Potential alteration to current 'Soup Kitchen Gamer' Build?

[smilingdylan]

Hey family

I've lurked these forums for like 10+ years but only just made an account - what a noob! - I'm not really THAT tech savvy but I do love computers and love the internet and am eager to learn and grow!

I decided its time to build my first ever desktop. I have a budget of $500 to do so


Problem:

Looking at the 'Best PC Builds' article and I have some questions...
Article Link: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-pc-builds,4390.html#p3

I've always been pro-Intel and anti-AMD because of all the sad stories I've heard from friends about their AMD parts... (parts arriving with manufacturing flaws and not working at all, artifacting, frame stutters, and frame skipping and more all the time so that's a red flag to me.

next, I read this article comparing the CPU used in the soup kitchen gamer build with Intel counterpart .... (Athlon X4 860K vs Pentium G3258)
Article Link: http://www.techspot.com/review/1017-best-budget-gaming-cpu/

Questions:

Can I use the Pentium 3258 instead? Is that a good idea and does it conflict with the other hardware in the soup kitchen gamer build?

What would you guys recommend if one wanted to build the Soup Kitchen Gamer PC but with Intel parts? (I'm willing to up the budget to $600 max)

Why did the readers and editors and contributors of Tomshardware decide on the Athlon x4 for this build? Is there something I should be made aware of?

Are any parts expected to come out between now and October that would warrant me waiting to build the PC then?


With gratitude,

SmilingDylan

 

[Gam3r01]

The Athlon is generally a better processor than the G3258. Though the Pentium has a better IPC and upgrade path, it is severely limited by its two threads.
I personally would recommend an i3 (6100) and an H110 motherboard with some DDR4 ram.

The hate against AMD really is not warranted on the grounds listed. AMDs QC is just as good as intel's, DOA, flaws, and performance issues are not due to the hardware themselves. DOA is rare, manufacturing flaws are non existent in retail models, and performance is elsewhere.

 

[smilingdylan]

The Athlon is generally a better processor than the G3258. Though the Pentium has a better IPC and upgrade path, it is severely limited by its two threads.
I personally would recommend an i3 (6100) and an H110 motherboard with some DDR4 ram.

The hate against AMD really is not warranted on the grounds listed. AMDs QC is just as good as intel's, DOA, flaws, and performance issues are not due to the hardware themselves. DOA is rare, manufacturing flaws are non existent in retail models, and performance is elsewhere.

Thank you for your thoughtful, thorough, and expedient response.. reading up on those suggested parts now

 

[Gam3r01]

The i3 6100 is a very strong contender for budget builds.

 

[illuminatuz]

I'll agree with what @Gam3r01 says..
I had a AMD build and it was like a rock solid build and ran everything I threw at it's face.. never slowed down.. AMD is amazing for gaming.. cheap.. does the job.. I'd go with AMD on that price..