Hi everyone,
So, I've been planning a new build for a rather long time now. But I can't decide what I want to do in regards to my processor and motherboard selection.
Simply put, Intel or AMD?
Firstly, here is what I'll be using it for:
Light gaming (Minecraft & rFactor mostly, hardly that intensive)
Light video rendering (About 10-30 minutes of video at a time)
Recording and production of music (Most important thing I need the machine for)
General home use (Office applications, web browsing, etc.)
That's about it I think, can't really figure out if there's anything else I use my current machine for.
Currently, I'm running an AMD Athlon II X2 215, and a pretty basic motherboard, I only have x1 PCI slots, so it's pretty difficult to upgrade with new stuff. I've no graphics and no sound card, so it's not ideal.
I'm reasonably satisfied with the performance I've had from the Athlon, but while I'm no enthusiast PC user, a little bit more performance would be appreciated. For example, it currently takes about an hour to render 15 minutes of video, if I could at least half that it'd be great. I should mention, overclocking isn't necessary for me at the moment as far as I'm concerned, but if the CPU will permit it, it'd be nice in the future if required. So, is there any point my shelling out £160+ for an Intel i5, when for half the price I can get the Phenom II X4 Black Edition? Couple either of those with a decent, but useful motherboard and I'm set.
I just figure, the extra £80 saved from the CPU will be better spent in the graphics or more importantly, the sound department.
Makes sense to me at least, and I'm leaning towards the AMD option, especially if it'll decrease the amount I spend, meaning I can budget a lot better, rather than stretching right to the edge of what I can spend.
Any thoughts? And no doubt it's been asked a million times, but I'm stuck here.
Cheers,
- Anthony.
So, I've been planning a new build for a rather long time now. But I can't decide what I want to do in regards to my processor and motherboard selection.
Simply put, Intel or AMD?
Firstly, here is what I'll be using it for:
Light gaming (Minecraft & rFactor mostly, hardly that intensive)
Light video rendering (About 10-30 minutes of video at a time)
Recording and production of music (Most important thing I need the machine for)
General home use (Office applications, web browsing, etc.)
That's about it I think, can't really figure out if there's anything else I use my current machine for.
Currently, I'm running an AMD Athlon II X2 215, and a pretty basic motherboard, I only have x1 PCI slots, so it's pretty difficult to upgrade with new stuff. I've no graphics and no sound card, so it's not ideal.
I'm reasonably satisfied with the performance I've had from the Athlon, but while I'm no enthusiast PC user, a little bit more performance would be appreciated. For example, it currently takes about an hour to render 15 minutes of video, if I could at least half that it'd be great. I should mention, overclocking isn't necessary for me at the moment as far as I'm concerned, but if the CPU will permit it, it'd be nice in the future if required. So, is there any point my shelling out £160+ for an Intel i5, when for half the price I can get the Phenom II X4 Black Edition? Couple either of those with a decent, but useful motherboard and I'm set.
I just figure, the extra £80 saved from the CPU will be better spent in the graphics or more importantly, the sound department.
Makes sense to me at least, and I'm leaning towards the AMD option, especially if it'll decrease the amount I spend, meaning I can budget a lot better, rather than stretching right to the edge of what I can spend.
Any thoughts? And no doubt it's been asked a million times, but I'm stuck here.
Cheers,
- Anthony.
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