Amd or Intel???

[Scottike]

Personally, I'd look at the issue from a total system perspective, especially if your on any kind of budget. If you go with AMD would the lower total cost of your system give you "more bang for your buck" than if you went with Intel? Could you then afford to add, say an SSD, or BluRay? Maybe upgrade your cpu cooler or memory? While it's true that Intel has a performance edge over AMD that "edge" becomes a little blurred if you use the savings to build a better system than you might otherwise be able to afford by going with Intel. If your shooting for all out performance, then Intel is currently the way to go. (and has been for quite a while) The old hot rod addage applies to computers as well ... "How fast can you go? ... How much money do you have?" more money = more speed.

[wevsspot]

Several wise recommendations in this thread. I especially like Scott's perspective. I've got a i7 920 based rig and I love it (and it does overclock like crazy). I went with the Intel solution over AMD because I had the budget and because of the great luck I had with the Intel Socket 775 platform and the multiple different processors I ran in that rig - everything from a E2180 to a Q9550.

 

But price wise you certainly can't beat the AMD offerings right now. On a daily basis you will not know whether you've got an AMD quad or Intel quad so pick your poison (prize) and go with it. You won't be disappointed either way.

[The EvilAlex]

What if I go crossfire, will it bottleneck my system if I go AMD??

To make this clear, there is no benefit in buying a CPU with the same brand as the GPU???

[The Smith]

What if I go crossfire, will it bottleneck my system if I go AMD??

To make this clear, there is no benefit in buying a CPU with the same brand as the GPU???

A 965 C3 can run over 3.8Ghz fully stable on stock voltage as long as you have a good motherboard. This is what I do here. It is more than enough for any game I play. With a CrossfireX setup, you crank up the AA and other settings which reduce the FPS anyway, so I am pretty sure there wouldn't be any bottleneck.

 

I am also in the same boat as people who say that with the money saved, you can upgrade something else. But if money isn't an issue and you can still buy that heatsink or better graphics card or anything while going i7, then why not? Or... if you buy your CPU in the intention of getting a few global points on HWBot, then I suggest an i7.

 

Also, as some people said, Intel is working on a 6-core that will be a drop-in upgrade to the X58 boards. But the thing is... AMD is also working on a 6-core that will also be a drop-in upgrade for the AM3 boards.

Edited December 18, 2009 by The Smith

[abid]

INTEL FTW