My AMD vs Intel

[jlyu]

Okay so I am working on a build for my future desktop. I have a build of an AMD and Intel based computer. I was just wondering if someone can help of which one is better for the money.

AMD Build

AMD Phenom II X4 925 Deneb 2.8GHz

ASUS M4A77D

G.SKILL 4GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 [3x4gb = 12gb]

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5

SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W

Rosewill R222-P-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
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Intel Build

Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz

ASRock X58 Extreme

Crucial 2GB DDR3 Model CT25664BA1067 [3x2gb = 6gb]

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5

SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W

Rosewill R222-P-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
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The AMD build would be $883.92 Plus Shipping, Minus Rebate

The Intel build would be $919.91 Plus Shipping, Minus Rebate

There isnt much of a price difference now that I look at it. The reason I chose a 4850 for both of the builds was because it was the cheapest one on newegg.."I have not done price check for ebay which would be cheaper", and because I can softmod it to have better performance on 3d rendering programs, which the computer will be used for.

The problem with AMD build is that it is ddr2...its cheap memory..but I can get 16gb for around $360. I heard that the new 6 core thuban would probably be compatible with am2+ and am3 boards, which the motherboard above is am3/am2+/am2.

As you can see I am going to stick with the lga 1366 boards because of the triple channel memory, and that there will be six core and eight cores coming for that socket. That is if I go with Intel.

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Does the dual channel 16gb ram and Phenom II x4 925 have a advantage or around the same performance as a intel core i7 920 with 6gb ram?

I could always try a refubrished Asus Essentio CG5290-BP007. If I get lucky it would mean i7 920, gtx 260, 9gb ram, 1tb hdd, etc for $799.99, which seems like a steal. I can use the leftover money on other upgrades.

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I know the i7 is superior over the phenom ii x4..with hyperthreading and its architecture. Is it really good enough that it will give me better performance with 3d/image rendering then a phenom ii x4 with 16gb of ram?

Help will be appreciated.

 

[skora]

Unless you're planning on upgrading to a $1000 CPU, the intel gulftowns won't be cheap. For rendering, the intel i7 920 will provide some serious performance advantages, even over a 6core AMD system. So will the i7 860 as an option on an 1156 board too since the gulftown is probably out of budget. If building new, the AMD should have been AM3 with DDR3 ram. You're not saving any real money with a 925/DDR2 vs a 945/DDR3 setup.

Go intel on this one.

You've done more research on the 4850 as a rendering card than I know about, but with driver support, a cheap workstation GPU would be better imo. Or stick with the i7 860 and pony up the gulftown upgrade money for a real workstation card.

 

[jlyu]

okay so lets say i downgraded the 6gb to 3gb on the intel build..and add a nice workstation video card is that better than a 6gb ram with a low grade workstation videocard?

 

[jlyu]

btw my budget is $950 at max..and I really dont want to my dad to pitch in for computer parts, cause he has leftover college loans probably to help me on

 

[skora]

What apps are you running and what size files will you be working with? I'm not guessing a downgrade on the ram is a good idea. Rendering with a few apps open can quickly eat up 3gb. Production is really the only sector I suggest more than 4gb on a workstation.

 

[jlyu]

Well basically the AutoDesk Programs like, AutoCad, 3ds Max, Maya; Adobe programs like, dreamweaver, photoshop, illustrator. Video Editing..

 

[skora]

I'm off for dinner, but where are you shopping? Do you live near a microcenter (US)?

I'll take a look late tonight to see what all I can put together for under $950. Since you'll probably have more than 2 of those open at once, more ram is good for you. An i7 cpu will be the target, either 1366 or 1156 platforms. Wouldn't worry about the gulftowns unless you foresee being able to drop $1k on a cpu upgrade later.

 

[jlyu]

Thanks for helping. I live in Ozark, MO. Which is kinda south west in Missouri, but smack middle in the US about. I looked up for store locations on Microcenters and there are none right near me, but there is one in/near St.Louis, and one in Kansas City? If I go to Kansas State or University of Kansas then it may be easier to shop there. I'd prefer a 1366 platform, they have the advantage of triple channel, and the forthcoming "gulftown" cpus. I may not be able to purchase a gulftown rightaway, but after I get into a business or something then I probably will be able to use $1000 on a cpu upgrade.

 

[jitpublisher]

Ozark Missouri? Holy cow, old Republic High School dude here. My parents live west of Nixa about 5 miles, close to James River. I live up in Washington State now, but get back home and have dinner at Lamberts every chance I get.
Anyway, the Intel build looks like a winner to me.
Yeah, you are kind of stuck when it comes to places like Frys and Micocenter, one of the advantages of living on the West Coast!

 

[jlyu]

haha wow, lately I've met people that lived nearby on forums. But yea I use to live in spokane or pullman in washington in 1993?..which I wasn't even in preschool yet. I like the intel build, and yea theres not much stores so I'll see what skora can make up for me.

 

[skora]

Wow have I learned a lot about the workstation side of hardware! This is great!!!!!

Excellent article on current workstation cards.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/quadrofx-firepro.html

The softmodding bit seems awesome if you can get it to work. But take a look at the benchmarks, even the v8700 fell behind the fx 380 and fx 580 in about 1/2 the benchmarks. So I'd try to softmod an nvidia card if you can. I'll leave that up to you.

The i7 920 build you have works out about the same as an i7 860 with 8 gigs of ram would. If you like the upgradability, go for that.

If you happen to be near a microcenter for your orientation and can wait till after to build, theres one both in St Louis and KC, so don't under any circumstances let that influence where you go. But the i7 920 can be bought at the store only for $200+tax.

So the only thing I can offer is what I found on the GPU side of things and getting a workstation card or softmodding an nvidia card. The FX 380 was $130 on the egg and the 580 was $190.

 

[jlyu]

well i was surfing online and saw this barebone deal that looked pretty awsome.

XFX X58i LGA1366 Motherboard
Intel Core i7 920 Processor
Corsair XMS3 Tri Channel 6GB PC10666 DDR3 Memory
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB Hard Drive
CoolerMaster CM690 nVIDIA Edition ATX Mid-Tower Case
Ultra LSP750 750-Watt Power Supply

The total is $899.99 without shipping I believe. I gathered together how much it would be to put that same system together speratley and came out $100 more or less.

I might go this way..though after i think about it now its not that cheap..arg nvm

 

[jlyu]

Best answer selected by JLyu.