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Intel or AMD? Which of these do you perfer and why?
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franklin97355
Technical User
You need to decide what you plan to do with your computer and then what features you need. Find a motherboard that will do what you want and then think about the processor. What you are asking is more like "What engine should I buy the aluminum one or the one made from a steel billet?"
You just asked a loaded question whether you intended to or not...
The are a few clear differences between the two processors:
The P4 is far better at chunking through data, such as data archiving, mp3 ripping, video encoding, etc. The Athlon is better at decision making software, such as office and business applications. Advantage: your choice
With gaming software, there are games that favor AMD (i.e. Unreal) and other games that favor intel (i.e. Quake). I would say it is hard to determine who wins out here. Advantage: neither
intel is a better manufacturer of performance chipsets than AMD, nVidia, VIA, SiS, or ALi. VIA and nVidia have come a long way to making chipsets that are as reliable as intel, but the performance is just not on par. Advantage: intel
There is no questioning the top of the P4 line blows away the top of the Athlon line, but for the mainstream market, AMD does, and alway did, offer better performance / dollar ratio and that is why I haven't used an intel processor since my i486DX-50.
The are a few clear differences between the two processors:
The P4 is far better at chunking through data, such as data archiving, mp3 ripping, video encoding, etc. The Athlon is better at decision making software, such as office and business applications. Advantage: your choice
With gaming software, there are games that favor AMD (i.e. Unreal) and other games that favor intel (i.e. Quake). I would say it is hard to determine who wins out here. Advantage: neither
intel is a better manufacturer of performance chipsets than AMD, nVidia, VIA, SiS, or ALi. VIA and nVidia have come a long way to making chipsets that are as reliable as intel, but the performance is just not on par. Advantage: intel
There is no questioning the top of the P4 line blows away the top of the Athlon line, but for the mainstream market, AMD does, and alway did, offer better performance / dollar ratio and that is why I haven't used an intel processor since my i486DX-50.
It's like anything you buy, you have a rough idea of what you can afford and are willing to spend, so you go out and get the best car / washing machine / holiday /sweeping brush or can opener for your money.
If you want the ultimate, then there is no dought that a high end P4 Hyperthreading with 800fsb paired with a 875/865 Intel platform is the way to go, but at a price.
But if money does come into the equation, price against performance AMD XP CPU's based on Nvidia's Nforce2 platform offer far better value at CPU speeds below 2.7ghz.
Martin
Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.
If you want the ultimate, then there is no dought that a high end P4 Hyperthreading with 800fsb paired with a 875/865 Intel platform is the way to go, but at a price.
But if money does come into the equation, price against performance AMD XP CPU's based on Nvidia's Nforce2 platform offer far better value at CPU speeds below 2.7ghz.
Martin
Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.
I agree with the other posts here.
In the end there are 2 questions you need to answer for yourself:
(1) What do I want to use it for most?
(2) How much money do I have to spend?
Once you have answers for those two questions then I think you are in a solid position to decide what it is you need to buy.
dakota81 pretty much spelled it out in his post about the performance vs price differential.
I personally favor AMD because I always like supporting the underdog so that there is competition. Competition tends to drive innovation and will generally offer us better pricing schemas. And also because I have been satisfied with the money I have spent over the years and the performance I have gotten out of my AMD chips, even if I know that deep down the best Intel beats the pants off the best AMD when it comes to gaming (which I do a lot of), but I don't think too many would argue that you do in fact pay for that performance differential.
I look for exciting things to come from the VIA and Nvidia chipsets in the future to close the gap, at least I hope so!
Cheers!
I prefer Intel, but that is only because I was burned by AMD a few years back and I haven't gotten the sour taste out of my mouth.
There once was an issue with Win2K, AMD, and a GeForce2 video card (some said all AGP cards). It would cause your system to reboot every once in a while.
That annoyed me to no end and caused me to upgrade to a P4. I will probably never go back.
There once was an issue with Win2K, AMD, and a GeForce2 video card (some said all AGP cards). It would cause your system to reboot every once in a while.
That annoyed me to no end and caused me to upgrade to a P4. I will probably never go back.
AMD is a good deal even for processors in the 1.7 - 2.4 Gig Range. You could easily save $30 - $200.00 on the price of the processor. I think Asus A7N8X (Ver 2) DDR 400 motherboard with the NForce2 Chipset, AMD Processors, and Win XP is the way to go.
However, if you are buying commercial, you might be better off going with a Intel OEM Manufacturer like DELL.
If you are willing to pay just a little more for quality, the Asus P4P800 (800/533/400) motherboard with a Intel 2.4C Gig 800 Mhz processor is a rock solid combination. The XP2800+ CPU is just a litte faster, but it looks about equal in the benchmarks.
If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.
However, if you are buying commercial, you might be better off going with a Intel OEM Manufacturer like DELL.
If you are willing to pay just a little more for quality, the Asus P4P800 (800/533/400) motherboard with a Intel 2.4C Gig 800 Mhz processor is a rock solid combination. The XP2800+ CPU is just a litte faster, but it looks about equal in the benchmarks.
If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.
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