My experience with Intel vs. AMD

[merlocka]

It depends on what you do with the PC and what you want out of your money spend. Many enthusiasts like AMD cause the price/performance is nice. They don't mind tweaking (most enjoy it). I've jumped around from AMD (468, k6) to Intel (celeron 300a, Celeron 533a) and I'm back on AMD.

However, when that guy (you all know him) who knows just a little bit about computers asks me what he should buy I tell him Intel, cause I'm the one that will have to fix it when he messes it up.

If I were a OEM or system integrator, I would shun VIA chipsets. RMA rates are high. The enthusiast laughs cause they are probably mostly dumb things like patches or 4in1 drivers but it's still an RMA.

It's all what the person paying for it wants from it. There are alot of people that just want the thing to work everyday. Like corporate users. That's one reason why I'll be shocked to see anything but Intel on the desks of Fortune500 companies. And what is bought at work comes home.

AMD/VIA has picked up marketshare, but they still have some kinks to work out.

 

[novon]

merlocka telling it like it is.

 

[Silver222]

Just to add two cents to this debate, I've had bad times with both Intel and AMD on occasion. My Athlon 750 used to lock up all the time, until I figured it out that the Matrox G-400 Vid Card wouldn't run at AGP4x...I still don't know if it was the video card or the motherboard that was the problem, and since I moved and left that comp behind, I don't care

I'm currently trying to figure out why a P3-500 locks up everytime you look at it funny. God, I hate getting a BSOD right after a clean install.

I think the one issue that most people missed is this: When you are having lockups, there are so many different things it can be: Heat, Bad Power Supply, Video Card problems, Bad Memory, OS issues, Chipset issues, and probably a few more I can't think of off the top of my head right now. It's not always the CPU, but a lot of people jump to the gun and assume it is.

 

[BFG10K]

One of the main reasons why I'm getting an Intel CPU for my next system upgrade is because of the technical excellence of their motherboards. Sure the P3 might not be as fast as a TBird for most things but at least I don't have to touch VIA.

 

[RanDum72]

The problem is not with the AMD CPU itself but rather the chipsets and motherboard makers. Certain makers can come up with a rock stable board, even with supposedly buggy chipsets, and some can't. I have boards with the notorious KT133A chipsets having SB Live! 5.1 soundcards and I didn't have a single problem. If VIA chipsets are too scary for some people, then they should try boards with the AMD 761 or ALI Magik chipsets. Or maybe the new SIS 735 or upcoming Nvidia based boards. With the AMD platform, you have a choice. Plus, the price/performance ratio is much more attractive compared to Intel platforms.

 

[blackhawk]

Had 2 intel cpu mb's, one via and my old reliable BX and had a via cs MSI amd board and now the amd cs epox. The BX board is the daily chevy commuter, reliable and unexciting but dependable, the amd's are my weekend sportscars, driven hard and break down some. The epox is more stable but I tend to push the overclocking on my amd's more. Had to back off the duron in my sig to 133 x 6.5 due to higher summer ambients of about 25c. Stability or speed, marathon or sprint?

 

[BlueScreenVW]

I really like my AMD 800 @ 900 on an Abit KT7-RAID. Really stable. But I would hesitate to buy an Abit KT7A mobo, considering the bad experience 2 of my friends have had with it. I don't know if it's just Abit or the VIA chipset on that board that's messy, though...

 

[julianf]

i'd say you pay for qualitay!!! Go intel´, they can take the heat...

 

[DDad]

My $.02 worth is no matter what every one "knows", to the guy who has a bum Intel or AMD setup, it's the biggest POS, and the next one he gets is going to be the other, "because they're more reliable, you know"
In my case, it was a PII 266 (3 yrs ago) that drove me to the AMD side. I've built Intel systems since with no problems, but haven't felt a need to switch back as far as my personal preference

 

[SpideyCU]

<< My $.02 worth is no matter what every one &quot;knows&quot;, to the guy who has a bum Intel or AMD setup, it's the biggest POS, and the next one he gets is going to be the other, &quot;because they're more reliable, you know&quot; >>



Man, that's right on the money. Everyone's got a different story of a board that was or wasn't stable, and that's why they switched. There are some things that were universal (horrible AGP support on some of those Socket-7 boards!), but I think that these days it's relatively decent across the board (ya can't really compare Intel vs. AMD like the thread title says because you're comparing Intel and VIA, which is a different story; compare an Intel mobo to an AMD mobo and I doubt you'll find huge differences in stability).

On the bright side, for once I'm happy to see that this didn't turn into an all-out flamefest, considering where it could have gone! Everyone's so grown up. :Q