AMD vs. Intel

[NoviceCompGuy]

I am about to embark on my first PC build. The stickied thread said CPU first so which should I choose? I have an old ingrown dislike of all things Intel, but according to your thread they are actually better at this point. A friend of mine going to school told me that the two brands work fundamentally different from one another. Money is not a big problem(though it kind of is), as I intend to buy the components one piece at a time. This is a long term build, however, and I want to get it right. I am shooting for top of the line here!

Thanks in advance for any help given. I'll be back to check for responses.

 

[kubes]

If your shooting for top of the line, then intel wins the battle.

 

[xthekidx]

You are buying the peices one at a time? what is the point in that, you can use them unless you get them all together. Save up your money until you can afford the entire computer at once. That way you will pay the lowest prices on the parts you are buying because prices will continue to drop as time goes on.

Top of the line will cost you a fair amount. Let us know what your budget is so that we can give you better advice. Intel is definitely the best option right now, but it may not be worth it for you to go top of the line...give us a budget, as well as all your uses for your computer, and the size of monitor you will be using.

 

[captaincharisma]

i'm surprised the war hasn't started yet as it does in all vs threads. depending on your budget will depend on what brand to go with. if it is a low budget then AMD will be the way to go if you have a big budget than Intel core i7 will be the best to go with. i'd say search the forums but all the threads are rendered useless by intel and AMD fan boys

 

[NoviceCompGuy]

I don't want to start a fanboy war. As I stated I have always prefered AMD, but by no means will I rule out Intel.

As for a budget, I am willing to go as high as needed. However, as I can only keep back about $100 every paycheck(bi-weekly), about $1,500 to $2,000 will take long enough to gather to be frustrating. I do agree that saving up all the cash would make the build more fun, as my original one piece at a time idea would leave me with nothing to do with several parts for many weeks.

My current Monitor is a 19" LCD, but as I will be updating my whole system, I don't see why I wouldn't get a 22" to 24" Widescreen LCD.

As for intentions, I would like to run computer games such as Oblivion and others at the highest marks with no lag or frame skipping or dropping. Depending on prices at the time of purchase, I may put a BluRay Reader/Burner in as well.

For the most part, I am not sure what I am looking for exactly, other than advice on what exactly to buy. Sorry to be difficult, but I am new to all of this.

Thanks again

 

[bmuell]

Depending on what components you can cannibalize from your previous computer, you could try to draw up some sort of upgrade path. You could start with just the CPU/Mobo/RAM, then add a new HDD/DVDRW (if necessary) and/or Video Card later on.

Saying you have a $1,500-2,000 budget but that you can only spend $100 every two weeks is meaningless.

Save up $600 (for the core of your build) then we'll talk.

 

[xthekidx]

Save up the money you would be willing to spend first. If you only have $100-200 right now then there is no point in trying to spec out the build. There is always a bigger, badder and better rig that you can put together if you had more money.

 

[kyeana]

^+1

If you buy half your parts now, they will be dated when you end up getting all the parts for the pc (or at least you could get them for a lot less)

Save up your money then purchase everything at once

 

[The Third Level]

If you even get about 800-ish you can build a very competent Phenom II X3 720 build which will perform amazingly for the price.

 

[NoviceCompGuy]

The $100 every two weeks is just to say how long before I can start the build. I intend to save up about $1,500 to $2,000 as a cap is what I meant. I wasn't saying I will spend the money every two weeks, that is just a time frame. Barring new leaps in technology, I am just looking for a general idea of parts that are compatible and worth buying. I am aware that prices will drop and new things will become available.

Also, my old computer is going to my dad when the build is done, so the cannibal path is fairly closed to me.

 

[xthekidx]

It doesn't take us long to spec out a build. Just save up the cash and we will give you the best option at the time you have it. 15-20 weeks is a long time in the tech world and prices will change significantly by then. To give you an idea my PC was built in late december and 2 months later the price of the components I had used dropped by $200.

 

[ocd]

I am in the same boat as you, however price is a factor to me. The whole fanboy thing is crazy to deal with and this is what is causing my so much frustration. I have already bought a case and power supply which I got a fairly good deal on and doubt its prices will drop by much over time.

However I will most likely pick up the CPU and motherboard first. Then the RAM. I'm giving myself about 6-7 months and I'm not too crazy about getting TOP of the line stuff. Just something that will play games like Crysis on maximum possible settings comfortable. It does not matter what brand works the best, however I have found AMD to be generally cheaper. If it will not affect the application by much, I do not mind as Intel best CPU/Motherboard combo is generally seeming to cost about 35% more.

I am about to embark on my first PC build. The stickied thread said CPU first so which should I choose? I have an old ingrown dislike of all things Intel, but according to your thread they are actually better at this point. A friend of mine going to school told me that the two brands work fundamentally different from one another. Money is not a big problem(though it kind of is), as I intend to buy the components one piece at a time. This is a long term build, however, and I want to get it right. I am shooting for top of the line here!

Thanks in advance for any help given. I'll be back to check for responses.

 

[NoviceCompGuy]

Let me rephrase my original question, if you will.

My top spending amount will not exceed $2,000 at the most, but if I had enough money sooner than that to build a pc capable of running games like, let's say Crysis and Oblivion, at top settings that would be fine as well.

Again, sorry to be difficult, but I just want some idea of how much pc I actually need. Right now, how much would a pc cost that could run those games at top marks?

 

[xthekidx]

What resolution of monitor will you be using? That has a large effect on the requirements of your system for gaming. Assuming you game at 1920x1200 resolution, you could build a PC for $1300 right now that would do the job.
Something like this would do quite well:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=14822027
You can go cheaper too by getting a PII 940 or E8500 and they would put up similar numbers for gaming, but not do as well in video encoding and things like that.

 

[NoviceCompGuy]

Currently, I am maxed out at 1280x1024, but I intend to buy at least a 22" Widescreen LCD monitor soon. I do not know what resolution those max at, but would like to run at the max resolution of a 22" Widescreen.

 

[xthekidx]

A 22" will most likely run at 1680x1050. That build^^ would do very well for a long time, and would most likely be overkill for all current games.

 

[NoviceCompGuy]

Thank you, I will check that out.

Looks pretty sweet. That is something for me to work toward.

 

[jsc]

Check the "Build Your Own" articles on the home page for ideas of what you can expect to get at different price points.

 

[shabaa]

IMHO.... Save the money first.. It does no good to buy one component at a time as over time prices drop for the same component and newer ones come out that will outperform it and costs less. If you do it any other way you will not get the best bang for the buck and your "new build" will be of "older" parts.... been there done that..... regrettably. AMD or INTEL ... does not matter.... buy the components based on what you REALLY NEED to do and what you want it to do.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

xthekidx's build looks good, but I'd swap out the motherboard for this one:

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358&Tpk=ga-ep45-ud3p $134.99 - $20 MIR

The P5Q Pro is a nice board, but the GA-EP45-UD3P is a second generation board that comes with more copper on the PCB and has a reputation as being a great overclocker.