Hi all, am looking to build/buy a new computer in the not too distant future, and am slightly confused about all of the different processors. I would be looking to use the computer for media and gaming.

I just basically want to know what the differences are between like an Intel Core2Duo, an Intel P4 and an AMD Ahtlon64x2. It looks as though the Intel PSUs have the higher GHz rating, but a friend of mine said that the AMD 64x2 was actually much better because it was cooler and both of the cores spoke directly to each other, rather than talking through the motherboard which apparently the Intel ones do. (Have seen a couple of people talking about the temperature of their CPU, is this important other than the obvious reason that it might melt?)

I would be wanting to use this to run a copy of Vista on, money not really an object as I would like it to be able to cope for as long as possible.

If you could help out a complete newbie, then it would be much appreciated. Thanks

hi know what you mean pc tech moves so quick but anyway i will try to help.

If you are building the pc for gaming then of those you mentioned you really only have 2 real options.

Amd athlon 64 5000 (if money isn't an issue) Although as was pointed out to me amd have dropped prices alot on these chips since core2duo was released.

Intel core 2 duo, the model E6600 seems to be the best value for money at the moment as the next model e6700 is a couple hundred dearer for not alot of gain.

Amd did for quite a while wipe the floor with intel as your friend has informed you. However with the introduction of the core2 duo intel has a cpu that out performs the mentioned amd chip. Intel do tend to run hotter but with sufficent cooling that shouldn't be an issue.

Sorry i haven't been able to go into more detail, still learning myself but i thought id tell you what i have learned up to now.
There seems to be alot of users on this forum that really know their stuff so im sure someone will go into more detail if required.

Anyway good luck with the new build

To be honest, it would be a huge reply if i was to go into the different architectures of the cpu's you've mentioned. But quick points below.

P4's ran on the old netburst architecture, with long, 16 stage i believe, pipelines. Not so good for gaming, good at dvd encoding, run hot. The chip for the 'gigahertz' wars.

The core2's have the origins in the old p2 and p3 chips, and have much fewer pipeline stages (12 i believe). Run much cooler.

I'm not so much on the AMD series of cpu's (one of the moderators, Syphus, knows his stuff, have a word with him) but what i can tell you is bang for buck a core2 will wipe the floor with any other chip out there at the mo, except for the very expensive intel Xeon series.

Buying:
Gives you the advantage of a warranty and customer support but in my experience with the big builders (Dell, Mesh etc) the warranty and so-called support isnt very good, plus you'll be paying more in the purchase price for the warranty. If you do ever need to ring it'll more than likely be on a pound-a-minute line.

On most vendor sites you get to spec the speed/capacity etc of the components but not the specific components you may want. And even on those you can spec the components you'll be tied to items they carry, these items won't always be on your shortlist.

Building:
I'm a great advocate of learning and as a home-builder i can tell you theres no better experience from a pc learning point of view than doing it yourself. Its just a question of reading up and asking questions, and the whole point of forums like this one is sharing knowledge. Also, pretty much all the components/cables/fans etc will only attach/fit one way, so you really can't go wrong, but i must emphasise its the one time you should read up prior to purchase and the one time you should read the instructions.

Its also a tremendous experience when the build is all said and done knowing you did it all yourself

Any problems you may experience, i can almost guarantee you, will have been covered somewhere on some forum.

You do still get a warranty but in this case it would be on the individual components. Your warranty would be with the vendor under the sales of good act.

Of course, any overclocking you'd do would void most if not all warranties if anything went wrong, but this would be the same on a pre-built pc.


As you don't mention water cooling i've specced an air cooled rig below based upon your "money no object" comment:

Core2 X6800 cpu -615.00
LianLi V2100 case -205.00
4gb corsair dominator 10000c5* -800.00
2x WD Raptor 150gb NCQ hdd's (raid 0)** - 300.00
Seagate 750gb hdd*** - 230.00
Evga 122cknf68 680i motherboard -170.00
2x Asus 768mb 8800gtx graphics card (in SLI) -760.00
Vista Ultimate -320.00
2x Pioneer dvd111bk dvd-rw -45.00
Enermax Galaxy 1000 psu - 220.00
Creative x-fi extreme gamer fatality soundcard - 100.00
Logitech z-5500 5.1 speakers - 220.00
Samsung syncmaster 244t tft monitor -800.00

*Guaranteed to run at 1250mhz
**for Windows and games. I wouldn't normally advocate raid 0 because if one drive fails then you've lost all your data on them, also the performance increase of it is hardly worth the effort or risk, but two raptors in raid 0 offer tremendous performance.
*** Storage drive

Also include:
Arctic silver 5 thermal paste -5.00
Arctic cooling Freezer 7 cpu hsf -12.00
Mcubed Big NG fan controller -45.00
3x Zalman heatpipe hdd cooler - 81.00
Corsair dominator ram fan cooler -11.00
OR
Spotcool ram cooler - 8.00

Prices are all +/- minus as they're site-dependent and prices fluctuate anyway, especially ram.

One last thing if you decide to build, DO NOT scrimp on the psu, people often overlook the importance of a psu as its not one of the 'exciting' components. But a good, stable, efficient psu is an absolute must to a good system for various reasons. The 'ATX' measure gives minimum voltages for certain components with regards to a psu's voltage rails. Also, if a psu isn't running near its rated output then you run the risk of your system shutting down. Lastly, the efficiency rating is also important, most manufacturers quote 85% efficiency, whilst some of this is marketing, the Galaxy (quoted above) has shown to give between 82 and 85% efficiency, but be prepared for big electricity bills. Think about it, if a 1000w psu is running at peak at an efficiency of 85% then it'll be drawing 1150watts from the mains to achieve that percentage.


Heres some sites to have a look at:

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

ebuyer.com - the UK's largest independent online retailer of computers, components, electronics, MP3 Players,cameras, televisions, DVD Players, car audio, software and more...

Coming Soon

BEAST Computers, Gaming PCs with Bite!

Vadim Computers : Custom Built PCs

Komplett.co.uk

Quiet PC UK - Quiet Computer Hardware for a Quiet PC

computer components pc systems, parts & peripherals aria

Tekheads.co.uk

dabs.com - PC Hardware, Components, Software, Digital Cameras, MP3 Players

I've only quoted sites that i've personal experience of, and can testify to they're being rather good. But theres a zillion sites out there.

Hope this helps.

Stat

I would say go for a Intel Chip. If you look at benchmark tests Intel are leading against AMD at the moment. As mentioned the E6600 is quite good value for money offering a good clock rate or go for a Q6000 quad core for better performance but really it depends on your budget and how good you want to make your PC.


All The Best CYBER

I think he's built it by now - look at the date on the thread!

Oh Dear!