Computer upgrade ~AMD or Intel~

[Mylez]

This Christmas, I'll be working to a £300 budget, and completely upgrading my pc.

 

 

 

Current set-up:

 

AMD Athlon 64, 2.4GHz, 3800+

 

3GB RAM

 

Nforce4 A8N-SLI SE [Motherboard]

 

GeForce 7900GT [GFX]

 

 

 

This is a pretty steady set-up, but I want more power ;)

 

 

 

Now, there's 2 options I've worked down to, do I stick with AMD, or move to Intel?

 

 

 

The 2 set-ups are:

 

 

 

INTEL

 

 

 

Intel P45 express MSI S775 [Motherboard]

 

Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 S775 2.66GHz 3MB 1066FSB [Processor]

 

4GB RAM

 

Same GFX, probably adding another for SLI

 

 

 

AMD

 

 

 

Nforce 750a [Motherboard]

 

AMD PhenomX3 8750 Triple Core Black Edition AM2+ 3.5MB 2.4GHz [Pro] OR AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 Dual Core AM2 1MB 3.1GHz [PRO]

 

4GB RAM

 

Same GFX, probably adding another for SLI

 

 

 

So, I'd really appreciate some advice of whether to stick with AMD, or change to Intel. I'm mainly a gamer, I don't use much multimedia :)

 

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

[Mylez]

~BUMP~

[Sbrideau]

Why are you so impatient? 20 mins is not enough time for people to reply sometimes. yes, most of the time we answer fast, but we're not always here.

 

 

 

Anyway, on topic:

 

 

 

I'd go with Intel, but I wouldn't take the MSI motherboard. We have installed PCs in class last week, on 30 computers, there were 3 computers that we had trouble installing Windows correctly, and 2 of them were MSI, the other one was an Intel board.

[Mylez]

Why are you so impatient? 20 mins is not enough time for people to reply sometimes. yes, most of the time we answer fast, but we're not always here.

 

 

 

Anyway, on topic:

 

 

 

I'd go with Intel, but I wouldn't take the MSI motherboard. We have installed PCs in class last week, on 30 computers, there were 3 computers that we had trouble installing Windows correctly, and 2 of them were MSI, the other one was an Intel board.

 

 

 

 

 

I bumped my thread, as I'm trying to sort out what to buy atm.

 

As for your advice with Intel, what do you base this on? And what do you advise instead of the P45?

[Mylez]

From asking friends, most of my feedback is to go with Intel. However, none of them seem to be able to give me a reason why AMD get such a slating. None of them have owned/used AMD's, and therefore I'm not convinced. Naturally as Intel are a wealthier company, and can afford a higher quality chip, it's going to be better that way.

 

 

 

But for gaming, I'm still swinging towards Athlon 64 x2, with an nVidia motherboard. Someone help me please, I'm desperatly in need of some guidance :mrgreen:

[urbestfreind]

From asking friends, most of my feedback is to go with Intel. However, none of them seem to be able to give me a reason why AMD get such a slating. None of them have owned/used AMD's, and therefore I'm not convinced. Naturally as Intel are a wealthier company, and can afford a higher quality chip, it's going to be better that way.

 

 

 

But for gaming, I'm still swinging towards Athlon 64 x2, with an nVidia motherboard. Someone help me please, I'm desperatly in need of some guidance :mrgreen:

 

 

 

Well, I don't know about your friends, but I've used both Intel and AMD, and Intel is my favorite by far. Intel, in my experience, is faster and more reliable, and they are cheaper too (based on cost vs performance). I have AMD in my laptop, and Intel in my desktop, and I hate using my laptop. It seems that things take up too much processor time, but on a nearly equal Intel chip, the same app uses less cycles to do the same thing (or maybe it's just me using a laptop).

 

 

 

I've preferred Intel for a long time. My dad prefers AMD, but then again he never sides with me on anything unless I wear him down (it took me about a year to get him to try FireFox and now he doesn't want to go back to IE, which he previously wouldn't stray away from).

 

 

 

Also I think there was some test that showed that Intel chips will shut down if they overheat, but AMD will smoke and burn up, but that was about 2 years ago, don't know if it still holds up today. ..Found Video!

. Kindof interesting, but I wouldn't base your opinion on the two based on a test conducted over 2 years ago.

[OldJoe]

It would have been really nice with some links.

 

 

 

Not all the P45's got 2 pci-e 2.0 x16...

 

Out of those two i'd chosen the Intel one... But i could give you two systems amd/intel if you want.

 

And i wouldn't go with sli for the 7900gt... Get a new card.

 

Edit: I forgot that you should check your PSU before doing any upgrades.

[Sbrideau]

Oh, sorry for not stating any reasons I told you to go with Intel.

 

 

 

I just saw that you are willing to go with dual core as well?

 

 

 

If it's a dual core, I suggest AMD Athlon X2, I don't remember what is the most high end in AthlonX2 but neway. I personnally have both, AMD Athlon X2 and Intel Core 2 Duo in my computers, and the AMD one works better. Yes, I have 3GB RAM in both computers. Heats a bit more, but it has more power.

 

 

 

We got told in my A+ class though that AMD processors are not as good as they used to be, and that now Intel, having already better processors, is kind of stealing AMD's idea to process the memory directly in the processor, instead of going through the northbridge.

 

 

 

For dual core, I'd go for AMD, but for more cores, I'd go for Intel.

[shooterbob7]

intel definitely, most amd processors are junk. for me, my amd processor overheated and the tech guy said to get intel.

[Nadril]

intel definitely, most amd processors are junk. for me, my amd processor overheated and the tech guy said to get intel.

 

 

 

AMD isn't junk. Intel certainly does seem to have the upper hand (especially with the new i7 and easily OC'd Core2Duo's) but AMD is still great for an extreme budget PC.

[Mylez]

Thanks for all your feedback guys, I think I'm gunna go with a different processor, Phenom x3 2.3GHz [8650] - It beats the core 2 duo's hands down and is only 30% more expensive. As for the motherboad, I'll be going with the nVidia, nForce 750a.

 

 

 

Thanks about the advice for graphics, what I'll do is, stick with 1 7900GT for now, they buy two 8800's and run them SLI when I can afford it :D

 

I've found 4GB of high-speed RAM for only £60, which will do me just fine ;)

 

 

 

As for power supply's, I have nothing to worry about, unless running the Black Edition. I have a true 480W+ Hiper Type R. :mrgreen:

 

 

 

Sorry about the lack of links, if anybody is still intrested, I'll post them later on, thanks again guys!!

 

 

 

~Mylez

[Nadril]

Why buy a 7900GT when you could easily get a 9800GT for maybe 30$ more. Running 8800GT's in SLI is a HUGE waste of money.

 

 

 

 

 

And a core2duo will out perform the Phenom x3 by a lot.

 

 

 

Phenom X3

 

$115

 

 

 

 

 

Core2duo E7300

 

$124

 

 

 

 

 

Much larger Cache, higher clock speeds and all around a better processor for $9 more. Plus free shipping on the core2duo.

 

 

 

 

 

Also as stated before, I would get a 9800GT for $110 (with CoD 4!) instead of a 7900GT which you'll be hard pressed to even find anymore (newegg doesn't have any in stock).

[Georgelemmons]

Amd is really a budget chip. If you want to save that money, good for you. Since it's a gaming pc, you're probably planning on overclocking, but I'm not sure. If you are, get an Intel chip. They're much more reliable, particulary at higher clock speeds.

[Nadril]

Amd is really a budget chip. If you want to save that money, good for you. Since it's a gaming pc, you're probably planning on overclocking, but I'm not sure. If you are, get an Intel chip. They're much more reliable, particulary at higher clock speeds.

 

 

 

You're certainly correct about the overclocking. With a well ventilated case you can OC a core2duo quite well, even with a generic heatsink. I spent $30 on a heatsink for my old 1.8ghz Core2duo, and managed to OC it up to 2.7ghz without much of a temperature increase.

[Mylez]

Yes, it is for gaming. And no, I probably wont overclock.

 

As for the Phenom being out-performed, wrong. I've seen multiple tests between the Phenom [8650] and the Intel, [E7300]

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong, Intels are very good chips, but I'm buying to a budget, and buying a better Intel would cost me a lot.

 

 

 

The 7900GT, I already have. You're right about the 9800GT, they are very good. But I already have 1 79, go it makes sense to SLI.

 

 

 

I've taken your feedback into consideration, and I'm going to re-consider... I may still get an Intel :)

 

 

 

Thanks everybody!

[OldJoe]

Yes, it is for gaming. And no, I probably wont overclock.

 

As for the Phenom being out-performed, wrong. I've seen multiple tests between the Phenom [8650] and the Intel, [E7300]

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong, Intels are very good chips, but I'm buying to a budget, and buying a better Intel would cost me a lot.

 

 

 

The 7900GT, I already have. You're right about the 9800GT, they are very good. But I already have 1 79, go it makes sense to SLI.

 

 

 

I've taken your feedback into consideration, and I'm going to re-consider... I may still get an Intel :)

 

 

 

Thanks everybody!

 

 

 

The tripple core is quite good. Good performance for the price, even tho most programs still works best for 1-2 cores... the 8 series is a very good upgrade for the price.

 

7900 is and old card. Unless you can get one for maybe 20quid i wouldn't consider it. It scales very bad in sli compared to the new cards. I really recommend you to buy a new card instead of going sli with this card, when you are thinking about that.

[Mylez]

Yeah, I'm already thinking that way. I want a Direct X 10 card anyway, which means scrapping my 79.

 

 

 

What do you think about motherboards, for little money, what do you advise I get for either the Phenom, or the Intel? :

[OldJoe]

I can't say anything about the motherboards, please give me a link to the ones you consider.

 

If you are thinking about going sli/cf later on you need a motherboard with two 2.0 16x lanes. Otherwise you don't need to spend half your budget on your motherboard, then i'd suggest you spend more on the cpu.

 

Here's what i'd do: Say you go with the amd or intel (doesn't really matter which one, they both perform great), buy a motherboard that doesn't support sli/cf (=cheaper), the 4gb ram and something like a HD 4850. But that's me.

 

 

 

It would be really nice if you could give a link to the store you plan on buying from, or atleast give me what you are paying for the parts you've mentioned.

 

You should also know, when the time comes for you to buy a new graphics cards you'll need a new psu aswell. Hiper isn't the most reliable brand for higher-end builds.

[Mylez]

I can't say anything about the motherboards, please give me a link to the ones you consider.

 

If you are thinking about going sli/cf later on you need a motherboard with two 2.0 16x lanes. Otherwise you don't need to spend half your budget on your motherboard, then i'd suggest you spend more on the cpu.

 

Here's what i'd do: Say you go with the amd or intel (doesn't really matter which one, they both perform great), buy a motherboard that doesn't support sli/cf (=cheaper), the 4gb ram and something like a HD 4850. But that's me.

 

 

 

It would be really nice if you could give a link to the store you plan on buying from, or atleast give me what you are paying for the parts you've mentioned.

 

You should also know, when the time comes for you to buy a new graphics cards you'll need a new psu aswell. Hiper isn't the most reliable brand for higher-end builds.

 

 

 

No problem, I'll be buying from DABS.

 

 

 

Here's the link to the Intel P45 express

 

And the nVidia 750a

 

 

 

EDIT~ Just had a look at the Radeon, how come you advise that? :P

[Dracion1]

My personal preference would be an Intel cpu and a Nvidia gpu. I've always found Intel to be more reliable, especially with large loads such as games; and I've found the driver support for Nvidia to be much better than an equivalent ATI card.

[OldJoe]

Intel setup:

 

Mobo: Asustek S775 Intel P35 ATX - 57£

 

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 2.53GHz - 85£

 

RAM: Crucial 2GB 800MHz DDR2 PC2-6400 - x2 38£

 

=180£

 

So you see, 120£ to play around with... If you want a new graphics card GeForce 9800GT 512MB DDR3 - 92£ and new psu Enermax Technology 425W 82+ - 49£

 

That psu would work. But if you plan on putting in more harddrives or something you need to go for a more powerfull psu.

 

 

 

AMD setup:

 

Mobo: XFX AM2+ GeForce 8200 MATX - 57£

 

CPU: AMD PhenomX3 8750 2.4ghz - 89£

 

 

 

Intel: 321£

 

AMD: 325£

 

So you see, same price.

 

I'd choose the X3, but that's me.

 

 

 

Oh and, why i'd choose an 4850? Because the price/performance is awesome. It offers so good performance for the money you pay.

 

EDIT: By the way, what sort of case do you got? Because if you got a midtower, you'll have to pick another Intel mobo... Smaller mobos fits in bigger cases but atx mobos doesn't fit in smaller cases.

[Mylez]

Wow, they're certainly two great set-ups. Currently I've got a standard ATX case :)

 

 

 

Last night I finaly priced up what I'm going to get, and It's quite good for the money I think.

 

 

 

I'll post links aswell, so you can see ;)

 

 

 

Motherboard - MSI SKT AM2+ AMD 780G R HD3200 DDR2 ATX Audio GLan (£52.54)

 

Processor - AMD PhenomX3 8650 AM2+ 2.3GHz 3.5MB Cache (£83.64)

 

Graphics - XFX GeForce 9600GT 512MB DDR3 PCIE 2XDVI 670/1.8GHz (£83.70)

 

RAM - Crucial 1G Ballistix 240pin DIMM PC2-8500 Unbuffered (£16.87 x3)

 

Case - Asustek BLACK/SILVER MICRO ATX CASE 400W (£20.04)

 

Headset - Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset (£28.18)

 

 

 

This set-up comes in at about £340, slightly over-budget but I'm getting alot for my money ;)

 

I'll basically be starting from scratch, and with this set-up I'll be using my dads old 160GB SATA hard-drive for C drive, and my own 500GB external as a back-up/dump drive.

 

For sound, I've already got a SoundBlaster FX Audio card, which is pretty good. I'll also be keeping my Hiper power supply, providing it fits into that case :

 

 

 

You may ask why I've gone down the Micro Atx route, and the answer is simple, small and tidy. I wanted to start from fresh, and to do so with £300 means cut-backs, and although the Micro Atx boards are known to be quite slow, it's alot faster than what I have atm, and will be more than abequate for what I need it for :)

 

 

 

Thanks for all your advice here, especially OldJoe

 

 

 

~Mylez

[OldJoe]

Looks good.

 

As long as your psu got a 6pin pci-e connector or two 4pin-molex to 6pin (you can buy adapters for a fiver or so), just make sure you got molex or pci-e connectors available.

 

 

 

But really, if you got another 10£ to spare i would recommend the 9800gt. It performs better (don't remember how much, some months since i checked a review comparing the two) for a slight higher price, but it depends on how much you game. 9600gt will last a long way anyways.

[Nadril]

9800GT is a good bit better than the 9600GT. The 9600GT is just an 8800GT with a few shader pipelines locked, while the 9800GT is an improved version of the 8800GT. (can't remember how much improved, but its worth it).

[OldJoe]

9800GT is a good bit better than the 9600GT. The 9600GT is just an 8800GT with a few shader pipelines locked, while the 9800GT is an improved version of the 8800GT. (can't remember how much improved, but its worth it).

 

 

 

Yup, correct.

 

It's made with 55nm technology instead of 8800gt' 65nm=Little bit less power hungry, little bit cooler and a little better to overclock with. Otherwise there's no difference in actual performance. Just re-named to sell more lol.