Best Gaming CPU: $150-$200
Best gaming CPU for $170:
Phenom II X4 945 (Check Prices)
| Phenom II X4 945 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | Deneb |
| Process: | 45nm |
| CPU Cores: | 4 |
| Clock Speed: | 3 GHz |
| Socket: | AM3 |
| L1 Cache: | 4 x 128KB |
| L2 Cache: | 4 x 512KB |
| L3 Cache: | 6MB |
| HyperTransport: | 4,000 MHz |
| Thermal Envelope: | 125W |
With the introduction of the Phenom II X4 965 BE, we've seen the rest of the Phenom II X4 family drop in price. Happily, the Phenom II X4 945 is now $170 and makes for an easy recommendation with its four CPU cores and high operating frequency.
Best gaming CPU for $190: None
Now that the Core i5-750 is available at $200, there is very little reason to consider these formerly class-leading processors. However, they still make great upgrades for folks who already own LGA 775 or AM2+/AM3 platforms, so we'll keep them here as honorable mentions with that application in mind:
Honorable Mentions:
Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (Check Prices)
| Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | Deneb |
| Process: | 45nm |
| CPU Cores: | 4 |
| Clock Speed: | 3.2 GHz |
| Socket: | AM3 |
| L1 Cache: | 4 x 128KB |
| L2 Cache: | 4 x 512KB |
| L3 Cache: | 6MB |
| HyperTransport: | 4,000 MHz |
| Thermal Envelope: | 125W |
A former flagship of AMD's Phenom II family, the Phenom II X4 955 BE has been relegated to second place status by the newer Phenom II X4 965 BE model. However, it's hard to recommend the Phenom II X4 965 when the 955 sports the same unlocked multiplier and a $50 cheaper price tag. If you're comfortable overclocking, simply increment the chip's ratio by one and enjoy an extra 200 MHz of free clock rate.
Core 2 Quad Q9400 (Check Prices)
| Core 2 Quad Q9400 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | Yorkfield |
| Process: | 45nm |
| CPU Cores: | 4 |
| Clock Speed: | 2.66 GHz |
| Socket: | LGA 775 |
| L2 Cache: | 2 x 3MB |
| Front Side Bus: | 1,333 MHz |
| Thermal Envelope: | 95W |
The Core 2 Quad line is no slouch either, and tends to perform a little better than the Phenom II X4 when compared clock-for-clock. The Core 2 Quad Q9400 is a strong competitor for the Phenom II X4 955, and will overclock well despite its locked CPU multiplier.
Core 2 Duo E8500 (Check Prices)
| Core 2 Duo E8500 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | Wolfdale |
| Process: | 45nm |
| CPU Cores: | 2 |
| Clock Speed: | 3.16 GHz |
| Socket: | LGA 775 |
| L2 Cache: | 6MB |
| Front Side Bus: | 1,333 MHz |
| Thermal Envelope: | 65W |
We got a lot of negative feedback for this recommendation last month, but we re-checked the data and even found more reason to support this CPU's inclusion. The Core 2 Duo E8500 is, in fact, a powerful gaming processor. Any handicaps that this CPU might have by only offering two cores is compensated for by a 3.16 GHz clock speed and 6MB of L2 cache.
While a quad-core CPU is probably a better bet for multi-purpose use, this Wolfdale-based processor sports a low 65 watt thermal envelope, which makes the E8500 a good choice for a low-power gaming PC or gaming HTPC.
Was looking into getting a new rig to play Batman on. But the game needs windows live account for its DRm. So I'll never buy it. That saved me a few hundred!!! This DRM tosh saves me a fortune every month.
"With rapidly-increasing prices over $200 offering smaller and smaller performance boosts in games, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than the Core i5-750"
but then
"While the Core i5 performs closely, there are a few applications and games that can take advantage of the Core i7 900-series' HyperThreading and triple-channel memory features"
so there IS a reason to stretch a little more for i7 920 then as you clearly state that there are some games out there that will benefit from the technology present in the chip.
What if I want my gaming PC to play everything at the very best quality? Can an i5 handle 5870s in Quadfire? How much faster do hyperthread-aware games run on the i7? Granted we are talking high-budget machines here but why is this sort of data ALWAYS omitted from these types of comparisons?
Yes, there is no point in going i7 975 when the i7 920 can overclock to match (and beat), but there is a point in considering the i7 920 over the i5 750 when it can do something the cheaper chip can't - the $250-$300 bracket is a perfectly valid one to consider.
Totally agree with LePhuronn, in fact I'd go further, the "best gaming graphics cards for the money" and "best gaming cpus for the money" articles really need to be combined.
What I'd like to know is what cpu's are best paired with what gfx cards and vice versa. (To avoid bottle necks that is)
I was having a conversation with my housemate this week as he is thinking about upgrading and he says that he alternates upgrading the cpu and the gfx and always gets be best available of each. I explained that that is counter productive as you will just be alternating your bottle necks and never getting the full value for money out of either...
I'm thinking about getting one of the higher Phenom Black Editions and pairing it with a 5850, is that good? Hard to tell right now!
Well, this didn't tell me what I wanted to hear (ie. That a Q9550 would be an excellent buy) but maybe that's a good thing.
I agree that a $250-300 bracket should be included. Even if many of us don't have the cash, some people do. (I would bring up the $ on a .co.uk website point again, but it doesn't look like it's going to change soon and I suppose it's an 'international' site.)
friggin socketmania
im so sick changing motherboard whenever i want to upgrade cpu
yay, found a BNIB Q9400 from PC World for under 100GBP to put some life back into my 775 system! Decent GTA 4 frames here we come!
People with Budget PC's, that took the leap in buying AMD Athlonx2 on an AM2 back in the day, really can't complain as yet. I was running my 4600+ x2 for about 2+years, and only upgraded GPU's, and finaly, when my CPU started to sruggle, I popped in a Phenom II X4 Black Edition 955, in the SAME AM2 mobo and voila, good to go for another long run....