What is the real difference between an intel processor and an amd processor

[nitrousspark]

I know obviously that intel processors can be better than amd processors, but ive never seen why the processors at the same level are so much more expensive on the intel side. like what is the difference between an AMD Athlon x4 750k ($80) and an Intel Core i5-3570 ($210). The proces are so far apart yet they both have 3.4 GHz, both quad core, so they're basically the same processor? sure the intel runs a little more efficient with 77W power compared to amd's 100W, but i don't think that thats worth the $130 price difference. Other than that all i could see is that intel processors run cooler, but even that, $210?

 

[leeb2013]

nope, that's like saying a Ferrari has 4 wheels and an engine, so it's the same as a Fiesta.

It's all down to the architecture and less to do with cores/clocks. You have to delve into the design of the silicon and study the CPU architecture.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

The missing link you're looking for is called IPC, or instructions per clock. Basically, how much it can do in each clock cycle.

 

[i7Baby]

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-vs-AMD-Athlon-X4-750k

The i5 is a much better performer.

 

[rhysiam]

Intel processors are miles ahead in terms of IPC - instructions per clock. So while they both may ran at the same clock speeds, Intel are (generally speaking) able to get far more done in the same time.

Intel also have much more efficient memory controllers.

For all this I do think there is a significant "intel tax". I suspect, because they have the performance edge and market share, they're able to mark up their products much higher than AMD can. This means that AMD are often able to compete on price/performance... just not power/performance or absolutely performance.

 

[nitrousspark]

so does that meen the amd athlon x4 750k will bottleneck like a radeon 7850?

 

[rhysiam]

Hmmmmm, maybe. In some games. Have you read up on this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-2.html

 

[nitrousspark]

i really just dont have much on money, my birthdays coming up, and i was preatty set on getting probably like a new 500W power supply, the amd athlon x4 750k, and around like a 7850, with a new motherboard included, for a little more than $300. Just trying to get the best performance for that price

 

[rhysiam]

i really just dont have much on money, my birthdays coming up, and i was preatty set on getting probably like a new 500W power supply, the amd athlon x4 750k, and around like a 7850, with a new motherboard included, for a little more than $300. Just trying to get the best performance for that price

That's not a bad option. The problem is that you'd then be stuck on the FM2 platform, which doesn't really have any mid-high end CPUs.

Another option would be a cheap intel (1150) socket MB and Celeron CPU... something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116974
It probably actually performs worse right now, but you'd then have the option of adding a Haswell i3, i5 (or even i7) down the track once you'd saved some more pennies. Then you'd have a good platform that you could get a few years out of (particularly if you went to a quad core i5).

I suppose it depends on whether you want to get maximum bang-for-buck now (in which case get the AMD), or are prepared to sacrifice a little now and save up for better down the track.

 

[Rationale]

so does that meen the amd athlon x4 750k will bottleneck like a radeon 7850?

It shouldn't. Those should fit together pretty well. In a few games, your graphics card will be weaker. In a few games, the Athlon 750K will be weaker. But overall, a pretty respectable match, especially for the price. The Athlon X4 7xx are the best budget CPUs AMD has at the moment.


Anyway, generally...

Intel:
-faster
-cooler
-take less power
-cost more
-don't overclock as well

AMD:
-slower
-hotter
-take more power
-cost less
-more cores
-overclock better


Generally Intel is considered better, but it becomes questionable at the lower price points.
As an alternative to the 750K, you could consider a Pentium 3420. It performs similarly to the 750k. Generally quad-core games will run better on the 750k and dual or tri core games will run better on the Pentium. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-G3420-vs-AMD-Athlon-X4-750k