Gaming computer build... All AMD or mix?

[mikecoulter]

Hey all.

I've been saving and planning on building a gaming computer for years now. I'm getting a barebones bundle and then just finishing it off, as I really don't have too much time to spare on the build. (Also, there's a shop near me with really cheap bundles, so I'm happy with that.)

I'm going with the AMD Bulldozer 8150 bundle over the i7 2600k as it's about £100 cheaper, and I plan on doing a lot of gameplay video editing which I think the 8-Core may just be fine for.

But, I want to know what people think I should do about a graphics card, is it worth going with an AMD processor plus an AMD graphics card; probably the 6970... Or is it acceptable to use a cheaper Nvidia card such as the 560ti?

Thanks!

 

[Rednog]

Just want to point out that there is an "Advice Sub Forum".
I honestly don't think it really matters, I had an AMD computer which had a geforce card originally and I didn't see any noticeable difference when I went to an ATI card when the geforce died on me.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

i would personally say all amd, but im sure the geforce card would work just fine

 

[veloper]

You can mix intel with amd/ati and AMD with nvidia all you like.
It makes no difference.

The thing that matters is picking a CPU that is fast enough for your needs and gives you the best bang per buck$.
Do the same for the graphics card.

Personally I wouldn't pick a 6-core or 8-core CPU.
If you need anything faster than an AMD phenomII x4, you should go intel.

 

[number2301]

Have you seen the benchmarks for the FX chip? It only beat an i5 in very heavily multithreaded applications. Which games generally aren't.

So you shouldn't be looking at the 8150 being £100 less than an i7, you should be looking at it being £30 more than an i5.

Hell, core for core, the FXs are worse than the old Phenoms.

 

[Zantos]

Providing you're not thinking of multiple graphics cards it doesn't matter, although supposedly it's more optimised to use all one or all the other.

 

[mikecoulter]

Well, I don't really do anything too processor intensive, except perhaps some video editing. But as long as it does it reasonably quickly I'll be happy. I think I may just go with the extra cost and go with the 6970. The 2GB of VRAM seems quite enticing!

Edit: Gaming I suppose is also pretty intensive...

 

[Asehujiko]

Hey all.

I've been saving and planning on building a gaming computer for years now. I'm getting a barebones bundle and then just finishing it off, as I really don't have too much time to spare on the build. (Also, there's a shop near me with really cheap bundles, so I'm happy with that.)

I'm going with the AMD Bulldozer 8150 bundle over the i7 2600k as it's about £100 cheaper, and I plan on doing a lot of gameplay video editing which I think the 8-Core may just be fine for.

But, I want to know what people think I should do about a graphics card, is it worth going with an AMD processor plus an AMD graphics card; probably the 6970... Or is it acceptable to use a cheaper Nvidia card such as the 560ti?

Thanks!

Get a 2500k, Bulldozer is horrible.

 

[Woodsey]

It makes no odds (I'm sure the official party line of AMD says otherwise, of course). The only time I'd advise against mixing is if you're trying to do it with 2 graphics cards.

And if you're going to be using it for any gaming, AMD typically have more problems with their drivers.

 

[SquirrelPants]

I dunno, I'm in love with my 560TI and it didn't cost me too much. Plenty of bang for your buck, and I seen no reason why mixing companies like that would be an issue.

For reference, 560TI runs games like StarCraft 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2(No word on BF3 because eff Origin), Skyrim, Civ5, and Tribes: Ascend at a good 60 FPS on ultra settings. I can't give a recommendation for the other card, but this thing is super powerful.

 

[M4t3us]

Unless you plan to use Linux to do your gaming, go with the ATI card.

 

[lacktheknack]

The main difference (other than price) is that updating the Nvidia card takes ten minutes, while updating an ATI card takes longer and may require hair loss, pulling out your teeth, goat sacrifice, presentation of oneself to a succubus, selling your soul to Satan, and/or multiple computer restarts. Also, the equivalent models of an ATI card vs. an Nvidia card will usually have Nvidia give you a few more FPS.

I'd go Nvidia, but that's just me.

 

[ultimateownage]

I consider it better to either get Nvidia and Intel, or both AMD.

 

[mikecoulter]

I consider it better to either get Nvidia and Intel, or both AMD.

That's my gut feeling too, it just seems that that's how the parts would be tested in the first place. Probably completely wrong, but it feels that way.

 

[loc978]

Well, AMD has been touting their architecture as working together lately... but if you're going that far into the high-end when building a system, I believe Intel and Nvidia currently have a speed advantage. That would be for if you plan to use the system to compile video or something. If this is just a gaming system, top-end is completely overboard. A decent quad-core with a midrange video card will net you the same performance.

 

[JRCB]

I've heard there are problems with Bulldozer and Windows 7 not being fully optimized with it. Do you already have your motherboard? That would limit alternative processor options.

But no, it doesn't matter if you mix. Personally, I'd go with nVidia over AMD for graphics.

 

[MrGseff]

Well mine is a mix. I was going to go for a Nvidia/Intel Combo but the i5 was so expensive I went for an AMD X4 965 Processor, I still went with Nvidia as my graphics card. They work fine together and my computer can play new games on high settings and edit HD videos with ease.
I would calm down on the processor if I were you, an X6-8 is not really needed for what you want, I recommend just going for an X4 Phenom II (like me!).

 

[octafish]

You can mix intel with amd/ati and AMD with nvidia all you like.
It makes no difference.

The thing that matters is picking a CPU that is fast enough for your needs and gives you the best bang per buck$.
Do the same for the graphics card.

Personally I wouldn't pick a 6-core or 8-core CPU.
If you need anything faster than an AMD phenomII x4, you should go intel.

Oh yes. This is good advice OP. AMD are dead in the water unless you are on a tight budget. The Black Edition Phenom II quads are still a great budget gaming chip. It is only a little more for sandy bridge if you can afford it it is worth it.

Bulldozer gives really poor performance for price. Avoid unless they drop the price significantly.

 

[mikecoulter]

This is the bundle I want to buy:

Barebones AMD-8150 [http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/barebones/bb-81508g.html]

It seems pretty cheap, plus then I'll have a nice case for any future builds...