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Trying to decide between 2 pc's.Follow

#1 Oct 04 2010 at 7:09 PM Rating: Good
Gaming PC for WoW.

My roomie is telling me that I should get the intel one because intel makes better processors, but they seem to have the same strength and the video card on the ati pc has twice the memory. I'd like to get some other opinions. Or if there's another pc on newegg that anyone thinks is better between 500-600 dollars, feel free to share.

Also, my bf wants the computer for video and graphic editing for programs such as Maya.

Edited, Oct 4th 2010 7:16pm by PigtailsOfDoom
#2 Oct 04 2010 at 7:46 PM Rating: Good
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I'm certainly no expert on the topic, but if it's for video/graphic editing, the PC with more video horsepower makes sense.
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#3 Oct 04 2010 at 8:00 PM Rating: Good
After the rebate on the Intel one the prices are pretty close.

You can buy 1TB HDDs pretty cheap nowadays, so the extra 500GB shouldn't be the deciding factor, really.

It all comes down to if you want an Intel or an AMD chip, unless you just REALLY need the extra two USB slots on the back and you really want that extra 500GB (and if you want to wait for the rebate check).

At this point in time it's a personal preference decision. Intel vs. AMD. I can't really tell you which one to buy, because at stock (non-OCing capabilities) they are pretty much the same.



If I was put on the spot to pick one... I would pick the one that I didn't have to wait for the rebate on. The amount for the rebate could be spent on buying you a 1TB HDD... and then you would have 1.5GBs at the same cost (or lower still) than the one with the rebate (before rebate, of course).
#4 Oct 04 2010 at 8:03 PM Rating: Excellent
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The Intel is going to be slightly, minisculy faster than that AMD processor. But I don't know if it would be $70 worth. Honestly for that price range you would be better off building most of a computer, waiting a month and then building the rest of it and making a decent gaming rig for $1,000
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#5 Oct 04 2010 at 8:26 PM Rating: Good
Yeah, my roomie is trying to convince me to let him build me a pc, but he has to convince me he can build something comparable for cheaper first.
#6 Oct 05 2010 at 8:32 PM Rating: Good
My roommate has apparently decided he no longer feels like building us a new pc, so I definitely have to choose between these two. My bf is wanting to upgrade the video card at some point, the sooner the better, so I guess the video card doesn't really make much of a difference after all.

I just don't understand if there's a difference between AMD and Intel processors. My roommate claims that Intel is superior because the government subsidizes AMD and Intel gives them technology so that they can keep up, that way Intel doesn't get accused of having a monopoly or something. I trust him about computers, but I can't tell if he's just being a snob or if it really makes a difference.

I also found another computer model that is pretty comparable to the other two: It's made by cyberpower. It will end up being the cheapest of the three since it has free shipping, and actually looks a bit better in some of the stats.
#7 Oct 05 2010 at 10:11 PM Rating: Excellent
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PigtailsOfDoom wrote:
I just don't understand if there's a difference between AMD and Intel processors. My roommate claims that Intel is superior because the government subsidizes AMD and Intel gives them technology so that they can keep up, that way Intel doesn't get accused of having a monopoly or something. I trust him about computers, but I can't tell if he's just being a snob or if it really makes a difference.


The Intel Vs AMD debate goes back and forth. Sometimes AMD is faster, most of the time the top end Intel processors are faster, but AMD is also usually cheaper for what you get across the board. Right now Intel has better fabrication facilities. The first of the 22NM chips will be due out in February. AMD is just now getting into 45 NM chips. The smaller the nanometer number (NM) the more efficient, theoretically faster and cooler running chip. That being said, there is almost no difference in performance in the mid to low end between AMD and Intel chips. You could get into a very drawn out technical discussion on the pros and cons of the various Intel and AMD designs, but at the level of computer you are contemplating it really doesn't make any difference in performance so I wouldn't worry about it. Now if you want to talk High end socket 1366 Core i7 Hexacore with hyperthreading CPU's and how they absolutly obliterate their AMD nearest counterparts, then sure that can be aranged.
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#8 Oct 05 2010 at 10:29 PM Rating: Good
Okay, that's what I figured. Even if AMD falls behind in technological advances, their midrange stuff would theoretically be about the same. My roommate is trying to convince me that Intel is always better. In that case we'll probably go with the Cyberpower machine, but unless my bf gets a job soon it's going to have to wait a few months anyways. I was hoping to get one now, but it's just not a good idea atm budget wise.
#9 Oct 07 2010 at 9:21 PM Rating: Good
Everything will be cheaper in 3 months anyway... or you'll be able to get better stuff for the same price...

Either way... you'll win.
#10 Oct 08 2010 at 1:45 PM Rating: Excellent
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There is a slight difference between a PC for gaming and a PC for image/3D/model editing/making. I think image editing requires more RAM compare to gaming as you only need roughly 2Gb of Ram for most games.

I do not think CPU matters much between the 2 model you listed. Because they are more or less at the lower end of the technology race between AMD and Intel. Most of the stuff non-business people talk about AMD and Intel are for more expensive CPUs like the i7-920 vs the 6-core AMD..etc. AMD tends to be more suitable for gaming stuff because they are more efficient at using their power while Intel generally has more raw power.

It boils down to what kind of GPU your bf is going to upgrade to. The CPUs of the systems you listed are mid-range dual-core CPUs. Those will become the bottle neck when you are gaming if your bf is getting a much more powerful video card (a 5870 ATI, for example). I'd recommend getting a 4-core CPU now or upgrade the CPU along with the GPU when you have more money.

Also, if money is a big problem, you might want to ask someone you know to slowly build you a PC by scavenging used/cheap stuff online. Several items can be free if you know someone who is upgrading their PC systems. I looted a case, DVD drive, keyboard and mouse from my buddy when he was upgrading his gaming rig. It's possible to build a decently good PC with just $200-$300 if you manage to find cheap/free stuff near by.
#11 Oct 09 2010 at 6:31 PM Rating: Good
Oddwaffle wrote:


It boils down to what kind of GPU your bf is going to upgrade to. The CPUs of the systems you listed are mid-range dual-core CPUs. Those will become the bottle neck when you are gaming if your bf is getting a much more powerful video card (a 5870 ATI, for example). I'd recommend getting a 4-core CPU now or upgrade the CPU along with the GPU when you have more money.



Hmm, I didn't know that. I'll definitely keep that in mind when we are able to buy a new pc. Unfortunately, we don't really know anyone besides our roommate who builds computers that we trust and lives in the area, so since he doesn't want to build one for us (for whatever reason) we're kind of sol there.
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