AMD vs INTEL

[Arachnotronic]

i am building a 850-950 gaming rig and i was wondering which CPU to really go for. I am quite nooby to PC stuff so i was just wondering which is best for what. Most likely used for gaming but nothing really next gen like bf4 or cod AW. I would run games like GW2 and CS:GO

thanks in advance! -Jack

I'd go with an i5 4590, as erunion suggested. Solid bang-for-the-buck.

 

[Spungo]

Would not buy an AMD cpu at the moment , none of them make any sense when compared against intel cpus

AMD's stuff is the best if you're restricted to integrated video. Basically that captures the market for "family" computers. If I were 12 and my parents asked which computer to buy, I would say get one with an A10 processor. That way I don't need to argue about getting a video card.

The other problem is power supplies of store bought computers. I remember having a Compaq or something like that, and the thing would have black screen crashes after I bought an extremely low end Radeon (PCI) video card. Years later, I'm about 90% certain those crashes were caused by the power supply being too weak. They're exactly the same as the crashes I experienced when I bought a Radeon 290 a few months ago. I got a new power supply and the crashes stopped. If someone buys a computer from a store, there's a very real probability that you can't upgrade anything without also upgrading the PSU. Try explaining that to your parents. "We don't need a new power supply. It works fine when I check my twitterbook." Even if you suggest buying the PSU with your own money, "Don't screw with my computer. I don't want you fixing something that isn't broken."

I think AMD is really turning things around. For a while, there was almost no objective reason for buying AMD stuff. I just bought it to support the little guy. Today, AMD stuff is surprisingly good. If someone asks me what computer to buy (not build), I will tell them to buy AMD. If they were using the computer for something high end like Maya or Revit, they wouldn't be buying the computer from Staples.
When trying to play games on your mom's ghetto computer that crashes if you put a video card in it, this is what the result will be:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8291/amd-a10-7800-review-65w-kaveri/3

 

[escrow4]

AMD's stuff is the best if you're restricted to integrated video. Basically that captures the market for "family" computers. If I were 12 and my parents asked which computer to buy, I would say get one with an A10 processor. That way I don't need to argue about getting a video card.

The other problem is power supplies of store bought computers. I remember having a Compaq or something like that, and the thing would have black screen crashes after I bought an extremely low end Radeon (PCI) video card. Years later, I'm about 90% certain those crashes were caused by the power supply being too weak. They're exactly the same as the crashes I experienced when I bought a Radeon 290 a few months ago. I got a new power supply and the crashes stopped. If someone buys a computer from a store, there's a very real probability that you can't upgrade anything without also upgrading the PSU. Try explaining that to your parents. "We don't need a new power supply. It works fine when I check my twitterbook." Even if you suggest buying the PSU with your own money, "Don't screw with my computer. I don't want you fixing something that isn't broken."

I think AMD is really turning things around. For a while, there was almost no objective reason for buying AMD stuff. I just bought it to support the little guy. Today, AMD stuff is surprisingly good. If someone asks me what computer to buy (not build), I will tell them to buy AMD. If they were using the computer for something high end like Maya or Revit, they wouldn't be buying the computer from Staples.
When trying to play games on your mom's ghetto computer that crashes if you put a video card in it, this is what the result will be:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8291/amd-a10-7800-review-65w-kaveri/3

If its a family box I'd rather stick in an i5 now that will run for years as an allrounder instead of sacrificing performance for an APU whose graphical side may never be really needed. I'd then stick in a 750 Ti down the track if required which would obliterate the APU option. I wouldn't recommend AMD's CPUs for any build anymore. Intel's stack has you covered and you won't be dealing with poky CPU performance which you can't fix like an add-on GPU without ripping it out and upgrading (and upgrade an APU to what?)