I'm considering building a new rig. Nothing too insane, just much faster than I have now. Of course, I'm looking at a 64-bit, multi-core setup. My question is this: AMD or Intel?

Of course, I can build an AMD system for cheaper than I can build an Intel system, but I've always found AMD systems to be a little quirky in the past. For reference, I'm looking at either the Core 2 Duo E7500 (2.93GHz) or the Phenom X2 550 (3.1GHz). The AMD system is only a little bit cheaper, but it has a better hard drive.

Links for reference:
Intel System
AMD System

In the end, I might cut some other corners (specifically on a slower nVidia card), but the savings didn't seem that significant so it seemed like a waste to not go with at least the GTS250.

Also, I realize the Intel system doesn't have a hard drive in it. The motherboard I selected comes with a free 750GB WD Caviar Green drive. The 1TB Caviar Black drive wuns $94, shipped.

EDIT: I'm open to any and all suggestions on hardware too, BTW.

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no fat chicks

In benchmarks I've seen, the Core2 pretty consistently beat the AMD equivilants.

And the Core2 processors are crazy easy to overclock HARD. I have a couple of friends that OC their 2GHz Core2 processors to 3GHz with just a decent third party air cooler.

I OC my Core2Duo 2GHZ to 2.4 with the stock Core2Quad heatsink and I have no stability problems.

But I don't really have experience with diversity. I switched to Intel about 2 years ago and haven't looked back. All my servers run Core2Quads, and my Desktops are Intels.

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Do it for the Lobster

Quote

I switched to Intel about 2 years ago and haven't looked back.

Yeah, I think I'm with you here. The savings are drastic (like they used to me) and I think the extra cash is worth it to be in on the Intel game.

Have you heard anything about overclocking the Quad cores? I was considering dropping the extra coin to step up to a slower Quad core, though I'm sure Dual core is plenty for my needs.

Also, how does the overclocking work these days? I know in the past the multiplier was fixed and you have to tweak the FSB. Nowadays, it seems the RAM and CPU FSB are independant... do you still just tweak the FSB or is it more sophisticated than all that?

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no fat chicks

I would go with Intel although I have been a Intel guy since the late 90's because AMD chips would just burn up if you did not have the heat sink on just right.

Overclocking is still the same for the most part. Just up the FSB and you should be good to go. One thing to watch is the voltage going to the CPU if you go to high in over clocking you might need to up the voltage to the CPU.

Sorry I have not build a computer from scratch in years so not really up to date on the new boards out there. WOW!! A Gig of ram on a video card it feel like yesterday 32Mb was like a lot.


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STS-128 RTFM!!!

I'd definitely go with Intel here -- have been running a C2D E4300 for awhile now upped from 1.8ghz to 3ghz for everyday use (peaked around 3.4-3.5ghz stable... just didn't like the voltage level I needed).

As for core2quads/i7 they both overclock exceptionally well, however usually from what I've seen they cannot reach quite as high core speed, and run hotter for obvious reasons.

If you have any specific questions, this site is really the best to look as they have build logs, step by step instructions, and a really friendly community that will help with just about anything quite fast.

http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/ is the intel specific subforum, but the whole site is great.

If you are planning on overclocking, definitely spend the 40-50$ on a heatsink, it is by far one of the most important investments costwise and performance wise that you can make.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001

I use the Tuniq Tower... have recommended it to a lot of people and it works amazing, just make sure it fits inside your case

Get the GTX 260, great price and a GTS 250 = the GeForce GTX 9800+, a die-shrunk version of the GeForce GTX 9800, which was already a slightly-overclocked re-introduction of the GeForce 8800 GTS.

Confusing naming scheme is confusing, and confuses people. Yay!

Here is what I scratched up for you, it comes to 765$ after rebates, which is 40$ more, but has a 50$ heatsink added. However, it is a Q9550 + GTX 260 setup, and a nice 600w PSU (modular!!!).

(grr wishlist isn't working right at the moment)

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 119 (104 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

Tuniq Tower 120 heatsink 49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail 219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041

2x Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2G 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) 63.99 (43.99ea after rebate) 84
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220334

samsung dvdrw 26.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply 74.99 (54.99 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail 188.99 (158.99 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130433

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 59.95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

subtotal $868.87
after rebates ~$765

** if you want I can e-mail the wishlist to you, making them public doesn't seem to be working properly at the moment. I also realize I missed a hard drive looking at it again... but I have seen 1TB drives for around 60$ on slickdeals.net, just keep an eye out there

I was hoping you were going to pop in here, Ganner.

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Do it for the Lobster

Quote

and a GTS 250 = the GeForce GTX 9800+, a die-shrunk version of the GeForce GTX 9800, which was already a slightly-overclocked re-introduction of the GeForce 8800 GTS.

lol

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Do it for the Lobster

Cool, thanks for the list. That's almost exactly what I was looking at already. Except for the motherboard, I was looking at this guy:

GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS5 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128332

I really want the dual PCIe x16 in case I decide to do the SLI thing down the road. The X48 chipset seemed pretty boss, although the P45 would likely be enough for me (as long as the board had 2 PCIe x16 slots).

I think the GTS250 is plenty for my needs. I rarely game, and everything I've read said that card is amazing already. For $40, upgrading to the GTX 260 might be worth it though.

I'm still not serious about anything yet, just kind of seeing what I can build and how much it'll code me. I upgraded to a nicer laptop a little while ago and now it's way faster than my desktop. I don't like that fact very much and was thinking of rectifying the situation.

Thanks for all the feedback!

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no fat chicks

Didja end up acting on any of this yet, skeezmeister?

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Do it for the Lobster

Not yet. Waiting on some things and trying to see my options. I could build a simple dual-core system for like $250, which is looking pretty nice to me...

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no fat chicks

Interestingly enough, my current desktop crapped out on me. I thought it was bad memory at first, but regardless of what I put in there, it seg faults and freaks the fuck out. Memtest fails no matter what I add in. So.... I ordered new equipment. I chose to go with ZipZoomFly though. Their prices are higher, but I thought I'd take advantage of m$'s 20% cashback program. We'll see how that works out.

Anyway, here's what I went with:


INTEL BX80571E7500 Core 2 Duo 2.93 GHz 1066 MHz Socket 775 3MB Desktop Processor Retail $134.99
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Duo / Pentium dual-core/Celeron dual-core /Celeron Socket 775 1600 MHz PC2-10600 (DDR2-1333) ATX Motherboard Retail $142.99
OCZ OCZ2P10664GK 4GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) DDR2 Memory Retail $62.99
OCZ OCZ600MXSP 600W SLI/CrossFire Active Power Supply Retail $82.99
WESTERN DIGITAL WD1001FALS Caviar Black 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB Buffer Hard Drive Bulk $105.99
MSI N250GTS-2D1G Geforce GTS 250 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail $165.99

Sub Total: $695.94
Discount: $0.00
Sales Tax: $0.00
Shipping: $0.00

ORDER TOTAL: $695.94


Price after rebates and cashback is $486.75. Not too bad considering what I'm getting. I didn't need a new case because I can now recycle my old one, which saved me some decent cash. I also figured I'd roll with the GTS 250 since it's still a badass card and way more than I'll need for quite some time I'm sure.

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no fat chicks

I realized after the fact that I could get the GTX 260 for just a couple bucks more if I ordered just that from Newegg. I also realized that the RAM from Newegg was a little faster too. So, I canceled my ZipZoomFly order and fixed things a little. New plan:

ZZF Order:
INTEL BX80571E7500 Core 2 Duo 2.93 GHz 1066 MHz Socket 775 3MB Desktop Processor Retail - $134.99
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Duo / Pentium dual-core/Celeron dual-core /Celeron Socket 775 1600 MHz PC2-10600 (DDR2-1333) ATX Motherboard Retail - $142.99
OCZ OCZ600MXSP 600W SLI/CrossFire Active Power Supply Retail - $82.99
WESTERN DIGITAL WD1001FALS Caviar Black 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB Buffer Hard Drive Bulk - $105.99

Sub Total: $466.96
Discount: $0.00
Sales Tax: $0.00
Shipping: $0.00
MIR's TOTAL: $50.00
Bing Cashback: $93.39

ORDER TOTAL: $323.57

Then I ordered the RAM and video card from Newegg:

EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI - $189.99
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2G 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - $59.99

Subtotal: $249.98
Tax: $0.00
Shipping: $0.00
MIR's Total: $30

ORDER TOTAL: $219.98

So, all said and done, and assuming I get all the rebates, I'm looking at $543.55. Looks pretty legit to me!

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no fat chicks

Wow, you guys were not kidding about being able to overclock these things! I was running my E7500 (2.93GHz @ 1066) at 3.66GHz @ 1333 with stock voltages and the stock heatsink and operating under the 60 C mark. Very nice stuff!

I have to run my RAM at 1000MHz instead of 1066MHz because of the way the mobo handles things, but I'm probably going to see if I can jack the FSB up some more and get the RAM closer to 1066MHz once I get around to buying another heatsink. I'm pretty confident that with a new heatsink and tweaking some voltages that I can at least get close, which will put me near the 3.9GHz range, which isn't too shabby for such an inexpensive chip!

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no fat chicks

Yup. That's pretty much why I never looked back at AMD after picking up my first Core2

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Do it for the Lobster