Need advice Re: New System

Have you looked into i5 processors?

Probably the question that needs to be ask and answered is just what do you use the computer for?  Usually the tasks you do on the computer will dictate the hardware required.

You get more bang for the buck with AMD.  

Yes, and why not consider the AMD Phenom II x6 1100T instead?  I picked mine up for $208 AUD... and was just $11 more than the 1065T at the time.  There's only .3ghz difference between them [3.3ghz over 3.0ghz] but it would be the better option to overclocking later on for that extra bit of oomph.  Also, the 1100T can reach 3.7 in 'PowerBoost' mode... where [in layman's terms] the unit draws on the lesser worked or unused cores to temporarily increase overall CPU speed during resource intensive periods.

While various benchmarks suggest the i7 6 core CPU's are superior in speed, I have read others that suggest the AMD 6 cores more than hold their own against their Intel equivalents... and I certainly have no complaints when my rig [with Win 7 on SSD] boots to a fully functional screen in around 24 - 26 seconds from the moment I hit the power button. 

Also, I recommend going with a more recent 990 chipset [as opposed to a 700 - 800 series] mobo that supports AM3+, SATA3 and USB3 to maximise hardware potential and newer drive technologies.  Oh and you don't have to go with an ATI graphics card if you go AMD.  I have a Nvidia GTX560OC in mine and I've had great service from it.

Anyhow, all the best with it, whatever you choose.

i5-2500K with 8 gigs of ram (or 16 for another $40). i build quite a few of rigs with that proc. it will run circles around anything amd has. that isn't meant to be critical of amd. they have a few good procs. i'll keep my i7-2600K, tho.

I've been thinking about similar setups for my next build, and since price is a serious issue, I'm going for an AMD setup. If you are considering going the AMD route as well, I would recommend waiting a month, just in case the new FX CPUs prove to be sufficiently better than the Phenom.

Also, for a game rig, one bottleneck is the graphics card, and the amount of RAM on the graphics card. 

Oh i dunno, my Black Edition AMD Phonom II x6 1100T is no slouch. combined with a 2nd generation SSD and 16Gb of 1600Ghz RAM it's pretty zippy.  Sure, Intel is noted to be the superior CPU, but I have no complaints and am quite delighted with my AMD beasty.

I had considered that when buying mine a couple of months ago, but apart from needing something more immediate, I received some advice suggesting that I'd probably be better off waiting for the 2nd gen FX units, not just price-wise but more to take advantage of any 2nd gen improvements to the new architecture. 

My first Phenom dual core was not as good as its Phenom II equivalent, for example, so I took heed and will wait a couple of years to see how the FX's shape up.  Knowing AMD, I'm sure they will do admirably.  While many tout Intel CPU's to be the better of the two, I've had AMD processors for the last 7 - 8 years now and I have never been disappointed with the performance of any of those I've purchased... and it's not like I haven't had Intel comparisons to go by.

There was a time when I did a bit of work on kitty's i7 Intel machine, and to be honest, I didn't see any great leaps in performance over my Phenom II x4 920 @ 3.0Ghz.  There may have been some minimal differences here and there, but none that convinced me to spend more than I had to when I bought my next CPU.  I could have got an i7 960 x4 @3.2 for $340.00 AUD or an i7 990X x6 @ 3.46 for $590.AUD, but I paid just $208 [same store] for my 1100T @ 3.3Ghz.

That's why I threw up the GTX560 as an alternative to the GTX550, because it will have a faster clock speed than the GTX550, which essentially is a mid-range as opposed to a closer-to-the-upper-end card.. and if the OP goes with the AMD machine he/she could afford the better card. Heck with a $300 saving on the AMD rig, the GTX570-580 could even be a consideration if gaming is the go.

Completely agree with all you've just said, Starkers (Reply #8). Prior to my present setup, I was running an Athlon 64 x2 5200 2.7Ghz (Brisbane), and it was doing fine for what I needed it to do. The only reason I replaced it was because I started having a problem where the computer would just shut off, and though I suspected it was probably the PSU I couldn't rule out other things, and didn't want to go through the whole process of elimination crap. So I got myself a nice new motherboard (my first ASUS), 4GB DDR3 1333, a Phenom II 555 and a new Antec 520w PSU, then I added a 6850 DirectCU, and more recently a 128GB C300 SSD for shits and giggles. I overclocked the 555 to 3.8Ghz pretty much straight away, and it's held up fine (gotta love Black Editions). Pretty much a new rig for less than £500 or so, and when I have all the parts for my next rig next year, I'll give this one to my bro so he can join me and my partner shooting zombies in the face (very therapeutic).

My next board will support Bulldozer, but like Starkers, I'll probably wait until they've got the architecture tweaked a little more. It took years before they got the most out of the K8/K10 architecture with the Phenom II, so I figure there's plenty of time before I'll need to upgrade again. Until then, a Phenom II 1090t will do me fine, and most games and programs still don't take advantage of multi-core processors so six cores should cover me nicely for what I use my computer for. I'd say I'd buy Intel if I had the money, but I probably wouldn't because I'd rather use the money I saved from going AMD to get another graphics card or something.

starkers, i agree with you in saying the amd 1100 is a good proc. i've built 3 or 4 rigs using that proc. there's nothing wrong with either rig. i still prefer the 2500K or 2600K, tho. i'll keep my 2600K, 16 gigs of ram, corsair force gt 240, asus p67 mobo, and radeon 6970. yeah, i know the z68 is supposed to be better but i have yet to see any feature the z68 has over the p67 that i would implement.

you can build great rigs using procs by either amd or intel. it just comes down to what the owner prefers.

I was about to say that it'd be a first... somebody completely agreeing with me... then I remembered... it happened once before.

Yeah, I remember it well!  It was when the wicked side of me said: "Let's eat the last few slices of pizza, and the good side agreed wholeheartedly.

Anyhow, I digress [as always] and want to say that I too love Black editions.  I had an AMD Athlon x2 4600 Black Edition that was supposed to be clocked at 2.4 [factory] yet it ran at 2.8 out of the box.  My AMD Phenom II x4 920 Black Edition was supposed to be clocked at 2.8Ghz, but came out of the box doing just under 3.0ghz... and I had a mate O/C it to 3.2.  It was suggested that my 920 was in fact a 940 and incorrectly packaged... whatever, I only paid for a 920. My 1100T is also a Black Edition... was supposed to be 3.3Ghz and came out of the box at 3.3Ghz.  Missed out on the extra this time.  Oh well, can't win 'em all.

I'm the only person I know who has one.  Every body else is mostly running older AMD's or Intel's, and a handful running i7's or i5's.  My niece, who I rent the house from, has an old AMD Athlon dual core, and when she saw how fast my rig starts the other day, she went: "Holy fucking dooley, geez that's fast." and then she went on the be amazed even more at the speed of basic tasks and operations

I'd been cleaning up my drives and there was about 49 gigs worth in my recycle bin.  When Ccleaner emptied it in 20ish seconds [give or take] using Gutmann 35 pass mode, her jaw dropped in disbelief. I imagine, though, the SSD would have had some bearing on that as well.   She reckoned that her machine takes anything up to a couple of hours to accomplish even half that, so now she wants me to build her a machine just like mine

Yeah, I saw earlier with the seller I use, a 2500K for $217 AUD.  Now that's a big come down from what they were even 3 months ago, and would have been in my budget range had it been that price when I needed to build.  The 2600K is currently selling at S324.

Except the 8 core AMD Bulldozer.

The budget for my new PC won't be approved until mid 2012, so I'll probably be getting the second generation Bulldozer, which comes with a new socket. For me, the real money saver will be the video card. The 5850 has performed well up until now, so unless they invent DirectX 12 and make it mandatory by then, I should be fine with it for a few more years. Heck, I managed with a x1950 until april.

Out of curiosity, I looked at the price for an i7 processor, and it would seem that around here it's about 100 dollars more than the price mentioned for the 2600K. Even the 2500K is more expensive. This is why I love AMD, they know I can't afford to buy a new PC, but want one anyway  

wow, kona. have you built a rig using a bulldozer proc? no? neither have i? for that matter, nobody here has. i love how you chime in with that bulldozer comment when everything published about the proc has been speculation. try sticking to procs that one can currently buy. and yes, i said "anything amd has". "has" is current. "will have" is in the future.

starkers, like i said before, a person can build great rigs with either amd or intel. it all depends on what the owner prefers. as long as the owner is happy with the rig, that's all that really matters. i sell 8 to 10 new rigs a week and i'd guesstimate 70% of them are intel based. that doesn't mean the remaining 30% are not good rigs because they are. even the 'entry level' rigs i build and sell are quality rigs and it doesn't matter if they're intel or amd based. i don't like replacing parts so i put quality parts in them. no cheap 'chinese firecracker' power supplies in these rigs.

to the OP, i only hope you're happy with whatever you decide to purchase. your opinion is the only one that matters. good luck with your new rig, no matter what components you purchase.

Whatever.

By the way how are you building so many new systems when shops around my area are closing due to no business in this bad economy?

1. i don't live in your area
2. i don't sell dell, hp, emachine, and gateway type rigs
3. i have a fairly decent rep regarding quality rigs
4. i know a lot of people in neighboring towns and cities
5. i know quite a few lawyers, doctors, and business owners
6. the customer is always right even though i may not agree with him/her

to everyone else, i sincerely apologize for hi-jacking the thread. i won't post to it again.

Glad at least one of you ran out of piss...........

Precisely!  Just because I've mostly gone with AMD based machines, it doesn't mean I dislike Intel or think anyone is a fool for going that way.   I'd have liked to have gone with an i7 965 this time, or even the i5 like yours, but at the time they were a bit exey and not within my budget.

To the OP.  MadDeez is right.  Both the Intel and AMD machines you listed would give you great service and performance... so long as you're happy is all that matters. 

Hey John, no foul done here.  There's nothing wrong with a bit of healthy discussion.

Won't happen here... got me  a carton of beer.

My dad's bigger than your dad......;)