Age Old Question: Intel Or AMD

[RaGeSet]

I working on building my next gaming/work rig. I want the best of both worlds and my starting price point is $600 for a barebones PC (aka Tower, Mobo and Processor). I know I want SLI (Nvidia of course), but I'm having a hard time choosing between one of the Intel Core 2 Duo's processors or AMD 64 X2 processors. I have been a fan and user of AMD for a while now, but with all the good things I'm hearing about the new Intel processors, may be it is time to switch. I have been scanning the web a bit to see the best barebones PC for both processors...AMD has the best SLI mobo's and the processors are good and are priced very nicely but on the other hand, Core 2 Duo's are getting the best reviews and even the lowbie Intel Core 2 Duo processors can be overclocked to match or exceed the $1000 Core 2 Extreme processor in speed.

I can get nice barebones Intel setup (Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 processor, with the ASUS P5N SLI nForce 570 mobo, and Apevia [Aspire] X-CruserBlack tower) for about $520 OR

I can get a good AMD setup (AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ processor with a ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe nForce 590 mobo, and Apevia [Aspire] X-Plorere tower) for about $600.

(Note: Unless someone can point me to a computer [or trustworthy person] that can sell me the same stuff for cheaper)

My gut is saying Intel, but my heart is saying AMD...what should I do? Any comments, advice or etc is thanked for in advance (THANK YOU).

Frank aka RaGeSet

 

[RaGeSet]

I just seen the eVGA nForce 680i SLI 775 mobo...but $300 buck just for a mobo is a lot. I not a super PC enthusiast, but that mobo does look sexy...maybe...just maybe...

 

[imported_cinder]

I had the same issue heart was AMD but decided on Intel. If you have a budget of 600 and want to go SLI I recommend the 680i chipset not the 570. The reason I say that is the 680i offers higher FSB which means better overclocking and better opportunity for upgrades in the future.

If I had $600 to spend on mobo, case, and cpu. This would be my setup:

EVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M sharing L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
Then just add a case and you can be really close to $600 with a case with good airflow almost definitely put you over but not by much with a better setup.

The reason I went with e6600 vs e6700 is because the performance difference b/t OC'ed would not be worth spending the extra money<<<<that last part is an OPINION not necessarily a FACT so keep that in mind. Many will agree with me but some may still disagree. But in order to stay in your budget thats the system I would get.

 

[RaGeSet]

The total budget of my new gaming rig is $1,500. That of course is the complete setup of memory, HD, graphic cards, processor and etc. I may just substitute HD/memory (decent for now and in the future upgrade to the best), but I want to get the MAIN stuff first. Again, I don't want the BEST PC gaming rig ever, but I don't one that sucks so I have to build a new PC rig in 3 years neither.

But we shall see...

 

[imported_cinder]

go with what I offered. Its not the best but it does leave room for the future.

 

[HannibalX]

Search the forums. There a million threads on this.

Performance wise Intel Core 2 Duo beats anything AMD has out right now. In fact the low end Core 2 Duo's are performing like the mid range and high end AMDs.

 

[Moose1309]

Originally posted by: RaGeSet
My gut is saying Intel, but my heart is saying AMD...what should I do? (THANK YOU).

The real question is... what does your spleen say?

Again, I don't want the BEST PC gaming rig ever

why are you going SLI? I'd go with single 8800GTX/GTS - then again, maybe things have changed recently; I haven't been paying attention

I don't one that sucks so I have to build a new PC rig in 3 years neither.

Three years is a looooong time in PC years my man....

 

[Seekermeister]

It might just be an old prejudice, because I resented the Intel processor, when they had electronic serial numbers, but I have long been a supporter of AMD, and feel comfortable with them. I believe that when AMD finally releases their quad core processors, that they will either catchup or excel Intel, so I would buy a motherboard that would support those and stick with AMD. If nothing else, they will keep Intel on their toes. That may not be sufficient reason for some to buy AMD now, but it is for me.

 

[RaGeSet]

Thanks for the advice and help guys. The direction I'm headed is Intel since I want the most "bang" for my buck and from what I keep hearing...they are the best right now. Yes I am a loyal AMD user (I still have my old AMD 64 FX-57 computer to handle everything for my business [which I'm using right now as I write]), but you can't stay too loyal and lose out on the potential of the new Intel Core 2 Duo's.

 

[APE992]

I invested in the 939 platform in March, so my max is 4800+ x2 or whatever is the last opteron made. Personally I will only buy nForce platforms, and I'm just not impressed with how the Intel portion is shaping up. I haven't looked into the AM2 side yet but I'll bet it's a hell of a lot better.

 

[RaGeSet]

The thing is, reviews are showing that even the lower scale Intel Core 2 Duo's processors outperform the best of what the AM2 platform has to offer with those said lower scale intel processors are overclocked. Simply put, I only have to invest about 300 to 400 on a processor and get $1000's worth of speed/power out of it...not a bad deal at all. When you have companies like eVGA producing mobo's like the nForce 680i, I get the best of both worlds. I still get SLI (I love Nvidia graphic cards) and I get the best processor on the market right now. Who knows...maybe AMD will produce another processor that will kick the crap out of all intel core 2 duo processors...until then I guess I have no choice to but to pick the best processor on the market now.

AMD will still remain my top pick with it comes down to "everyday" use PC's, but I still want the best for the money now.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: APE992
I invested in the 939 platform in March, so my max is 4800+ x2 or whatever is the last opteron made. Personally I will only buy nForce platforms, and I'm just not impressed with how the Intel portion is shaping up. I haven't looked into the AM2 side yet but I'll bet it's a hell of a lot better.

am2 is just 939 that supports ddr2, so you won't be too impressed. at this time intel is the performance king, will have to wait to see what amd comes out with next.....sorry to say, but this is the reality of it currently

 

[bob4432]

op - imho, i would not worry about sli and just get a 8800gts or gtx and be done with it, get a gigabyte 965-s3 m/b, 2GB ddr667 or 800 ram and a nice 500-600W psu along with a 6400 and you will be good to go. many, many people o/c these to 3.2 pretty easy on air.

for gaming the cpu won't really help at the current level, or even since the earlier 939s, but there is no point in buying a am2 since it is basically 939 with support for ddr2, and 939, well that is going away so i wouldn't recommend it for a new build. as far as cpu intensive tasks, take divx encoding, i have to run my x2 3800 @ 2.5GHz just to be = to a 6300-6400 @ stock. the bencmarks speak for themselves.

should be able to do the box for less than $1000

 

[corkyg]

I'm not a gamer, but in the past 14 years I have had both AMD and Intel based machines. I currently favor Intel only because I find that the applications I use are more stable that way. I don't get freezes or lockups like I did with AMD.

The current Core 2 Duo processors lead the way - but these things change from year to year.

 

[foges]

AMD FTW! lol. Im a die hard AMD fan (for desktops that is) and im convinced they will make a comeback, maybe it will take a bit of time. I just got a 3700+ (minor upgrade) how would that compare to a C2D?

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: foges
AMD FTW! lol. Im a die hard AMD fan (for desktops that is) and im convinced they will make a comeback, maybe it will take a bit of time. I just got a 3700+ (minor upgrade) how would that compare to a C2D?

C2D is faster, and is dual core.

 

[bamacre]

RaGeSet,

I also strongly recommend you forget about SLI. The 570 chipset is junk, and the P5N-SLI board is a horrid board, IMO and experience. Go with an Asus P5B or the Gigabyte DS3 motherboard, E6600, 2GB DDR2-667, and an 8800 GTS.

 

[RaGeSet]

Hmm, everyone is telling me to forget about SLI...is it that unstable? Or is it better to just have one card? Seen I am building a gaming rig, my budget for the video card(s) is $800 (I was going to get two for SLI), but if I can get the same or better performance from a single card (I have been doing a little research on the 8800 card and it is sexy), I guess I'll get it. I will go with the exact setup bamacre recommended...thanks for the advice guys. Now...should I wait for Vista or just get a copy of XP Pro...decisions...decisions.

 

[imported_cinder]

I would strongly recommend the 8800 Series and not even worry about SLI as well...if you want your system to last longer you will go with a 680i chipset based motherboard. In about 6 months you will have the new Core 2 Duos that support the 1333Mhz FSB current speed is 1066Mhz. Although the P965 is supposed to be updated to run that but there are no current models available that I am aware of. Plus with 680i you can get a higher overclock while remaining stable still. At the Moment I believe all 680i motherboards are SLI so that means in the future if you wanted to add a 2nd 8800 series card you could.

 

[aidanjm]

maybe there are considerations other than raw performance on games. e.g., some people appreciate the way AMD supports open source initiatives like the Linux BIOS project (whereas Intel opposes or interferes with various open source projects). Also, the virtualisation support on AMD chips is better than what you get on intel chips, which might be a factor if you want to experiment with Xen virtual machines.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: RaGeSet
The thing is, reviews are showing that even the lower scale Intel Core 2 Duo's processors outperform the best of what the AM2 platform has to offer with those said lower scale intel processors are overclocked. Simply put, I only have to invest about 300 to 400 on a processor and get $1000's worth of speed/power out of it...not a bad deal at all. When you have companies like eVGA producing mobo's like the nForce 680i, I get the best of both worlds. I still get SLI (I love Nvidia graphic cards) and I get the best processor on the market right now. Who knows...maybe AMD will produce another processor that will kick the crap out of all intel core 2 duo processors...until then I guess I have no choice to but to pick the best processor on the market now.

AMD will still remain my top pick with it comes down to "everyday" use PC's, but I still want the best for the money now.

personally I would never use a eVGA mobo!! You can do way better..

 

[Larcher]

Originally posted by: corkyg
I'm not a gamer, but in the past 14 years I have had both AMD and Intel based machines. I currently favor Intel only because I find that the applications I use are more stable that way. I don't get freezes or lockups like I did with AMD.

The current Core 2 Duo processors lead the way - but these things change from year to year.

I have a AMD setup and use all kinds applications like video editing programs and I never have any lockups, so my guess is the lockup problem is not related to AMD or the MB/Chipset config. I do however agree that Intel's are also very stable and currently the fastest processors on the market for home pc's. I really like AMD setups as well. I have no problem with a Intel or AMD setup, whichever fits your budget best is the setup to get in my opinion.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
It might just be an old prejudice, because I resented the Intel processor, when they had electronic serial numbers, but I have long been a supporter of AMD, and feel comfortable with them. I believe that when AMD finally releases their quad core processors, that they will either catchup or excel Intel, so I would buy a motherboard that would support those and stick with AMD. If nothing else, they will keep Intel on their toes. That may not be sufficient reason for some to buy AMD now, but it is for me.

Thats always your copy and paste response....lolol
AMD will not be on top of the heap again for a very long time.
In fact so long that if you wait the whole PC world may leave you in the dust forever!

 

[SniperWulf]

The reason why people are telling you to ditch SLI (or not really concern yourself with it) is because you'll hardly ever get 2x performance for 2x the cash. SLI is very situational, everything has to be just right in order for it to reach its fullest potential. The drivers have to have a profile for the game, and even then there are situations where some game engines just don't play well with it (Company of Heroes comes to mind). There is nothing more frustrating than buying an SLI rig, tweaking and swapping drivers for hours only to be forced to disable one card in order for your new game to work right

for your $600, my suggestion is get an eVGA 680i, E6400 (cause you can OC the snot out of it and the extra 2MB cache is almost negligable in games) and a nice Antec or Lian Li and call it a day

 

[SniperWulf]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: RaGeSet
The thing is, reviews are showing that even the lower scale Intel Core 2 Duo's processors outperform the best of what the AM2 platform has to offer with those said lower scale intel processors are overclocked. Simply put, I only have to invest about 300 to 400 on a processor and get $1000's worth of speed/power out of it...not a bad deal at all. When you have companies like eVGA producing mobo's like the nForce 680i, I get the best of both worlds. I still get SLI (I love Nvidia graphic cards) and I get the best processor on the market right now. Who knows...maybe AMD will produce another processor that will kick the crap out of all intel core 2 duo processors...until then I guess I have no choice to but to pick the best processor on the market now.

AMD will still remain my top pick with it comes down to "everyday" use PC's, but I still want the best for the money now.

personally I would never use a eVGA mobo!! You can do way better..

FYI the 680i are mass produced nVidia reference boards