Which one, AMD or Intel?

[AR]^Bender^ · 21 Apr 2008 at 15:15

Hi All,

Right, here goes. i have been out of the race for some time now with regards to gaming/PC's. I used to be an AMD and ATi man myself years ago, but now in two minds on which one to go for.

I am looking at the following CPU's, Motherboards to go with with my BFG 8800GT 512MB and my 4GB Crucial Ballistix 1066Hz.

Should I either go for the;

AMD Phenom Quad Core 9850 2.50GHz Black Edition and the Asus M3N78-EMH HDMI nForce 8200 Micro-ATX (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

or

Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 2.40GHz Guaranteed to run at 3.00GHZ (1333FSB) and the Asus P5K-VM Intel G33 Micro ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard.

Am I still correct in thinking that AMD still have direct memory access, but Intel have the slight upper hand. I would like the Hybrid GFX that the 8200 comes with but unsure if it really is worth it? Just want something, small (mATX) and fast.

Cheers.

shadowake · 21 Apr 2008 at 15:18

I'd go with the Intel, but I'm bias as I own one!

Kearney_1988 · 21 Apr 2008 at 15:18

Intel is really kicking AMD at the moment, i wouldnt bother with one of the guarenteed to run at CPU's as 99.9% of Q6600 will reach 3ghz easily

pingwing · 21 Apr 2008 at 15:20

One word Intel

Yes I also own one, but its just better priced, planned and overclocks rather well

Ooo top tip is to get the ordinary Q6600 as they all over clock to at least 3ghz....

steve258 · 21 Apr 2008 at 15:22

Any reason for mATX except that you just want something small?

Would go for the normal Q6600 without the guarantee as all Q6600 G0s can do that speed without a sweat unless you're very very unlucky.

Phenom has closed the performance gap considerably but Q6600 still has the upper hand and clocks better. If you already have AM2 then fair enough get a Phenom but if you're upgrading the platform then Q6600+Decent P35 mobo is a better choice.

Don't know much about hybrid GFX but don't think it's going to make a big difference as 8800GT is very fast already.

OLDPHART · 21 Apr 2008 at 15:24

I also used to be an AMD man, went INTEL l never looked back.

Kearney_1988 · 21 Apr 2008 at 15:33

OLDPHART said:
I also used to be an AMD man, went INTEL l never looked back.

Indeed me too, when i made my current rig i was lookin at AMD but then i read up on here and realised i was very wrong

PhoenixUK · 21 Apr 2008 at 16:10

I guess if you want something small you probably won't be overclocking since this needs decent cooler and airflow in the case. Then the Phenom might be not all that bad.
If you want to OC some then surely go for intel atm. Also i'm not sure about the size of 8800GT but if it's any close to 3870XT I want to see a picture of you trying to fit it in micro ATX o_O.

Stelly · 21 Apr 2008 at 17:11

I would also say intel at the moment, they just have it in the bag

Stelly

ShiWarrior · 21 Apr 2008 at 21:31

Ive had AMD for years and years, but for C2D stuff, Intel takes the lead on that front. so i went Intel

if your buying this year, get an Intel system

Happy · 21 Apr 2008 at 22:12

Kearney_1988 said:
Intel is really kicking AMD at the moment

I think that you would be suprised by how much closer it is now with B3 revision of the Phenom out, in the quad market that it.

[AR]^Bender^ · 22 Apr 2008 at 10:59

Well, many thanks for the advice. I have gone with the Intel Q6600 G0 and the Asus P5K-VM.

My system therefore stands at the following:

Antec Fusion HTPC Case, Asus P5K-VM (mATX), Intel Q6600 G0, 4GB Ballistix 8500, BFG 8800 GT 512MB, 600W PSU, WD Raptor 150GB, WD 750GB and a 22" LCD. OS is Vista Ultimate.

I'd say a nice little media setup there and enough power for the odd game now and then.

One last thing, I know these new/getting old 8800's are thirsty for power. Having the original PSU in the case the 430W. I found the GFX worked fine in windows, but as soon as gaming started, bang, either back to desktop, froze and even a few times, loaded, but god did it hurt my eyes. It was like looking at a TV not tuned in correctly.

So my question is how hungry are the Q6600 and is a 600W enough to run it along side the 8800 GT, clocked?

Cheers.

steve258 · 22 Apr 2008 at 12:02

Depends what brand 600W?

As long as you stick with quality brands (corsair, seasonic, enermax, antec, tagan) you'll be fine.

[AR]^Bender^ · 23 Apr 2008 at 11:46

Well, tested and ran HF2 and TF2, getting 90-120fps, everything on full @ 1680x1050, all clocked nicely. Well, I can say, no issues yet and all running smooth.

CPU is topping 48'C, will see how it scores in 3dMark, and post results.