Processors

[Iambjm]

Well, after much thought and research I decided I would benefit more from a desktop than a laptop. My question is, what is the difference between an Intel and an AMD processor? Is one better than another?

[JollyT]

Not much true difference other than the hype. Intel is the big boy, the guys who started it all. AMD is the underdog. Over the years they have swapped the lead in performance between each other a couple of times.

Right now, and into the foreseeable future Intel has the performance edge with i5, i7, 19. AMD still has the price point advantage from the middle speed chips on down.

To be truthful, it doesn't matter that much, unless you are planning on doing high end gaming, video editing, serious photoshop work, or real time sound editing; almost any chip except the lowest end will do.

Just get at least 4 GB of RAM, a huge HDD or two (1 TB HDD are around $100), and as much graphics card as you can afford.

The graphics card is generally the bottleneck for gaming, nothing else stresses them not even HDTV.

Also make sure you get a good quality power supply unit (PSU). More PCs are killed by cheap PSUs dying and taking motherboards and other components with them. That is not a place to scrimp.

[lotsofish]

One of the great debates of the internet - Intel vs AMD

Both make 64-bit processors, and both use quad-core processors in their high end chips and dual (or triple) core processors in their mid range chips.

Other than just number of cores and processor speed, the other main thing that determines how fast it will be is the amount of on-chip memory - L1 and L2 cache. This is very fast memory so the more you have, the less the processor has to go out to the slower system memory.

Intel recently came out with their line of I7 high end and I5 mid range chips, and right now performance wise, they are probably slightly better than AMD. I have always preferred AMD chips, because they are usually a little lower priced and work just as well so you get a better value. You can't really go wrong either way...

[upnorth]

I am running an AMD on my home latop and it performs great. It is fast and stacks well to Intel. Intel is the 800# gorilla of the process market, but I wouldn't be afraid to buy another myself.

[Nick Kuhn]

Depends on what you're willing to spend. The desirable Intel products (i5 and i7 line) are definitely faster than anything AMD can offer. The cheapest i5 comes in at $200, so AMD is limited to competing in the sub-$200 market where their offerings are actually better than what Intel has to offer there.

So if you are comparing an Athlon 2 machine to a Q or E series Intel machine, opt for the Athlon 2. If you are comparing an Athlon 2 machine to an i series Intel machine, opt for the Intel machine (assuming price is comparable).