AMD or Intel?

[Kilamon]

So, I'm looking to upgrade a couple home computers. I've always gone intel since AMD (in the old days) used to have compatibilty issues. What I'm wondering is...

Is there any reason to go one way or the other towards a CPU on a new modern system?

Keep in mind I'm doing CAD, Gaming and general use (internet, email etc).

 

[Rob Williams]

If you plan on doing a lot of gaming, I would go with AMD.

AMD is better for CAD in some instances, especially for 3D, but is slower in 2D. Intel however, is not as good for gaming and 3D in CAD, but is better than AMD in 2D.

So in reality, they both kind of even themselves out. But since you mentioned gaming, I would go with that. If I was to build a pure workstation-only system, I would likely go P4-EE, but I recommend you check out an AMD64 3500+.

 

[Tech-Daddy]

The old days of the K5 on the Socket7 and the SuperSocket7 are way, way gone...

You will not be upset when you save your self several hundred dollars by setting up an AMD64 based system. As good or better performance almost completely across the board.

Take the money you saved on the CPU/mobo/ram and get yourself a better video card, or more drive space... or hell! Just pocket it and be the wise one!

But trust me on this... The AMD64 will do everything you want it to do, at a blindingly fast pace, and will do it for less $$$ than comparable Intel based products.

I have become a HUGE fan of AMD since they released their original Athlon on the SlotA. HAve not looked back since.

 

[Mike Delorme]

Hell I have never owned a Intel. My first cuputer was one of those K5 at like 400Mhz...

 

[Kilamon]

Hell I have never owned a Intel. My first cuputer was one of those K5 at like 400Mhz...

My first computer was a 386/25. I was smokin. It had 4 megs of ram and a 30 gig mfm hard drive with a USR Courier v.hst modem and a VGA Card. I never actually owned a 486 as I stayed on the 386 and went straight to the pentium 90 which I still have as a nt4 file/print server, though I have mostly decommisioned it since I moved in August and now have a pII with w2k advanced server doing that role with a wireless connection. The terminal services make it easy to admin and it only has the power and the printer cables plugged in to it making it very easy in the closet. I'll probably put the scsi card in next week and see about attaching my old scanner so I can centralize that device as well before I see to making it serve as a fax machine too.

My current PC is a p4/1.7 with 512mb of 800 mhz rdram and a gforce3 sitting on an intel D845GB Motherboard. It's not cutting it any more in my EverQuest raids. My framerate goes from about 40-50 when I'm all alone to <8 fps with the raid present (50-80+ people). Most of that has to do with video power because every single person has their armor equipped and it all has to be rendered. I can't play with particle effects or dual layered sky or any of the nice things I'd love to have. When I bought the parts and made this one, it was close to the bleeding edge and rdram was all the rage. Naturally, 3 months later, intel went to a different memory standard.

So, yeah. AMD or Intel.... *shrug* I've been Intel since my dad bought a 286. Guess it's time for a change, huh?

 

[Rob Williams]

Ahh, the classic 386/25. I had one of those, worked great! I had a Commadore 64, but my first real computer that I actually used intently was a 286 (I don't remember anything else).

Monochrome monitor was wicked! I remember playing a 3D RPG game (Prolly one of the first), and since there was no color, everything was shaded :/

Good stuff.

 

[Kilamon]

My 286 had one of those cards that let me switch to an apple ][e mode so I could play Zaxxon on my brown monochrome display. My Commodore 128 sat nearby as well as my original radio shack pong. Ah, the memories.

Remember dungeon hack?