It's cherry picking because you picked specific benchmarks to prove your point. The 8150 is barely faster than the 965 anyway unless you overclock the balls off of it, even in video transcoding. A 965 at 4Ghz? No contest.
For people that run at stock, what a processor can do overclocked, is a moot point. I picked benchmarks that applied to the OP's usage scenario. You claimed i7 920 "smashes" every FX processor. You were wrong, period. You're only further hurting your argument by using the "cherry picked" BS. In most GPU bound games, which the majority of newer games are, there is little to no real difference between an FX series processor and an i7 920 with single GPU. Encoding/Transcoding tends to be multi-threaded, but seeing as the OP did in fact state an intent to use the processor for that purpose, it applies. Now, I'm done with the ignorant fanboyism. Fact is fact. Nehalem (regardless of processor model) does not "smash" the FX series by any means.
man what is it with you guys in here. the OP asked for opinion on what to do and this thread turns to Intel vs amd. Glad to know that the 920 is still working mate.
Every thread involving Bulldozer to any extent turns into Intel vs AMD.... Opinions should have some basis in facts. However, some on this forum favor Intel/nVidia far too much and throw out accusations if anything is posted that shows AMD to be competitive at anything....
if you have to buy a new m/b in order to get an 8150, thats not a wise decision. you can buy a much all around better cpu in the 2500k or the IB variant and m/b for the same money as a 8150 and m/b. now if you want to pop in one with your current m/b thats a different story. for a gaming rig I would go the intel route as BD is an awful gaming cpu. you would have to oc that 8150 to 4.5ghz to match a thuban at 4ghz
What's best is all based on usage. With GPU bound games, for the most part any processor will work with a single GPU so long as it's fast enough to feed the chosen GPU. For CPU bound games where IPC makes a noticable difference, of course Intel will have an advantage. With encoding/transcoding software....some will favor Intel, some favor AMD. Pick the processor that your chosen software favors. The rest is all conditional. If all you're doing it encoding/transcoding and have a BD compatible motherboard....there's no reason to jump platforms. If you require a new motherboard, there's no reason not to at least consider an i7 2600K. Neither Intel nor AMD are exactly a bad choice.....but depending on the actual usage, one will be a better choice.
the op want a cpu for gaming ,encoding, and internet with some professional apps. judging buy his 920@4.0ghz what would you say is his best option? amd or intel?
His best option is to find a new motherboard for his i7 920 as that's likely to be the most cost effective option. If it turns out a new motherboard costs more than $230 AUD....AMD would be the better option if he really is short on money (which is another thing most on this forum seem to ignore these days, which is why you get PM's when I'm looking at upgrades...lol). If money is an issue, $230AUD is cheaper than $420AUD regardless of the performance difference.
the guys used to a 920 at 4ghz, if he bought BD he would only the same performance on a few gpu heavy (limited) like crysis or metro,bf3. this is what he would get with cpu limited titles, doubt he would be happy. http://www.anandtech.com/show/4955/the-bulldozer-review-amd-fx8150-tested/8 remember we are here to help the OP who has been running an i7 920 @4.0ghz.
This is what I've been trying to say, BD is simply stupid to purchase for any reason, unless you already have an AM3+ board. It gets roflstomped in gaming and barely wins in the scenarios it was designed for.
If money is tight, he's better off with some money left in his pocket than the fastest computer he can possibly build. That would be the most responsible recommendation. In 2001 I was forced to go from an AthlonXP 2000 to a Celeron 1.3ghz. In 2005, I was forced to go from an Athlon64 3200+ to a Pentium4 2.4ghz. I know what it's like to, more or less, go backwards.... It's not exactly enjoyable, but it's better than not having a computer at all....and if money is an issue, cheaper is usually the better option.
an 8150 and m/b vs a 2500k and m/b would be about the same money. I can only recommend going intel in this particular situation. If I could only afford BD, I would find a new hobby as I wouldnt enjoy this one to my liking anymore. especially with dual 580`s http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-690-review/12 and his cpu crapped out too.
We all have different financial conditions. I build the fastest computers I can afford. If that means I have to skip 1 or 2 generations before I upgrade, oh well. My computer comes second to everything. If my computer fails, it only gets fixed if it doesn't impact my family financially....which is how it should be. The OP listed his options as an FX-6100+mobo for $230AUD or an i5 2600K+mobo for $420AUD. That's $190AUD difference in price...and depending on how tight money really is, that could be a significant difference. Remember, not everyone is in a position to set their own budget. Some of us are actually limited by our income. BTW, Post #18 says otherwise for his i7 920... His friend has it running and is testing it for him.
thats even worse than an 8150. he did mention the 2500k so it would still be in his budget. Ill see if I can find some godawful fx6100 benchmarks and post em here.
nah, the i5 2500k is in his price range. I hope he can get his i7 920 rig together, that would be cheaper and WAY better than an fx6100.
Wow this got a bit out of scope, but thanks for the help guys. My Friend has been testing the CPU for me and it's looking good so far. He did a bit over 8 hours @ stock in Prime for me over night with no issues and before he left for work this morning he set it up @ 4Ghz running prime. If it's all good later tonight / tomorrow morning I'll try and pick up a second hand motherboard (managed to find a used ASUS P6T for about $100)