The Best CPUs For Your Money: Summer 2010

The backside of an AMD processor, with the multitude of golden pins clearly visible.

Summer 2010 Update

From AMD:

The last few months have been relatively quiet on the CPU market. We’ve seen AMD introduce a few new Athlon II processors, basically the same X2, X3 and X4 as before, simply with a 100MHz speed bump, while cutting down the prices of slower Athlon II models.

The Phenom II X3 720 OEM(No CPU Cooler and 30 days warranty), one of the favorite models for overclockers, is now priced at $100 instead of $120. Who knows how long that’s going to last though.

From Intel:

Intel released the Core i5-760 2.8GHz at the $210 price point and also lowered the price of the LGA1156 Core i7 870 down to $290, the same price as the slower Core i7 860, suggesting that it might just replace the two older and slower models by the newer and faster ones eventually.

Intel also released the 6 core Core i7-970, at a relatively more affordable price of $900, compared to the $1000 i7-980X, as well as the LGA1156 Core i7-875K, a 2.80GHz Quad-Core Processor with an unlocked multiplier.

The Best CPU For Your Money?

By that, I mean the CPUs that offer the best performance at a given price.

Why would you want that?

Because You Want:

1. The best bang for the buck
2. The best CPU for your money
3. The highest performance possible!

If you have the time, reading detailed CPUs reviews and specs are a lot of fun. However, most of us don’t have the time to do the research and just want the answers. In other words, what you want to know is what is the best CPU within your budget.

So if you don’t have the time to do the research, or just don’t care to do it, don’t worry. I’ll come to your help with this guide of the best CPUs for your money.

Keep in mind:

I’ll use this opportunity to remind you that this article is only a guideline for the prices I’ve seen on August 11th. You’re letting yourself down if you’re not looking for deals when you decide to purchase.

• Prices and availability change everyday. I can’t keep up with accurate pricing everyday, but I can suggest to you great CPUs that you won’t regret buying at the price ranges that I list. If you find what you think is a good deal on a CPU, make sure to compare the CPU against other before making your decision. AnandTech offers this great tool to compare various CPUs in various tests.
• This list is based on the best U.S. prices from NewEgg or Amazon. In other countries or in a retail stores, things might be different. All prices are based on new CPU prices, no used or open box CPU are listed; they might be a good deal, but they come with trade offs, such as limited return policy, limited warranty, etc.Make sure to double-check the CPU socket and other factors that affect compatibility.

Best CPU for ~$60:

AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHz 65W Dual-Core

I used to recommend avoiding CPUs in this price range simply because they were not worth your money. However, in the last year, AMD changed that with their Athlon II value series, which offer very respectable performance at excellent prices.

My previous recommendation, the Athlon II X2 245 2.9GHz has been supersede by the faster Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHz, for a similar price.

Based on the same core as the Phenom II, but without any L3 cache and running at 3.0GHz, this dual-core processor will give very good performance for only $63, allowing you to use it either as a drop-in upgrade in an older AM2+ system or a low-cost part for a new PC.

Good for budget builds, whether it’s for browsing the web or playing video games.

The AMD Athlon II X2 250 was picked as the best CPU at this price point, as it has no problem either outperforming or performing on par with the more expensive $70 Intel E6300 2.8GHz in gaming tests, as proven by AnandTech here.

Alternatives:

There are nothing short of four AMD Athlon II X2 CPUs, ranging from $59 to $75, so let me help you figure out which ones are worth it:

1. AMD Athlon II X2 245 2.9GHz – $59: This is the least expensive retail edition of the Athlon II.
2. AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHz – $63: For $4 more, you get an extra 100Mhz more. $4 is nothing for a faster CPU, so you might as well go for the X2 250, hence why it’s my main recommendation at this price point.
3. AMD Athlon II X2 255 3.1GHz – $68: $9 more gets you 200MHz more. This would be a good thing, if it wasn’t priced so closely to the superior triple-core Athlon II X3 series of CPUs, that I recommend at the $75 price point.
4. AMD Athlon II X2 260 3.2GHz – $75: For the same price, $75, you can get a triple-core CPU (The AMD Athlon IIX3 440) that will perform better in the vast majority of situations. Avoid the X2 260, at its current price anyway.

If you want to overclock on a budget, take a look at the AMD Athlon II X2 240 2.8GHz Dual-Core OEM. At $51, it’s the least expensive Athlon II X2 CPU. However, note that it’s an OEM edition, meaning that it comes with no CPU Cooler and only a 30 days warranty, both of which don’t matter to you if you overclock, as you’ll want a good CPU Cooler, like the Cooler Master Hyper TX3 or the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus and overclocking will void your warranty anyway.

Best CPU for ~$75:

AMD Athlon II X3 440 3.0GHz 95W Triple-Core

Replacing my previous recommendation, the AMD Athlon II X3 435 2.9GHz Triple-Core, the AMD Athlon II X3 440 is the same exact CPU, except with a 100MHz speed bump for the same price.

Also based on the Athlon II core like the previous CPU in this list, this is a triple-core processor running at 3.0GHz.

This processor excels because it has three cores. So? Many video games and applications are well optimized for dual-core processors, not for triple-core right?

Yes, but that third core can handle all the background applications such as virus scanning, web browsers, OS overhead, etc. while the two first cores handle what matters. That results in higher performance in the end.

It offers a very nice balance between frequency(Speed: 3.0GHz), number of cores (3) and price ($75).

• The AMD Athlon II X3 440 outperforms the more expensive Intel E6500 ($80) when it comes to gaming in four benchmarks out of five. Heck, it even did beat the much more expensive Intel E7600 ($150 – 3.06GHz 2MB), also in four out of five benchmarks. Not bad for a $75 CPU!
• Here are the said benchmarks comparing the E6500/E7600 and the X3 440 for you:

1. Borderlands
2. DiRT 2
3. Modern Warfare 2
4. Left 4 Dead 2 and Valve’s Source engine particle simulation

Alternatives:
For $5 more, you can get an AMD Athlon II X3 445 3.1GHz Triple-Core, which is pretty much the same CPU, but with an additional 100MHz, giving you a 3.1GHz Triple-Core CPU. If you will overclock, save $5. If you won’t overclock, spending $5 for that extra 100MHz just makes sense.

From Intel:
If you have a system based on the socket 775 and are looking for a CPU upgrade, the Intel Pentium E6500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz 2MB Dual-Core offers good value, striking the balance between performance (2.93GHz, 2MB, Dual-Core), at an affordable price of $80. However, if you’re building a new system, the AMD X3 440 offers significantly better performance all around.

Best CPU for ~$100:

AMD Athlon II X4 635 2.9GHz 95W Quad-Core

Like with the Athlon II X2 and X3, the previous Athlon II X4 630 2.8GHz gets replaced by the faster Athlon II X4 2.9GHz at the same price point. Not that we’re complaining, getting a free speed bump is never a bad thing right?

When it comes down to video editing and the likes, the Athlon II X4 635, a quad-core processor running at 2.9GHz, offers tremendous value at the $100 price point.

While dual (Athlon/Phenom II X2′s) and triple cores(Athlon/Phenom II X3′s) CPUs with higher frequencies will outperform the X4 635 with current games, the X4 635 is more future-proof due to its quad-core nature. Besides, when it comes to general computing, multitasking and CPU-intensive applications, the quad-core X4 635 will offer better performance.

Alternatives:

1- For $7 more, the AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Quad-Core offers an extra 100MHz. Once again, $7 is nothing for an easy quick boost in performance.

2- If you’re going to overclock, the AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition OEM is the best choice for $100. Note that it’s an OEM edition CPU, meaning that it doesn’t come with a CPU Cooler. If you’re going to overclock, that doesn’t matter though. With its unlocked multiplier and the possibility of unlocking its fourth core, the Phenom II X3 720 is the overclocker’s dream CPU.

3- The AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition: Based on the Phenom II core, featuring 6MB of L3 cache and running at 3.2GHz, this processor offers tremendous value for $100. Its 6MB of L3 cache will make a noticeable difference in performance, especially in video games and it makes this processor definitely interesting. With its 3.2GHz stock frequency, if you don’t overclock your CPU, it’s a slightly superior choice to the triple-core Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz in most situations. If you do overclock, it also offers more overclocking headroom thanks to its C3 stepping.

The best parts?

1. This is a Black Edition CPU, meaning that it’s multiplier is unlocked, for easier overclocking. If you enjoy overclocking and/or the extra performance that it brings to you, you should definitely consider this CPU.
2. Many (myself included) report being able to unlock this CPU to a full-fledged quad-core Phenom II CPU.
3. It’s based on the latest C3 stepping, for better efficiency and better overclocking potential.

Best CPU for ~$140:

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz 95W Quad-Core

$140 now gets you a 3.0GHz Quad-Core CPU with 6MB of L3 cache from AMD.

Now, you’ll probably point out to me that it’s $33 more for only an extra 6MB of L3 cache, compared to the $107 Athlon II X4 3.0GHz Quad-Core CPU. That is true, but 6MB of L3 cache can make quite a difference in performance, especially with video games, where you can get anywhere from 5% to 20% more performance compared to the same CPU without L3 cache, depending on the game, as Tom’s Hardware pointed out in this article.

Of course, I picked this CPU as it offers the best performance at this price point, although at first, I thought that I would be going with the Intel Core i3 540 (Dual Clarkdale core, with Hyper-Threading, 3.06GHz, 4MB, $125), as the recommended CPU. However, after doing some research during the production of the latest $700 Gaming Computer, it has come to my attention that the Phenom II X4 945 Quad-Core 3.0GHz was a far more powerful alternative, whether it was for gaming or other tasks such as video converting.

Here’s a review of the Core i3 540, in which you can see that it gets beaten in five games out of six by the Phenom II X4 945: TechPowerUp’s review of the Core i3 540

Alternatives:

Get 200MHz more for $20 more with the AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE 3.2GHz 125W Quad-Core or 400MHz more for $40 more with the AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE 3.4GHz 125W Quad-Core. Note that both of these upgrades are Black Edition CPUs, meaning that their multipliers are unlocked, for easier overclocking.

Best CPU for ~$200:

Intel Core i5-750 2.66GHz Quad-Core 95W LGA1156

The Lynnfield core, on which this Core i5 CPU is based on, is the mainstream version of Intel’s Nehalem. It’s also the first CPU to integrate a PCI-Express 16X (8X, 8X) controller into its die, which allows for a less expensive motherboard and better graphic performance for a video game system.

One of the most feature of the Core i5 and Core i7 processors from Intel is the Turbo Mode. Basically, this allows the processor to raise its frequency automatically depending on its workload. If your program/video game only uses two out of the four cores, it will shut down two cores and raise the frequency of the two other cores, while remaining in the same TDP zone as when it runs at normal frequency. This is a brilliant feature if you ask me. For a complete review of the Core i5 750 and other CPU based on the Lynnfield core, I recommend to you this excellent article from AnandTech.

Alternatives:

For a mere $15 more, you can get the faster Intel Core i5-760 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core, which gives you an extra 133MHz compared to the Core i5 750.

If you do a lot of audio/video converting, 3D rendering and other highly demanding and highly parallelized work, then you should consider the 6-core AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8GHz 125W Six-Core which excels at those tasks. However, if your main usage of your PC consists of video games and other tasks that won’t take advantage of 6 cores, than you’re better with the Core i5 750 or 760.

Best CPU for ~$290:

Intel Core i7-870 2.93GHz LGA1156 95W Quad-Core

Wait, what happened to the Core i7 930 featured in the previous edition? Simple enough, it has been replaced by the superior Core i7-870.

Quick facts: The LGA1156 Core i7 870 runs at 2.93GHz and has a TDP of 95W while the LGA 1366 Core i7-930 runs at 2.80GHz and has a TDP of 130W.

So more performance and lower power consumption are what made me go with the LGA1156 Core i7-870. Now I hear some of you say that the P55/LGA1156 platform is limited to two PCI-Express 2.0 slots running at 8x/8x. Thing is, even when using a Geforce GTX 480, 8x is enough bandwidth to not lose a significant % of performance, only 1-2% compared to 16x.

Right now, the LGA1156 i7-870 is a superior choice. When new video cards do come out, we’ll see what happens and I’ll adjust my recommendation if needed.

Alternatives:

• For $40 more, you can the same 2.93GHz CPU, but with an unlocked multiplier for easier overclocking, by getting the Intel Core i7-875K 2.93GHz LGA1156 95W Quad-Core Unlocked
• Of course, if you want a platform that is more future-proof, with dual PCI-Express 2.0 16x at full speed (Remember that the P55 LGA1156 platform is limited to 8x/8x bandwidth. While this barely affect (1-2%) performance of current high-end video cards right now, it will certainly become a bottleneck in the future.), you’ll want to go with the X58/LGA1366 platform and with the Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA1366 130W Quad-Core.
• Once again, if you do a lot of audio/video converting, 3D rendering and other highly demanding and highly parallelized work, AMD’s 6-core processor, the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T BE 3.2GHz 125W Six-Core could be just the right processor for you, although I recommend taking a look at the following AnandTech review of the 1090T, to see whether the AMD 1090T or the Intel Core i7-860 (or i7 930 for LGA1366) is the best processor for the applications that you use, since those two processors trade blows in various applications.

Best CPU for $1000:

Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition

If you want the best of the best, this is it. The Core i7-980X is a 6-core, 12-thread, 3.33GHz monster of a CPU. Produced with 32nm process and with its multiplier unlocked, it’s also ready for some serious overclocking.

Alternative:

If you have no intention of overclocking (or at least don’t care/need an unlocked multiplier) and don’t mind a 133Mhz speed drop to save $100 on Intel’s 6 core powerhouse of a CPU, the Intel Core i7-970 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Six-Core is a good alternative.

Then again, if you’re already considering spending $900 on a CPU, why not spend $100 more to have the fastest CPU period? I mean, neither are a value proposition, so if you’re willing to drop $900 on a CPU, might as well go the extra length and get the fastest CPU no? That’s just my opinion though and you’re the one who’s making the decision of buying the appropriate CPU for your needs.

Conclusion

If I was to resume this article, 140 characters max Twitter style, I would say:
The Best CPUs For Your Money: In 95% of cases: For $180 and less: Go AMD. For $200 and more: Go Intel.

Now, that’s not entirely true, as AMD 6-core CPUs are viable alternatives at the $200 and $300 price point, but overall, Intel’s lead in performance in the high-end market forces AMD to compete with value in the budget (Under $100) and Mainstream ($100-$200) price ranges. North of $180, Intel’s Core i5 and i7 just have the performance edge over the Phenom II and Intel’s 6-core CPUs just obliterates anything in its way, which is why Intel has the way clear to price it as it wants, with the i7-970 priced at $900 and the i7-975 priced at $1000, since it has no competition from AMD at that level. This is why healthy competition is important, as it brings innovation (better products) and value (better prices) for us the customers.

What’s next?

From AMD:

According to this AMD roadmap, we can expect AMD to release even faster Athlon II X2, X3 and X4 models, at the rhythm of a 100MHz speed bump per quarter, so expect several new faster models some time soon.

From the roadmap, it looks like we can expect new models (Phenom II X6 1045T)/speed bump about a third of the way into Q3, so sometime in August would make sense, especially with the return to school. Then a third of the way into Q4 (Late October, early November), expect another speed bump.

Then 2011 will bring Bulldozer, AMD’s new architecture, on which we currently have no information of what performance we should expect.

From Intel:

I wouldn’t expect many, if any new models on the LGA775, LGA1156 and LGA1366 platforms, given the recent refresh with the new Core i5 760, lower price on the i7 870 and the new i7-930.

Expected for early 2011, although rumors go that we could get it in late 2010 (For the holidays perhaps?), Sandy Bridge is Intel’s next architecture. While we also don’t have an idea of the performance to expect yet, we know that it will use the LGA 1155 and LGA 2011 sockets and the P57 chipset. For more details on models to expect, take a look at this article on techPowerUp.

Automatically receive our future articles for free via RSS or Email:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this article, feel free to leave a comment below and remember, you can get our future updates to the Best Of series, future articles, such as the Gaming PC Guides, automatically and for free via RSS or Email.

That way, you never have to check the site for updates again because you get the latest and greatest articles delivered automatically in your RSS reader or Email inbox around 7PM EST, every day that I publish an article. If you’re not familiar with RSS technology, here an article that explains What is RSS?

If the fact that you’ll be receiving outstanding custom PC designs for free is not enough to convince you, here are 7 Reasons to get our posts via RSS or Email.

Category: The Best PC Parts For Your Money