Best CPU/GPU brand for Windows 7 ???

[josejones]

What is the best CPU brand for the Windows 7 operating system - Intel or AMD? Does Micro$oft lean towards one brand over the other in any way?

I ask because it's past time for me to do a new build - my business PC was built in 2004 (which I have upgraded a bit)!!! We have a small business and we use Adobe CS4 (photo shop etc), Word, Office 2010 pretty much everyday. Plus, we build our own websites. Now, we have to start making our own videos too. I've been waiting for the new, next generation platform to come out with USB 3 and PCIe 3 etc. before I buy anything.

What about NVidia vs. Radeon/AMD GPU's, which works best on Windows 7?

I've always liked AMD's easy upgradeability and prices but, the new Intel Ivy Bridge has me very interested (especially considering the flop of Bulldozer).

I've just never owned Intel before. If I go with Intel I don't want to regret it down the road when it's time for an upgrade. I need a reliable system that I can count on for about 5 or 6 years.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

This topic has been moved from the section Windows 7 to section Systems by Area51reopened

 

[morgoth780]

intel would be better, because their processors are much more powerful, but it doesn't cause any issues having either. Same for radeon/geforce, they're pretty much the same except in games, which you obviously won't be interested.

 

[josejones]

Thanks morgoth78, that's what I suspected but wasn't sure. I wanted to hear it from a computer person who knows fairly well.

All the benchmarks I've seen show that Intel is best at working with Adobe CS4 /CS5, Word, Office 2010, building websites and making videos. Pretty much everything we do nearly everyday would, apparently, be done much faster - and better I presume. Or is it fair to say that AMD does just as good a job just not quite as fast? Would AMD have more hang-ups and/or compatibility issues than Intel would?

So now, it will come down to the price of Intel's Ivy Bridge when it comes out. Any guesstimates on an IB price? If it's over my budget then I'll still have to go with AMD. If so, which AMD CPU would folks here at Tom's recommend that would be great at all the stuff I mentioned above? Is a quad-core all I really need or would 6-cores be better? Is Windows 7 even taking full advantage of multi-core CPU's beyond 4-cores?

P.S. I do sneak in some online Halo, Medal of Honor and Castle Wolfenstein when the wife's not around. Shhh.

 

[cutebeans]

It always depends on your budget. Windows 7 doesn't care what your CPU/GPU is as long as it's working.