$1500 AMD Build vs. $1500 Intel Build: Which Will Give Better Performance?

steelteal

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Jan 13, 2013
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Hi, I've put together 2 part lists for an around $1500 budget. One is AMD-based and the other is Intel-based. What I need to know is, which will give better performance for my needs? Also, feel free to comment on anything you see that might bottleneck the system, any brand I chose that is unreliable, or anything else that might have been a bad choice.

Things I will be doing on the PC include:
● Video Editing / GFX - I will be rendering in real-time for playback while editing in Sony Vegas, After Effects, and Cinema 4D.
● Recording in 1080p HD - I will be recording Minecraft in 1080p with Fraps.
● Gaming - Games like Minecraft, Cube World, L4D2, Sanctum, War Z, Day Z, and Garry's Mod. (Not very CPU/GPU intensive games.)
● Watching/Streaming 1080p video.
● Using the SSD as a boot drive along with frequently used programs.
● Maybe hosting a Minecraft server from time to time.
● Using Triple Monitors (All 1080p.)
● Using 8GB of RAM as a RAM disk for some frequently used programs.
● Overclocking the CPU. I will overclock the FX-8350 to 4.8GHz. I haven't looked into the i7-3770k, though.

Here are the part lists. Note: I am leaning heavily towards the AMD build right now.
AMD Build
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($214.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($154.48 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional Full (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1536.36


Intel Build
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($154.48 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional Full (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G500 Wired Laser Mouse ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1526.35


Thanks in advance for the input/advice!

-Steel
 
Solution
The 7870 LE (Tahiti version) is based on the Tahiti LE graphics chip, while the 7870 GHz edition is based on the Pitcairn graphics chip.

1536 SPs on the Tahiti LE VS 1280 SPs on the GHz edition.

Now that it's been brought up, but the Tahiti LE version can CrossFire with another 7870 LE, a 7950 or a 7970, whereas the 7870 GHz edition would CrossFire with another 7870 GHz edition or 7850. :)

Edit: It would appear my link for a better comparison died, my apologies.

A quick Google search for 7870 GHz vs 7870 LE should give you plenty of results though, if you were interested in further investigation.
All things being equal, the i7 should handily outperform the FX, except in a few oddball cases. Why you have chosen such an extravagant motherboard for the AMD system I'm not certain, but it has inflated the build price quite a lot.

I would not base any build on the expectations of overclocking. Mileage always varies.

With that much horsepower, a 7870 GHz edition makes less sense than going with the Tahiti based version of the 7870 for not much more:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131484

If you chose a more economical motherboard, the difference could be put toward a better graphics card.

If you are planning to game across the three 1080 screens, you will greatly benefit from increased graphics horsepower.
 

steelteal

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Jan 13, 2013
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What is the difference with the Tahiti version? I just chose the motherboard so it would be able to handle the overclocking and so I could follow an overclocking guide that used the same config. And I don't really do GPU-intensive gaming so I don't need a high-end graphics card. Also, I could just get another 7870 with Crossfire. Thanks for the help.
 
The 7870 LE (Tahiti version) is based on the Tahiti LE graphics chip, while the 7870 GHz edition is based on the Pitcairn graphics chip.

1536 SPs on the Tahiti LE VS 1280 SPs on the GHz edition.

Now that it's been brought up, but the Tahiti LE version can CrossFire with another 7870 LE, a 7950 or a 7970, whereas the 7870 GHz edition would CrossFire with another 7870 GHz edition or 7850. :)

Edit: It would appear my link for a better comparison died, my apologies.

A quick Google search for 7870 GHz vs 7870 LE should give you plenty of results though, if you were interested in further investigation.
 
Solution
heres how i would do it
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1f05T

you will need a more powerful GPU to drive your 3 panels. generally i would recommend a 7970 for that task, but if you are going to run a dual card config, crossfire is still having issues with runt frames.

the 7870 LE or the regular 7870 will not be powerful enough to drive all three panels in gaming. if you are not to game on all three, a 760 is a much better value
 
I would generally agree that the 760 is a better value but, as the OP is hedging more toward productivity type work, I would opt for the better compute performance of the AMD card. NVIDIA really tried to differentiate their cards between gaming and workstation work, starting with the 6xx series, and that hasn't exactly been remedied yet.

It might be beneficial to investigate what sort of GPU acceleration will be possible with the intended software packages, before pulling the trigger on either card.
 

steelteal

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Jan 13, 2013
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Yeah, I'm only going to be gaming on one monitor. Thanks, for the help.
 

steelteal

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Jan 13, 2013
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I think I'm going to go Crossfire 7870 GHz edition on the Intel build, but with an i7-4770k instead. Thanks for the help.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


Well I'll both agree and disagree. The problem with AMD cards is that once you start adding more than one, there's always that pesky micro stuttering issue. I've run into it myself and I have pretty much the same setup. I hear AMD is working on a fix for it but that could be a long time coming. I would much rather have a single stronger card as opposed to two weaker ones, and I've had several different setups in a variety of different configurations.