Intel i5/i7 vs AMD FX for 3D work

[Nafis]

Hey
So I'm looking for a new PC. My budget is $1000, and I do a ton of CAD work.
I currently use a 2GB RAM, Intel Core 2 Duo Laptop from ASUS, and it is a huge handicap for me.
I use mostly MAXON Cinema 4D R12, Photoshop CS6, After Effects CS5.
I don't do any gaming, I use my PS3 for that since I could never achieve great gaming results with this laptop, but I've grown to like the PS3 enough that I no longer mind.

I was wondering if I should get one of the AMD FX-8120/FX-8100,
or one of the Intel i5/i7.

I know the obvious answer for most people is the Intel, but I've gotten confused because a lot of people are saying that the AMD 's 8 'cores' are great for Cinema 4D..

If you do say the Intel over the AMD, I'd love some guidance as to i5 vs i7 and 2nd gen vs 3rd gen. For obvious reasons a 3rd gen i7 would be the most powerful, but as I'm on a budget, some realistic advice would be great!

Lastly, I'd like some help deciding how much RAM I need.
Most of the AMD's come with 8, 10, or 12 GB. The Intel's (in my price range at least) are 6GB, 8GB.
I'm sure 8GB will work just fine, but would 6GB work for heavy 3D rendering and video editing, or would I need 8GB or even more.
I'll also probably be using Skype, YouTube, iTunes as I design. And I usually use Cinema 4D and Photoshop/AE together so that'd also add maybe some more multitasking needs?

I know this is a lot...but I need it and I dont know ANYTHING about computer specs haha. I also love TomsHardware's community for advice.

P.S. Please no fanboys haha. I want some honest clear answers please haha

 

[monu_08]

ok same here i doing my professional course maac animations and we people currently using fx 8150 fast and responsive in photoshop cs 6 for graphics i recommend go with nvidia i got gtx 570 which is beast for editing

 

[FinneousPJ]

AMD's 8 core is brilliant for the money, but if you can afford the i7 it's a lot more powerful.

I'm not sure what kind of answer you're looking for here.

 

[monu_08]

yes for editing and doing multiple purpose 8core fx 8150 is best for gaming wise i7 is best

 

[monu_08]

but still im playing games with good fps i mplaying ghost recon future soldier with fraps i got 59 to 60 with my gtx 570 and fx 8150 with no oced i mean to say amd rocks dude

 

[Nafis]

AMD's 8 core is brilliant for the money, but if you can afford the i7 it's a lot more powerful.

I'm not sure what kind of answer you're looking for here.

Haha sorry if im not clear haha
But you'd say the 8 core AMD is fast and smooth enough to handle all that stuff?

 

[Nafis]

yes for editing and doing multiple purpose 8core fx 8150 is best for gaming wise i7 is best

So is there anything I'd be losing by choosing the AMD over the i7?

 

[monu_08]

well amd fx 8150 have 8 core for mutitasking like photoshop cs 6 etc its good for hyperthreading as compare to i7

 

[FinneousPJ]

Haha sorry if im not clear haha
But you'd say the 8 core AMD is fast and smooth enough to handle all that stuff?

Yes.

So is there anything I'd be losing by choosing the AMD over the i7?

Yes, the i7 is more powerful. That's why it's also more expensive.

 

[Star72]

You'll be just fine with the FX 8150. It will plow through your work & you will still have a good gaming experience.

 

[jitpublisher]

If you are budgeted minded, the FX8150 offers absolutely great performance for your needs at the price point. The i7 will perform marginally better in a few areas, mainly gaming. All your mentioned programs, if you rotated using the 2 machines blindly every day for a week without knowing what machine you were using, I doubt you would ever know which one was which.

 

[wr6133]

The i7 is better it will out perform the 8150 in your tasks

Question is do you need that extra performance or is it worth the extra price to you?

Putting that more clearly in a Adobe PS retouch artist speed test the i7 2600k can manage 3 1/2 second better result than the 8150. Now to somebody dabbling in this kind of work in their spare time or as a hobby thats pretty meaningless. If though you do a large amount of this work everyday those 3 1/2 seconds can add up to a decent amount of time wasted or saved, now depending on the $ price your efforts are worth per hour/day etc and the amount of work done by this machine you can decide if the better performance is worth it.

Here's some benchmarks you can see the differences amy are not massivley relevent to you but some are and they give an idea of performance via real data not rambling heresay.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/434?vs=287

 

[Nafis]

The i7 is better it will out perform the 8150 in your tasks

Question is do you need that extra performance or is it worth the extra price to you?

Putting that more clearly in a Adobe PS retouch artist speed test the i7 2600k can manage 3 1/2 second better result than the 8150. Now to somebody dabbling in this kind of work in their spare time or as a hobby thats pretty meaningless. If though you do a large amount of this work everyday those 3 1/2 seconds can add up to a decent amount of time wasted or saved, now depending on the $ price your efforts are worth per hour/day etc and the amount of work done by this machine you can decide if the better performance is worth it.

Here's some benchmarks you can see the differences amy are not massivley relevent to you but some are and they give an idea of performance via real data not rambling heresay.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/434?vs=287

Thanks for the detailed info! Really appreciate it clear haha.

Well, it's not exactly a hobby, I use these programs very often...but honestly I'm not coming up from a particularly powerful computer anyways, so I don't think those seconds will make any difference for me when im losing hours right now.

That being said, I'll likely pick up the i7 if I get the chance. But I would be more than happy with the AMD knowing all this information now.

 

[monu_08]

here are the review now u decide less money spend and get performance
fx 8150 vs i72600k
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/317229-28-8150-2600k-decide