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CPU Round-up: $100 - $200 Intel and AMD Processors Tested
Techspot ^ | April 19, 2010 | Steven Walton

Posted on 04/19/2010 9:07:41 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach

Building your own computer

can be very time consuming and rewarding at the same time. While piecing the new hardware together is usually a relatively easy task, picking out the right components in the first place is what can make it more troublesome (that's where our PC buying guide comes in handy - but please, read on).

The first component that must be decided upon before any build takes place is the processor, as this will dictate which motherboard can be used and often the memory type. As one of the more expensive components you must choose wisely, so think about the purpose of your build and budget. Popular CPU choices often range between $100 and $200, and surprisingly in this limited price range consumers will find a huge number of AMD and Intel offerings.

In this price bracket processors can be found operating between 2.66GHz and 3.40GHz, but the differences between these go well beyond mere frequencies. The number of cores also varies with dual-core, triple-core and even quad-core processors available within this range. Other factors play an important role as well, such as cache and the thermal design power rating.

With so many choices at your disposal, we understand it's hard not to become overwhelmed. Therefore we have taken a dozen processors priced within the $100 - $200 price range and pitted them against each other, so you can draw clear conclusions on what will suit you the best.

Keep in mind that not every processor family is being represented by its flagship model. Rather, we have taken what we feel is the best value processor for that particular series. For example, the Core i5 661 falls within our target with an asking price of $200, but instead we have gone with the Core i5 650 because we feel it is a better value option.

Towards the end of the testing phase we have also added a segment that compares all 12 processors on a clock-for-clock basis. This comparison of architectures aims to remove the operating frequency impact on performance and allows us to show you exactly how these CPUs perform side-by-side. This is particularly useful for overclockers, showing just how much difference in performance there might be between two particular processors once overclocked to a certain frequency.

Besides the processors themselves, we will be also taking under consideration the value and performance differences between the platforms used, so motherboards and chipsets will be factored into the whole equation. And now, let's meet the contenders both from the green and blue camps...


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: amd; hitech; intel; lowendcpus
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To: Sprite518
Let me tell you a little secret that Intel and AMD do not want people to know. The truth is the actual cost (once everything is set up which it is) to make a chip is about 3 to 4 cents (now this was in 2000). Trust me I know someone on the inside that broke it down for me. I was shocked. I don’t believe the actual cost has gone up to much 10 cents at the most. 99% of the people DO NOT know this. I can see why...
I can believe it, if the "cost" you are quoting is the cost of making one additional chip, over and above the planned production run. But that is a funny number, because it does't allow anything for the cost of preparing to make a major production run of chips and it doesn't include the cost of designing the chip in the first place. In reality the cost of a production facility and the cost of designing, developing, and testing the chip should predominate in the equation for the profit a chip maker makes.

The marginal cost of producing an additional chip, IOW, is an interesting number but not one you want the chipmaker to obsess over because the logic of that calculation is to never develop another new chip, but milk the profit from the last chip you ever design and set up a fab for. If you would have been happy to have stuck with the Apple II since 1982, IOW, you could be getting essentially free computers by now.

And that is precisely what socialism will do "for" you, if you let it. ObamaCare, at best, is 2010 health care forever - no expenditures on new developments in drugs or surgery. So, at best, it does nothing much initially but in 2020 it requires that the standard of care you get isn't any better than it was in 2010. And that's at best. In reality, a decision to focus only on cost and nothing to do with quality is a decision to not merely stagnate in quality but to allow quality to deteriorate.


61 posted on 04/19/2010 4:35:06 PM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion ( DRAFT PALIN)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Thanks Ernest for the ping. I shall bookmark this post for later use.


62 posted on 04/19/2010 5:19:19 PM PDT by Marine_Uncle (Honor must be earned....)
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To: astyanax

Where can you pick up an i7 860 for $200?


63 posted on 04/19/2010 5:24:18 PM PDT by Vision ("Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40)
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To: Vision
"Where can you pick up an i7 860 for $200?"
Microcenter
86 in stock at the store near me (Twin Cities).
64 posted on 04/20/2010 8:56:04 AM PDT by astyanax (Liberalism: Logic's retarded cousin.)
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To: astyanax

Thank you much. Getting ready to do my first build.


65 posted on 04/20/2010 9:23:39 AM PDT by Vision ("Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40)
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To: Vision

You’re welcome.
That’s a very good chip at a great price.
Have you decided on a mobo yet?


66 posted on 04/20/2010 9:42:28 AM PDT by astyanax (Liberalism: Logic's retarded cousin.)
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To: astyanax

No I’m mostly confused on what to buy. Any suggestions? I’ll take whatever specs you want to provide.


67 posted on 04/20/2010 10:00:50 AM PDT by Vision ("Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40)
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To: Vision
I've been looking at the ASUS P7P55D series.
How spendy of a version you need will depend on what you want to do with it.
(If you plan on gaming while transferring files at SATA 3.0 speed, you'll want at least the P7P55D-E PRO version.)
Maybe try Tom's Hardware and search for P55 chipset and/or 1156 socket motherboard reviews?
Also be sure to compare prices. Newegg, Microcenter, etc.
I've never used them but you may also want to check out TigerDirect. They have cpu/motherboard combos available. That will at least give you a specific list of boards you can research.
68 posted on 04/20/2010 10:27:56 AM PDT by astyanax (Liberalism: Logic's retarded cousin.)
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To: Vision

BTW, I meant SATA rev 3.0, meaning the newer 6 Gbps drives.
Not sure how clear that was.


69 posted on 04/20/2010 10:59:14 AM PDT by astyanax (Liberalism: Logic's retarded cousin.)
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To: astyanax

Thanks.

I don’t get the 32 vs 64 bit thing. Is that solely up to what OS you use?


70 posted on 04/20/2010 11:07:39 AM PDT by Vision ("Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40)
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To: Vision
Yes. Unless you have a large number of legacy apps you need to support there is no reason not to go with a 64-bit OS. By now all the 64-bit drivers, apps and plug ins are available (which isn't necessarily the case when it's first released.)
71 posted on 04/20/2010 11:17:27 AM PDT by astyanax (Liberalism: Logic's retarded cousin.)
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To: Vision

Partly. Your processor has to be physically designed to use 64 bits versus 32, then the OS has to turn the 64 bit capabilities on within the processor, then the software you run has to be design for 64 bits as well.


72 posted on 04/20/2010 11:24:55 AM PDT by CodeToad
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I also suggest the following links to review when looking for new hardware.

http://www.dailytech.com/

The daily hardware reviews are really good. Just ignore any blog posts by Jason Mick - helpless liberal.

Also this site is excellent.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/


73 posted on 04/20/2010 11:27:45 AM PDT by surfer (To err is human, to really foul things up takes a Democrat, don't expect the GOP to have the answer!)
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To: astyanax; CodeToad

I’m trying to build a good semi inexpensive system around the i7; then put on my current version of XP Pro(which I assume is 32 bit.) Any problems with this plan?


74 posted on 04/20/2010 11:32:19 AM PDT by Vision ("Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40)
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To: Vision

As far as I know, the only problem would be the 3 gig memory limit with XP 32-bit.
If you like XP, I’d suggest Win7 64-bit.
It would be much faster, and you will definitely have the hardware to run it (Win7) at its full potential (as well as being able to throw 6 or 8 gig of ram into it.)
Of course, that’s another $140 towards the cost of your system...


75 posted on 04/20/2010 11:47:14 AM PDT by astyanax (Liberalism: Logic's retarded cousin.)
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To: Vision

That should work just fine.

The way the 64 bit processors work is that they are 32 bit processors that have extra capabilities for 64 bit, so they can be told to run as a 32 bit processor or a 64 bit processor. If the processor is told to run as a 32 bit pocessor it cannot run 64 bit applications. If it is told to run asa 64 bit processor it can also run 64 and 32 bit applicaiton. Your operating system, Windows XP in your case, tells the processor when Windows XP boots to run as a 32 bit processor.


76 posted on 04/20/2010 11:47:54 AM PDT by CodeToad
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To: garyhope

An I3 will do the job. Spend your money on video cards. Tom’s Hardware ranks the I7 and I5 as pretty similar for gaming.

Tom’s Hardware (dot com) has some good recent build-off data for several different price levels.


77 posted on 04/20/2010 11:50:08 AM PDT by Poser (Enjoying Prime Rib for 58 Years!)
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To: Poser

Thanks, I’ve already got a good video card that will run 4 monitors out of one slot. It’s a PNY Quadro NVS 440. It’s mostly a financial card for online trading. I’m just going to migrate it over to the new build.


78 posted on 04/20/2010 12:02:53 PM PDT by garyhope (It's World War IV, right here, right now, courtesy of Islam.)
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To: CodeToad; astyanax
Ok that's clear. Thanks. If you don't mind I'd like to pick your brain a bit.

Power stations. Is there a rule of thumb on if you want a 450w or 850w?

Tom's Hardware has a formula but it looks extremely detailed. Is too much power bad?

79 posted on 04/20/2010 12:08:24 PM PDT by Vision ("Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40)
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To: Vision

Too much power can lead to a little more heat than desired but it is not a bad thing unless you are hypersensitive about your utility bill. The video cards are getting more power hungry. I bought an ATI 5770 video card that consumes only 120 watts so I have a 550 watt power supply with a 9550 quad processor.

450 watts might run your video card just fine but that i7 might need more than your last processor. Check the i7 specs for the wattage needed. I think it is around 130 watts.

So, add in the processor of 130 watts and what your video card needs and another 100 watts or so for disk drives, memory, and the motherboard and you’ll have a ball park number. You can google for your videocard’s wattage requirements.

Don’t forget that every video card requires certain connectors from the power supply, such as a single 6 pin or single 8 pin or two 6 pins.


80 posted on 04/20/2010 12:22:05 PM PDT by CodeToad
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