AMD vs Intel - or - How I got my first build (+little what's what on PC parts)

[QwarkDreams]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Yeah, I think that Ripjaws Red is OK (a good choice), CL9 by 1.5v (= no need to do anything in bios) ....

G.Skill Ripjaws Red 1600 . G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL - Newegg.com

Regarding BIOS: I was kinda afraid of having to work with it (my grandpa always said I have to be very careful when I do anything with BIOS) but I completely missed the new one - UEFI. According to my cousin you can now even use the mouse and it's supposed to be much more user-friendly.

If you guys are interested I can list all the prices for the parts (what I actually paid, because I didn't pick the cheapest parts listed in Geizhals.at).

 

[Keith Wallace]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Sure, it'd be interesting to see the rundown.

I'd say that the build should last you through 2014, and maybe 2015, without much issue. You might jump from the 260X to the 280X when the next line of cards is coming out, if they go on clearance or something. The CPU, I'd say go to the Haswell Refresh i5 as the next upgrade AFTER the GPU. The only way I'd recommend differently is if you had the money to go to Skylake (I think that's the 2015 release), and you wanted to go to DDR4 memory (which will probably be too expensive).

For the next 2 years, I like the build.

 

[QwarkDreams]

Re: AMD vs Intel

I'll post the prices when I get home (in a few hours).

I think DDR4 will likely need a new mainboard (if the pins have a different position, like it was with the switch from DDR2 to DDR3). But CPU and GPU are the things that will most likely need to be upgraded/updated.

 

[Keith Wallace]

Re: AMD vs Intel

If you'd be willing to overclock your i5, I'd say return that current board for a Z87 one, because you can't overclock on H87. If not, keep that one and go with a non-K Haswell Refresh i5. Maybe Broadwell will be on the same chipset, but no promises.

 

[QwarkDreams]

Re: AMD vs Intel

I just started dealing with this topic (RAM not only being different in amount of GB and stuff), so I don't think I'm ready for over clocking.

 

[Jarip]

Re: AMD vs Intel

I just started dealing with this topic (RAM not only being different in amount of GB and stuff), so I don't think I'm ready for over clocking.

About bios, it is different now - you can even update your bios in Windows and yes, you can use mouse too (in bios) and to have multiple profiles ... well, you will find it out later if you have any reason to go there ...

H87M Pro4 bios page: ASRock > H87M

I think that it will take a long time before you have to upgrade your computer and then, there is already new components available (better GPUs and CPUs) ... yeah, I believe that Intel has a lot of room to increase speed of Haswell i5 and i7 (because temps are very low) ...

 

[QwarkDreams]

Re: AMD vs Intel

I just hope that Intel doesn't change the socket or stops supporting the 1150 socket. I'd really hate to get a new motherboard.
Also, I don't really know that to do with 'old' computer parts. I don't think there would be much money in it if I'd sell them. I could build an HTPC but I haven't looked into that topic. I'll keep the current/old one for spare parts for the PC in the living room (same modell; Medion MD8833).

What do you guys do with your old computer parts when you upgrade them?

Edit:
I decided to cancel my order of the Thermaltake PSU since the efficiency doesn't seem good and I wasn't really satisfied with the service at this particular store (placed the order of the XFX GPU and then they told me they couldn't sell it to me for this price). So I'm going to look for a different one with a higher energy efficiency and better 80 PLUS certificate (the Thermaltake only had an 80 PLUS, not even bronze).
I like the orange ones from Cougar, but it's not about the color when it comes to good PSUs xD

---

And here's the list of my system with prices:

[table="width: 500, class: grid, align: left"]
[tr]
[td]Intel i3-4130 2x 3.4GHz[/td]
[td]99.10€[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]ASRock H87 Pro4[/td]
[td]68.84€[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Sapphire Radeon R7 260X OC 2GB GDDR5 lite retail[/td]
[td]117.40€[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]G.Skill RipjawsX DIMM Kit 8GB DDR3-1600MHz CL9-9-9-24[/td]
[td]74.00€[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB, 64MB Cache[/td]
[td]56.90€[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Samsung SSD 840 Evo 120GB[/td]
[td]54.99€[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]-cancelled order-[/td]
[td]---€[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Corsair Graphite Series 23T orange with window[/td]
[td]69.90€[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Windows 8.1 64bit Home Premium OEM[/td]
[td]82.60€[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]TOTAL[/td]
[td]623.43€[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

 

[Keith Wallace]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Is there a reason you decided against the Seasonic I suggested? It was 80+ Bronze certified, and Seasonic's right up there with the most-trusted PSU manufacturers/

Also, don't hold out much hope on the boards. The usual thing is that you can go back one generation with your purchases. So, watch for Broadwell. If it's socket 1150, then you should be fine until the successor to Skylake, which would be in 2016. If Broadwell is NOT 1150, then I'd get a Haswell Refresh i5 as soon as I could, because you'd probably see Haswell stop being sold after a Broadwell Refresh or Skylake in 2015.

 

[QwarkDreams]

Re: AMD vs Intel

The Thermaltake Smart 630W has 110W more than the Seasonic and it was only 4€ more. Just wanted to get more "room" for upgrades, so I don't have to buy a new PSU in case my future GPU is a lot more power-hungry. But I'm not sure I want a PSU without at least a 80 Plus Bronze certificate, so I cancelled my order and am now looking for a different one (since I can't get the Seasonic - sold out, despite the status on the homepage :-/ ).

I'm not sure if I can follow you on the second paragraph. What do you mean by "go back one generation"? Do you mean if Skylake requires a new board (with a different socket) that I should get a CPU from the last generation that supported 1150 socket?

 

[Keith Wallace]

Re: AMD vs Intel

I mean if Broadwell is socket 1150, awesome. Your i3 should serve you just fine for 2014, and maybe into 2015 for a bit. By then, Broadwell should be out (end of this year). That would mean you could go to Broadwell without a new motherboard. They usually stock the previous generation for a while (Newegg still carries Ivy Bridge). So, if your i3 is doing fine iinto next year, you could wait until Skylake came out, the Broadwell prices dropped a bit, then buy into Broadwell.

However, if Broadwell isn't socket 1150, you'll have to either get a new board or make sure you get a Haswell i5 before they stop getting stocked.

 

[QwarkDreams]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Ah, okay. Now I understand.

What do you think how many additional case fans I will need? 3x 120mm fans are already installed and there is room for 3 more. Are they enoughor should I get more?

 

[Jarip]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Ah, okay. Now I understand.

What do you think how many additional case fans I will need? 3x 120mm fans are already installed and there is room for 3 more. Are they enoughor should I get more?

1 fan is enough, as you are not overclocking ...

 

[Keith Wallace]

Re: AMD vs Intel

One CAN be enough, but I'm too paranoid to trust it. My old case had one fan, but I took the door off because I didn't think it'd be sufficiently cool. I literally never gamed on that thing, and it would be at 50 degrees in the summer, on most occasions, and that was with the door off. My i5's running at sub-35 degrees in my current case, which has 5 fans.

But as was said, 3 will be more than enough with an i3. If you ever look into overclocking if/when you go to an i5, then you'd want to worry about the quality of cooling from both the case and the CPU cooler (the stock one will be just fine).

There's also this option: Real Temp - CPU temperature monitoring

 

[Jarip]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Just adding for GPU temps: Download TechPowerUp GPU-Z v0.7.7 | techPowerUp

 

[QwarkDreams]

Re: AMD vs Intel

In my current system I have 1 case fan and only the fans that came with the CPU and GPU.
After I started the PC and gave it 2-3min to settle, the temperatures displayed by Speccy weren't that satisfiying. No programs were opened (except for Speccy).

 

[thatotherdude24]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Without reading every single comment here are my thoughts....

AMD offers better price to power ratio but in the benchmarks Intel always wins in high power computing.

My build a year ago has a PentiumG860 in it and I use it as my gaming/media center rig. I went with that CPU because that's what was on sale.

I've never seen a standard user need more power than what AMD offers, usually that's what I buy because it's cheaper. However I have found that my AMD builds run cooler than my Intel computers with the stock cooling hardware.

I don't see any specific needs in your OP but just get what's on sale. Once you install it I doubt you'll ever know the difference.

Sent From My Woven Black and Yellow Moto X

 

[Jarip]

Re: AMD vs Intel

In my current system I have 1 case fan and only the fans that came with the CPU and GPU.
After I started the PC and gave it 2-3min to settle, the temperatures displayed by Speccy weren't that satisfiying. No programs were opened (except for Speccy).

View attachment 59098

It is different now - Q6600 is 65 nm CPU (high temps) and i3-4130 is 22 nm CPU (lower temps, even clearly higher clock speed) ....

 

[QwarkDreams]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Do I have to consider any limitations when it comes to the connections of PSUs?
Like, what excactly connects to the ports?

Example: Corsair CX600 v2

Corsair CX600 Power Supply
Voltage +3.3V +5V +12V -12V +5Vsb
Max. Current 25A 25A 46A 0.8A 3A
Max Combined Wattage 130W 552W 9.6W 15W

What parts of the PC need which Voltage and which connection do they use? (I only know that GPUs need the +12V port and that you have to keep the amperage in mind when buying a new GPU)

 

[Keith Wallace]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Well, I honestly don't know voltages well. However, the various parts have different connectors, so you can't exactly get them mixed up. A fan cable (1x4 pins) will be different from a CPU cable (2x2 pins) will be different from a GPU cable (2x3 or 2x4 pins).

 

[QwarkDreams]

Re: AMD vs Intel

Are there any limitations on how many - lets say - fans I can use with a PSU? Just because the case and the mainboard offer to support a certain number of fans doesn't mean the PSU will too, or does it? Do I need to plan ahead in case I want to upgrade my GPU so I don't have to buy a new PSU too?