Intel Core i7 vs Phenom 2

[UnderCover]

I am probably going to get new processor and along with that the required hardware as I think my old dual core is going to die or is not performing well. Have recently read many articles about AMD Phenom II. I initially had plans for Intel core I7. But after reading about Phenom II, I am in the thinking that phenom 2 will score up than core i7. So wanted to confirm from the experts which will be the better choice for me?

[PeterAGASSI]

The first Phenoms II come under the name Phenom II X4 920, 2.8GHz, and Phenom II X4 940, 3GHz, both quad-core chips, as their denominations suggest. As many of you may already know, Intel launched its Core i7 chips with similar branding, namely Core i7-920, 2.66GHz, and Core i7-940, 2.93.

The naming of the processors may become somehow confusing for users, as both AMD chips and Intel ones are 45nm parts and run at close speeds. Moreover, the chips also feature the same amount of cache memory, 8MB, expected to leverage their performance to new levels.

[Amd Athlon]

Do not know if the new Phenoms' 2 or 3 will overtake Intel's Core2 or Core i7. But I do hope they do soon, since I been using AMD Cpus' since the 1.4ghz Thunderbird (which was my first OC to a stable 1.9ghz on air). If they do show that they are making a comeback then I might build a second new computer instead of 1 every 2 to 3 years.

[gygabite]

Now it depends more on bucks - if you have the money go Intel as I believe the i7 is a true quad core, has hyperthreading, and finally has the memory controller on the die, and the hyperthreading should be 30% more efficient. It does only take DDR3 so that needs to be taken into consideration. If you are a bit more cash strapped - get a Phenom and it will do everything you need as well

[Sebastian.j]

At last a P2/i7 comparison to shut the people whining for one up. In all I think its a fair comparison - although I am disappointed that AMD's OC potential wasn't as good as they made it out to be. But as all overclockers know - not all chips are the same or have the same OC potential.

The 3DS Max benchmark was puzzling as well, considering that i7 has 8 threads at its disposal. Do you guys have any idea as to why the AMD beat the i7 in that test; despite having only half as many threads?

[gygabite]

Also see here, AMD Phenom or Intel Core i7?
A similar kinda discussion that may put some light on your doubts. (Although it is Intel Core i7 vs Phenom)

[vema123]

I think I'd go with Intel Core i7 because of the following reasons:

Intel Core i7 processors deliver an incredible breakthrough in quad-core performance and feature the latest innovations in processor technologies:

Intel® Turbo Boost technology maximizes speed for demanding applications, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload—more performance when you need it the most.²

Intel® Hyper-Threading technology enables highly threaded applications to get more work done in parallel. With 8 threads available to the operating system, multi-tasking becomes even easier.³

Intel® Smart Cache provides a higher-performance, more efficient cache subsystem. Optimized for industry leading multi-threaded games.

Intel® QuickPath Interconnect is designed for increased bandwidth and low latency. It can achieve data transfer speeds as high as 25.6 GB/sec with the Extreme Edition processor.

Integrated memory controller enables three channels of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, resulting in up to 25.6 GB/sec memory bandwidth. This memory controller's lower latency and higher memory bandwidth delivers amazing performance for data-intensive applications.

Intel® HD Boost significantly improves a broad range of multimedia and compute-intensive applications. The 128-bit SSE instructions are issued at a throughput rate of one per clock cycle, allowing a new level of processing efficiency with SSE4 optimized applications.

Though AMD Phenom II processor is also a powerful processor with Smoother faster experience, even when running complex software application ith native and it can also prevent the spread of certain viruses and strengthen your network integrity with Enhanced Virus Protection (EVP), however I'd suggest this processor to those who are more into the Ultimate Visual Experience for high definition entertainment and hear music. Of course, it can also support multitasking performance and it has Multi-Core Technology. But again, I'd go with Intel i7 instead.