Building friend PC, AMD or Intel

[Dent1]

+1 to the AMD you can add more ram later

Get the RAM now or forget it. 9/10 your non-technical friend isn't going to consider upgrading. He will just buy a new computer in 4-7 years.

RAM prices are rising again, in 4-5 years time is the OP's friend going to be able to find a decent pair of DDR3 at a reasonable price?

The way I see it, all the OP's friend is doing is surfing the net, watching movies, general office applications etc. Any processor Intel or AMD is enough, the processor requirements for office applications don't increase much overtime with new iterations but the RAM consumption does. And if the OP's friend is anything like my friends they'll accidentally install loads of junk applications, toolbars, freeware that will eat through the RAM at start-up.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

I think the general idea is that you have a dedicated GPU though, whereas this guy wont.

I was referring to greiverblade saying under i3 is a joke, And I dont think AMD is crap either, this was just cheap for me after my q8200.

OT: I think either setup would be fine imo, maybe I'd edge towards the AMD setup for the better igpu.

 

[GreiverBlade]

I was referring to greiverblade saying under i3 is a joke, And I dont think AMD is crap either, this was just cheap for me after my q8200.

OT: I think either setup would be fine imo, maybe I'd edge towards the AMD setup for the better igpu.

i still mean its a joke for Price/perf versus similary priced AMD solution (i wasnt meaning intel proc where a joke, sorry for that )

 

[SuffolkBoy]

I know but i am a little worried since the AMD dual cores are a bit pathetic, my friend has a phenom II X2 and it can barely play 1080p video.

I run an old 4600+ dual core in my steambox in the living room and it plays 1080p no prob! With an 8800gt..

 

[Vario]

Get a dedicated gpu

5450 or a 6450 or a 640 or a used 9800 gt

 

[Deleted member 24505]

i still mean its a joke for Price/perf versus similary priced AMD solution (i wasnt meaning intel proc where a joke, sorry for that )

Ok, maybe I misconstrued it a bit.

 

[rhino]

Amd! Amd! Amd!

As I understand it buying an Intel chip which isn't an "i" series is not a step forwards.
These AMD "A" Series APUs are getting rave reviews. Even the lower end ones.

 

[GreiverBlade]

As I understand it buying an Intel chip which isn't an "i" series is not a step forwards.
These AMD "A" Series APUs are getting rave reviews. Even the lower end ones.

when price to perf value come in place APU get the upper hand indeed specialy for HTPC/lowcost mid performing with some gear up ability.

 

[super_slav]

That doesn't sound right, I can run 1080P on my single core

AMD Productivity Paradox -- AMD A4 vs Intel Pentiu...

He had a 5770 GPU with 4gb ram in it, I know my old dell with a Athlon 2100+ dual core could not play anything above 720p, 720p cpu usage was around 75%. GPU was a ati x1300 256mb in it with 2gb RAM. It was from 2007.

 

[Dent1]

He had a 5770 GPU with 4gb ram in it.

5770 should be enough for HD content. Infact I recommend that he keeps that GPU and put it into the new build as it'll probably be better than integrated.

5770 + Phenom II X2 is powerful enough for HD video playback. His rig probably just needs a fresh reinstall of Windows and a codec update.

I know my old dell with a Athlon 2100+ dual core could not play anything above 720p, 720p cpu usage was around 75%. GPU was a ati x1300 256mb in it with 2gb RAM. It was from 2007.

2007 are you sure?

The Athlon 2100+ is a 2002 chip.

The ati x1300 is entry level GPU from 2005.

The those components was before HD video became mainstream so it would lack the correct instructions for smooth playback. From those horrific specification I'm not surprised a 11 year old CPU and 8 year old GPU performed like crap.

 

[GreiverBlade]

2007 are you sure?

The Athlon 2100+ is a 2002 chip.

The ati x1300 is entry level GPU from 2005.

The those components was before HD video became mainstream so it would lack the correct instructions for smooth playback. From those horrific specification I'm not surprised a 11 year old CPU and 8 year old GPU performed like crap.

my retrobuild with a Athlon XP 2200+ and a Sapphire X800GT 256mb does it fine tho ... hum i didnt noticed anything weird with 720p encoded MKV on VLC (its not its main purpose altho )

and it housed some other oldies as a GF4 Ti4200 and a 3D Prophet 9700 128 (non pro)

 

[maksic87]

AMD Bucks friend

Since u are on a tight budget i would, personally, suggest AMD rig. Gives you more video performance then intel rig. If I were your friend I would pick intel and a low end dedicated gpu. IMO you are better of with a more powerful CPU and low GPU than the AMD fusion solution. More RAM is also good because of the time passing and wishes rising. Afterwards your friend could upgrade graphics if he wishes to play some games or render some videos.

Also for AMD rig you need more PSU power while Intel is more power efficient.

Conclusion

Intel is a better pick with a few bucks more and more room for upgrade afterwards and more savings on electrical bill, but if he cant get a few bucks more get AMD now and enjoy it for a shorter period of time with more bucks flowing out of house budget every month.

I hope i helped a bit with your decision. Good luck

 

[super_slav]

Since u are on a tight budget i would, personally, suggest AMD rig. Gives you more video performance then intel rig. If I were your friend I would pick intel and a low end dedicated gpu. IMO you are better of with a more powerful CPU and low GPU than the AMD fusion solution. More RAM is also good because of the time passing and wishes rising. Afterwards your friend could upgrade graphics if he wishes to play some games or render some videos.

Also for AMD rig you need more PSU power while Intel is more power efficient.

Conclusion

Intel is a better pick with a few bucks more and more room for upgrade afterwards and more savings on electrical bill, but if he cant get a few bucks more get AMD now and enjoy it for a shorter period of time with more bucks flowing out of house budget every month.

I hope i helped a bit with your decision. Good luck

Thanks, it helped allot, I am now stuck weather to go with the AMD with 8gb of ram or the intel with 4gb of ram but a nvidia 610 gpu.

 

[super_slav]

2007 are you sure?

The Athlon 2100 is a 2002 chip.

The ati x1300 is entry level GPU from 2005.

Sorry it was a Athlon 64 X2 4000+

 

[maksic87]

RAM will be cheaper

Thanks, it helped allot, I am now stuck weather to go with the AMD with 8gb of ram or the intel with 4gb of ram but a nvidia 610 gpu.

IMO again i would suggest the Intel solution, you can add RAM later, and 4gb is sufficient for his needs right now, on the other side you get an individual GPU and a powerful CPU at a good price. Price of RAM modules will get lower as the time passes and a need for more RAM arises and he will be able to invest in more ram memory.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Run the AMD build. Maybe upgrade the chip to an A6 like others have been saying. If he is not gaming, or doing much of anything that uses a lot of memory, he doesn't really need 8GB+, and memory is definitely not cheap anymore so if the budget is tight 4GB will do just fine.

Also with AMD APU they benefit quite a bit from faster memory, so 1866mhz memory should be the minimum speed.

 

[suraswami]

I am building my friend a PC, the PC price comes to the exact same price, which should I get? The AMD would have better integrated GPU but a crap CPU but the reverse for the Intel, he will be just browsing the web and watching 1080p movies on it.

https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=198695&action=wish_lists

or

https://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=198696&action=wish_lists

I have run 1080P even with a single core Sempron, you need to match it with the right hardware and software.

Don't like the fact that you say AMD CPUs are crap, it does whatever an Intel CPU does for way less money.

If you friend already has a 5770 video card go with AM3+ setup with FX X4 CPU. If you can get an i3 in the same price range go for it.

If building from scratch AMD APU is the way to go. Money saved with AMD setup you can add a SSD to see real performance difference!

 

[MxPhenom 216]

I would definitely recommend for only $15 more getting the A6 5400k or if you can stretch it even more 6400k.

Mainly do to the fact they can be overclocked, and itll make up for the weak CPU performance and more then likely be quite a bit faster then the Intel build since you cant overclock that if need be.

 

[Dent1]

super_slav,

You said earlier your mate has a Phenom II X2. Is that correct?

Because there is a chance he can upgrade it to a Phenom II X6 or Piledriver FX whilst keeping his board the same. Drop in another 4GB of RAM and keep the 5770. This would give you the best performance out of everything suggested thus far whilst being the cheapest.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

On a similar note, I have a neighbor that wants to spend upwards $500 on a PC, and she's considering a laptop. She'd mostly be surfing the net, streaming YouTube and other net vids, but might be interested in occasional games like WoW. Are the AMD based laptops in that price range better equipped as far as their integrated graphics go, and is it good enough to play WoW? The one thing I told her I was hesitant about as far as a LT vs desktop is not just bang for buck on parts, but the size of the screen. Her vision is pretty bad and the smaller screen size could be an issue. She has to use zoom for most everything.

 

[Dent1]

On a similar note, I have a neighbor that wants to spend upwards $500 on a PC, and she's considering a laptop. She'd mostly be surfing the net, streaming YouTube and other net vids, but might be interested in occasional games like WoW. Are the AMD based laptops in that price range better equipped as far as their integrated graphics go, and is it good enough to play WoW? The one thing I told her I was hesitant about as far as a LT vs desktop is not just bang for buck on parts, but the size of the screen. Her vision is pretty bad and the smaller screen size could be an issue. She has to use zoom for most everything.

I'm sure the mobile trinity APU performs similarly to the desktop version.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a10-5800k-a8-5600k-a6-5400k,3224-16.html


Gets about 30 FPS on Crysis 2 which is borderline playable. I'd think WOWs requirements would be significantly lower.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a10-4600m-trinity-piledriver,3202-10.html

 

[de.das.dude]

On a similar note, I have a neighbor that wants to spend upwards $500 on a PC, and she's considering a laptop. She'd mostly be surfing the net, streaming YouTube and other net vids, but might be interested in occasional games like WoW. Are the AMD based laptops in that price range better equipped as far as their integrated graphics go, and is it good enough to play WoW? The one thing I told her I was hesitant about as far as a LT vs desktop is not just bang for buck on parts, but the size of the screen. Her vision is pretty bad and the smaller screen size could be an issue. She has to use zoom for most everything.

yes... the 500$ should fetch a decent laptop with a8/a10 apu, good enough to play some games like far cry 3, albeit at low settings. never the less, amds are hard to beat when it comes to laptops now. intels ones run hotter (thanks to their resistance to temps), and have poorer battery life.

i remember playing dirt 3 for a good hour on a laptop with hybrid cfx and have its charge go down to just around 80%.

unless one is looking for desktop grade performance in a laptop, no reason to go with intel really. apus are just fine for gaming.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Thanks guys, so can anyone recommend a best for under $500 model on a laptop with an AMD APU?

From a Newegg search, these are the only two I've come up with so far that have a bigger 17.3" screen.

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

I haven't been able to find any reviews on either. The Toshiba has a bigger HDD and DTS, while the Gateway has more RAM. I've seen some vendors call the Gateway an "Acer Gateway" though, and I've read neg feedback on Acer LTs, so I'm leaning toward the Toshiba, esp since RAM is easy to add. The Toshiba also supports more RAM, not that she'd ever need 16GB.

Problem is I can't find any verification that an HD8400 will play WoW OK. I can only find search results talking about the 8400GS Nvidia GPU playing it.

(EDITED)
OK, I found this instead which has much better parts if you jump down in screen size.
ASUS K55 Series K55N-DB81 AMD A-Series 6GB Memory ...

WoW played on High with same spec. World of Warcraft HP Pavilion g7 2235dx, A8-4500M,...

Only $400 too. Only question is whether she can deal with a 15.6" screen OK. She'll know that once she sees them first hand at the store.

Also found this Lenovo for $550, which has a 7670M, but the reviews nitpick about build quality. I can't find any ASUS LTs in a low price range with a 7670M though.

Lenovo IdeaPad Z585 (59363062) AMD A-Series 4GB Me...

 

[de.das.dude]

15.6 is as big as it gets without being bulky. the 17 incher will be quiet heavy and hard to lug around.

the second one is what i was talking about, the a8 4500m is pretty decent.

 

[Wile E]

AMD Apu are good for bang for bucks ... intel i3 ? joke? under Intel i3? worse joke? even a second hand A10-5800k is golden

proc part is on par with the Phenom II X4 965 BE wich isnt half bad and the GPU part is way more reliable than inte HD even with haswell (if the price was right ...)

the 3rd system in my system spec cost me near your price of 447$ or even less, allways consider 2nds hands specially when they give you the "inclued original shop bill and 1yrs and a half warranty"

dont misunderstand me i find intel good but on the lower priced cpu they are good for fileserver and sometime movies ... but APU does it just ... better

with the A10-5800K i can run on the APU with med to high setting not only old games but nearly all the games i play, also you can add a 6670 to hybride CF with it but i wouldnt recommende it ... since a disabled 7660D with a "real" 7950 in place is more profitable (also that 7950 make my APU rig cost me 150$ more than yours)

i know good deals are not easy to find, and pc shop tend to say "new is better mor warranty and less hassle", well ... i never run into a problem i couldnt solve with that rig or any of my other rigs.



and a normal user wouldnt notice it since what he want is video and internet. but with the APU he would have a upper hand on the "pentium G" if it comes to light gamming without dedicated GPU

He'll notice the difference in a couple of years as things continually progress in CPU requirements. If you aren't gaming, you always go for the stronger CPU. It simply has better longevity, period.

Now, if gaming is a concern, priorities change. You go for the better GPU. CPU is generally less of a bottleneck than GPU in gaming.