Is the I7 processor the best.

I'm new to computer building but I have been looking into building my own computer and I would prefer to go Intel over AMD. Is the I7 the best processor out there or is an AMD one better? Thanks in advance.

The i7s are slightly better, but the AMD Phenom II CPUs are also great.millerlight89

[QUOTE="millerlight89"]The i7s are slightly better, but the AMD Phenom II CPUs are also great.Xeros606

i7's perform the best....no question there. But AMD's Phenom IIs aren't that far behind and you HAVE to factor in the relative prices of each. Personally, I purchased a Phenom II 550 (dual core btw) and was fortunate enough to be able to unlock the two dormant cores. $100 for a quad core @ 3ghz stock....cant beat that with a stick.

Unless you have two 5970's in crossfire, need fast processing speed for work or some very hungry application, or game at 800x600 resolution, you're going to see MINIMAL difference between an i7 and a Phenom II. Yes it is best. Notice the performance difference in gaming with a highly graphical game. Even the Phenom II 720 BE pulls its weight for $104 on newegg.com (doesn't come with heatsink)

As everyone else said, yes the i7 is a tad faster. Usually in benchmarks the difference is in a few seconds, or a few frames per second. IMO for the money the AMD Phenom 2's cant be beat.

For gaming AMD and Intel are pretty close. Intel technically has the edge in performance, but AMD has the best bang for buck cpu's.

If you only gaming the Intel i5's offer the best performance right now.

Thanks for all the advice. I will look into the phenom II.

Thanks for all the advice. I will look into the phenom II.

redstorm119

Get the X4 955 and increase the clock to 3.4Ghz yourself :P