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Would you go AMD X6 or i7 Quad?
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greg_mitch




Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 5321



PostLink    Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:56 pm    Post subject: Would you go AMD X6 or i7 Quad? Reply with quote


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I am looking into building a new computer to replace the laptop as the everyday computer.

I am constantly reminded that while the clutter was reduced the horsepower also suffered and I am not able to do even basic video editing for my mother-in-law on this machine. It is always plugged in anyways so I want my power back.

Do you want the 6 cores with just dual channel (AMD) or the triple channel memory of the i7 (Intel)?

I think the i7-950 and the AMD 1100T X6 are about the same price.

I would pair it with either 8gig or 12gig of ram (dual or triple channel) and a fairly basic video card like an AMD 5830 or something in that range.

I was thinking a 64gig SSD for OS drive with a few 2TB storage drives.

I have an old cooler master case but it might be insanely loud in our bedroom and probably has annoying LED fans...so that might be up for replacement as well.


Right now I have this in my "wish list" at newegg...

GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
$134.99

XFX HD-583X-ZAFV Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
$164.99

SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
$159.99

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX
$229.00

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$144.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
$119.99

Subtotal: $953.95

Any thoughts?
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Zebu Fellenz




Joined: 21 Dec 2006
Posts: 2567



PostLink    Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 6:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What are you going to be doing with this computer?

Not trying to be too critical but that seems like an awful lot of power for a general use computer unless you plan on doing lots of HD video editing, gaming, or other resource intensive tasks.

So while I cannot recommend one CPU over the other as I don't play with the expensive hardware I can recommend the Gigabyte 890GX motherboard you selected, I picked up that board a few weeks ago for a HTPC update as I wanted 6Gb/s SATA for a future SSD upgrade and USB 3.0 for external drives.
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WanMan




Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10273



PostLink    Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

He's making videos (think home movies of the salacious type).
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greg_mitch




Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 5321



PostLink    Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

HD video editing, some easy games, multitasking, virtualization, etc.

My MIL has a Canon HF100 and I have footage from HV20, Kodak Zi8, my panasonic ZS3 and they are all in various states of codecs, resolutions and bitrates that my current Core 2 Duo P7350 @ 2.0Ghz with 4gig can't handle.

Pretty amazing what a $1,000 can buy you now!

I was also looking at water cooling but it seems to be a bust...I will just look for quiet fans with manual speed control.

Thanks for the comments on the 890GX...I was going with the FX but I saw that this board has an AMD 4290 onboard and can be "hybrid crossfire x" although after reading into it, it is only compatible with certain cards (5450) and has very limited performance increases.

I couldn't find an 890FX board with the right slots for a similar price.
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greg_mitch




Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 5321



PostLink    Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 9:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just saw that Newegg has Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 10 Suite for $41.98 after rebate.

I went ahead and ordered it. I know it is a bit more intense to learn but the old Ulead Video Studio 11 wasn't handling the formats I needed.

Now I guess I need a new computer to crunch the numbers with.
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MikeEby




Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Posts: 5238
Location: Osceola, Indiana


PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 1:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've never seen a need for high end expensive power suppy...But that's just me.


Mike

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greg_mitch




Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 5321



PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 4:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MikeEby wrote:
I've never seen a need for high end expensive power suppy...But that's just me.


Mike


I didn't think that was "high end" to be honest...it was "Gold Rated" and modular...with 750W being needed for some of the higher end video cards or SLI/Crossfire which I am not planning on at first but why not get it.

Seasonic is known for solid power and being fairly quiet.
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MikeEby




Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Posts: 5238
Location: Osceola, Indiana


PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 5:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I usually buy the $25 cheapies, I will admit I've had to replace the fan in those however.

Mike

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trebortaergeht




Joined: 14 Apr 2010
Posts: 73
Location: California


PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 6:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MikeEby wrote:
I usually buy the $25 cheapies, I will admit I've had to replace the fan in those however.

Mike

If you ever put a scope to one of those cheap power supplies, you'd never let it near computer components again.
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AnalogRocks
Forum Moderator



Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 26690
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

TV/Projector: Sony 1252Q, AMPRO 4000G


PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 6:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have had waaayyyy too many problems with cheap ass power supplies. I use to chase all sorts of weird issues on my PC's. Then I bought a bunch of PC power and cooling power supplies and all was fine. Too bad they got bought out.
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Spanky Ham




Joined: 22 Mar 2006
Posts: 5643
Location: Comedy Central


PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 4:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are you saying the Core 2 can't do it or isn't fast enough? AMD is cheaper if not as fast, but certainly good enough.

Yours and my ideas of basic video card are very different. I consider my card (GT240) basic. The 5830 is more upper mid range.
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MikeEby




Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Posts: 5238
Location: Osceola, Indiana


PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 5:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

AnalogRocks wrote:
I have had waaayyyy too many problems with cheap ass power supplies. I use to chase all sorts of weird issues on my PC's. Then I bought a bunch of PC power and cooling power supplies and all was fine. Too bad they got bought out.


That's really interesting...I've just got a 400 watt cheapo on my media server. It's running 7 drives (5)5400s and (2)7200 RPM drives totals of 13TB. It runs 24/7 and has been running that way for year. The only time I reboot it is when have to install updates, the machine is rock solid. I do keep a spare handy just incase.

I did spend big bucks on one once...It lasted about a year and a half after that I said I'm not wasting my money.

Mike

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Doing HD since the last century!


Last edited by MikeEby on Sun Dec 12, 2010 11:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
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greg_mitch




Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 5321



PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Spanky Ham wrote:
Are you saying the Core 2 can't do it or isn't fast enough? AMD is cheaper if not as fast, but certainly good enough.

Yours and my ideas of basic video card are very different. I consider my card (GT240) basic. The 5830 is more upper mid range.


The Core 2 isn't fast enough and the combination of not fast enough processor and lack of ram it ends up freezing the software.

Eventually I think it would catch up but I usually inpatient enough to just close it out and quit...also the new software allows the GPU to do a lot more work than my current software, so my software may be partly to blame.

The GPU is definitely not upper range when talking the entire gamut of video cards available...it is upper range for surfing the web but not for HD video encoding.

I've had a few PSU problems and they were ALL the cheapy built-in PSU's that come with cases. Never had a problem with a PSU that I purchased besides a few getting noisy fans.
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overclkr




Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 4227



PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Would you go AMD X6 or i7 Quad? Reply with quote

greg_mitch wrote:
I am looking into building a new computer to replace the laptop as the everyday computer.

I am constantly reminded that while the clutter was reduced the horsepower also suffered and I am not able to do even basic video editing for my mother-in-law on this machine. It is always plugged in anyways so I want my power back.

Do you want the 6 cores with just dual channel (AMD) or the triple channel memory of the i7 (Intel)?

I think the i7-950 and the AMD 1100T X6 are about the same price.

I would pair it with either 8gig or 12gig of ram (dual or triple channel) and a fairly basic video card like an AMD 5830 or something in that range.

I was thinking a 64gig SSD for OS drive with a few 2TB storage drives.

I have an old cooler master case but it might be insanely loud in our bedroom and probably has annoying LED fans...so that might be up for replacement as well.


Right now I have this in my "wish list" at newegg...

GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
$134.99

XFX HD-583X-ZAFV Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
$164.99

SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
$159.99

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX
$229.00

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$144.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
$119.99

Subtotal: $953.95

Any thoughts?


While I think you would benefit from having triple channel memory that 6 core looks pretty as well. The big question I think is will you have any software that takes advantage of 6 cores other than the OS?

If you go AMD, and I like AMD a lot, Intels new chips are actually AMD licensed so are in effect AMD with another memory channel opened up and a few other things tweaked, I would go with another brand MB. I'm not a big fan of Gigabyte. I've had the most luck with Asus. Here is a board I like from them, and it doesn't have onboard video which you dont need if your going to purchase a 5830:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131644&Tpk=Crosshair%20IV%20Formula

Its a bit more expensive, but you gain Creative Audio as well. It's a real nice board you should be able to hit 3.8 to 4ghz overclock with this board and that CPU (if your interested in overclocking). Other than that I might consider getting a 6XXX series GPU as well as they have better video decoding than the 5XXX from what I understand.

I'd take a desktop over a laptop any day of the week. Smile

Cliff
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WanMan




Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10273



PostLink    Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Beware of OCZ. While my first buying experience with their RAM was good, the last purchase left me with half of 8GB being bad.
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Trust no one. Absolutely no one. Advice of the board.
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akajester




Joined: 09 Jul 2008
Posts: 934
Location: Wisconsin


PostLink    Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would skip the SSD. When you look up benchmarks you'll see why. Very little benefit for the money. Buy a good fast sata drive and maybe even 2. Separate your OS drive and data drive, so when you render the scratch is on the C and the file storage is on the D, etc.

We have core 2 duo computers running Sony Vegas and it works great. Personally I would save your $ and buy a 4 core amd for $99. But, if you want power and you want to spend the dollars, that's a great processor I'm sure.

I would personally skip the cheap brand ram and buy something better like Kingston or crucial. I've had far too many problems with crappy ram in my days. It's not worth the savings. Crucial 6gb (2gbx3 kit), for some reason I can't find 8gb kits of this type.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148254

Like a few others mentioned, that power supply looks WAY too much. You should find a good stable supply for $75.
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greg_mitch




Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 5321



PostLink    Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

akajester wrote:
I would skip the SSD. When you look up benchmarks you'll see why. Very little benefit for the money. Buy a good fast sata drive and maybe even 2. Separate your OS drive and data drive, so when you render the scratch is on the C and the file storage is on the D, etc.

We have core 2 duo computers running Sony Vegas and it works great. Personally I would save your $ and buy a 4 core amd for $99. But, if you want power and you want to spend the dollars, that's a great processor I'm sure.

I would personally skip the cheap brand ram and buy something better like Kingston or crucial. I've had far too many problems with crappy ram in my days. It's not worth the savings. Crucial 6gb (2gbx3 kit), for some reason I can't find 8gb kits of this type.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148254

Like a few others mentioned, that power supply looks WAY too much. You should find a good stable supply for $75.


Interesting about the SSD...I had heard it decreases program load times and helps with multitasking. I will look deeper into it. Maybe striping two 7200 drives would be better and cheaper.

I didn't think that was cheap ram...it is highly rated on newegg. My HTPC has A-Data 4gb kit from 4 years ago and hasn't missed a beat in daily media center and MKV use.

As mentioned earlier...I haven't had luck with cheap PSU's...I don't want to play that game again. I could probably drop all the way down to 500W but I will have to check any potential future components (video cards, etc.) to make sure I won't be replacing it with more power in a year anyway. Plus it is Gold rated for efficiency...you gotta pay to play!
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Spanky Ham




Joined: 22 Mar 2006
Posts: 5643
Location: Comedy Central


PostLink    Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

greg_mitch wrote:
Spanky Ham wrote:
Are you saying the Core 2 can't do it or isn't fast enough? AMD is cheaper if not as fast, but certainly good enough.

Yours and my ideas of basic video card are very different. I consider my card (GT240) basic. The 5830 is more upper mid range.


The Core 2 isn't fast enough and the combination of not fast enough processor and lack of ram it ends up freezing the software.

Eventually I think it would catch up but I usually inpatient enough to just close it out and quit...also the new software allows the GPU to do a lot more work than my current software, so my software may be partly to blame.

The GPU is definitely not upper range when talking the entire gamut of video cards available...it is upper range for surfing the web but not for HD video encoding.

I've had a few PSU problems and they were ALL the cheapy built-in PSU's that come with cases. Never had a problem with a PSU that I purchased besides a few getting noisy fans.


greg_mitch wrote:
Just saw that Newegg has Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 10 Suite for $41.98 after rebate.

I went ahead and ordered it. I know it is a bit more intense to learn but the old Ulead Video Studio 11 wasn't handling the formats I needed.

Now I guess I need a new computer to crunch the numbers with.


I don't see in the specs where a fast video card is needed for video editing. I thought it always came down to CPU speed and cores. Also, I said upper mid range. I think by any definition $175 is at least mid range.
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greg_mitch




Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 5321



PostLink    Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 7:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not needed...but should help.

I am reading into ATI Stream and nVidia CUDA technologies which basically let the GPU crunch the frames to help with encoding abilities.

I am pretty sure that Vegas will have a plugin that allows ATI stream to help out.

Sorry about the upper/mid range thing...I must have read mid upper not upper mid! Laughing
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akajester




Joined: 09 Jul 2008
Posts: 934
Location: Wisconsin


PostLink    Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 7:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I should have said "off brand" not "cheap brand" sorry. The bad luck I've had with OCZ ram was when they had just came out, and they were considered overclocker ram. Never was stable. Perhaps the newer stuff is better?

The corsair 750watt is rated very highly and is $75 less than the Seasonic. It's not modular but voted best supply manufacturer of 2010.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Dale
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