Which One Do I Choose?

[darthshearer]

Im Building a new system as mine is DEAD and Pants!

It was an Athlon Based system.

I have always stuck with AMD and was thinking about an Intel this time.

What are your views and what would you reccomend?

Also What GFX card would you reccomend for the £150 - £180 price range?

Cheers

 

[Jonty]

I'm a huge fan of Intel, for one reason or another, but an AMD processor combined with an nForce2 motherboard is probably the solution I'd go with at present. Intel's kit tends to retail at a higher price than AMD's, so if price is an issue then AMD again comes out top. That said, it's arguable Intel wins the performance stakes at the very top end of the market, so there is some kind of equilibrium. At the end of the day, you could with either Intel or AMD and I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed with either.

Just on a side note, the market is about to enter somewhat of a flux, as a new version of nVidia's nForce motherboard is due for release sometime soon so as to better accomodate today's new technology. Equally, Intel is set to release their new motherboards equipped with an 800Mhz FSB. If you wait, you could either buy the latest kit (although obviously with a price tag to match) or get today's kit at a lower price. That said, it's arguable whatever you buy will eventually become obselete, and the updated products aren't all that revolutionary.

As for graphics, I'd have to say ATi is your best bet. nVidia's GeForce FX family is impressive, but the raw performance isn't there and the price tag, to my mind, is artifically high. ATi's Radeon 9700 line should come in around the price tag you mention, and shouldn't disappoint in terms of performance. Alternatively, the 9500 Pro can be bought for just under the lower price bracket, saving you some money, and still provides a surprising amount of graphical power. No doubt people will passionately scream either nVidia or ATi at you from the roof tops, but your best bet is to step back and take a good look at some of the many reviews on the net. The facts will speak for themselves.

Kind Regards

 

[darthshearer]

Thanks for the advice Jonty

Your not Jonty of Leeds are you?

 

[Jonty]

Originally posted by darthshearer
You're not Jonty of Leeds are you?

hee hee, not that I'm aware of! I know there's Jonty the English cricketer; Jonty the Lionhead programmer; and Jonty off the guy-with-big-collars-whose-name-I-can't-think-of. But I'm none of those either

Anyway, if you need any more help, or have any questions, please feel free to post again.

Kind Regards