looking for a low cost gaming pc that can grow with me.

salagel

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Aug 10, 2014
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I have not built a computer in about 12 yrs. The technology has changed a lot since then. I've done quit a bit of reading, and come to these 2 possibilities.

amd:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Salagel/saved/T4stt6

intel:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Salagel/saved/m4stt6

As you can see i have used a lot of the same parts. They are in my opinion the best bang for the buck right now. If I am worng please point me in the right direction. I did consider the AMD fx 6300 processor, i think it might be a little better performance to price ratio, but those MB's wont allow me to upgrade to an A10 7850k, which is where I think I will eventually go with this build.

I will be doing some pc gaming. I considered spending less on a Motherboard and more on a graphics card or processor, however I think these MB's have big upsides. And I'm looking forward to nvidia releasing the gtx 8 series to desktop, hopefully they wont be too expensive. I made sure on both platforms that the boards are compatible with some of the better processors from the 2 manufacturers. I am hoping to get some play ability upfront at a lower cost and put a

Thx for you time and help
 
Solution
I think that the Intel build is better. CPU-wise, AMD wins in the low-end because they tend to beat out Intel in price-performance offerings there. However, as you start looking at the faster and higher-end CPUs, the price gap between them and Intel for the same performance starts to thin and they use a lot more electricity doing so. For example, the i5-4690K can be said to be better than the FX-8350, but it's TDP is 84W VS 125W. With the overclockable Pentium available now, it makes the Intel platform an even more convincing choice for a build you're slowly growing. On top of that, the Z97 will support the next generation of Intel's CPUs, the Broadwells which are coming out towards the start of next year (and they're supposed to...

Gunmetal_61

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Jun 12, 2014
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I think that the Intel build is better. CPU-wise, AMD wins in the low-end because they tend to beat out Intel in price-performance offerings there. However, as you start looking at the faster and higher-end CPUs, the price gap between them and Intel for the same performance starts to thin and they use a lot more electricity doing so. For example, the i5-4690K can be said to be better than the FX-8350, but it's TDP is 84W VS 125W. With the overclockable Pentium available now, it makes the Intel platform an even more convincing choice for a build you're slowly growing. On top of that, the Z97 will support the next generation of Intel's CPUs, the Broadwells which are coming out towards the start of next year (and they're supposed to be even more power-efficient with their 14nm process as well). AMD's socket is getting a little old.

That's not to say that the AMD's fast processors like the 8350 and 8320 aren't good choices, they are certainly respectable. It's just a matter of how you see things, and in my eyes, Intel is the better choice.

Just as a note, some people might question your choice of one 8GB stick of RAM in your Intel build. People say that you should always use two sticks for dual channel purposes, so they might tell you to add a second 8GB or split it into two 4GB sticks. I don't think it really matters that much though.
 
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salagel

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Aug 10, 2014
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Ty for your response.

I went with the single 8gb stick based only on cost. I intend on upgrading the system before xmas, I would love to put an Nvidia 8 series into the build but om not sure they will be available by then, however i will put more ram in by then.

I went with the z97 over the z87 for that very reason. It will support the4 next gen of intel processors