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AMD or INTEL?

Forum Homebuilt Systems : General Homebuilt - AMD or INTEL?

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balearic   02-23-2008 at 01:08:47 AM

I know Intel is raping AMD right now but I'm looking to upgrade my pc. Is quad core really for gaming? I do not use multiple applications and I'm never going to go SLI only single gpu's. So i'm wondering should I stick with an Intel Quad Core Q6600 and overclock it from 2.4 to 3.2 on all 4 cores for $279? Or just save cash and go with AMD 6400+ 3.2 GHZ dual core w/o overclocking for about $180? (Which is half the price).

Another question as well...For just a gamer who plays games 99% of the time does quad core even help?

Right now I have a 7800GTX still using DX9 with 1 gig of ram on a Amd 64 4200+ dual core 939 set up and playing Hellgate London on high settings pretty well on 1280x1024 resolution. I just think my processor is a bit slow and I need more ram so im looking for a motherboard deal too cuz my 939 is outdated. I would appreciate your help i was planning on getting this combo for my pc upgrade and go quad:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] ILT-Q6600B

I would appreciate anyones advice...thanks!



Message edited by balearic on 02-23-2008 at 01:59:29 AM
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hawkspur   02-23-2008 at 02:07:46 AM
- 0 +

Intel>AMD

You don't NEED a quad-core for gaming but I love mine. You'd be fine with a C2D.

------------------------------ Asus Maximus Extreme : 2x Sapphire HD 3870 in Crossfire 850/1126 : QX9650@4.2Ghz : 2GB OCZ Platinum DDR3-1600 : PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750w : Samsung 22" 226BW 1680x1050 : Thermaltake ArmorPlus : WD 150GB Raptor : 2x Custom Watercooling Loops
 Reply to hawkspur
lonelypauly   02-23-2008 at 04:11:21 AM
- 0 +

I'm in the same boat with a 939 board and I have decided that I would feel much better spending more on an Intel chipset because I would likely notice much more of an improvement than if I built an AM2 rig. I like to say "wow" when i build a new system.

Reply to lonelypauly
pous   02-23-2008 at 05:56:40 PM
- 0 +

Quad doesn't help a TON... but it is NICE....

I'd recommend the Q6600 if you can afford it. Especially since more and more games are being designed to use multiple cores, it's a good future-proofing step.

As for AMD... I wouldn't really recommend it unless you just plain don't like Intel.

If you wanted a cheaper solution to start up with Intel you could look at: GA-P35 DS3L ($80 now on newegg) and the E2160 1.6 stock OC's to 3.0 with a good HSF is now $72 on newegg.

Other than that not sure what to advise, with that same motherboard you can still use 4gb ram if you want, and upgrade to a quad later, or right off the bat. You can get a 4GB kit of G.skill ddr 2 800 on Newegg right now for $90.

------------------------------ I has compyoutorz
 Reply to pous
balearic   02-25-2008 at 09:11:16 AM
- 0 +

Thanks great suggestions guys thank you

Reply to balearic
resonance451   02-25-2008 at 09:15:35 AM
- 0 +

Multi core one way or the other is the way of the future. Games have talked about using it for a long time, and I would be surprised if it doesn't hit mainstream use for games soon.

Ever since I got my Q6600, I've never had any intention of going less than quad. So, now I have a qx9650, and I can't say I regret it.

------------------------------ Intel qx9650 @3.81GHz (10x multi) + EVGA 780i SLI mobo @381MHz FSB
2x EVGA 8800GT 512mb OC'd, OCZ DDR2 1066MHz 4gb
OCZ 850W PSU, Seagate 750GB HDD SATA 32mb cache CM Stacker 830 SE
Sound setup: FireFace 800, JBL 4328 speakers
 Reply to resonance451
houston1264   02-25-2008 at 09:25:33 AM
- 0 +

the E8400 is under $200 in alot of brick and morter stores
and compare that to the A2 6400 you will see a big gap in bang for buck

Reply to houston1264
amd_fanboi   02-26-2008 at 11:50:49 AM
- 0 +

yeh... in this circumstance both the E8400 and the Q6600 will throw the AMDs into the water and eat them....

sad, but true...

bring back the days of the FX-55!

Reply to amd_fanboi
Mugen   02-27-2008 at 02:27:22 AM
- 0 +

Future proofing? no such thing in tech. Since only like two games right now use multiple cores i would suggest getting a C2D. Lets say you have a e8400@3.0 and running a single threaded program or game means you only have 1.5ghz speed compared to the 3.0 now imagine if you had quad divide your cumulative core speed by 4 and thats what speed you get in lets say COD2

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 Reply to Mugen
mpavao81   02-28-2008 at 12:53:26 AM
- 0 +

Mugen wrote :

Future proofing? no such thing in tech. Since only like two games right now use multiple cores i would suggest getting a C2D. Lets say you have a e8400@3.0 and running a single threaded program or game means you only have 1.5ghz speed compared to the 3.0 now imagine if you had quad divide your cumulative core speed by 4 and thats what speed you get in lets say COD2




that just sounds totally wrong lol the speed of the processor doesnt get cut in half just because its a dual core and it doesnt get divided by 4 when its a quad core.

Reply to mpavao81
smelly_feet   05-02-2008 at 11:53:59 PM
- 0 +

I think your current system still has a bit of life left in it. I read on Toms that AMD is coming out with a completely new processor architecture. I think with your system, you can wait to see how AMD's new processor performs. Unless you've got that itch to build a new system - I'm guilty of that myself :P

Reply to smelly_feet
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