Dell's First XPS System With AMD Phenom II Tested

MojoKid writes "Dell's new XPS 625 is their latest AMD-based creation, and is the first out of the Dell labs using the relatively new Phenom II processor. Initial reviews of AMD's new chip have been favorable, as this new quad-core processor is slated to deliver roughly the same performance as Intel's quad-core Core 2 processors at more tolerable price points. While it's pretty clear that the Phenom II can't quite crack Core i7 levels of performance in most usage scenarios, the new Dell rig does show more than respectfully in a myriad of benchmarks. This was obviously a solid design win for AMD with their latest CPU."

Re:Pricing between i7 and phenom II 3ghz

[Anonymous Coward]

If you know anything about cars, this is about as good as saying my car gets more rpms for less...

Re:Pricing between i7 and phenom II 3ghz

[leathered]

I don't have figures to hand but you also have to factor in the cost of i7 motherboards which are typically double the cost of their AMD couterparts. DDR3 isn't cheap either.

Whatever the case, it looks like AMD have taken back the price/performance crown they've always been known for.

Re:Compare Same CPU's-AMD half the cost of Intel

[Ferzerp]

How did this get marked as informative? The processors compared are not, well, comparable. The guy just matched the clock speed with no regard for actual performance. The 3Ghz AMD performs worse than a 2.6Ghz i7

Re:Compare Same CPU's-AMD half the cost of Intel

[CannonballHead]

The "do not currently have anything close" disclaimer is, I am guessing, why Intel can afford to charge $1000 for the chip. And you're comparing the 2.93GHz i7 price to the 3GHz Phenom II, whereas the benchmarks clearly show that the 2.66GHz i7 is still faster (sometimes just a little, I know) than the 3GHz Phenom II, and even mostly faster than the overclocked 3.4GHz Phenom II. So, your pricing is skewed in AMD's favor, because it is comparing specs, not performance. the i7 is getting better performance out of a 2.66GHz clocked CPU than AMD is getting out of a 3.0GHz clocked CPU... but you should be comparing price of comparable CPUs, not clock-speed-is-similar CPUs...

Re:Pricing between i7 and phenom II 3ghz

[Anonymous Coward]

it is if you are going for a budget pc. Not everyone has a large budget and a hundred dollars less for a pc means a hundred dollars more towards something else.

1000 vs 1200 might not mean alot when you can afford that much ...but...
500 vs 700 means quite a bit especially when you compare percentage difference

the i7 is obviously the choice if you want to most performance (which most people don't exactly need anyways)

the phenom is a good choice if you want performance at a good price where people have strict budgets. the extra money can easily be saved or go into a better graphics card.