AMD Quad Core or Intel Duel Core??? ?

Question

This question has been tugging on the very tapestry of my gaming soul!!!

I'm torn between two choices...

1.)get an comp with AMD quad Core 9600, OR

2.)get a comp with Intel Duel Core 1.6 GHz

***the two options cost about the same***

I'm also wondering why Intel processors are SO much more expensive than their AMD counterparts...

And Finally my last question...If I'm unhappy with AMD Quad Core can I swap it for a Intel Quad Core when I get my money together???

Answer 1

only good thing about AMD's they are designed to be overclocked, which I don't reccommend

Answer 2

The AMD is going to be faster in this case.

It isn't so much that Intel processors are so expensive, as the AMD processors have a very low price point so that anyone will buy them.

A couple of years ago, AMD had the fastest CPU's (as compared to Intel) but everything changed when Intel came out with the Core2 designed CPU's.  Even when AMD had the faster CPU's, they still had problems getting market-share away from Intel, because Intel had a good solid reputation, and AMD had some very bad problems with their older K6 CPU designs.

Today  both companies make good CPUs, however Intel definitely has the speed advantage with the Core2 design.  

One reason Intel will probably always have the upper-hand in the CPU market (not necessarily the fastest, or best performance for the dollar) is that in my opinion, there are absolutely no motherboard manufacturer's for AMD CPUs that can match the quality and reliability of genuine Intel motheboards.

The problem is that for "other" motherboard manufacturers to compete in the market, they are all trying to offer more features, faster performance, mor slots etc. than the "next guy", but they are having to do this at the "lowest price"  It seems like the very last thing on the minds of the motherboard manufacturer's and chip set designers is bottom-line stability and longevity.

I've been in the business of building/selling compter systems for 15 years and have dabbled in other motherboards, Asus, tyan, foxcon, MSI, etc...   Both with Intel and AMD processors, but always come back to Intel motherboards.  The reliability of the other manufacturers isn't even in the same league as Intel boards...  They aren't even in the same universe.

With Intel based systems, and I'm talking genuine Intel boards, not boards made by another manufacturer that are using "intel chip sets" I typically see 1 motherboard failure over the 4 to 5 year lifespan of a computer for every 75 or so computers sold.  (Excluding lightning, power surges etc.)  With Foxconn, MSI, Asus etc I've seen failure rates closer to 1 in 10.  

Do the Intel boards have the latest and greatest features?  No.  Can you over-clock, NO, More slots than the others?  NO  Faster performance, NO  The 1, single, ONLY advantage Intel has over the other manufacturers is their reliability.  In EVERY other respect the "3rd party" boards will beat out Intel almost every single time... and for less money.

I, however don't care about that last 5% performance gain...  All that performance is "made up for" by a single failure.  When I put a comptuer system together, I expect it to run, run in a stable fashion, and the next time I want to have to work on the system is when I'm transferring the data off of it to move to a new computer many years down the road.  (Unfortunately EVERY hard drive manufacturer has the "more for less" mentality, and NOBODY is making a GOOD RELIABLE hard drive at this time... So there is always a failure point for any system.)

The only time I want my computer rebooting is when I tell it to, and on my desktop/server that usually comes around every year or two. (Currently up over 400 days)  At all other times I just expect it to run.  I don't want cheap fans cooling those "ultra high-performance" chipsets having their bearings dying, I don't want even the slightest instability from over-clocking, One untimely reboot will more than make up for all the performance gain.

In your case above, however, I'd go for the AMD system and "hope for the best"... besides nothing in your post said anything about the intel system using a genuine Intel Motherboard.

Answer 3

AMD. Intel 1.6Ghz is going to bottleneck your video card and game FPS because it's not fast enough to work with the video card.

and If you do decide to change it, your going to have to change the motherboard and the CPU.  

Answer 4

AMD Quad Core (4 CPU Cores) will be faster than the Intel Dual Core (2 CPU Cores).

Intel is considered a higher brand name, such as Nike over U.S. Polo.

If you are unhappy with your AMD Quad Core, you'll most likely be needing to upgrade your video card for better graphic performance. The Intel Dual Core would be a downgrade.

Answer 5

Get AMD it is much better, You probably could  swap if you have the receipt of your purchase

Answer 6

if you're a hard-core gamer ...AMD ... if you're more an internet surfer who listens to music and sends emails and chats Intel

There are precious few applications that can take advantage of quad-core technology so a good solid dual core is plenty

No you can't change processors they need a certain type of motherboard and are not interchangeable

Answer 7

I would recommend a new choice- go with Intel Core 2 Quad or Core 2 Extreme if are an extreme gamer. Trust me, they're worth the price. I have a Core 2 quad 9300 and it has worked wonders for me.