Intel vs. AMD for gaming

[SouLXIV]

I'm a total noob when it comes to computers but I was just wondering which kind of processor is best for gaming. I'm planning on buying a mid-ranged gaming computer for about $2000 and what I saw was Intel Core Duo computers are much more expenssive than AMD at the same clock speed. Like a PC with AMD +6000 3.0ghz is like 300-400 less than a Intel Core Duo 3.0ghz.

I was just wondering is it worth it to buy the computer with the intel chip for $400 more even though all the other specs are the same? Thanks.

 

[engiNURD]

I'm a total noob when it comes to computers but I was just wondering which kind of processor is best for gaming. I'm planning on buying a mid-ranged gaming computer for about $2000 and what I saw was Intel Core Duo computers are much more expenssive than AMD at the same clock speed. Like a PC with AMD +6000 3.0ghz is like 300-400 less than a Intel Core Duo 3.0ghz.

I was just wondering is it worth it to buy the computer with the intel chip for $400 more even though all the other specs are the same? Thanks.

Intel > AMD right now. Clock for clock, Core2Duos will outperform Athlon64X2's. So, if you have a 3Ghz AMD vs a 3Ghz Intel, the Intel would outperform the AMD. Also, Core2 chips are much easier to OC than X2 chips, and they can also OC much higher. So, even if you take OC'ing into account, Intel wins. The only time X2's are a better buy is when you have an extremely low budget or cannot OC at all. BTW, OC'ing is easy and won't compromise stability/longevity.

$2000 budget? What's included in that budget (OS/Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse/etc)?
Will you be building this system yourself or buying a pre-built?
What else do you do with your system besides play games (watch HD video content, photoshop, video edit, etc)?
What games do you play and at what resolution/settings (Crysis @ 1280x1024 w/ 4xAA)?
What size/type of monitor do you have or plan on getting (eg 19" CRT)?
Do you plan on overclocking (Its easy)?

Here's some reading material for you:
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3112&p=14

BTW, an AMD X2 6000+ 3.0Ghz is $170, and an Intel Core2Duo E6850 3.0Ghz is $280. Thats only a $110 difference, not $400. Also, the C2D had double the amount of L2 Cache, which amounts to about 5-10% performance difference. If there's a $400 difference, you're either comparing the wrong chips or you're looking at a pre-built system. If you're looking at a pre-built, I strongly urge you to learn how to build it yourself. There are a ton of guides you can read online. However, if you don't mind spending the extra money and don't want to deal with all the potential issues that might come up when building it yourself, then stick to a prebuilt.

 

[killingfield1975]

Intel core2duo is what you want for now.

 

[Version_3]

I third the Intel suggestion even though I agree that it's a lot more expensive. You still get what you pay for at this point.

For $2000, that's more of a high end system, not really mid. Mid level systems can be built for ~$1200 IIRC.

 

[lowtcell]

At this point, AMD is way behind but $300-400 difference seems a bit much though. The E8400 is only $75 more then X2-6000.

BTW, $2000 is plenty for a strong gaming rig if you build it yourself.

 

[SouLXIV]

thanks for the replies. Ya when I said $400 difference I'm talking about pre built systems from like Velocity Micro and Vigor Gaming. I understand that it's alot cheaper to build my own system but for a number of reasons it's not really an option for me, and alot of that is cause my parents do not trust me with buying separate parts.



But ya to answer enginurd's questions-


What's included in that budget (OS/Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse/etc)?
All of them, but it's more like $2300

Will you be building this system yourself or buying a pre-built?
Pre-built, I'm trying to decide between boutique builders and mainstream manufactures like Dell

What else do you do with your system besides play games (watch HD video content, photoshop, video edit, etc)?
Not much really. I'll probably play games mostly on it, I'm not gonna do anything with blueray, watching tv, photoshop, etc.

What games do you play and at what resolution/settings (Crysis @ 1280x1024 w/ 4xAA)?
Well I'm proabably more interested in online multiplayer games like Call of Duty 4, and some of the other games coming out in the summer (I don't really know lol)

What size/type of monitor do you have or plan on getting (eg 19" CRT)?
Doesn't really matter to me, proabably 19-20, nothing bigger than 22''

Do you plan on overclocking (Its easy)?
well I know it's easy to do but I still don't know if it's safe. I heard that it decreases stability still and even not considering that, it shortens the CPU's life expectancy

 

[engiNURD]

A mild OC on a Core2 chip would show some benefits. As long as heat is kept in check, OC'ing is perfectly safe and won't compromise stability nor lessen the chip's longevity. If you go with Dell, or some other big OEM, you most likely won't be able to OC. If you go with a boutique builder, you can either pay them to OC, or just do it yourself later on, when you feel the system is slowing down.

As for boutique builders, alternatives to Velocity Micro include: Puget Systems, Maingear, ABS Computers, and Falcon Northwest. I know VM and Puget have reps that post on these boards, so they should be able to help you if you need it.

Do you have a config in mind already? If so, post it so we can nitpick at it.

 

[silent-circuit]

Far better off building yourself with that kind of budget and goals.


Display - 22" LCD (1680x1050 - Samsung, Acer) - $250-300
CPU - Q6600 G0 stepping - $275
HSF - Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme + Scythe S-Flex fan - $70
Motherboard - DFI Blood Iron P35-TR2L - $125
GPU - 8800GTS 512MB - $330
PSU - Corsair 620HX - $100
RAM - 4GB DDR2-800 - $100
HDD - 500GB Seagate SATA 7200.11 - $115
Optical - Samsung 20x SATA DVDRW - $30
Case - Antec P180/P180B/P182 (wait for a sale) or Coolermaster RC-690 - $50-70

~$1450 + shipping. You could add another $400ish to that and get a nice SLI rig if you wanted, though at that resolution you don't need it. You could get a nice 24" 1920x1200 panel within budget, too. The prices I quoted aren't spectacular, either, so wait around for a week or two, pick things up as they go on sale, and you could do pretty well.

 

[silent-circuit]

Do you plan on overclocking (Its easy)?
well I know it's easy to do but I still don't know if it's safe. I heard that it decreases stability still and even not considering that, it shortens the CPU's life expectancy

I hear this far far too often.

If you overclock and it's unstable you're doing it wrong. You need to bump up voltage a little or dial back the overclock somewhat. Once you find a stable 24/7 overclock (which is not difficult, as enginurd said) you don't need to worry about it anymore. It's just faster.

Yes, there is no denying it reduces the lifetime of components, but if you're not OCing above "safe" limits -- purely for benchmarking, hobbiest type stuff -- just going for a 24/7 OC, it may reduce the lifetime of the CPU by a few years... but if it lasts for 10 years instead of 12, does anyone really care? The machine will be so horribly out of date by that point that it really doesn't matter.

 

[SouLXIV]

A mild OC on a Core2 chip would show some benefits. As long as heat is kept in check, OC'ing is perfectly safe and won't compromise stability nor lessen the chip's longevity. If you go with Dell, or some other big OEM, you most likely won't be able to OC. If you go with a boutique builder, you can either pay them to OC, or just do it yourself later on, when you feel the system is slowing down.

As for boutique builders, alternatives to Velocity Micro include: Puget Systems, Maingear, ABS Computers, and Falcon Northwest. I know VM and Puget have reps that post on these boards, so they should be able to help you if you need it.

Do you have a config in mind already? If so, post it so we can nitpick at it.

Well it's pretty similar to silent circuit's list, and I guess why I asked the AMD and Intel question was that I was strongly consiering ABS, but their 2000 range computer only support AMD chips.


I guess I just want something that has-

Intel Quad Core 2.4ghz
700-800 PSU
Nvidia 512 MB or 768MB Graphics Card
2 gig-3gig ram
500gig 72k hard drive

Monitor, keyboard, mouse, don't really care that much right now, I can buy them later.

But ya I'm kinda concerned with the stability of boutique builders, along with the tendency of alot of them to be alot noisier than the mainstream builders.

The following is something I put up from Maingear, but I have absolutely no expirience from them..

F131 SLI (F131 SLI)
$1,603.56 $1,603.56

Customizations:

Exterior Automotive Color: Black Brushed Aluminum Finish


Power Supply: 750W MAINGEAR Ultra Quiet Power Supply


Motherboard: NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard


Processor: E6850 Core 2 (3.0GHz x 2)
$200.00

CPU Cooling: Intel Quiet CPU Cooler


Memory: 4GB Corsair XMS2 PC2 6400
$95.00

Do you want us to Redline™ your CPU?: NO


Hard Drive One: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache - SATA II
$56.24

Optical Drive One: 20X Dual Layer DVD±RW Drive w/ LightScribe Technology - black


Video Card: NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8800GT 512MB DDR3


Do you want us to Redline™ your GPU?: NO


Sound Card: Integrated 8-channel High Definition Audio


Network Card: Integrated Gigabit Network Card


Display Two: SAMSUNG 941BW Black 19" 4 ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
$269.99

Game: FREE! Lost Planet: Extreme Condition


Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (32-Bit)


Keyboard: Logitech® Internet 350


Mouse: Logitech® G5 Laser Mouse
$55.04

Warranty: 1 Year Maingear Warranty



Product Subtotal: $2,279.83


This one is from Dell, similar config, but a lil cheaper-
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium edit
MEMORY 3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs edit
HARD DRIVE 500GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability edit
MONITOR 20 inch E207WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel edit
VIDEO CARD 512MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT edit
SOUND CARD Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio edit
KEYBOARD Dell USB Enhanced Multimedia Keyboard edit
MOUSE Microsoft SideWinder USB Laser Mouse (ships separately) edit

Total=$2080

 

[silent-circuit]

You don't really need more than a high quality 500ish watt PSU with a single GPU. The 620HX gives you plenty of headroom. A 700-800 watt unit would be a waste save in a system with SLI.

 

[Heather Taylor]

I know VM and Puget have reps that post on these boards, so they should be able to help you if you need it.

Present and accounted for, should you have any questions...otherwise, I'll just observe.

 

[Markyip1]

But if it lasts for 10 years instead of 12, does anyone really care? The machine will be so horribly out of date by that point that it really doesn't matter.

Right now my 10 year old+ CPUs are being put to admirable use as desk ornaments. I have a 486 with pins bent in an artistic wave style, a Pentium overdrive which has served double duty as a tester for thermal grease, and standing proudly in the back (due to their size,) 1 Klamath Pentium II and 2 Coppermine Pentium IIIs. I do realize the P3s have some useful life in them, but I just don't have the space or time to build something right now.

Seriously, OCing is completely safe and very difficult to screw up if you know just a bit about what you are doing. As Silent-Circuit says, a two year life shortening from 12 to 10 years means little if you're really not going to be using it for longer than 5.