Compare this Intel vs this AMD build. :)

[Guest]

Okay, recently I bought a HAF 912 and put my old parts in it, its awesome.

Anyway, what this thread is about is my build. Originally I was going to get this:

i3-2120
Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H (I was going to upgrade to an i5-2500k, the i3 was supposed to be temporary, then get another 7770 and run them in CFX)
Kingston Hyper X 4GB Genesis DDR3 1866MHz
Sapphire HD 7770 OC
Seasonic S12II 520W

~ Tell me if I left something out

Then I discovered AMD's FX-4100 which is at a really low price, nearly the same as the i3's only it's quad-core, etc, etc. You probably get the idea. I was thinking, maybe I didn't need the i5-2500k. Then I'd only have to spend once.

I know that the i5 probably is better, but the FX-4100 will save me a lot of money. I wanted to know how this build below would compare to the one above, only assuming the one above had an i5.

AMD FX-4100
- Pls. recommend good crossfire capable mobo. For now I think I'll go with the Asrock 990FX Extreme 3.
Kingston Hyper X 4GB Genesis DDR3 1866MHz
Sapphire HD 7770 OC
Seasonic S12II 520W

Things I'm doing with this computer include gaming (but only @ 1600 x 900), some programming, video editing, photoshop (school), illustrator, animation, and more stuff along those lines.

Would I need the i5 or would it be fine to settle with the FX-4100?

 

[swat1820]

To be honest I would recommend a Phenom 965/955 for $84 at newegg and oc it to 3.8ghz+. I built a system last month with a 965 and 7770 for $420 and I love it. It runs everything at high settings 40+fps. Honestly the phenom will out-perform both the fx and the i5. Check out tom’s cpu charts for proof http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/processors,6.html. Also if you need more power in the future, next year you can upgrade to steam roller. See this site for proof. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2208525/amd-sticks-with-socket-am3-for-steamroller.
When I built my budget gaming system, I debated between the i3, phenom, fx400, and Pentium but the phenom is true quad, cheap, and performs well for being 2 yrs old.

 

[Guest]

To be honest I would recommend a Phenom 965/955 for $84 at newegg and oc it to 3.8ghz+. I built a system last month with a 965 and 7770 for $420 and I love it. It runs everything at high settings 40+fps. Honestly the phenom will out-perform both the fx and the i5. Check out tom’s cpu charts for proof http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/processors,6.html. Also if you need more power in the future, next year you can upgrade to steam roller. See this site for proof. http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2208525/amd-sticks-with-socket-am3-for-steamroller.
When I built my budget gaming system, I debated between the i3, phenom, fx400, and Pentium but the phenom is true quad, cheap, and performs well for being 2 yrs old.

Hmmm ... it seems like a great deal, but I also read that the Athlon II and Phenom II's are coming to an end and I won't have a good upgrade path. I also read in another thread that the FX-4100 is crap but wasn't able to find out why. I'm really not familiar with AMD processors...

I also read that i3 would be better because I would have a good upgrade path to an i5 or i7?

I'm a bit confused as to what to get now.

 

[wr6133]

If you want Intel save up longer and get the i5 you list some uses that will like the cores over the i3.

If you want AMD either wait just over a week for the next generation of FX or if you must buy current stuff get a Phenom II 965BE and overclock the pants off it, gaming the i3 may have a slight edge but for your other uses the Phenom will be better. FX4100 is just cr@p

Honestly the phenom will out-perform both the fx and the i5.

While it will outperform FX in many things saying it will outperform the i5 is utter rubbish.

 

[wr6133]

Hmmm ... it seems like a great deal, but I also read that the Athlon II and Phenom II's are coming to an end and I won't have a good upgrade path. I also read in another thread that the FX-4100 is crap but wasn't able to find out why. I'm really not familiar with AMD processors....

Phenom II production has ended but stock is still around, it performs as well or better than FX in many things at a cheaper price which is why many see FX as a fail. Phenom II can be placed on an AM3+ board so your upgrade path is the same as FX (so possibly a couple more generations of FX). Overclcoked a 965BE will game as well as an i3 or thereabout. Outside of gaming in tasks needing CPU cores it will trounce an i3 with ease

I also read that i3 would be better because I would have a good upgrade path to an i5 or i7?

I'm a bit confused as to what to get now.

I dont buy in to this buy an i3 now then an i5 later bull. Save up or fiddle your parts/budget and get the i5 now its a bit frivolous to buy an i3 to simply replace it in a few months. Socketwise this actually has little upgrade option the current generation is the last that will be on this socket. Next gen from Intel will be new socket. However get an i5 now its likely to last you a longtime and likely be better than any AMD offering for a while.

 

[swat1820]

If you want Intel save up longer and get the i5 you list some uses that will like the cores over the i3.

If you want AMD either wait just over a week for the next generation of FX or if you must buy current stuff get a Phenom II 965BE and overclock the pants off it, gaming the i3 may have a slight edge but for your other uses the Phenom will be better. FX4100 is just cr@p




While it will outperform FX in many things saying it will outperform the i5 is utter rubbish.

I ran the benchmarks myself in cinebench 11.5. I got 4.65 multi thread and 1.18 single at 4ghz. Comparing that to other cpus that score is just below the i5-2300. Its such a small difference I doubt you will notice much of a difference. I use a i7-3770 at work and I can't see spending an extra 100+ bucks for a i whatever when you can get adequate performace for less than $100 bucks.

 

[wr6133]

I ran the benchmarks myself in cinebench 11.5. I got 4.65 multi thread and 1.18 single at 4ghz. Comparing that to other cpus that score is just below the i5-2300. Its such a small difference I doubt you will notice much of a difference. I use a i7-3770 at work and I can't see spending an extra 100+ bucks for a i whatever when you can get adequate performace for less than $100 bucks.

Using one benchmark with a highly overclocked Phenom II against the lowest crappiest sandybridge i5 is not a fair or even relevent test.......

I dont disagree the Phenom is a better option than an i3 if thats the only possible budget choices but if a decent i5 can be fitted in to the budget you know full well it will run rings around the Phenom in the uses the OP has listed.

Really OP needs to state his total budget and whether the gaming or productivity work is his primary concern as that also alters recomendations

 

[DarkOutlaw]

AMD is cheap, because its cheap. You get what you pay for. Generally the i3 performs better than all of AMD's chips. You could spend a little extra money now, or save a little extra money now and have to pay even more later.

And if you do go with the i5, you could probably forget about the 7770, because the intel integrated graphics will perform just as well or close to it. The i5 laptop cpu is like a glorified i3 processor, and my laptop played every game until around the time Diablo III came out, and I was only limited by the graphics not the processor.

 

[excella1221]

EDIT: .... nvm.

 

[swat1820]

Using one benchmark with a highly overclocked Phenom II against the lowest crappiest sandybridge i5 is not a fair or even relevent test.......

I dont disagree the Phenom is a better option than an i3 if thats the only possible budget choices but if a decent i5 can be fitted in to the budget you know full well it will run rings around the Phenom in the uses the OP has listed.

Really OP needs to state his total budget and whether the gaming or productivity work is his primary concern as that also alters recomendations

I agree with you and yes I could have included more benchies but what really matters is real world performance and going from an i7 to my phenom I don't see much difference dispite the i7 being immensly more powerful. The i5 is better except the lowest end non ivy bridge ones, most of intel's cpus are better. I just think that the price /performance ratio to upgrade to an i5 is not worth it when you can get the power you need at $85. Your right we really need to know his budget to make a good recommendation because if he can get the i5 now he would be better off.

@ darkoutlaw the intel integrated graphics definately does not come close to the 7770. Amd integrated graphics crush it let alone a discrete card.

 

[lighter17]

If you're willing to give up the overclockability of the "k" CPU you can actually get a locked i5 for the same price.

This CPU/motherboard combination costs the same as the i3/Z77 combination you were considering:

Intel Core i5 3470 Quad Core Processor LGA1155 3.2GHZ Ivy Bridge 6MB Retail $179.99
ASRock H77M LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $69.99

I would also suggest you look into upgrading to a 7850. This current deal on a 1 GB 7850 shouldn't be much more than what you were expecting to spend on a 7770.

XFX Core Edition FX-785A-ZNFC Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card $141.99 after promo code and $20 rebate

While the Seasonic S12II 520W is a good power supply it's a little expensive for your budget. Consider:

Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $46.98 after promo code and shipping

 

[wr6133]

Gaming is GPU limited and I guess his budget is not immense so if gaming is his main concern then hands down get and OC a Phenom II that leaves the most to spend on graphics.

If the productivity stuff is the main focus then stretching hard to an i5 and settling on an average GPU would likely be better

Either way I wouldn't consider the i3 or relying on Intels onboard graphics

Should probably wait on piledriver though even though it's probably not going to worry Intel much it may present some decent options or at least effect pricing slightly on the older AMD stuff.

 

[djscribbles]

Gaming is GPU limited and I guess his budget is not immense so if gaming is his main concern then hands down get and OC a Phenom II that leaves the most to spend on graphics.

+1 to that. If you have a limited budget, and have to choose between a great GPU and a mediocre CPU, a decent CPU and GPU, or a mediocre GPU and a great CPU; I would go for the mediocre CPU and good GPU.

You will have games that don't run as smoothly with a lower end GPU, however you can still crank up the graphics as the detail level doesn't put a lot of burden on the CPU (generally speaking). If you have a bag GPU, you'll be stuck in Atari land no matter how fast your CPU is. The amount of CPU required for gaming is very game dependent, and so if you play a broad spectrum of games, it's only going to be a burden sometimes and you'll still have good detail levels (just lower overall framerate and more frequent stutter).

 

[Kamen_BG]

AMD is cheap, because its cheap. You get what you pay for. Generally the i3 performs better than all of AMD's chips. You could spend a little extra money now, or save a little extra money now and have to pay even more later.

And if you do go with the i5, you could probably forget about the 7770, because the intel integrated graphics will perform just as well or close to it. The i5 laptop cpu is like a glorified i3 processor, and my laptop played every game until around the time Diablo III came out, and I was only limited by the graphics not the processor.

Everything you said is just utterly wrong!Intel's core i3 can compete in SINGLE threaded performance with both a overclocked Phenom and a overclocked FX but it's multithreaded performance is far, FAR, FAAARR worse.Not even close to comparable.

And about the graphics card.NO ! Intel's HD 4000 overs around a quarter of the HD 7770's performance.
You're such a fanboy...

 

[Vatafaks]

And if you do go with the i5, you could probably forget about the 7770, because the intel integrated graphics will perform just as well or close to it.

Are you drunk? I5 integrated graphics comes nowhere near to 7770.

 

[Guest]

Sorry for the confusion, most of the "work" stuff was more important than gaming, I only do that in my free time which is 3-4 hours a day depending on what I have to do.

I wouldn't get a locked processor, that sort of destroys the point of the Z77 chip ...

I guess, since work is more important, I should put that money that would potentially get me the 7850 into an i5?

I can't spend much more ... Thanks for the input guys, I think I'll save some money for the i5-2500k.

For the power supply, I have the Seasonic.

One last question, is the 7770 really that bad a card? Or is it because the 6850's are nearly the same price?

 

[lighter17]

Another option is to upgrade to the i5 now and then add the video card later.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $430.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

Note that Amazon has the 3570k for $10 more if you don't have a Microcenter nearby. You'll have to get the motherboard from Newegg and pay shipping since it's OOS at Amazon, but Newegg does have a $5 off combo deal for the motherboard/CPU cooler. This should cost about as much as you were planning to spend on your original i3 build.

If your current video card is PCIe you can add it and you'll be able to game at the same level or better as your currently dealing with. If not your gaming options will be limited until you can afford a video card, but you'll at least have a faster computer for work purposes.

I should point out that you didn't mention anything about disk drives or OS in your original post. Hopefully you've got them covered.

 

[lighter17]

One last question, is the 7770 really that bad a card? Or is it because the 6850's are nearly the same price?

The price difference between the 7770 and 7850 is so small at this point that the 7770 isn't a good value. In fact for gaming purposes nothing below the 7850 is a good value.

 

[Guest]

Hmmm ... after checking a few benchmarks I see what you mean now. It performs nearly twice as fast.

 

[wr6133]

Priority Work

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

GIGABYTE GA-Z77MX-D3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128542

CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 X2 of this 16GB for your editing
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233350

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102988

Total - $530.95

Clearly this one above puts your work related stuff ahead. 16GB RAM for your editing and the top i5. I didn't add a CPU cooler as you dont need to overclock right away. The Graphics card is not very good but it will allow you to game at lower settings. The PSU is there so that in the future after some saving you can throw in a top shelf GPU and power it easily.

The Compromise Build

CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 X2 of this 16GB for your editing
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233350

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128519&Tpk=970a-ud3

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

HIS H785F1G2M Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161426

TOTAL - $506

This option takes a hit at the CPU in return your getting some decent graphical grunt. The CPU when overclocked will game as well as an i3, outside of gaming (i.e. your work) even at stock speed it will be far better than the i3. If you want to drop more on the price obviously you can lower the GPU and even halve the amount of RAM.

I also have assumed you don't need case, HDD, OS etc as they were not listed in your original post.

*EDIT* If you want to do any gaming integrated graphics is not a real option Intels IGP is pants to put it nicely but as lighter17 suggests you could reuse whatever GPU you have now until better can be afforded

 

[Guest]

Best answer selected by someguy543.

 

[Guest]

Thank you everyone for all the input, I guess I'll go with that compromise build suggested. At least I'll get some decent performance out of it and spend less.

The i5 build is probably more efficient though, for editing.

 

[wr6133]

I think you will be happy with it it's still going to be quick

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