dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
3861

tuladrin
@idv.net

tuladrin

Anon

AMD vs I-core

Which do you prefer as the main CPU and/or which is best? Is I-core3 = AMD A4, I-core 5 = AMD a6 and so on?Black friday almost here, have new computer narrowed to a few, given that the best deals are not going to be pure gaming rigs, will probably buy seperate video card, but want the best cpu I can buy

Jobbie
Keep It Simple
Premium Member
join:2010-08-24
Mexico

Jobbie

Premium Member

Wrong forum:

»PC gaming Tech

I went with an AMD Phenom 1100T and I love it to pieces, easy oeverclock nice temps and gaming performance, now that I am away from home I went with an i7 laptop and could not be happier.

Snuffbox
nice irl
Premium Member
join:2011-04-15
Milwaukee, WI

Snuffbox to tuladrin

Premium Member

to tuladrin
I prefer Intel.

Intel is best.

Compare Ghz, cores, not naming schemes.

Visit Tom'sHardware and compare AMD vs Intel for 3dMark and WoW.

McBrain
BRB Face Melting
join:2010-05-06
Marietta, GA

McBrain

Member

Intel is definitely putting out superior architecture right now. But if you only use your computer for WoW, you probably won't notice much of a difference in a...let's say, AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition with a slight overclock and an i5-2500 at stock settings...and the AMD is $100 cheaper.

Once you start using your rig to multi-task or perform more CPU intensive activities like media editing, Intel will blow AMD out of the water.

All in all, Intel is definitely on top of AMD at the moment...but most of us couldn't tell much of a difference in a high end AMD processor with a little tweaking and a stock mid-level Intel chip.
JoelC707
Premium Member
join:2002-07-09
Lanett, AL

JoelC707 to tuladrin

Premium Member

to tuladrin
Tomshardware did a lineup of various cards from both MD and Nvidia as well as compare them on an AMD and Intel setup. This was at the beginning of Cata though so many things have changed, both in terms of computer capabilities and WoW itself. Suffice it to say, WoW is CPU bound on AMD CPUs. The best they could get out of ANY video card on an AMD platform was ~60 FPS whereas the same cards on an Intel platform would push over 100 depending on the video card used.

Can you live with 60 FPS? Most likely. Newer AMD offerings may even increase this "limitation" but Intel is still likely your best bet. I have always liked AMD, and the fact they tend to be much cheaper than Intel never hurts. That said, when I built my new computers, I went with an Ivy Bridge i5 setup.

The integrated GPU found in AMD and Intel CPUs is generally as good as a low end standalone GPU (probably wouldn't compare it to something more than a $100 GPU). If you get a standalone video card, look for something over the $100 mark otherwise I would just use the integrated GPU and upgrade if and when you need to later.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok to tuladrin

Premium Member

to tuladrin
said by tuladrin :

Which do you prefer as the main CPU and/or which is best? Is I-core3 = AMD A4, I-core 5 = AMD a6 and so on?Black friday almost here, have new computer narrowed to a few, given that the best deals are not going to be pure gaming rigs, will probably buy seperate video card, but want the best cpu I can buy

It's "Intel" not "I-core".

The comparison is laughable at best.

In layman's terms, just stick to Intel if you are comparing current gen vs. current gen.

AMD took a step back from Phenom chips to Bulldozer, and has just now recovered their lost ground with Piledriver.

Intel, which was already ahead in the high-end arena, has since expanded its gains in the same timeframe to the mid-and-low-end markets with Sandy Bridge, and now, Ivy Bridge.

As of now, Intel beats AMD at every single price point. That could change in the future, but it won't for the next year to 18 months.

BonezX
Basement Dweller
Premium Member
join:2004-04-13
Canada

BonezX to McBrain

Premium Member

to McBrain
said by McBrain:

Intel is definitely putting out superior architecture right now. But if you only use your computer for WoW, you probably won't notice much of a difference in a...let's say, AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition with a slight overclock and an i5-2500 at stock settings...and the AMD is $100 cheaper.

Once you start using your rig to multi-task or perform more CPU intensive activities like media editing, Intel will blow AMD out of the water.

All in all, Intel is definitely on top of AMD at the moment...but most of us couldn't tell much of a difference in a high end AMD processor with a little tweaking and a stock mid-level Intel chip.

even with editing and multi-threaded stuff, it's still hit or miss.

Raible
join:2008-01-23
Plainfield, IN

Raible to tuladrin

Member

to tuladrin
said by tuladrin :

will probably buy seperate video card, but want the best cpu I can buy

If that's all you want to know, the answer is real simple. Intel's top i7 CPU.

If you actually have a budget and want to factor in what all exactly you'll be doing with the machine, other answers may come into play.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

said by tuladrin :

but want the best cpu I can buy

You know what they say about a fool and his money.

McBrain
BRB Face Melting
join:2010-05-06
Marietta, GA

McBrain

Member

said by Krisnatharok:

said by tuladrin :

but want the best cpu I can buy

You know what they say about a fool and his money.

Here you go:»www.newegg.com/Product/P ··· 19116877

Have at it...Having this processor on a computer used mainly for playing World of Warcraft is similar to using the nuclear reactor of the USS George Bush to cook your ramen noodles.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

No no, he needs TWO of them, and a dual socket LGA2011 board!

I AM
Premium Member
join:2010-04-11
Ephrata, PA

I AM

Premium Member

I went AMD instead of Intel and wish I would have went with Intel. Apart from games a lot of other programs seem to work better with Intel.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

If it was a Phenom II prior to Sandy Bridge, that wasn't a bad choice.

It would take a lot to find an AMD fanboy still willing to argue that either Bulldozer or Piledriver are better than either Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge.

I AM
Premium Member
join:2010-04-11
Ephrata, PA

I AM

Premium Member

A lot of developers seem to be writing programs to run with Intel. I had to do a few work arounds or updating my bios and other stuff to get some stuff to run right on an AMD.

I was thinking up switching over to Intel but I might as well wait for Haswell.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to tuladrin

Premium Member

to tuladrin
AMD is suffering a slide like Intel did during the P4 era. Though upside for AMD is they do not have to change their RAM to get back in the game. the P4 era is noted for the short lived but damaging mistake that was the inferior and overly expensive RAMBUS memory.

Jobbie
Keep It Simple
Premium Member
join:2010-08-24
Mexico

Jobbie to Krisnatharok

Premium Member

to Krisnatharok
said by Krisnatharok:

If it was a Phenom II prior to Sandy Bridge, that wasn't a bad choice.

I love my Phenom II to bits, it was a placeholder for Bulldozer which i never got. It has worked awesome so far.

Next build I will go with Intel for sure.

cpsycho
join:2008-06-03
Treadeu Land

cpsycho to tuladrin

Member

to tuladrin
Firstly, are you buying a video card seperatly? If you are not, amd apu is a way better choice. If you are buying a video card go with an I 5. never go with a suggestion from someone that is not asking you questions first.

McBrain
BRB Face Melting
join:2010-05-06
Marietta, GA

McBrain to tuladrin

Member

to tuladrin
If you live near a microcenter, this is the CPU you should buy.

»microcenter.com/product/ ··· rocessor

Epic deal.

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County

CylonRed to I AM

MVM

to I AM
I would love to know what programs those are as both CPUs follow the same standards. I have been running AMD for years and not had to tinker with any programs to get them to work 'right'.

Octavean
MVM
join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

Octavean to McBrain

MVM

to McBrain
said by McBrain:

If you live near a microcenter, this is the CPU you should buy.

»microcenter.com/product/ ··· rocessor

Epic deal.

Microcenter actually had a limited offer where they were selling the Core i5 2500K for ~$99.99. That’s right, less then ~$100 USD.

BTW, I have an Intel Core i7 3930K and really like it. Microcenter is selling the 3930K now for ~$399.99 which is ~$100 less then Newegg now at ~$499.99. The 6 core 12 thread Core i7 3930K hit the market at ~$650 USD if I recall correctly.

McBrain
BRB Face Melting
join:2010-05-06
Marietta, GA

McBrain

Member

I'll be upgraging my rig within the next 3-6 months and will be moving to Intel from AMD. I'm pretty set on the 3930k and an x79 motherboard. I'm assuming I'd get your recommendation for this set-up, right?

Octavean
MVM
join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

Octavean

MVM

Well I guess it depends on what you intend to do with it. For just gaming, no I think an Ivy Bridge CPU and Z77 motherboard would be fine.

On a fresh build I probably spend on average about ~$400 to ~$600+ USD. I was able to build my Core i7 3930K / Asus P9X79 Deluxe based system for about ~$660 (for motherboard and processor) out of pocket. I had an Amazon coupon that brought down the price of the motherboard significantly. If I had to spend much more then that I probably would have opted for something cheaper.

This was pre-Ivy Bridge though. I think a Core i7 3770K (~$300) or Core i5 3570K (~~$170 to ~$200) is a great option.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok to McBrain

Premium Member

to McBrain
I'd go Z77 and i5-3570K as well. You can't really future proof with a more expensive CPU after a certain point (unlocked quad core, right now).

McBrain
BRB Face Melting
join:2010-05-06
Marietta, GA

McBrain

Member

Future-proofing was definitely the goal of that idea. I was assuming LGA 2011 would be the way to go...and the 3960x is definitely out of my price range.

I can also only assume that by the March/April timeframe I'm looking at the 3930k and x79 mobos will have had pretty significant price reductions.

FWIW, the CPU and ASRock x79 mobo I was looking at on newegg were $700 together.

But, dropping to an i5 and z77 will definitely free up more space in the budget (which I haven't even established yet) for a second GPU and 1000w PSU I'll need.

Eventually I'd like to end up with:

-i7-3930k/i7-3770/i5-3570k
-X79/Z77 mobo (depending on CPU obviously)
-MSI Hawk 7870 x 2 (I've got one currently)
-1000w PSU
-Either 3x~23" or 1 27" 120hz monitor

Ghastlyone
Premium Member
join:2009-01-07
Nashville, TN

Ghastlyone

Premium Member

Go with a 3570K and overclock it slightly.

You probably wouldn't notice much difference in the 3930 or 3770.

Take the extra money and get a second video card or upgrade your current one.

Octavean
MVM
join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

Octavean to McBrain

MVM

to McBrain
Intel has a strategy of replacing processors in their Core i7 and Core i5 lineup with faster chips in the same price range. So in this case, essentially, gone are the days that a high end processor will drop in price in significant ways. The Core i7 3930K hit the market in late 2011 at about ~$650 (IIRC) but the price was elevated above the MSRP at that time (IIRC) by retailers / e-tailers. Microcenter is notorious for undercutting MSRP on such Intel Processors in very significant ways and by no means is a daily price available everywhere.

Future proofing is basically unattainable and doesn’t really merit much consideration IMO.

There is a difference in these processors but for gaming the Core i5 3570K is a good choice that is considerably cheaper. Heavily threaded applications other then gaming would likely make those differences more apparent but as I understand it the AMD FX 8320 does fairly well in heavily threaded applications. The AMD FX 8320 isn’t as good for general gaming as a Core i5 3570K and above but it isn’t an unmitigated disaster either,….or at least from the benchmarks I have seen so far.

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok to McBrain

Premium Member

to McBrain
said by McBrain:

Future-proofing was definitely the goal of that idea. I was assuming LGA 2011 would be the way to go...and the 3960x is definitely out of my price range.

I can also only assume that by the March/April timeframe I'm looking at the 3930k and x79 mobos will have had pretty significant price reductions.

FWIW, the CPU and ASRock x79 mobo I was looking at on newegg were $700 together.

But, dropping to an i5 and z77 will definitely free up more space in the budget (which I haven't even established yet) for a second GPU and 1000w PSU I'll need.

Eventually I'd like to end up with:

-i7-3930k/i7-3770/i5-3570k
-X79/Z77 mobo (depending on CPU obviously)
-MSI Hawk 7870 x 2 (I've got one currently)
-1000w PSU
-Either 3x~23" or 1 27" 120hz monitor



Holy hell, brother. There will be a negligible difference between the X79 and a Z77 gaming system. I could put a Z77 build together and put the saved money towards features you would definitely notice. X79 will likely never come down in price until obsolete and replaced by Ivy Bridge-E (while Haswell drops).

You definitely do NOT need a 1000w PSU short of going with SLI/Crossfire with the very top end GPUs (GTX 680s or 7970s). Those GPUs take about 240w TDP per, and a CPU uses ~80 - 125w TDP, so something like a good 750w or 850w leaves lots of headroom for mobo and HDDs/peripherals/case fans. The TDP of the Radeon 7870 is 99w. Remember that a PSU drops in efficiency if nowhere near 90% load, so shoot for being as close to that as much as possible.

Here's how *I* would build your system (emphasis on personal preference/quality over price--budget builders look elsewhere):

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4 GHz Quad-core processor - $170 + tax (Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: A couple valid options here, depending on how far you want to OC:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler - $15 (w/$10 MIR) - best "bang for your buck" cooler that is very efficient
Prolimatech PRO-MGH-C Megahalems Revision C CPU Cooler - $68 (This is Rev C, which is why it doesn't have any reviews--compare to the Rev B for 1366, but it can match or beat the best closed-loop water cooler out there with good fans--I like Yate Loon from FrozenCPU)
CORSAIR Hydro Series H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler - $80 (after $15 MIR)
Motherboard: Torn between three options:
ASRock Z77 OC Formula LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard - $250 (free 2x 4GB 1600 DDR3 ram), OR
ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $225, OR
EVGA Z77 FTW 151-IB-E699-KR LGA 1155 Intel Z77 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Extended ATX Intel Motherboard - $210 (w/$20 MIR)
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-2133C11D-16GZL, 11-11-11-31 1.5V - $125
SSD: We just missed the best SSD sales yet--the Vertex 4 512 GB was $300 for Black Friday and has sold out everywhere now, so we are back to pre-deal pricing:
Intel 330 Series SSDSC2CT240A3K5 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - $140
Data Drive: Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $183
Backup Drive: Western Digital WD Green WD30EZRX 3TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $153
Video Card: MSI R7870 HAWK Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $258 (w/$10 MIR)
Power Supply: Three favorite companies here, take your pick:
Rosewill Tachyon Series Tachyon-750 Continuous 750W @ 50 Degrees C ATX12V v2.31 & EPS12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Modular Active PFC - $180
CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750 (CMPSU-750AX) 750W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC - $160 (w/$10 MIR) - I am using this one now
SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC - $100
Blu-ray Drive: ASUS Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM - $60
DVD Burner: ASUS 24X DVD Burner OEM - $25
Computer Cases: Several options, again:
Rosewill THOR V2-White Edition, THOR V2-W Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $90 (w/$10 MIR) (black edition is $134)
Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $270 (w/$25 MIR)
COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case - $180
Any of the NZXT Phantom Full-size towers - ~$120-$250 (probably would win a "sexiest case contest" if there was one)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM - $140

For monitors you specified two options--triple setup (24" is more prolific than 23"), or a single 27". If you go for a 27", in my mind, there is only one valid option considering price/quality: the Auria EQ276W 27" IPS LED monitor @ 2560x1440, $400 from Microcenter. I have one, and Octavean has two, and we are both blown away by the quality. These are grade B monitors that don't quite meet Apple's standards to be accepted and used in Apple's displays. Normally you would have to worry about dead pixels and return shipping to Korea, but buying through Microcenter protects you with their warranty and they have a no-questions-asked return policy. I have mine set up next to a 20" Apple Cinema Display and it puts the Apply display to shame. Absolutely nothing "B-grade" about this monitor as it has gorgeous, deep, and rich colors. 10/10 would buy again.

If you want to go with a triple setup, I'll have to pass on a recommendation as I have not done something like that yet. I'd probably use three Asus or Samsung 1080p 24" LED-powered monitors, however.

Anyways, the total damage here, if you were to buy absolutely everything (including monitor), is going to be between $2,069 - $2,434 for the whole rig. Again, I would like to stress that this is not to a budget, but me going crazy building the computer "I would build". You can certainly cut the price down (probably in half) by going with a $100 mobo, the free, non-OC ram, a $60 case, no blu-ray drive, etc.

Just wanted to throw this out there.
computerman2
Premium Member
join:2002-04-20
Trenton, MI

computerman2

Premium Member

Went with AMD A6 3620 with Radeon 6530D back in June, Been using AMD Systems since 2003, Entire House is AMD Processors besides very old laptop, and one Intel Atom HTPC. Gaming Performance is Great on the A6 Based system, Other programs performance Excellent!, Very Happy.

Old System was AMD Athlon 64 Single Core 2.20ghz
THis one A6-3620 Quad Core 2.20ghz, with Turbo boost up to 2.50ghz, Which is more than enough for my current needs, As well as 8gb of DDR3 Ram, and Support for AMD Dual Graphics if I ever need more video power

Krisnatharok
PC Builder, Gamer
Premium Member
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit

Krisnatharok

Premium Member

Depends what you need it to do, but Intel is best bang-for-buck now.
computerman2
Premium Member
join:2002-04-20
Trenton, MI

computerman2

Premium Member

True, Maybe in the way future sometime i'll eventually get back to Intel based System.. But for now this works fine for my needs at this point..