Quote Originally Posted by jlacy76 View Post
Well, not to go OT here, but AMD needs to step it up IMO. Intel I7 vs. Amd 955? I7 is something new + triple channel ddr3, 955 is the same old same old and ddr2 is still it's sweet spot. Add to that, Microsoft is working directly with the Intel I7 developers for Win 7 which is the future for us, like it or not. I'm not an intel fan boy at all, but if I was building new it would be an I7 given the price of the I7 920 is roughly the same price as the 955. DDR3 cost the same, x58 boards are 100.00+ more, but given the fact the I7 actually uses ddr3 to some benefit, the price justifies the cost for something actually "better" this time. Yeah, I can buy a 720 for 140.00, hack it (maybe) and have a 955, but we found a new i7 920 D0 stepping locally at a B&M store for $200.00. IMO, the AMD price/performance advantage is slipping if you need serious bandwidth and actually gain some benefit from DDR3. The 6 dimm slots on some x58 boards are a big plus for people who are ram hungry. Fact is, Intel is moving forward, what will AMD do to keep me next time? I'm off my soap box now...
Just because Microcenter sells the i7 for $200 doesn't mean that everyone else does. And once the i3 and i5 come out in September say goodbye to the i7 920. Sure the 955 costs that much now, but only because it's AMD's flagship processor. And my 550 is basically a 955 with a weaker IMC, and cost half.

With the 965 coming out it could even be a better overclocker than the 955, and should be a drop-in upgrade for many AM2/AM2+ users (as with all of AMD's AM3 processors). Can't say the same about the i7 if you have a LGA-775 system.