Intel vs. AMD build $1000-$1400 for typical boring use (but w/ potential)

[SpacemanSpiff2000]

Hi all!

Just need help deciding what's best for me right now for my first full build, particularly the classic Intel vs. AMD (but not the classic gaming circumstances) ...

EXPECTED PURCHASE DATE: closer the better ... this week or next

BUDGET RANGE: flexible ...
- up to ~$1400 w/o monitor
- lower (<=$1000) better based on price/performance diffs and my needs (e.g., if Intel config is 10% faster and 50% more $$, I'll pass; if 20% faster for 25% more $$, I'm game)
- the "COMPONENTS IN CONTENTION" trinity below should account for from <$300 to ~$600 of the total

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
- Internet (including web-powered games) / Office / Quicken/TurboTax / etc.
- low-powered games: Civilization4, Myst, the Diablo family (but want it able to handle the future of graphics on similar or more intense games)
- background Netflix movies, DVDs, music (+ripping CDs)
- dual-boot to some Linux (to relearn UNIX, escape MS, and to serve a few non-MS home network games)
- minor audio/video editing (xfers from tapes) & photos (red-eye)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: monitor and 1st OS (XP)

PREFERRED WEBSITE FOR PARTS: newegg.com, amazon.com, zipzoomfly.com (not ebay)

OVERCLOCKING: wanna try, air only

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RES: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL WANTS/GOALS:
- lasts as long as possible
- upgradabilty
- keep lots of windows open
- not too hot or too loud (but doesn't have to be cold or absolutely silent)
- may try a simple RAID config or two (willing to reinstall/play with the config a few times ... have an operational backup PC)
- mobo: sound + wireless g & n
- nice to have (beyond reliability): parts that draw less power for similar performance


COMPONENTS NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE (unless you advise it) ...

Case: Gigabyte Triton 180 looks fine (no lights, no windows, no DVD door, flat top, etc.) main concern: that the case easily fits my config (e.g., no "cooling hitting the PSU" or the like)
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-650TX (previously recommended for my build; need more W?)
Sound Card: built into mobo should be fine
Hard Drives: 2x WD6401AALS (came recommended)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223B seems fine
Speakers: Logitech S220 2.1 looks fine
Cooling: keep hearing about Zalman and Arctic Silver 5 (necessary here?)
Keyb/Mouse: still looking for a good wireless w/ classic home keys layout

Operating System: Win XP (have) => Win7 later + best 1st-timer flavor of Linux (suggestions?)

Graphics Card: single, otherwise no idea really ... GTX 260 Core 216 used to be recommended ... what's good for my above needs/goals now?


COMPONENTS IN CONTENTION ....

INTEL:
- word of their future socket changes disturbs me and risks my "compatible with foreseeable future upgrades"
- makes me think socket AM3 is more long-term starting now

CPU: i7 920 (this is all I hear about ... beats AMD in tests, overclocking potential, 8 threads, etc. but is it a fit for me?)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 vs. GA-EX58-UD3R (big price diff; which is needed?)
RAM: 6GB Crucial, G.Skill or Corsair @ 1600?? (overkill on RAM? what RAM speed is best now?)
Cost today (Newegg): $485 - $690 depending

AMD:
- much less experience here ... don't know their models and mobos as well
- am I going to much care/notice the 24% performance deficiency scanning for viruses w/ AVG (Tom's H/W charts: i7-920 vs. Phenom II X4 955)
- given so many recommend Intel, will it be hard to find peer-to-peer/forums support for AMD issues, such as overclocking?

CPU: Phenom II X4 955BE vs. 965BE (is this the right comparison to Intel? $50 price diff worth it? compared value for my needs to Intel?)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P ?? ASUS M4A78T-E ?? MSI 790FX-GD70 ?? (complete guesses)
RAM: 4GB Crucial, G.Skill or Corsair @ 1600?? (enough RAM? can save on above due to 2-ch)
Cost today (Newegg): $335 - $520 depending


Reminder: Any of this good/bad for dual-to-Linux?

Would also like to know of any buggy experiences/hearsay with the parts or the manufacturers.

I am putty in your hands now.

[Khalil]

Wow lots of questions. We don't like to do direct comarisons between AMD and Intel. I can tell you this though, you will be serving yourself a lot better by going with an Asus motherboard, Asus has the best Customer Service and stability in their products. Same applies to the video card.
The Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad is flawless so is the AMD AM3 platform. I can't say the same about the Intel i7 and I won't comment on the new i3 and i5 till they have been on the market for a while.

[David M]

You really do not need to spend as much money as what you are thinking.

I would go with a dual core Intel E8500 and an Asus motherboard. Buy yourself a nice expensive $500 graphics card after you want to play the more graphics intensive games. A single Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT is enough power for your existing games. With XP you do not need more than 2 gigs of 800 RAM. There are plenty of good PSU's. See the PSU sticky in the Hardware category.

[glc]

With XP you do not need more than 2 gigs of 800 RAM.

However, ram is so inexpensive that I recommend 4 gigs, even with 32 bit XP.

[AMGrbaowska]

Agreed, go with an Asus Motherboard, also, I would look into a Radeon 4870/4850 Graphics Card, they are GREAT cards that are cheap, they will most likely be able to play Diablo 3(Cause you like Diablo) very well when its released!
Also, for what you are using it for, you could definitely spend less, that is the budget for a semi-high end gaming rig. Although, the stuff you have will last you a long time.

[Masaki 7-11]

From what you said you need in a computer, you would probably be better off with a AMD processor/motherboard combo. Right now you can get a 3.0GHz AMD Quad Core (Phenom II X4 945 95W) for the same price as a 3.0GHz Intel Dual Core (Core 2 Duo E8400 65W), in most benchmarks the Phenom II X4 will provide performance equal to or greater than the Core 2 Duo, and a quad core will provide better multitasking. Here is a good processor/motherboard/memory combo that will provide good performance and will not cost too much:

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231166
$59.99

AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HDX945WFGIBOX - Retail
ASUS M4A78-E AM2+/AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.254119
$266.98

Subtotal: $326.97

[piasabird]

I like this review on anandtech. These two items look great to me. Just add your video card. I think going with a Quad 1156 processor (Core i7 860) at $299.00 will give you a good price point to performance ratio. Pick a slightly slower CPU to cut price. The 920 is still a nice looking option also. Check out the benchmarks on this review. This is just a suggestion or a possible solution.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...spx?i=3634&p=3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ATX%20P55M-UD4

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115214

[systempat]

I going to give the opinion on using a Gigabyte motherboard. ASUS certainly builds good equipment but has no monopoly on quality. And their higher-end boards are a bit pricey. The last 2 boards I've used are Gigabyte and are going just fine. Just saying there are different opinons.
Have you looked at Antec 200 or 300 cases? These are very popular for mid-size tower cases.

I won't even try to go into AMD vs Intel. You can look for those arguments if you like. As far as finding support on forums like this one, there should be more than enough for AMD to make that no issue. I don't have statistics on this but for the build-it-yourself crowd the split between Intel and AMD is lot closer to 50-50 than it is on the retail systems. Myself I have used AMD the last 3 times but would have no trouble picking an Intel build. The high-end core 2 duos are good machines.
You should be able to fill your requirements for more like 800, even with a good mid-range video card, like the 4870 that was recommended. Your PSU sounds good and you don't want to go cheap on that.

[SpacemanSpiff2000]

Many thanks to everyone for your generosity of advice. I'll take the time to give this due consideration (between work and kids ... and sometimes sleep).

As I alluded, one of my major concerns w/ Intel is upgradability:
That they've recently changed directions so many times they seem to have 3 active sockets supported now. What about when I want to upgrade CPUs? The 775 is almost out (certainly by the next time I upgrade). The 1366 is going high-end only (I was all about i7 until I heard this). The "whatever" for i5 is new. Right? At this rate, it'll be 3 more gens from here when I upgrade.
With so many recommending Intel, do you have concerns about that?

I must say, I was surprised at the resistance to compare CPUs between competing manufacturers ... that is, until I thought about what you're probably thinking.
I should clarify that I'm NOT looking for the all too typical bickering like:
"My CPU kicks your CPU's butt!"
"Well, mine kicks your MORE! ... AND it rules!"
"But I'M an IT guy so I know!"
"Oh, yeah?" "Yeah!"
"Oh, yeah?" "Yeah!"
"Oh, yeah?" "Yeah!"
That's all I ever see re: I vs. A ... and always about the bleeding edge at the time, never about the kind of lower-end system I'm proposing.
C'mon, where's the free market economy w/o comparisons?

And I mean "comparisons" like reasons WHY people chose/choose or suggested what they did (and I did see a little). If you're recommending "X", why? (Or why not "Y"?) Good/bad experience or support with one company or CPU vs. another? Better time overclocking a specific CPU or another? Read some solid info on it? What view of price v. performance guided you THAT way?
You must have reasons for your actions/suggestions ... so spill it, already! Thanks!

Examples of what I'm looking for that folks came close to so far (sometimes 'paraphrasing'):

• " ... they are GREAT cards that are cheap, they will most likely be able to play ..." what you want later. - AMGrabowska
• 'you can get A for the same $$ as I, w/ the same/better performance based on benchmarks' (a.k.a., evidence) - Masaki 7-11 [now I can find these 2 and compare benchmarks & prices for myself]
• 'look at this review/benchmarks' - piasabird
• "The last 2 boards I've used are [XYZ] and are going just fine" and 'forums support shouldn't be an issue' and "I have used ___ the last 3 times" - systempat

This last one is nearly exactly what I'm looking for ... only thing missing might be answering "If you'd have no trouble w/ Intel, why'd you pick AMD for the last 3? Like, what deciding factors?"
Thanks specifically for this, you 4.

As I go off to research more, I think the only things relatively untouched here are:
- Linux: Any experience out there? Hardware gotchas? Version of s/w you like?
- Does overclocking factor in here for you? Extra vs. stock cooling?
- What cooler (temperature) and quieter (vs. hotter and louder)?

Want to add more? Much appreciated.
Spiff

[Jdorty]

Built a $400 machine back in April/May (minus keyboard/mouse/monitor) and I got advice here as well. Personally, I went with, and recommend, an AMD processor and ATI graphics card because from what I've seen they offer better performance for the price. Since you're not going with top of the line, I'd stick to them.

I went with a Radeon HD 4670 for my graphics card, and its been working out great for me. I probably play more games than you will as well. So my advice is to go with the 4870/4850 like AMGrbaowska advised, seeing as you have more money than I do and I've loved my card, and they offer great performance/price.

Personally, I don't think you'll need a Phenom Quad-Core, I'd stick with one of the AMD Dual-Cores, but the quad cores are better for multi-tasking.

4 GB of Corsair or G. Skill DDR2 800 RAM will be plenty for you.

Asus HD 4870 Video Card, free shipping $159.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121291

AMD Dual Core, free shipping $102:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103680

4 GB 4 (2x2GB) Corsair DDR2 800 RAM, free shipping $57.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231122

Price for these three things: $320

I have no advice on a motherboard other than something, obviously, that works with the CPU and RAM. ASUS or Gigabyte or probably two of the best brands.

I honestly think this would be more than enough power for you and probably will be less than you were planning on spending.


Edit: Something like this would probably work great for you:
Asus MoBo, free shipping $99.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131398

Would bring your price total to $420, and give you plenty of room price-wise for your keyboard/mouse, drives, etc. =]

[SpacemanSpiff2000]

Thanks again. Did some reading/looking.

QQ: Is there anything wrong with a Radeon HD 4830? Bad decision?

It's just that no one mentioned it, even though I don't require heavy graphics (at this time, per above).

Much appreciated.
Spiff

[Khalil]

Nothing wrong with it. It would work great for you, it is a 256bit video card.

[glc]

In fact, for what you are doing, all you need is a 4650. One of my grandsons plays WoW with one of them and he's very happy with the graphics performance. If you get into high powered games, you can always upgrade later, and with that 650 watt PSU you will have plenty of juice to support a higher end card.