What is better, AMD or Intel? Why?

[GoldenI]

I am currently in the process of purchasing a new CPU for my computer as an upgrade (for gaming), and I am seeing quite the contrast in terms of views.

Some people are devoted AMD fans, whilst others are devoted Intel fans.

Why do I see people claim that an AMD 8-core processor is inferior to a high-end Intel i7 quad-core? Is it the quality of the processor from Intel, or... what? Is Intel the "Apple" of the CPU world, where you are merely paying for brand name instead of the actual quality?

I do not know as to what I wish to purchase to upgrade my system, but I know I want a processor that will last me five years.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

Eh, I'll probably drop a Steamroller 8 core on my board when it comes out, yea it probably won't be 40 percent improvement over my Phenom II, but I've been giving myself mild kicks in my own butt every now and then for not starting out with an 1100T in the first place. So, its not a big loss. Not that I even really need the extra cores, but its a "Because I can" thing.

That's actually a very reasonable thing to do, IMO. Of course, what's reasonable to us on these forums might not jive with the rest of society, lol, but whatever. We're a different breed here.

Steamroller still probably won't be a massive step up from a PII, but it certainly will be the first generation of AMD CPU's worth upgrading to if you have a higher end PII chip.

 

[InvalidError]

What is your computer almost always doing? Downloading? Uses practically no CPU power.

My CPU is never idle since I have bitcoin-like stuff running in background and consuming about 50% of the CPU while I am not doing anything useful with it. Even with that running which adds 15W, my system's power is only 80W, less than my C2D and most enthusiasts' PCs at idle. So compared to my previous system, I am effectively "mining" for free.

I doubt AMD platforms can come anywhere near that considering that they need as much as 100W extra to achieve similar performance under full-load.

 

[nekulturny]

Maybe in that case you'll see an advantage with the more efficient CPU. I don't even know what bit-coin is, I'm mainly basing that on you saying it uses 50 percent power while doing nothing.

My computer's almost always on (although it suspends itself after 90 minutes), but then again electricity is covered in my utilities, I never much paid attention to it. I personally don't own a television, I'd consider that a fair compensation in my case.

 

[zuluprime]

I am currently in the process of purchasing a new CPU for my computer as an upgrade (for gaming), and I am seeing quite the contrast in terms of views.

Some people are devoted AMD fans, whilst others are devoted Intel fans.

Why do I see people claim that an AMD 8-core processor is inferior to a high-end Intel i7 quad-core? Is it the quality of the processor from Intel, or... what? Is Intel the "Apple" of the CPU world, where you are merely paying for brand name instead of the actual quality?

I do not know as to what I wish to purchase to upgrade my system, but I know I want a processor that will last me five years.

From my extensive and obsessive research I found out the following importmant key notes:

1. AMD is initially cheaper up front BUT in the long run on average you save more with Intel BECAUSE of their low power 65 watt and 77 watt Ivy Bridge series i3, i5 and i7's. From what I read the math some smart guy made and it stated that on average the estimated usage without turning the computer off for a year is $20. In five years you'll save $100. AMD still power up on 95 watts and 125 watts.

This link shows the power/performance chart which barely has AMD processors listed except the very low end ones.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/power_performance.html

2. According to all of the benchmark performance charts, Intel has all around performance superiority. In reality, those numbers are numbers that most of these people have not experienced first hand or will notice with the naked eye, therefore, they assume wich one is better and repeat what they read or hear (Apple like behavior). I have read reviews of the lowest FX Bulldozer from people who supposedly have/had an Intel system with i5-i7 processors saying that for the money AMD is well worth the performance. If you plan on doing heavy duty multitasking and Audio, Visual and Graphical work. The i5-i7 (high priced)and FX Piledriver 8300 series (mid range priced/high performance) are your best choices. If you are a casual computer user whos job does not require the extensive use of a super processor, you don't NEED it.

This chart shows the high end processor benchmarks from top to bottom.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html


This one shows the best price/performance. AMD is all over it.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_value_alltime.html

I myself am an AMD fanboy because I could always be satisfied with an AMD/ATI computer and not feel like I paid too much.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

^ Ahhh, the argument of something that's just "good enough" for most people (and doesn't break the bank) vs. a simple want for the best for a lot of us (no matter if it makes financial sense or not). Isn't it great? That's what makes this stuff fun. Nobody needs the top performer 100% of the time, but I'll guarantee you that 100% of everyone would want it (and buy it, if they can).

As long as I can afford it, I'll always buy the best overall performer, when it comes time for an upgrade (whether by 50% or 5%). It's not necessarily rational or logical, but it doesn't need to be. I can always be satisfied with my 2500K and not feel like I paid too much, too (because it was a steal for how well it performs and what it can do).

And it's not even an AMD vs. Intel thing, for me. If AMD was on top for overall performance, I'd be team red all the way.

Also this

I myself am an AMD fanboy

That's never a good thing to admit (not just for AMD, but for anything). No one that sees that will ever take you seriously again (I won't). Be as fanatical a fanboy as you want (people will despise you, but that's your choice), but don't freaking admit it, lol.

 

[nekulturny]

Nobody needs the top performer 100% of the time, but I'll guarantee you that 100% of everyone would want it (and buy it, if they can)..

Ahh, but not everyone. I've made my case before of why I don't buy Intel for myself. I don't like to support corporations I don't agree with, if I can help it. Unlike Wal-mart, which I equally hate, but cannot afford to shop anywhere else. When I did my build the beginning of this year, I had a $3200 stafford loan check to play with, it wasn't lack of funds that made me go AMD Phenom II. Although, I wanted to keep my system at a certain budget, still, I could have had a 2500K, didn't want it.

 

[jaguarskx]

Intel is better because I say so.

You can all bicker amongst yourselves again.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

Edit: Reply was to nekulturny, lol.

I don't feel that way myself, but I can at least see the point of thinking that way. I don't agree with it, but I don't need to, lol.

The only part of that that I can really get behind is supporting the little guy. That makes some sense, for competition, if nothing else. Competition is good for everyone, but it doesn't change my spending decisions.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

Intel is better because I say so.

You can all bicker amongst yourselves again.

:lol: I think this is going relatively well, actually... A bad apple here and there, but we got this, lol.

 

[nekulturny]

Well, part too of it is about meeting needs. Why pay for performance you don't need? Theres nothing my system can't do for me that I need done. Why buy the $220 CPU if the $150 one will do it? At the time, the most demanding game I was playing was Runescape (which isn't very demanding at all), and I was still using VGA monitors, so I paired it with a 550 TI. I knew the field I'm studying in college might require running some programs that might get a little CPU heavy, like Virtual Machine, etc. But I can run XP in virtual machine, and do whatever I need to in Win7 at the same time with no noticeable performance hit. Now, I've quit Runescape, I've been more into first person shooters, hence the monitor and video card upgrade. But the CPU still does what it needs to do. Could I have squeezed a few more FPS out of a 2500K? Yea, I guess. Ask the people in Dragon Valley on BattlefieldPlay4Free if they think I need any more FPS to blow the hell out of em with my APC. :lol:

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

I'm not saying that I disagree with any of that, but, as irrational as it is, I just like knowing that I have one of the best of something (I definitely don't have the best GPU/mobo/HDD/etc., so I want at least one part of the system to be the best (or close to the best) in its class, lol. Not rational or logical at all, and I know this :lol: ).

 

[InvalidError]

Nobody needs the top performer 100% of the time, but I'll guarantee you that 100% of everyone would want it (and buy it, if they can).

Not so sure about that.

Even if I won millions of dollars at the lottery, I still wouldn't bother buying a PC significantly more powerful than what I expect to need in the foreseeable future since the PC will be obsolete by the time I actually might need it. Instead, I would probably buy cheaper systems and replace them more often to avoid having to do maintenance, cleaning, upgrades, etc. on them.

 

[nekulturny]

We're just overgrown kids with a different kind of toy really. :lol:

HA, the other day I was playing on a server BFP4Free and I shot down this same guy in an attack helo 3 times in a row, he started raging something awful about me being a hacker and this and that. Truth is, at best I'm mediocre as a ground solidier, but I just told him straight up. If you want to take me on with the helo when I'm in an APC, you better eat your Wheaties.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

Not so sure about that.

Even if I won millions of dollars at the lottery, I still wouldn't bother buying a PC significantly more powerful than what I expect to need in the foreseeable future since the PC will be obsolete by the time I actually might need it. Instead, I would probably buy cheaper systems and replace them more often to avoid having to do maintenance, cleaning, upgrades, etc. on them.

You're being too rational :lol:

That's definitely a very rational and logical way to look at it, but I truly believe that most people, if they can afford it, will buy what they consider the best (of anything), no matter if it's more than they need, or not.

Sure, tech moves so fast that buying something way above and beyond what you need within a time frame of 2 or 3 years doesn't make a lot of sense, but rationality and logic don't always apply when it comes to people wanting something (and especially not in the tech world. This forum alone should be proof enough of that, lol).

 

[skitz9417]

and amd lost a lot of money bulldozer came out and and intel has better perfomce over the bulldozer and with piledriver the fx 4300 and the other can only keep up with the i3 and the dual core of the i5

 

[GoldenI]

I'm not saying that I disagree with any of that, but, as irrational as it is, I just like knowing that I have one of the best of something (I definitely don't have the best GPU/mobo/HDD/etc., so I want at least one part of the system to be the best (or close to the best) in its class, lol. Not rational or logical at all, and I know this :lol: ).

At the moment, the only thing that is "the best" in my system is the Corsair AX850 Professional Series PSU.

Next week, the rest of my parts will be here... and I will have the following...

Intel Core i5 3570K Quad-Core IVY BRIDGE CPU
ASRock Extreme 4 MotherBoard 1155
Intel Maple 120GB SSD
2TB WD Caviar HDD
2x AMD Radeon 6850s
12GB of RAM

I have decided to choose Intel, simply because of its reliability. From what I have gathered, Intel is all-around the best choice to make when it comes to processors...

I will allow this thread to continue for a little while longer, as there appears to be some interesting discussion occurring.

 

[nekulturny]

Better capacity, slightly cheaper, maybe even better quality SSD:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

At the moment, the only thing that is "the best" in my system is the Corsair AX850 Professional Series PSU.

Eh, I don't really expect many people to think like I do about that anyway, so don't really take what I said there as advice, lol.

You'll know when I'm giving real advice (much more serious tone to the reply)...

 

[zuluprime]

I myself am an AMD fanboy

That's never a good thing to admit (not just for AMD, but for anything). No one that seat will ever take you seriously again (I won't). Be as fanatical a fanboy as you want (people will despise you, but that's your choice), but don't freaking admit it, lol.[/quotemsg]

@Dj Decibel:

I don't spend enough time out of the day in this forum to even remember your name. The only reason I got to reply is because of an email notice saying that you replied. I also don't take people who "SpElL LiKe ThIs" seriously. If I had an infinite budget I would still buy a maxed out AMD rig. I simply gave the originator of the topic facts to assist him in making his own decision. Then I gave him a bit of my own personal experience.

When you hit mental maturity one day and experience the outside world much more, you will come to realize that what is rational to you is not rational for every one else.

 

[GoldenI]

Hey now, folks; please keep it civil. I did not create this thread to watch people subject one another to criticism of their level of maturity. I am still interested in reading a discussion regarding the pros and cons between both AMD and Intel.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

Oh, I definitely don't take anything some random person on the 'net says personally, lol. I couldn't care less.

But I agree, let's keep a modicum of civility.

Not even going to respond to the comment above GoldenI's.

 

[nekulturny]

AMD vs Intel... In a nutshell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15YYfMSXLv0

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

AMD vs Intel... In a nutshell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15YYfMSXLv0

:lol: :lol: :lol:

And that's why you're awesome

 

[mohit9206]

at $200 , the only cpu to get if you are into gaming is intel core i5.
it doesnt matter which model. any quad core i5 from this gen will beat any bulldozer or piledriver in gaming. thats a no brainer.
however if you want to do much more than gaming then its a fair competition.
cheaper cpu's from intel go neck to neck with piledriver i3 vs fx-4300 and fx-6300.
but ever cheaper pentiums beat anything amd has to offer except the older phenom 2 955 or 965 which are pretty damn good cpu's worth getting from amd.
but this guy can explain stuff better than any of us can. hats off to him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h14-9aeDyn4

 

[nekulturny]

but this guy can explain stuff better than any of us can. hats off to him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h14-9aeDyn4

AMD has cooler looking box! And its a Black Edition! that means its cool, forget that pretentious lower case i

I've seen that vid before, btw, some of the stuff he says is out of date (notice the date on the video), most mainstream AMD boards now support both crossfire and SLi.