AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black 3.0GHz vs. AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE

I don't if the 980E is worth the money over the 960T. Here's the configurations I have for both. Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37ly
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37ly/by_merchant

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek LOKI SD963 52.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($4.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($136.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: AMD Entertainment Edition 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: AMD Entertainment Edition 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $608.93
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-12-19 16:21 EST-0500)
Or replace the CPU with the AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE. I still have to get a case and a 500 watt power supply, which I could use suggestions for too.

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Reply to chutneylaura

hey you can get an i5-2500k machine for that price! http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] 0#t2418878

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Reply to amuffin

But isn't AMD better for gaming?

Reply to chutneylaura

No not at all in any way. You will be able to game fine on the setup you picked but intel is the gamesr choice right now.

Thent

Reply to thently

nope it is very hard to beat the i5-2500k in gaming. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/362?vs=288

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Reply to amuffin

The 980E is on sale at $170, so that rules out the intel-2500K. And if there isn't that much of a difference between the 980E and the 960T, I'll pay less money for the 960T. Any suggestions for cases and 500 watt power supply (not in a combo, separated.) I really don't want to spend over $700, just want cheap nut good quality. Not parts that are over the top, planning on playing X planes 10 on high settings though. I don't know what is required for that.

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Reply to chutneylaura

chutneylaura wrote :

The 980E is on sale at $170, so that rules out the intel-2500K. And if there isn't that much of a difference between the 980E and the 960T, I'll pay less money for the 960T. Any suggestions for cases and 500 watt power supply (not in a combo, separated.) I really don't want to spend over $700, just want cheap nut good quality. Not parts that are over the top, planning on playing X planes 10 on high settings though. I don't know what is required for that.

2500k is ready for ivybridge in april.

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Reply to amuffin

so you could get an i3 and used your saved money to get the i7-3770k.

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Reply to amuffin

Isn't it really difficult to change a processor? And I what do I do with the i3, pitch it? How much will the i7-3770k be?

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Reply to chutneylaura

chutneylaura wrote :

Isn't it really difficult to change a processor? And I what do I do with the i3, pitch it? How much will the i7-3770k be?

very easy to change cpu's. The 3770k will most likely be around the price of the 2600k. Or you could get a i5-3570k. But we don't know how these cpu's perform.

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Reply to amuffin

if you are only gaming, the i3 outperforms the 980be for 70 bucks cheaper. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=362

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Reply to amuffin

Maybe sometime down the road I'll upgrade to a really nice processor, but not now. But do you know which AMD is a better buy?

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Reply to chutneylaura

chutneylaura wrote :

Maybe sometime down the road I'll upgrade to a really nice processor, but not now. But do you know which AMD is a better buy?

I would say i3-2100, it outperforms both of these cpu's in gaming and is slightly cheaper. And uses socket 1155 which is ivybridge compatible.

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Reply to amuffin

The 960T is a better buy. You should overclock it to match and surpass the 980.

Reply to FinneousPJ

Thats impressive. I was talking to a Geek Squad guy at Best Buy, and he said I should invest in 4 cores, better for games in the future so I won't have to upgrade as quickly. Are there any good cheap i5s?

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Reply to chutneylaura

amuffin wrote :

I would say i3-2100, it outperforms both of these cpu's in gaming and is slightly cheaper. And uses socket 1155 which is ivybridge compatible.

That's not a valid answer to which AMD :lol:

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Reply to FinneousPJ

chutneylaura wrote :

Thats impressive. I was talking to a Geek Squad guy at Best Buy, and he said I should invest in 4 cores, better for games in the future so I won't have to upgrade as quickly. Are there any good cheap i5s?

i5-2300, but the best one is the 2500k!

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Reply to amuffin

FinneousPJ wrote :

That's not a valid answer to which AMD :lol:

yet it is a better suggestion.

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Reply to amuffin

If I decided to change to an intel, would I have to completely change my current computer configuration?

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Reply to chutneylaura

chutneylaura wrote :

If I decided to change to an intel, would I have to completely change my current computer configuration?

only cpu and mobo, possibly ram. Go and check out my previous thread, there is an entire system there.

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Reply to amuffin

I have to still buy a power supply (500 watts) and a case, so I don't think I can afford your computer.

Reply to chutneylaura

If your budget is $600 then the build you posted is quite good. The i3 is slightly better in (some) benchmarks, nothing you would really notice while using your computer. I'm sure if I looked I could find some benchmark where the AMD CPU wins - either is great in this price range.

EDIT: that mobo is making your build quite expensive, are you sure you need all the features it has?

Message edited by FinneousPJ on 12-20-2011 at 12:33:26 AM

Reply to FinneousPJ

I have no idea if I need all the features it has. If there is something cheaper and makes more sense i'll take it

Reply to chutneylaura

Get the PII 980 BE, an aftermarket cooler and look at some Overclocking guides.

Overclock it to a stupid clock speed and you will be sorted for gaming.

A lot of games these days like High Clocked Quads, and a 4.3+ghz PII will be more than enough to handle the latest and most CPU intensive games.

------------------------------ Core i5 2500k @ 5.02ghz 1.51v 8 Hours Prime95 Stable (@ 4.6Ghz 24/7) w/ Phanteks PH-TC14PE, ASUS P8Z68-V-PRO , 8GB Corsair Vengance White, Sapphire R7870 2GB @ 1250/1450, WD Caviar Black 640GB
Reply to deadjon

amuffin wrote :

so you could get an i3 and used your saved money to get the i7-3770k.

Thats wot ive done got rid of amd 965 . got asus maximus i3 top tick me over till intel bring out the new chips next year.
im unsure if to get rid of my rip jaws dual channel 7cl ram for tri channel ram now that im on intel.

Reply to boabs

Ok buddy heres what i got with case and power supply, which will easily suite your gaming needs.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/38aq

CPU AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor $124.99 FREE $124.99 @ Newegg Remove

CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $29.44 $29.44 @ NCIX US

Motherboard Asus M5A97 EVO ATX AM3+ Motherboard $118.09 $118.09 @ Amazon Remove

Memory Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $38.99 $38.99 @ NCIX US Remove
-
Hard Drive Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $149.99 -$40.00 FREE $109.99 @ Newegg -
Video Card HIS Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card $159.99 -$20.00 FREE $139.99 @ Newegg Remove

Case Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case $69.99 FREE $69.99 @ Newegg Remove

Power Supply Antec 650W ATX12V Power Supply $52.46 FREE $52.46 @ NCIX US Remove

Optical Drive Samsung SH-222AB DVD/CD Writer $16.99 FREE $16.99 @ Newegg Remove

Total (before mail-in rebates): $720.93
Mail-in Rebates: $-20.00
Total: $700.93

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Reply to uther39

imo for an amd system, the 960t is better. you can try to unlock its cores, oc it, and best of all, use it with a 990x/990fx(40 pcie 2 lanes) motherboard that usually supports dual x16 cfx/sli. an sb i3 or i5 2300 and higher would outrun your cpu definitely, but sb supports 16 pcie lanes and dual x8 natively with p67 or z68 chipset. additionally you can upgrade to a better amd cpu in the future (if amd comes out with one).
but, new hardware is coming out soon and if you can hold out longer, ivb cpus should come out in late q1 2012, new 7xxx series gfx cards will come out in 2012. sb is already faster than new zambezi cpus and ivb is supposed to widen the gap even further.
if you must buy an amd system right now, the 960T is the better alternative.

Reply to De5_roy

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/38fB
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/38fB/by_merchant

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek LOKI SD963 52.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($4.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GM-LE Micro ATX AM3 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: AMD Entertainment Edition 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: AMD Entertainment Edition 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.08 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.64 @ Newegg)
Total: $639.65
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-12-20 11:32 EST-0500) I've been advised to go this way, it's a lot cheaper.

Reply to chutneylaura

1) You can certainly save money on the motherboard without sacrificing...well, anything.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157199
What you are losing? - AM3+ ....doesn't matter as you can't significantly upgrade a CPU without buying a new motherboard anyway - A few expansion slots...today's motherboards are so loaded, you'll never use more than 1 or 2 anyway. - 1600 speed RAM. You will have to use DDR3 1333 instead. You won't notice a difference. There, you just shaved about 80 bucks off of the build?

Reply to chutneylaura

Your CPU cooler is crap.

Reply to uther39

It was $24 with 20 rebate. But what about the rest of the build?

Reply to chutneylaura

The rest of the build is good to go.

Reply to uther39

http://i.imgur.com/yuB6x.png how does it compare to this build?

Reply to chutneylaura

Although im worried by your ability to OC on that mobo.

Reply to uther39

Would that intel i5-2400 build worth the money over this build?

Reply to chutneylaura

Yes that would be a better performing build.

Reply to uther39

That's what I thought. I think I'll invest the extra money now.

Reply to chutneylaura

If your running 64bit its worth the extra $22 for the extra 4gb of ram

Reply to uther39

Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/38n7
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/38n7/by_merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek LOKI SD963 52.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($4.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68P-DS3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($22.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($147.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $603.48
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-12-20 12:33 EST-0500) How's this?

Reply to chutneylaura

Good but double the ram, you need 2 modules to get the double data rate, plus stick with the coolermaster elite 430 case, its a better case and i would buy at least a 600w PSU.

Reply to uther39

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-p [...] p1650snlb9

Reply to uther39

Any specific ram suggestions?

Reply to chutneylaura

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsa [...] m2a1600c9b

Reply to uther39

i

so enjoy intel fanboys steering people to i5 over amd soley based on benchmark performance and personal preference. Does the op need an i5 to surf the web or play MW3, Skyrim, or any other game. NO. Does the the i5 cost more? Yes! Will the op benefit from an i5? Only in forums when they say they own an i5. []

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Reply to Diabolic1

Diabolic1 wrote :

i

so enjoy intel fanboys steering people to i5 over amd soley based on benchmark performance and personal preference. Does the op need an i5 to surf the web or play MW3, Skyrim, or any other game. NO. Does the the i5 cost more? Yes! Will the op benefit from an i5? Only in forums when they say they own an i5. []

It is better all round & will last longer for very similar money. I know it is difficult for you AMD lovers, but you really do need to get over it - yes AMD is cheaper, but so what? 6 months down the lines what will the extra $100 in your pocket mean? when you could have the extra power & satisfaction every time you boot up.

Reply to Chibbz

Ive soley been intel until i realized how much cheaper amd was. I really dont see any difference in everyday performance other than price and benchmarks. I do own an i7 rig and do not see a performance difference. It doesnt play games, surf the net, play movies, or perform sketch up duties any differently. If i was rendering in 3dmax or inventor i might see an decrease in total time. Just because amd says the 6990 0r soon 7990 is the fastest doesn't mean i should go out and buy it to play bf3 if i only play an hour or two twice a week. " Form should follow function. Thats my point. Could i have bought a new core processor for my build? Yep. Did i need to spend $200 or $300 more for a similar z68 mobo and a i5 or i7? Nope. I wish it were a $100, then i could have continued to be an advocate for intel. 1156 to 1155. And the x79?! I would rather hold onto my cash than continually be raped by intel for the next upgrade.

Reply to Diabolic1

Diabolic1 wrote :

i

so enjoy intel fanboys steering people to i5 over amd soley based on benchmark performance and personal preference. Does the op need an i5 to surf the web or play MW3, Skyrim, or any other game. NO. Does the the i5 cost more? Yes! Will the op benefit from an i5? Only in forums when they say they own an i5. []

Because the i5 outperforms everything that amd has to offer?

Reply to amuffin

@Diabolic1: no one is 'steering' anyone to buy components from intel... or amd. i'm only offering intel-side for the sake of comparison.
you can easily find decent intel motherboards under $120, even $100 e.g. asrock z68 extreme3 gen3, gigabyte micro atx z68 motherboards etc. you can even put together a lower priced intel system that can outperform an amd system having twice the price.
a lot of intel cpus sell under $200, $100. they can easily outperform their amd counterparts. they get the regular jobs done. if you bought a sub $100 intel sandy bridge pentium or sub $150 core i3, you won't notice anything different from amd's phenom ii x4 or fx 6100 for everyday tasks. multitasking doesn't affect them despite having only two real cores. if you bought a core i7 system for only 'play games, surf the net, play movies, or perform sketch up duties' that's ... your own choice.
x79 is aimed at a niche segment where people demand every ounce of performance they can get out of their hardware. and x79 meets those demands well. so well, in fact, amd has nothing anywhere near the performance and efficiency x79 platform offers right now. but that's not for..say, 'play games, surf the net, play movies, or perform sketch up duties'. however, i think x79 platform can substantially speed up google sketchup.
when i compare amd's latest bulldozer line up against intel's latest sandy bridge line up, intel still comes out on top in terms of performance, power efficiency and price. even for everyday tasks.

Message edited by De5_roy on 01-03-2012 at 06:41:09 AM

Reply to De5_roy

I don't understand the argument. Unless you are some kind of geologist looking at crazy rendering displays or a rocket scientist doing massive calculations, why would you need to squeeze out every ounce of performance?

All of the processors above play the games very well, as long as you have a nice GPU.

If you need to do professional grade processing, then have your company buy it haha.

Wait until an Intel gulftown comes down to 170 bucks, then buy that, for now - you're fine.

my 2 cents.

I like my 980, but after reading this, could have saved a few bucks and gotten the 960 - but whats $30 when you are investing 700+?

- Camel

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------------------------------ MoBo: m855x EVO AM3+
Processor: AMD Phenom II x4 BE 980
GPU: crossfire 6870
RAM: 2x4GB
Reply to camelpolo

camelpolo wrote :

I don't understand the argument. Unless you are some kind of geologist looking at crazy rendering displays or a rocket scientist doing massive calculations, why would you need to squeeze out every ounce of performance?

All of the processors above play the games very well, as long as you have a nice GPU.

If you need to do professional grade processing, then have your company buy it haha.

Wait until an Intel gulftown comes down to 170 bucks, then buy that, for now - you're fine.

my 2 cents.

I like my 980, but after reading this, could have saved a few bucks and gotten the 960 - but whats $30 when you are investing 700+?

- Camel

Better TDP and the chance to unlock 1 or 2 extra cores have me wishing I could afford 960T right now. My 965 BE is a C2 :lol:

Seriously, a quad Phenom II would be perfect for his/her needs for quite awhile.

Message edited by direleon2010 on 01-06-2012 at 11:52:12 AM

Reply to direleon2010

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black 3.0GHz vs. AMD Phenom II X4 980 BE

CPUs

Power Supplies, Cases & Mods

Sound Cards

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NICs

Other Components

Akasa

Antec

Cooler Master

Cougar

DeepCool

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