AMD or Intel?

I am getting ready to buy either a refurbished Laptop, or a refurbished Desktop and I am confused as I usually am when dealing with PC's...

I am going to get a Dual Core definitely..1.6 to 2.2Ghz
2Gig Ram
256 Memory on Video
Vista Premium
DVD/RW
Dell..

Now here is the rub...

I am finding these deals (I have numerous to choose from with all different configurations, sound card, graphics card etc) and that is why I am considering buying another one, but it is confusing as to which processor is best.. You hear all sorts of stuff...

I have found as a rule the AMD is "slightly" less expensive and I could save 20 to 50 dollars on comparable Laptops and 50 to 100 on the desktop.
I don't want to save the money however and wind up with a below par machine.

So which is the better machine for me...???

I need something that is definitely able to handle "Doom 3" and Photoshop cs2, as well as run projectors and multiple programs..

I'm guessing they all will work the net about the same...

I don't do to much with videos, except to watch them (Youtube) and a DVD on occasion. I also burn a few DVD's from time to time...

Any and all advice will be GREATLY appreciated..

ps...
I currently have an Acer with Dual Core Intel and I love it.. No problems with Vista Premium on it... So I like the Intel, but I always want to save money..

Semper

the intel core2duo chips are faster clock for clock than the amd X2's. that doesn't mean the x2's are crap/slow. they are both great processors and the x2's generally give equivalent or better value (bang for buck).

incidentally i'm still on an amd single core cpu (2.4ghz) and it's running everything i use just fine. i do high end gaming and web/graphics stuff (photoshop) mostly. doom3 is actually a few years old. assuming you have a decent graphics chip you won't have any problem at all running it on either cpu. for games, the graphics chip is just as or even more important than the cpu.

most games older than a year or so won't fully take advantage of more than one core. even a lot of the newer ones don't. the os is able to push cycles off to the other core for you sometimes which helps, but when games start to really be coded with multiple cores in mind you'll see some nice performance leads over single core setups. again, make sure you have a good gpu though.

some gpu suggestions for someone who wants to play some of the bigger games:

there are 2 big graphics chip manufacturers: nvidia and ati. intel makes them too but they're not all that great.

this actually kind of applies to both nvidia and ati: if the second number is a 6 or better then it's at least decent. so if it's an nvidia 7600 or 8600, that's not too shabby. if it's an ati x1600 or 2600, that's not too shabby. =) be aware that ANY integrated graphics chip may be capable for low end 3d graphics, but it won't have nearly as much power as a real video card.

feel free to ask questions, i'll do my best to answer.

[edit on 15-2-2008 by an0maly33]

i generally avoid brand name comps (dell, hp, acer etc) and usually pick the components myself.

this way i can tailor the PC to my own needs instead of getting a box of crap that needs replacing in a year or two because it cant be upgraded.

non-brand name pc is usually cheaper giving better bang for the buck.

ill get an asus, msi or intel mobo. usually nvidia gfx card although ati are just as good, pick my own hdd / dvd etc.

by dealing with the same pc shop for over 10 yrs i know i can trust them to sell me a quality product and not a hunk of junk.

most of the time im buying AMD chips. i usually make about 3-6 pc's a year for various family/friends just so they dont get ripped off

i dont make any money, i do it coz i hate friends/family getting # pc's that i eventually have to work on or reformatt + reinstall windows on anyway

so many times ive had a friend say "hey can you see if you can get a vid card for my pc" and when i look inside i see its integrated with no agp/pci-X graphics card slot, its got 1x hdd/cdrom cable, and maybe 1 pci slot if your lucky.
thats what happens when you walk in a big name store and say "hey i got 2k for a pc, what can u give me". they think brand names (dell etc) mean better pc but usually it doesnt imo.

edit: with laptops of course its a different story and brand name is really the only way to go but they are for portability/convenience and wont deliver the sort of performance you get from a home PC of the same value.

[edit on 15/2/08 by Obliv_au]

[edit on 15/2/08 by Obliv_au]

I dreamed the day where you can customize your own laptop.

I have been using AMD eversince but now I'm using Intel Core2 Duo. I don't care which chip is better, just as long as it is reasonably priced for the performance it can deliver. My upgrade cycle is usually in 4-5 years. Hopefully, if AMD overtakes Intel, then I'll go for AMD for my next upgrade.

I assemble my own computer too. Its fun putting the parts together. For motherboards, it has to last me for at least 5 years. New motherboards today are equipped with Ultra Durable all solid capacitor which will last for a long long time, perhaps exceeding 8-10 years.

You will want to go with an Intel quad core.

The best price/performance is the Intel Q6600 processor. (I have that one)

You see, since Vista is massively multithreaded, it can use all 4 cores-which makes vista work very well.

As for sound cards x-fi are the best (look for x-fi "Extreme Music) on sale for about $60.

For serious gaming on a budget, get the NVIDIA 8800gt video card (you will love it).
DON'T GET A FACTORY OVERCLOCKED UNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
256 Meg cards are about $200, but spend the extra $50 and get a 512 card.
Yes, it really matters that much, bench testing numbers show 40-70% increases in performance with 512 over 256 Meg cards.

That said, you will need at least a 500 watt power suppy-650 watt would be preferred.

I know the changes I recommend will not save you money, but they will make for a fast/stable computer, that will do all you want and more.

If you're staying with Windows go Intel with an Intel chipset. Intel motherboard preferred. Microsoft and Intel are in bed together and are making their products extremely friendly to one another. Anything other than Windows, go AMD.

I would NOT buy any AMD except the Agena / Agena FX cores (Phenom series), for the simple fact that they're far slower than Intel. Even the Phenom series has limited performance vs price benefits over limited over intel, if any, despite the fact that they do not clock well and may have limited upgradability.

For processor I would go, and stay with Intel. Core 2 duo E6750 (2.66ghz dualy), E6850 (3ghz dualy) or any Core 2 quad (2.4ghz and up, quad core) would be great... but be warned, if you want a good rig, do not buy anything else other than those. Pentium 4, Pentium D, and even earlier Core 2s are now regarded as piles of junk

RAM is ok aslong as you have 2gb or more... I would plan on using DDR2-1066 or DDR2-800 for optimal performance... RAM is quite cheap lately.

Videocards. Be careful what you buy here. Geforce 7xxx series is outdated as is Radeon X1xxx series. The Geforce 8xxx series is more or less a pile of overpriced, powerconsuming junk, except for the 8800GT (You can also try 8800GTS G92 512 or 8800GTX if you want more performance). The Radeon X2xxx series is terribly slow and uses waaay to much electricity on the high end, from the X2xxx series I would only buy a Radeon 3850XT or 3870XT.

The only motherboards I would get would be the P35 series (Preferably Gigabyte), or X38 (Gigabyte or ASUS). I wouldn't buy a Intel branded one.

And lastly, do not buy a Dell, HP, or Acer. Usually overpriced junk. Build yourself or find a local computer store will build it for far cheaper, far quicker, and for a similar or, cheaper price than Dell.


I recently got a new pc:
Gigabyte P35-DS3P, Q6600 G0 revision (will OC to 3ghz or more when I get new cooler), 2gb Platinum Rev.2 (Going to run 1:1), Leadtek 8800GT 512. Slightly over USD1000$ not including screen, sound... and so on...


Oh, and anything lower than I recommended it probably going to give you problems running newer games. If you plan on running newer games, then I wouldn't stray from what I recommended. If you plan on doing other things, then stick with the Core 2 duo E6750, E6850, or Q6600 and 2gb RAM.

[edit on 18/2/2008 by C0bzz]

never been much of a fan of laptops...

Intel is the choice for gamers, they're a little faster than AMD currently. Things change so often though in the computer world, who knows how long that will last.

Grats on getting a new rig, that's always cool.

A new line of Nvidia graphics cards comes out in a few days... you may want to wait. Expect no miracles, however, I hear the 9800X2 will just be two G92 cores slapped together.... meh... been there done that.. It's called the Radeon 3870x2... and that was NOT the greatest.

[edit on 18/2/2008 by C0bzz]