What sort of product can we make using the same parameters as the last build, except for one caveat: we’re using an AMD chipset instead of Intel. What will we end up with in terms of performance? How will it compare to the Intel build from a few days ago? Parts that aren’t chipset specific will stay the same, such as case, RAM sticks, and power supply unit.
The first step of this process was to find CPU benchmark scores to determine which processor I’m going to choose. Here’s a spoiler, and I’ll discuss the implications in more depth later, but according to this site, the top 20 computer systems are all Intel processors. In this long debate between AMD and Intel, keep this piece of information in mind
Here’s an interesting point: PCpartpicker makes their own PC lists. This is the $1000 rig they’ve created and titled “Great Gaming build.” I like this PC, but I like my Intel build from earlier this week, obviously. In the past few days as I’ve been researching for this article, I decided that if I did buy the Intel build I originally made, I would spend about $200 more or so, and get a better video card. I created the build with easy upgrading down the road, but what’s the difference between dropping $1000 and $1200 really? If you shop around and wait to buy everything on sale, you can still make this build for under $1000. Don’t get me wrong, I like the card that I originally picked. For the price, it does a great job and passes many benchmarks for graphics and processing. I’m just including what I would do if it were really my money. Here’s the card I would get instead.
Here’s my $1000 AMD build:
AMD FX 9370 Vishera 8 Core 4.4 Ghz $219.99
Sapphire Dual-X Radeon R9 280 3GB $199.99
Gigabyte GA 990FXA-UD3 Mobo $129.99
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo $34.99 The AMD FX 9370 doesn’t come with heatsinks or fans, so I needed to add some additional cooling. I like this combo, and it’s a fair price. I’d probably add it to the Intel build.
NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) $49.99
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 RPM 64 MB cache $79.99
Samsung SSD 850 Evo series 250 GB $149.99
G. Skill Ares 16 GB DDR3 1866 $129.99
Corsair CSM 750W Gold+ $119.99
Total is $1,114.91. We definitely went over, but I’m not going to go back to change anything over $100.
I’ve been using this site to rate the PC builds. It uses consumer reviews based on each component that enter. They don’t have exactly every one of the parts from my lists, but I’ve tried to find the equivalent. Obviously this is a subjective test, but I take reviews pretty seriously and they have a big impact in how I decide which parts to include.
Here are the results from the Intel build:
And here’s the Intel build with the upgraded video card:
So people like their Intel components better than AMD. The performance seems better in the AMD build, but I know that the Intel works great for gaming and will leave you satisfied for longer. I’d go straight to the 4GB video card and save yourself spending cash in a year or two. At the end of the day, it comes down to preference. Are you building a gaming system and trying to stay under $500? Do you have some more cash to spend, and want to create the best PC that you can? Do you want to invest everything into the video card, but have potential bottlenecks in the rest of your system, or spread your cash out evenly and spend less money over time on parts? This is why building your own PC is the preferred experience. You make the machine that best suits you. In four or five years when I’m ready to build a new PC, I probably won’t even look at this list I made. Everything will be upgraded to new generations and components will be cheaper. So if you’re going to build a PC, here’s my advice: do your research, create a goal for your build to accomplish, set a realistic budget and expect to spend time shopping around and finding good deals, and finally, do more research before you commit to anything.
I’m including some of the websites and articles I found that compare and contrast AMD and Intel. If you can’t decide what’s best for you, I recommend looking through these links. The last two links are about video cards that compare Nvidia vs. AMD performance, and provide a breakdown of price and video card for each manufacturer. Hopefully you find some needed information, or just find it entertaining to read a little about computer processing history.
Techradar's comparison of processors.
PCadvisor goes looks into the history of each company and how they emerged as the leaders of the processing world.
Digital Trends analyzes the two companies based on price point.
Let's talk about video card comparisons. Here PC Gamer compares some of the highest performing video cards made by AMD and Nvidia.
And finally, Techspot shows which AMD or Nvidia video card is available for every budget.
