Which Xmas Gaming Build....AMD or INTEL

[sculliondr]

So I am on a very strict budget and with some help from this forum, I have got 2 builds. Which one is the best for gaming, I cannot really go over on this budget, but want a build that I can upgrade in the coming years:

Both around $650

AMD
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 AM3+ ATX
($95)
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 960T 3.0Ghz
($125)
Graphics: ASUS AMD 6850 1GB
($160)
Ram: G. Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB
($30)
HDD: Seagate 500GB 7200RPM
($89)
Optical: ASUS 24X DVD Burner
($20)
Tower Case: Antec 300 Illusion
($50)
Power Supply: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS
($65)

INTEL

Motherboard: Asrock Z68 Gen3 Extreme3
($125)
Processor: Intel i3 core 2100 3.1GHz
($115)
Graphics: Asus AMD 6850 1GB
($160)
Ram: G. Skills Ripjaws X Series 8GB
($30)
HDD: Seagate 500GB 7200RPM
($89)
Optical: ASUS 24X DVD Burner
($20)
Tower Case: Antec 300 Illusion
($50)
Power Supply: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS
($65)

 

[AdrianPerry]

For gaming, without a doubt the Intel i3-2100 build.

 

[sculliondr]

DOes the MOBO in the Intel build leave room for upgrades?

 

[AdrianPerry]

Yes.

A Z68 motherboard will allow you to upgrade to any Socket 1155 processor.

This currently includes SandyBridge i5 or i7 processors and will also include IvyBridge processors when they are released next year

 

[manu 11]

definitely intel build, i3 is better then pii in gaming. and you have a very large upgrade path.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

I'll second teh Intel build, but I'll suggest jumping up to a quad-core 2400 instead

 

[sculliondr]

With the Intel current build, would it be capable of playing MW3, BF3 and Arkam City etc?

 

[ScrewySqrl]

yes.

some games, like Wow:Cataclysm, GTA4, and BF3 like quads better, but al will run on an i3

 

[sculliondr]

Best answer selected by sculliondr.

 

[ringzero]

Yup, Intel i3 is shown best for gaming. But dump that 6850 and get a better card for less...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948