AMD Phenom vs. Intel Budget Processors
Everybody wants the best computer, but they always have a budget, and that budget usually means they don't buy the best; they buy the best they can for their budget.
Most people get Intel processors, but why? Are Intel actually the best $ for $? People tend to buy Intel because they have the marketing war well under control compared to AMD. True, the fastest Intel processors are faster than AMD processors, but when you are looking for value is Intel really still the best?
The current top of the line AMD processor is the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Addition, currently selling at around the $200 mark. You get 6 cores running at 3.2GHz (3.6 GHz turbo core), but it is a hungry beast and requires 125Kw to run those 6 high speed cores.
At a similar price point you can get the Intel Core i5-760 2.8GHz. This is far from Intel's top offerings of the i7 range, but those cost in the thousands not $200. With 4 cores running at 2.8 GHz maxed out to 3.33 GHz turbo frequency this processor is no slug. With only 4 cores it won't produce as much heat or consume as much power at only 95Kw.
The AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Addition wins the on cores, frequencies, and not surprisingly also performs better in bench marks. Unless you are concerned about the power consumption you would have to consider AMD the current winner for a $200 processor.
But what about on a tighter budget, where are they at $100 processors?
AMD offers the Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition 3.2 GHz Dual-Core currently at around $92. Two cores and good clock speed makes it attractive at that price point, if you are concerned about power consumption it is far less greedy than its 6 core cousin using only 90kw.
Trying to price a modern Intel processor at this price point is a struggle, and the closest comparison is the Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 Processor for $100-$125. The extra price gets you a CPU built on Intel's 45nm architecture lowing heat and power consumption, but it only offers lower clock speed with its two processor at 2.93GHz, less than the Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition.
In this case I would not say these two processors perform even close to each other on the benchmarks. Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition is the clear winner for a ~$100 value processor.
So Intel may well be streaks ahead on pure speed in the consumer market, but for those on a budget, buyers should definitely look at AMD for use in their next system.
Tags: AMD, Intel, Phenom
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