Which computer base unit should i get, AMD or Intel?

mr_vampy

Hi,

I'm looking to get a new base unit within the next week or two. I've been to two local independent computer shops and they've given me quotes for a base unit. One is built around an AMD processor and the other is Intel.

The first is an AMD X245 Athlon Dual Core 64bit CPU on an Asrock N68C-S UCC AM2/3 motherboard with 2GB DDR2 memory, onboard 256MB graphics, 250GB Sata Hard Disk, two 24x DVD Double Layer rewriter drive, Windows 7 Professional CD and licence. Black/Silver midi case. The price for this unit is £368 (or £378 if i want a 500GB Hard Disk)

The second is an Intel Celeron Dual Core E3300 2.5Ghz CPU on a Foxconn G41MX-F motherboard with 2GB DDR2 memory, onboard 256MB graphics, 250GB Sata Hard Disk, two 24x DVD Double Layer rewriter drive, Windows 7 Professional CD and licence. Black/Silver midi tower case. The price for this unit is £345.

I'm so confused with the processors and their speeds, that I would like to ask you guys which is the better one? How do these two CPUs compare? Which unit would you get?

Would appreciate any info/advice received. Thanks in advance.

mr_vampy

Snooze

AMD or Intel or like asking PS3 or Xbox, LCD or Plasma etc. There are no right or wrong answers - all you'll get are fanboy replies which don't help.

If you'd asked (for example) AMD Phenom X4 965BE vs Intel E3300 then the obvious answer would be the AMD as it's streets ahead, but the 2 processors you're asking about are virtually identical in performance and benchmark rating, with the Intel being fractionally ahead of the AMD but if you could tell the difference between them in a blindfold test I would eat my metaphorical hat.

As there doesn't seem to be anything between your builds other than marginal differences in CPU performance and mobo, then it comes down to price. Usually an Intel based build would come out more expensive than an AMD one when the rest of the spec is identical, simply because Intel charge more for their stuff, so as your Intel build is actually cheaper here, I'd go for that personally (and I'm an AMD man out of personal preference!).

Just as an advisory note, I personally would stick in another stick of memory to make it 4 gig. Win 7 will eat most of your 2 gigs and if you like to have a lot of apps running at the same time you'll probably notice it lagging a little. An extra 2 gig of DDR2 is pennies these days as everyone wants DDR3.

Final comment - you don't state the spec of your HDD but try to go for a 7200rpm one and a decent size cache.



ETA - Just re-reading your post I see these are quotes from 2 different shops. My personal opinion is that the place doing the AMD build is taking you for a bit of a ride. A comparable AMD system should not work out more expensive than an Intel based one. Suggest taking the AMD spec to the place that quoted for the Intel build and seeing what price they come up with.

Spank

On another point, you don't need 2 DVDRW unless you’re doing a lot of copying (then it's worth the extra £5 over a reader)

wornoutmumoftwo

I'm not an expert but when I built mine I was told AMD was better for gaming, and top requirement games do work like a dream on it.

Spank

wornoutmumoftwo wrote: »

I'm not an expert but when I built mine I was told AMD was better for gaming, and top requirement games do work like a dream on it.

Must resist urge to mock :rotfl:

gonzo127

to be honest both of them are a little expensive in my mind

just check on ebuyer shows
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/200539 - intel E5400, 2gb ram, 500gb hdd, windows 7 HP - £300
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/227088 - intel E7600, 2gb ram, 500gb hdd windows 7 pro - £380

Lil306

It's down to what you prefer really

AMD PC's, perfectly fine, they're good for those on a budget or AMD fanboys
Intel PC's, perfectly fine, good for those on a higher budget or Intel fanboys

I've got 2 AMD PCs and 1 Intel. I've always preferred intel for some reason. Don't ask me why I don't know. Most people prefer Intel because I believe their CPU's are generally easier to overclock....

If your using servers, Intel are usually better for virtualisation and multi-core technology.

wornoutmumoftwo

Must resist urge to mock :rotfl:

I did say I wasn't an 'expert'. PC works like a dream though.

[Deleted User]

The AMD processor has twice the cache of the intel one and a faster clock speed, which probably goes to explain why the bundle is more expensive. On that alone, the AMD option is preferrable.

Unless you're looking to use Windows XP in a Virtual Machine, you'll find Windows 7 Professional overkill where Home Premium would be better suited. It should be cheaper, so you might want to consider that if it's available.

CHR15

As you can already see, Snooze was entirely correct about fanboys.

Unless you specifically have a purpose in mind, it really doesn't matter.
If you did have a specific purpose, you would already know.

Just buy to your budget and be happy.

esuhl

The best thing to do is look at a website like tomshardware.com where you can get a variety of benchmark scores for different processors under different conditions. Then the only thing that matters is how the processor fares in the tests that you think will be most relevant (based on what you're going to use your PC for) and the price.