AMD or intel processor for around $140?

Question

what processor has the best performance for basic word processing and surfing the net, nothing fancy, just want a fast computer at basic tasks. What ram should i get as well. thanks.

Answer 1

go with AMD, AMD 5000+ is around $80 and it packs a punch

Answer 2

make sure that your motherboard will support what ever CPU you pick but the 6000+ dual core is a great CPU...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

Answer 3

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=...

I missed your price by 15$ but this box got an OS and everything else you need plenty of power to surf/office and lots easier than building one,or replacing MoBo/CPU

Answer 4

When I'm in the market for a new PC, I usually start by going to a website with a tech savvy crowd, like Sharky Extreme or Tom's Hardware.  Now, I know you don't want anything fancy and you're on a budget, so here are some suggestions to get you started.

Intel is currently leading the chip wars, plain and simple.  My last PC was AMD based, but I had to switch when I did my research a couple of months ago.  Some of the 45nm chips Intel is producing now are a steal.  They are more durable in the long run because they run so much cooler than 65nm and 90nm processors.  They run at lower voltages and they overclock like champs, too.  You probably aren't the type that's interested in that, but keep in mind that when a chip can be pushed far beyond its stock speed, that tells you just how stable it is going to be if you don't mess with it.  You don't really mention, but how long do you want this computer to last?

I think your best bet and most future-proof solution would be:

Core 2 Duo E7200 2.53GHz/1066 LGA775 ($120 at Newegg)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

For Vista, I would suggest 4GB (2x2GB kit).  Any major brand should be fine as long as they stand behind their product with a decent warranty and good tech support.  I bought OCZ and they have several to choose from that will only cost about $60 after mail in rebate.

One word on the rebates, though.  Read the directions very carefully and mail them in right away before you forget.  They are strict with deadlines.  Still, for $60 or less for 4GB...how can you pass that up?  See for yourself:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

As others have mentioned, make sure your CPU and RAM choices are compatible with your motherboard if this is not being built from scratch.  You must use an LGA775 chipset motherboard for my recommendations.  This is a pretty good basic board for $85 and comes with a free 2GB USB flash drive:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

Good luck!

Answer 5

If you are just going to surf the net and word processing than you would be okay with probably a 2.0 Ghz AMD Athlon and up maybe the Athlon 54 X2 4600+ or 4200 they are only around 50-60$, and if you are going to have windows vista I would suggest 2 GB of RAM.

Answer 6

for basic things a single core amd 2.0 and 1gb memory

Answer 7

get intel and get any ram its all so cheap now

Answer 8

i would say get a cheap pc with INTEL PENTIUM and it will be fine