AMD or Intel... I can't decide this time around.

J

Justintoxicated

[H]F Junkie
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I want to do some overclocking, and it appears that AMD MIGHT give me more bang for the buck? But the Motherboards do not seem as nice. Then again I'm hesitant to buy a $450 x79 Asus board since they have been out for 2 years already. So then there is the z77, but only 8x for crossfire / SLI? Seems AMD might be better off there too? I decided I like intel chipsets, though I haven't tried AMD in some years.

I'd be looking at the top of the line AMD FX CPU, or a 3770 intel.

Of course Intel is more standard IMO and default, but for the money is AMD going to give me more? That appears to be the case right now with video cards over nvidia.
 
I personally think AMDs are more fun to overclock, however, if you are going to be gaming: MOST games run better on intel tech. If you are going to be running 2x cards in SLI, you may get better value out of a high-end AMD board being as it can run more PCI-E lanes (per dollar) but really, there have been no real benchmarks that show any difference between x16 and x8 PCI-e bandwidth for the user.
 
I found this article interesting:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6934/choosing-a-gaming-cpu-single-multigpu-at-1440p

Might help with the decision.
We know Intel has 'the crown' but it depends on what you are going to do with your PC.
If using single video card, seems that even lower end AMD has you covered..
SSD primary drive all the way.. I don't see the need to be stuck with ASUS for mobo.. I have AsRock, and it been great. Then again I haven't checked out offerings lately.
 
As an owner of AMD FX CPUs I would advise you go with Intel unless money is an issue.
 
Even though real world differences have been zero, just remember that pcie 3.0 at x8 = pcie 2.0 at x16. If you plan on using this system for gaming, both will handle your needs fine. If you plan on going muti-gpu, intel is the better choice in that department (z77, z87, x79 as an example).

It all depends on your budget, needs, and preferences.
 
If you have the budget to go with an i5 3570k and a decent $130+ Z77 motherboard, go for that. If not, the FX-6300 usually provides better value than the i3s.
 
No, not just gaming. Software development, video editing, photoshop. But Mostly gaming, sure.


kzaske said:
As an owner of AMD FX CPUs I would advise you go with Intel unless money is an issue.
Click to expand...

What issue do you have? Heat? I plan on buying a 140mmx4 radiator for CPU and MB, maybe another for the video cards eventually. I would think liquid cooling would take care of any heat issues? Or do you have motherboard / Chipset problems? I'm pretty set on an I7, since I'm replacing my Q9450.

hmmm z87, how does that stack up to x79. I feel very bad paying a premium for x79 chipset for a motherboard that is 2 years old now. Seems like as soon as I buy it, then it would be dated and worthless.

I don't care too much about being future proof, other than the ability to update the video cards in a few years, which I think eliminates anything with PCIE2.

I was thinking this would be a good way to go http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131857 but if z87 is just around the corner, and will still work with a 3770 then Maybe I should wait for that?
My one concern with this board is that the waterblocks are probably Aluminum? if so I would have to remove and replace them with something else.
 
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The recent leaks of Haswell appear to be very disappointing. Barely 5-7% improvement over Ivy Bridge.

X79 still has Ivy Bridge-E to be released, which should happen around September.

How many cards do you plan on using? If you're using 3 or more, you might as well go to X79. If you're not, wait for Haswell. You'll have a choice then on whether to get Ivy Bridge or Haswell. At the very minimum, Haswell won't be a step backwards.
 
I upgraded Feb 1st after using Q9550 @ 3.8 for little over 3 years. I read every review for the i5/i7 and FX 8350/8320 and I decided on the i5 3570k which I immediately OC to 4.4. My buddy at work wanted to upgrade he needed one badly. So I sold him my i5 and bought the i7 3770k which I have running at 4.4 with ASROCK Auto OC. I love the i5/i7 Ivybridge processors. I would 100% back the decision to get one even the i5 with a nice 4.4 is plenty fast. Just my 2 cents.
 
I own both a 2700K and a FX 8120 and they both have been very nice. The question is, if you wanna go with Intel, How close do you live to a Microcenter?
 
Well shoot, that's basically what I go by anymore. If not I would usually suggest a 990FXA-UD5 with a FX 8320 combo. Intels become a great option when you can grab a 3570k and get the good price plus the savings on the motherboard or grab a 3770k for $230 at microcenter.
 
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Just some suggestions if you do plan on going with the FX8350.
First get a good solid board for it my suggestions would be a CHV or Sabretooth but here's a list with different brands. Stick to something with a minimum of 8+2 power. 1866 to the 2000 range is a good ram speed on this chip.
With water cooling on this chip you should be able to go over 5G if you're into benching or just for the fun of it. But day to day 4.6 is a good general duty speed. I'll put mine up to 4.8 when doing Bluray decoding.
Overall I'm completely satisfied with my setup. I'm a gamer at heart and this chip is no slouch( don't really care what the reviews say) When it come to video this thing is a beast as well.

Like I said though the MOBO is key. If you cheap out you'll have nothing but headaches!
 
Personally I would just go the cheaper route to game. I see no purpose of getting anywhere from 5 to 10 more FPS on an intel platform when you are going to pay out of your wallet.

Get a 990FX board and an P2 X4 cheap...or if u want to go for FX...then do it.

I see no purpose spending $200 to 300 on a motherboard. Do you use all the options the expensive boards offer?

Intel is changing the socket design on their next CPU, always changing every few years.

If you want to or like spending money, get the intel.

AMD route would be $75 mobo, $85 P2 X4, DDR3 2x4gb $70

?Just my opinion!
 
Nobified[H];1039900599 said:
I see no purpose spending $200 to 300 on a motherboard. Do you use all the options the expensive boards offer?
Click to expand...

It's not the options so much as the power delivery system that's needed to feed the FX chips. These are seriously thirsty CPU's. I'm a member in another forum and have seen so many people try their luck on the FX with an inadequate board and come away with nothing but heartache. The Sabretooth R2.0 is about $180 on Amazon. This would still be a good match with a Phenom II with a decent upgrade path in the future.
Titles such as FarCry3 and Metro last light are utilizing multicore CPU's much better and this will only continue going forward.
 
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either way you go, make your choice and don't even think about the other after that. Don't regret it or it will be a long wait till your next upgrade.
 
If you're overclocking, and spending $200 or more, Intel will win.
If you're spending less than $200 Intel can't overclock, and AMD wins due to OCing.
 
intel seems to be the better way at the moment unless amd makes something phenomenal. otherwise intel pulls ahead roughly 15fps or more in gaming situations stock. If you Overclock then you have an even bigger difference.
 
I have a FX8350 setup with a sabertooth Rev2 board. The reason I chose AMD this time is that I do a lot of VM testing and my wife and I use the machine so both accounts are running the same time. Going the AMD route saved me about 200$ which allowed me to get two 120 gig Intel 330 SSD's that i put in raid 0.

if you do go the AMD route make sure you get a inline water cooler like antec Kuhler 920 or Corsair Hydro H80 or above.
 
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