Just a few quick questions (Intel vs AMD)

[sh3llshocked]

Hello everyone! Hope you are all well and fine.

I am going to college soon and I would like some advice on a future-proof heavy duty computer (a PC that will last me at least 4-5 years).

Here's just a quick question I had after searching for quite a bit:

1) Would you recommend an Intel Sandy Bridge i5 2300 Quad Core 2.8ghz + Radeon HD 5770, or an AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2ghz + GTX 550 Ti?

I've had less than stellar experiences with previous dual-core processors (especially AMD's athlons and turions, as well as intel's core 2 duos), so I am a little on edge about getting a better graphics card for the Intel build for fear that I'll have to revert to a dual-core i3 2100. Also if it helps, I'm not planning to overclock at all.

Yes I am on a very tight budget... Would like to keep it as under $1000 as possible.


Thank you all very much!

 

[crewton]

i5 2300 and 5770. Sandy bridge will run circles around phenom II in anything you intend to do. Graphics wise I think the 550ti > 5770. I'd opt for the 2300+550ti if you can budget it otherwise 5770 will do just fine.

 

[Coastaltuba]

If you can budget it, get either the i5-2500k or a Phenom II x4 980, and get a GTX 460 ti, it will run circles around the 550ti

 

[computernugget]

since he wont overclock there is no point in him getting a k series cpu. and i think he meant the GTX 560ti. while the 560Ti is a good card, i think a 6870 will do just fine. you arent planning on gaming are you?

heres my suggestions core i5 2400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074

and a 6770 from powercolor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131434

 

[sh3llshocked]

Oh wow thanks for the quick reply everyone, I was sorta leaning towards the Intel anyways

I am actually planning to do a bit of gaming. I don't need EVERYTHING on "Real-Life" settings lol, I just need a computer that won't stutter when an enemy pops up on the screen, while still looking respectably good. So I'll be playing games on mostly medium-high settings, no ultra or 8x AA or anything like that.

Okay so I guess now let's ante up the specs a little, shall we?



Now I'm trying to decide between these three options:

1) AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2ghz + Radeon HD 6870 (1GB)

2) Intel i5 2300 2.8ghz + Radeon HD 5770 (1GB)

3) Intel i3 2120 3.3ghz + GTX 460 (1GB)

The only way I can get a GTX 460 without dangerously stretching my budget is if I used a phenom processor... Keep in mind, though, that gaming isn't the only thing I'll do at college... tons of work and making projects and videos probably too

Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience. I think I have an idea of what I want but I'd rather trust your experiences than what little information I've gathered so far on Google. I'm just confused on which I would rather have: A better graphics card and worse CPU, or a better CPU and worse graphics card. Is there a general rule for this?

 

[computernugget]

for gaming the phenom is the worst of the 3 but its still a really good cpu its just that the sandy bridge cpu's are better for gaming. since the phenom is a true quad core unlike the core i3 it will do better for multithreaded applications. but the core i5 will beat the phenom is basically everything. i think your best bet would be option number 2.

 

[sh3llshocked]

Best answer selected by sh3llshocked.

 

[sh3llshocked]

Everyone else's answers were very helpful as well.

Kudos to you, ComputerNugget.

This thread can be locked now~