K 875 @ 2.93GHz
10172   $999.99   10.17   Intel Core i7 X 980 @ 3.33GHz
         
2006   $118.00   17.00   Intel Core2 Duo E7500 @ 2.93GHz
2116   $145.00   14.59   Intel Core2 Duo E7600 @ 3.06GHz
2231   $168.00   13.28   Intel Core2 Duo E8400 @ 3.00GHz
2394   $190.00   12.60   Intel Core2 Duo E8500 @ 3.16GHz
2618   $290.00   9.03   Intel Core2 Duo E8600 @ 3.33GHz
         
3561   $150.00   23.74   Intel Core2 Quad Q8300 @ 2.50GHz
3666   $170.00   21.56   Intel Core2 Quad Q8400 @ 2.66GHz
3543   $206.00   17.20   Intel Core2 Quad Q9300 @ 2.50GHz
4154   $240.00   17.31   Intel Core2 Quad Q9505 @ 2.83GHz
4332   $279.00   15.53   Intel Core2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83GHz
4577   $330.00   13.87   Intel Core2 Quad Q9650 @ 3.00GHz
         
1728   $67.00   25.79   Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5300 @ 2.60GHz
1796   $70.00   25.66   Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5400 @ 2.70GHz
2276   $90.00   25.29   Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5500 @ 2.80GHz
1921   $79.00   24.32   Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6300 @ 2.80GHz
2052   $80.00   25.65   Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6500 @ 2.93GHz
2283   $99.00   23.06   Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6600 @ 3.06GHz





Intel Core i7 930 2.80 Ghz (4 Core Processor)
6GB DDR3 (3x 2GB) RAM in Triple Channel @ 1066 Mhz
Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 1280 MB

vs

AMD Phenom II x6 1055T 2.80 Ghz (6 Core Processor)
4GB DDR2 (2x 2GB) RAM in Dual Channel @ 800 Mhz
Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 1280 MB

The i7 Setup actually got a higher Passmark rating for the Computer itself but let's be realistic here, if anyone's gonna be spending over $1000 for a computer it's because they like to play games or edit/watch HD movies. So all you'd really need to accomplish these goals is a nice CPU, at least 4GB of RAM, and a nice Video Card because according to these Passmark ratings, the CPU performance heavily influences the frame rates but the system RAM does not (although this is important for other functions like multi-tasking).








So it's true the GTX 470 paired with the i7 had slightly better frame rates where it matters (Complex) but the AMD makes up for this in price, it's $200 compared to the i7's $290 price tag. In terms of every other part like the Motherboard, RAM, Hard Drive, Optical Drives, those are all features and it's all personal preference from there but in the end the performance of frame rates is nearly the same.








I couldn't find an overclocked 1055T w/ the GTX 470 to compare to the overclocked i7 but seeing here that the frame rates do improve where it matters, this is proof that overclocking the 1055T would probably produce similar results. It's also proof that a fast CPU is necessary to take full advantage of the new Video Cards and the intense 3D graphics yet to come our way. Long story short, get a CPU fast enough to get the job done but cheap enough to make you proud on your decision. But why did I choose the GTX 470 for my test? I actually own one, that i7 from those benchmarks is actually mine, you can find the benchmark ready for download from Passmark's Performance Test 7.0 online database. But yeah why the GTX 470? If you look at the Video Card Benchmarks, it's actually the 2nd best video card in the world right now. Yep.

[Sk3]

So the best bang for your buck would be the athlon II x3's ?
I also heard you could unlock the 4th core on these also.

Sounds like a good deal. Thanks for the info.

That's true, but based on the reviews I've read, it's a chance thing to unlock the 4th core.

Plus, depending on what type of games you play and what you build your PC for, the best bang for the buck might not be good enough.

^{http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-ii-x3-440-gaming-performance,2619.html - This article sums it up, for demanding games like Crysis you'll need a better CPU and even if you're playing Starcraft II it might be a good idea to upgrade too (once you get into games where there's a ton of units, lower frame rates because of a slower CPU will make it no fun.}

[Sk3]

Sk3,

I agree very much with the analyst you put up.  The only thing I'm throwing out for people to chew on is Intel's overclockabili ty.  You buy Intel i7 920 because you can OC this bad boy to 3.6ghz on air easy with an aftermarket HSF.  However, the architecture aka motherboard and DDR3 RAM is EXPENSIVE as compared to others.  Is it worth it?  Depends on the use.

I've built both systems.  AMD is the best cost per $$.  Intel is the best performer overall, thus they command a premium for that.  Up to the user and the budget available.  That's what I tell my relatives all the time when they ask me to spec out a system and build for them.  It's all about the bling bling the user has to spend IMO.  If they got under 1k...we go AMD.  If they got more than 1k we go Intel.

My only suggestion is to always by NVIDIA videocards.  ATI is like a screaming turbo at 100% utilization unless you tweak the fan down to 40% RPM all day all the time.

Yeah that's the one thing I forgot to bring up, they can buy a decent heat sink fan like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus from Amazon.com for $30 shipped. This kind of price actually boosts the cost effeciency of the CPU if they overclock and it also depends on the airflow of the case they get. A ton of choices out there for different styles so what I do is pick all the ones I like and show my buddies to see which one they want for their build then go on from there.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133074&cm_re=Thermaltake_V9-_-11-133-074-_-Product This one has great airflow, direct 230mm side fan gives all the parts nice cool air, and then there's a 230mm top exhaust fan to get rid of all the hot air. I personally love the look of this case, especially from the side when you look at the fan, it's like whoa. So badass. But the problem with this case is you can't get a big heat sink fan so I had to use a Zalman 9700 with their new clip on an overclocked i7 920.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058&Tpk=Antec%20902 Another build was this one, it looks great from the front and I don't like blue LEDs, I'm more of a green/red guy so I swapped the stock fans out for Cooler Master's 90 cfm/19 dba red LED fans. The side intake fan doesn't flow directly to the CPU heat sink so that's a bummer, less cooling comparied to the Thermaltake case. This case setup ended up costing more but it was ideal for a buddy who wanted to use a big heat sink for the CPU.

Gonna compare the temp differences when I finish the second one, I wouldn't be surprised if the Thermaltake setup runs cooler.

[obscurity]

So the best bang for your buck would be the athlon II x3's ?
 I also heard you could unlock the 4th core on these also.

Sounds like a good deal. Thanks for the info.

athlon II x3 if your lucky can unlock but its the phenon II x3 720 that i heard had the best potential to unlock, not to mention it had unlock multiplier too, i dont think they sell it anymore though.

thats the one you want to find if you hope to unlock, out of the 4 computers i built for friends using that processor i was 100% successful in unlocking

the only draw back, is cpu temp monitoring tools don't work too well with it when its unlocked

Yeah that's the one thing I forgot to bring up, they can buy a decent heat sink fan like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus from Amazon.com for $30 shipped. This kind of price actually boosts the cost effeciency of the CPU if they overclock and it also depends on the airflow of the case they get. A ton of choices out there for different styles so what I do is pick all the ones I like and show my buddies to see which one they want for their build then go on from there.

this heatsink is actually only 20 dollars at microcenter so if you in mn just go pick it up there

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0315397



thats the one you want to find if you hope to unlock, out of the 4 computers i built for friends using that processor i was 100% successful in unlocking

the only draw back, is cpu temp monitoring tools don't work too well with it when its unlocked

[Sk3]

this heatsink is actually only 20 dollars at microcenter so if you in mn just go pick it up there

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0315397



thats the one you want to find if you hope to unlock, out of the 4 computers i built for friends using that processor i was 100% successful in unlocking

the only draw back, is cpu temp monitoring tools don't work too well with it when its unlocked

I couldn't find it on that site, maybe it's out of stock? All I saw was their smaller versions, the Hyper TX3 G1 and Hyper 101a/101i.