[Oberon75]

I'm building a new system and need some opinions to help choose between parts for a few things. I play a few games but nothing that needs a lot of power or memory to run. I can figure out a way to work around my budget.

From what I hear/read, nothing will use all of the cores in a 4 or 6 core processor, how is buying more cores going to benefit me? What is the benefit of buying an i7 over an i5 processor at close to the same speed and less money? Or a Phenom IIx6 over a Phenom IIx4?

Here's where the fights are going to break out! I'm a home user who doesn't play a lot of games, mainly just use the computer for listening to music, watching movies, surfing the internet, balancing the checkbook... Do I want an Intel or AMD processor and do I want an ATI or nvidia video card, and why?

Thanks in advance for all the help!

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If you don't game and the ultimate aim is to simply go on the Internet, you don't need an i7, or an i5 come to that. You don't need quad-core or a six-core Phenom. A simple basic dual-core processor and modern chipset is probably all you need, an Athlon II x2 should be plenty.

What is your budget and what is your currency? What do you need to buy and which parts from an older machine, if any, do you want to reuse?

[Neil Jones]

If you don't game and the ultimate aim is to simply go on the Internet, you don't need an i7, or an i5 come to that. You don't need quad-core or a six-core Phenom. A simple basic dual-core processor and modern chipset is probably all you need, an Athlon II x2 should be plenty.

What is your budget and what is your currency? What do you need to buy and which parts from an older machine, if any, do you want to reuse?

[Digerati]

From what I hear/read, nothing will use all of the cores in a 4 or 6 core processor

Oh? Where did you hear that? Got a link? For starters, Windows will use all the cores. And many games do too.

The advantage to using a more powerful processor is over all better system performance. But - whether you can see that better performance is another matter as over all performance is dependent on my factors besides CPU horsepower - in particular graphics performance and RAM, and to a lesser extent, drive performance as well. And if your usage habits are heavily involved with the Internet, then obviously your network and Internet bandwidth are big influences.

Here's where the fights are going to break out! I'm a home user who doesn't play a lot of games, mainly just use the computer for listening to music, watching movies, surfing the internet, balancing the checkbook... Do I want an Intel or AMD processor and do I want an ATI or nvidia video card, and why?

Doesn't matter. I like Intels but others like AMDs. BOTH make excellent CPUs that will serve your needs just fine. That said, AMDs, in order to be competitive, can usually do it a little bit cheaper. In reality, you can listen to music, watch movies, surf the Internet, and balance the checkbook with an entry level i3 or AMD equivalent and a couple gig of RAM just fine, including playing many games - and that's with an on-board graphics solution. Install an upgraded graphics solution and at least 3Gb of RAM and you can play most games with no problems. For serious gaming, you will need higher-end CPUs and graphics solutions.

As Neil suggests, you need to establish (and tells us if you want applicable advice) your budget. And don't forget a good PC is built on a good foundation which means a decent case and properly sized PSU from a reputable maker. A good case must be solid, sturdy, and provide plenty of cooling options. The PSU must support your hardware and provide expansion room for upgrades (therefore the PSU must be selected last).

Finally, a new PC MUST have a new Windows license. You cannot carry over Windows from another machine. The ONLY exception is if you have a "retail" license and it is not installed on any other machine. Most copies of Windows are NOT retail versions, but are OEM or upgrades to OEMs and they can NOT be carried over to new machines.

[Oberon75]

If you don't game and the ultimate aim is to simply go on the Internet, you don't need an i7, or an i5 come to that. You don't need quad-core or a six-core Phenom. A simple basic dual-core processor and modern chipset is probably all you need, an Athlon II x2 should be plenty.

What is your budget and what is your currency? What do you need to buy and which parts from an older machine, if any, do you want to reuse?

I'm trying to spend under 500$us for the CPU & motherboard, which appears to be easy to do with AMD or Intel, no matter what core processor I end up going with. 100 is my target for a GPU. If I go over those a little it won't break my heart. I'm looking for long term sustainability, I want this build to be usable for a while, with minimal necessary upgrades (That's not to say that I won't, just that I don't have to) and the only things I'm using from my existing PC are my full tower Apevia X-Alien Case, wireless mouse & keyboard (maybe), and Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers.

[Oberon75]

From what I hear/read, nothing will use all of the cores in a 4 or 6 core processor

Oh? Where did you hear that? Got a link? For starters, Windows will use all the cores. And many games do too.

The advantage to using a more powerful processor is over all better system performance. But - whether you can see that better performance is another matter as over all performance is dependent on my factors besides CPU horsepower - in particular graphics performance and RAM, and to a lesser extent, drive performance as well. And if your usage habits are heavily involved with the Internet, then obviously your network and Internet bandwidth are big influences.

Here's where the fights are going to break out! I'm a home user who doesn't play a lot of games, mainly just use the computer for listening to music, watching movies, surfing the internet, balancing the checkbook... Do I want an Intel or AMD processor and do I want an ATI or nvidia video card, and why?

Doesn't matter. I like Intels but others like AMDs. BOTH make excellent CPUs that will serve your needs just fine. That said, AMDs, in order to be competitive, can usually do it a little bit cheaper. In reality, you can listen to music, watch movies, surf the Internet, and balance the checkbook with an entry level i3 or AMD equivalent and a couple gig of RAM just fine, including playing many games - and that's with an on-board graphics solution. Install an upgraded graphics solution and at least 3Gb of RAM and you can play most games with no problems. For serious gaming, you will need higher-end CPUs and graphics solutions.

As Neil suggests, you need to establish (and tells us if you want applicable advice) your budget. And don't forget a good PC is built on a good foundation which means a decent case and properly sized PSU from a reputable maker. A good case must be solid, sturdy, and provide plenty of cooling options. The PSU must support your hardware and provide expansion room for upgrades (therefore the PSU must be selected last).

Finally, a new PC MUST have a new Windows license. You cannot carry over Windows from another machine. The ONLY exception is if you have a "retail" license and it is not installed on any other machine. Most copies of Windows are NOT retail versions, but are OEM or upgrades to OEMs and they can NOT be carried over to new machines.

I can't remember which site I saw it on, but it was an editor speculating as to why Intel was looking to purchase McAfee.

I guess I can't say that I won't play games, my current system isn't capable of anything more intense than Age of Mythology or The Sims (the first one) so I haven't been able to get into anything in a few years.

Overall I can't spend more than $2000 (us) on this system. I have some of what I'm getting already chosen.
3 Seagate hard drives (250G for OS, 320 G for apps, 1.5T for everything else)
Asus TUF series Sabertooth motherboard (if I stick with an Intel CPU)
LG Blu-Ray burner
LG Blu-Ray combo drive
Corsair XMS DDR3 RAM (3x4GB)
XFX Black series PSU (size will depend on which processor and the power needs of the GPU I end up choosing, 650W, 750W, 850W)
Viewsonic or Samsung 23" LED back-lit flatpanel
Using my existing case (Apevia X-Alien with 6-80mm fans)

What I really need to know is, what are the advantages/disadvantages of Intel vs. AMD Processors, and ATI vs. Nvidia?

I'm having issues with the onboard graphics chip in my current PC. The way I see it, if I don't have to worry about disabling one to put in a PCIe video card it's one less step I have to deal with!

[Digerati]

What I really need to know is, what are the advantages/disadvantages of Intel vs. AMD Processors, and ATI vs. Nvidia?

That's not fair a question - and has no fair answer. Each maker has dozens of very different models to choose from across the entire price and performance ranges. The only fair comparison is to compare a specific Intel CPU with a specific AMD CPU, same with ATI and NVIDIA GPUs. And even then, you have opinions (often biased), and you have empirical data (often ignored).

You can build a screaming monster for $2000.

[Oberon75]

seeing how chipset socket types are always getting updated (outdated) does it sound like the 1366 is going to outlast the 1156 in terms of upgrade-ability?

Edited by Oberon75, 12 September 2010 - 12:10 PM.

[iammykyl]

seeing how chipset socket types are always getting updated (outdated) does it sound like the 1366 is going to outlast the 1156 in terms of upgrade-ability?

No one knows if or when sockets will change but AMD have fewer and seem to change less often. This happens all the time, you spend weeks researching and selecting parts, build your system and within months your build is "old". You just have to bite the bullet.

This is the way I NOW proceed with a build. What's it for, what's the budget. Keep written notes of what is selected with prices and supplier, try not to change a selected part otherwise I'll get confused.

I choose the CPU first taking into account what the system is for, then

The Mobe, what it must have IE, DDR type, integrated Wireless, graphics, etc.

OS. 32 or 64bit,

RAM, from the Mobe QVL list. You can choose RAM not on the list but it may not work correctly.

Video card.

Drives. other parts.

Do i need extra cooling?

PSU.

It may seem pedantic, but works for me.