AMD- no longer

[alpha_03]

Well after much time and research- I have decided my new build, as follows:

Intel i7 920 - 269.00
MSI x58Plat. SLi - 150.00
Gskill DDR3 1600, 6gb - 140.00
EVGA GTX 280 - 250.00

Total - 815.00

When this system is over clocked to 3.8Ghz on air (easy), it will run anything out there and all for under $1000.00

This out performs ANY AMD system by nearly 3 fold, which to my suprize, and disapointment (dismay?) , AMD is doing nothing about.

Unless of course you purchase one of thier Top of the line Opterons for 1200.00, and even then you still dont get the same performance as the i7 / x58 technologies.

What gives with AMD?

BTW, I really wanted to go Phenom 2, but when you consider the performance to cost ratio, the Phenom set up is nearly three times slower then the above set up, not to mention only 166.00 less money. I personally do not see that as a "bargin".

[nsx29]

I recently did the same thing.

I built a few AM2 last year but ran into many teething issues with Nvidia Chipsets. Random hard freezes. I solved the freeze by getting another board but this time data corruptions. Then, I had to find a harddrive that plays along with the board.

I need to do work on my machine and my primary system is getting pretty underpowered (A64 3000+ and Nforce4). I got fed up and got Intel Q6600 and Asus P5Q P45 board. Sometimes all these constant problem solving is a waste of time because many AMD parts are pretty raw and untested.

[alpha_03]

Well the worst part for me is that I believe in AMD, but, I can not justify spending only 166 bucks less for nearly 3 times less performance- it is not future proof at all, and ecconomically, it would be unsound to build ANY present AMD based system.

This really troubles me, why? Because, it doesnt bold well for the future of the PC based end user- it will again lead to Intel dominance, and high prices that are unjustified- simply due to a monopoly strangle hold on the PC world via Intel dominance due to lack of competition.

Such a shame, I really miss the AMD hey days.

Surely AMD can do better. Perhaps AMD should concentrate on building CPU's - not video cards, maybe then they would have better CPU's.

[highoctane]

I think you'll enjoy that rig, if I'm not mistaken you can flash that board with the Platinum SLI bios as well but I never tested that myself.

As for AMD, yeah it was a blast riding on AMD's rise to best in class performance with K8 kicking butt. Phenom2 is a solid performer and for a non hardcore performance junkie its really a good value, its really what Phenom needed to be when it launched.

At any rate i7 kicks serious arse no doubt about it!!

[alpha_03]

yea, seriously- i7 920 3rd fastest desk top cpu available- which easily goes far beyond i7 965 (no. 1 at the moment.) speed for 260 bucks- it's a no brainer when compared to what AMD is offering- it really makes me sad for AMD.

BTW, look at the performance "gains" between 940 and 9950BE, how can anyone call that an upgrade?

[GetReal720]

May I ask where in the world you got that X58 MSI plat for $150?

Its on the egg right now for $225

The i7 920 is $295 (also on the egg)

G Skill ram you have listed is $160

and the cheapest GTX 280 is $285 AFTER MIR...

Where are you shoppin bud... I gotta get away from newegg and onto where ever it is your buyin stuff!

EDIT: buyin this stuff from newegg is goana cost me $150 more then where you got it from

[Gator650]

I'm also curious how you determined that the Intel setup is 3X faster than an AMD setup you priced out.

[mr_raider]

Well after much time and research- I have decided my new build, as follows:

Intel i7 920 - 269.00
MSI x58Plat. SLi - 150.00
Gskill DDR3 1600, 6gb - 140.00
EVGA GTX 280 - 250.00

Total - 815.00

You can get Phenom II 940, 790g board and 4 gigs of ddr2 for 400$. That's 650$ with the GPU you quoted.

I leave it to you to decide if the 165$ premium is worth the performance advantage.

[alpha_03]

as to the prices I listed- try ebay my friends- and use more than the common search words.

I just bought four 2 gb sticks of super talent pc 1333 memory for 68 bucks NIP- ebay

as for the CPU- even the egg has it for 269.00- you can get it for less on ebay as I did- Mine has not arrived yet.

the MB came from ebay NIP

The video cards were used in a review- I got mine for 235+15 shipping

BTW, the egg has 260's right now for less then 220.00 comes with a game as well. they also have the new raptors for 144.00 each.

need to look close for good deals, using the above that margin is now only 65.00

hope this helps

[Cereal_Killah]

Not that doubt the i7 setup is faster, but how did you arrive at 3x faster than the AMD setup figure?

[RatboyX]

Well to be honest both are excellent systems.

But for me I’ll make an AMD system and save the 150 to 200 bucks.

I wont be able to tell the difference between 60 FPS in a game I’m running and the 65 I MIGHT get with the faster CPU. I’d be willing to bet that most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference either.

Take the two systems discussed here load them with the same software and let someone blind test them. Then see if they can tell which one is which. I’m guessing that in most everyday applications people wouldn’t be able to tell you which was which.

As for future proof, I’ve come to doubt that any PC is “Future Proof”. That being said, the conventional wisdom, if money is no object and you want to keep your PC for a LONG time, is to buy the cutting edge.

Aside from that, as you point out , buying AMD helps keep prices down in the market. If I can keep competition alive between Intel and AMD and still have a system that meets all my needs, all the while saving a few hundred bucks then that’s what I will do.

And while I will acknowledge the Intel CPU is faster, I too would like to know how you come up with a “3x faster” figure for the two systems

[alpha_03]

Please- don't be AMD fan boyz w/o first realizing how vastly superior a chip the i7 is vrs. the present Phenom line up- even when cost vrs. performance is considered.

It is nearly 2 to 3 times faster then the Phenom in everything besides graphics, when you go sli- then you see it truely shine. This is not core 775 boys, please, read up on core i7 you will see why I am going this route. It's basically, a Phenom on massive steroids with a better memory controller, and- better chip set implementation(s).

5 frames? come on, seriously.

In 6 to 10 mos. when the new ati and nvidia cards come out- your present Phenom will bottle neck your system, all the while the i7 will just increase in fps- do you even know why this is? Or, on the flip side- you try to sli/crossfire with the modern games that are up and comming, in a year or two, that will use the CPU far more, with the present grapics cards available and you cant understand why your frame rates suck? Think about it. Please. This is what is called future proofing- at least two to three years.

Game devolopers now have a new platform to build upon- and belive me, they will.

Mind you, I am no newbie to system building- check my history here, I simply have been out of the loop for a while, and BTW, I can still ride the proverbial bike- so to speak.

FYI NIB Gigabyte sli x58 on ebay right now 132 bucks BIN- 4 available.

BTW, the egg has the MSI board- open box for 150.00

[BlackDragon24]

I think you'll be happy with that setup alpha.

2 things I can recommend, having built 2 core i7 systems myself:

1) Make sure you have a beefy power supply
2) Make sure you have a VERY GOOD cpu cooler. These baby's get HOT!

And yes, both core i7 systems have overclocked to 3.8ghz easily. Its when you try for 4.0 ghz when the really good chips shine thru.

[alpha_03]

Thanks BD, could you post some video scores for these guys since they refuse to do the homework which proves what I state. Mucho Gracis.

FYI- rat you stated:

I don’t think anyone here is being a “Fan Boy” as everyone has acknowledged that the Intel Chip is faster. What several of us have done is ask you how you come about the 3 x faster claim which I now see you revise to be “two to three time” faster.

Where did you ever read that I said 3 times faster? Just a question- does nearly 3 times faster actually mean 3 times faster? Or, doeas it mean just that - nearly three times faster?

And before you attack me, which is ok, do me a favor, head over to the Asus forms and have a look and my write ups regarding the Asus/XP line-up and DDR memory. Believe me- I will not state something I do not know to be true.

I was getting 3.4 gigs on a 2500, long before most here knew how to do it. What do you think I will do with this i7 chip?

I promise you 4.5gigs or better with in a month of owning it- most likely- on AIR.

And BTW, see the above? It's only at 2.67 gigs- imagine that doubled using the same CPU - as read from R to L see the over clock?.

[alpha_03]

BD, will a BFG 1000 watt be sufficient? It's what I presently have. But I will be SLI with 280's?

My concern- yep- heat, but just like the early XP's they were hot bastards too- I ran my 1700/2500 like that (46 to 52c for two years w/o problems- lapped copper-air cooled).

That said, I have read about x58 audio problems when high over clocks are achived- true?