Looking for Mobo and Processor - AMD or Intel?

[BrendonM]

My last mobo just died and I will have to build a new PC, since the components of my old one were too old to be compatible with new technology. The first parts I need to look at are the motherboard and processor, since the two have to be compatible, and will determine what I buy for other parts.

I am not certain if I should go for AMd or intel. I don't have a huge budget, but will still put in a little extra if I think it will make the computer last me longer.

AMD processors seem to have larger L2 and L3 caches, and their motherboards seem a lot cheaper, but at the same time I have heard that Intel has better processors, but I don't know much myself.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[JKatwyopc]

Please fill this out so we can help you better. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/353572-31-build-upgrade-advice

 

[bctande1]

You need to specify a little bit there -- What will you be looking to do with your PC and what is your budget exactly?

 

[BrendonM]

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week

Budget Range: 600-1000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming first

Are you buying a monitor: No - I have two already



Parts to Upgrade: I have an LSP 750 watt ATX power supply - I am looking for a good combination of motherboard and processor (RAM advice between corsair and G-skill)

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg

Location: Markham Ontario

Parts Preferences: I don't know! I can't tell by specs alone whether Intel or AMd would better suit my needs.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, I only have 1 video card at the moment, but may get another later if I have an extra slot

Your Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024 and 1920x1080

Additional Comments: The main concern is gaming - I like to play newer games on medium-high graphics.

Why Are You Upgrading: My last mobo died. I need to build from scratch because my comp is quite old and the parts wont work with newer motherboards.

 

[ram1009]

FYI, AMD announced recently that they would no longer compete for desktop processor business. My advice is to buy Intel. BTW, are you sure you don't need an OS? If you're running an OEM version of W7 you will.

 

[BrendonM]

FYI, AMD announced recently that they would no longer compete for desktop processor business. My advice is to buy Intel. BTW, are you sure you don't need an OS? If you're running an OEM version of W7 you will.

I have windows vista home edition. That has served me well enough. I wanted to go to W7 but I don't know if it has anything to offer me.

 

[JKatwyopc]

Here's a build that should work for you. For gaming Intel Outperforms AMD Cpu's by quite a bit so definitely Intel CPU and MOBO.

I noticed that you said you have a LSP 750 watt ATX power supply. Don't know exactly what that is. Does it have at least 2 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors? If not then you need to get a new PSU anyway so I included one.

I used PC Part Picker because it's just easier to select parts and they give you a nice BBCode to paste from.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($142.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply ($41.98 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1006.76
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-27 19:30 EDT-0400)

 

[BrendonM]

Thank you for the suggestions! If I am from Canada will there be any complications ordering from US sites?

 

[Outlander_04]

FYI, AMD announced recently that they would no longer compete for desktop processor business. My advice is to buy Intel. BTW, are you sure you don't need an OS? If you're running an OEM version of W7 you will.

This is NOT TRUE
AMD have never announced they will not compete for the performance desktop processor market .

Im sure you can find a link to prove me wrong .....................?????????????
Either that or you should stop making up stories

 

[JKatwyopc]

Darn! second time today! Oh Well!
Exact same build using Canadian sites. It actually comes out a little cheaper.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.05 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($78.99 @ Computer Valley)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($369.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $976.96
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-27 21:28 EDT-0400)

 

[Outlander_04]

Darn! second time today! Oh Well!
Exact same build using Canadian sites. It actually comes out a little cheaper.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.05 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($78.99 @ Computer Valley)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($369.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $976.96
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-27 21:28 EDT-0400)

Thats pretty much it for best value and performance in this price range . The only suggestion would be to add a little more overhead on the power supply . The 500 watt will be fine but a 600 watt unit will probably run a little quieter if you can afford it

 

[BrendonM]

Thank you for your advice! I just realized I need to pick everything up locally (going to go to TigerDirect), but luckily my local store has everything except the motherboard. What would you say about this motherboard?

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2406888&CatId=6976

I was looking for something with 2 PCI-e slots just in case I decided to pick up a second video card. It also has a processor socket compatible with the CPU you reccomended.

 

[JKatwyopc]

Yes, that one would be good too. Actually, I personally prefer ASUS myself.

 

[BrendonM]

Best answer selected by BrendonM.

 

[BrendonM]

Thank you for your help! I should have my new comp up and running by tomorrow. I don't know how long I could go without gaming - I was starting to get twitchy and angry!