recommended complete gaming computer??

[Maxim]

intel > amd. intel is slower LOL what a joke. amd uses cheaper silicon and thus makes a cheaper product. my buddy cant even overclock his base 3.3ghz 1100t (black edition, literally made to do that sort of shit) at all without the pc shutting off due to hitting the ridiculously low 62c thermal limit. i overclocked my 3.3ghz 2500k to 4.5ghz on air for daily and haven't had a single issue. we both have aftermarket coolers.

you pay for quality, you get quality. you pay for shitty silicon, you get shitty silicon. simple as that.

just because you see all those speed tests amd is pulling with an 8 core processor that has 7 of its cores disabled, doesn't mean its realistic. its identical to "who can build the biggest sub for show purposes only".

AMD doesn't make shitty silicon. AMD doesn't even make their own silicon anymore. They sold off their last fab. All of their APU's and FX-series chips are manufactured by TSMC, the same company that now makes all of Apple's processors for their iPads and iPhones.

The reason Intel is being recommended more and more often is twofold. Intel's highest-end CPU's are untouchable by AMD's chips. Above the ~$200 price point AMD doesn't make any processors that keep pace with Intel. Intel makes chips all the way up to $1000 and the features and performance that they offer for enthusiasts at that price point are well out of reach of AMD. The second part is that Intel's chips since the introduction of their Core-i lineup have continually improved in performance whereas AMD's FX lineup hasn't kept up. Phenom II x4 and x6 used to be right on par with the Core 2 series and even the original Core i5's and i7's. Once Intel moved into their 2nd gen Core-i lineup they started to pull away and AMD's showing with their FX chips was overwhelmingly disappointing.

Tom's Hardware just did a breakdown of the Best Gaming CPU's for the money. Unless you're looking to seriously cut costs (<$600 computer solely for gaming) then there's really no reason to go AMD. Every one of their recommendations for a mid-high end machine is an Intel chip. They simply offer more performance compared to AMD's FX lineup.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html

If your buddy is having issues overclocking his 1100T and his PC is shutting off at 62C it's likely a motherboard issue. 62C is nowhere near high enough to cause thermal throttling or a system shutdown due to overheating. It's more likely that his board's VRM's aren't strong enough to handle an OC or the VRM heatsink isn't getting enough airflow and the VRM's themselves are overheating.

[Guest]

very informative....very. how the hell do you know all that?

the thermal limit of the 1100t is 62c, make the Googles. unless it's wrong

[beaker]

Usually when I see a computer just shut off, its due to either crappy VRMS (usually not likely) or a shitty PSU (more likely)

of coarse, if you wanted to spend 2-3 times more money for a slower processor you could easily buy intel, but i wouldnt be happy with anything lower then a i7 personally, and really with the AMD boards supporting SLI again i feel no personally need to buy a intel chipset. Sadly when i bought my current mobo, it was crossfire only, unless i run just one card then it can be a nvidia product.

An overclocked i5 will beat an i7 in most cases, mainly because there's not much out there that can tax all those cores, or keep up with the memory bandwith of the 2011 chipset (true quad channel)

SLI and Crossfire as far as the motherboard are concerned are the same. They have different bridges, but those can be had off ebay.

Intel chipsets are quite a bit faster. AMD had them for a little bit with the introduction of SATA3, because it was supported natively, but with Z77 and 78, and 87, they don't have anything close.

[Herokight]

How are the AMD video cards? Compared to Nvidia (only other company I know of)? Just wondering. I'm interested in learning more, myself.

[Guest]

Usually when I see a computer just shut off, its due to either crappy VRMS (usually not likely) or a shitty PSU (more likely)

iirc he has a 1200w psu. i think he spent like 2 grand on everything. dual 6970's and such. he can bitmine 24/7 for weeks and have 0 issues on overclocked gpus. but once he overclocks the cpu, all hell breaks loose.

[littlebuck1919]

id like to not over clock just yet...ive never built a computer before and would rather not have to take it to a shop around here...id also not like to spend hundreds to have someone put it together for me...my laptop has an i7 in it with AMD graphics card in it...I just want something with enough juice to handle Battlefield 4 when it comes out....the less I hafta spend the better, I just know my laptop cant handle a game like that.

[beaker]

Usually when I see a computer just shut off, its due to either crappy VRMS (usually not likely) or a shitty PSU (more likely)

iirc he has a 1200w psu. i think he spent like 2 grand on everything. dual 6970's and such. he can bitmine 24/7 for weeks and have 0 issues on overclocked gpus. but once he overclocks the cpu, all hell breaks loose.

Is it a single rail? 80 plus certified?

AMD cards aren't bad, right now though I know more about NVidia than AMD. I wrote a sticky about picking video cards that's pretty much universal. No matter what side of the fence you sit on.

[Maxim]

Usually when I see a computer just shut off, its due to either crappy VRMS (usually not likely) or a shitty PSU (more likely)

iirc he has a 1200w psu. i think he spent like 2 grand on everything. dual 6970's and such. he can bitmine 24/7 for weeks and have 0 issues on overclocked gpus. but once he overclocks the cpu, all hell breaks loose.

I'd be interested to know what motherboard he has. I have 2 OC'd 6970's and an OC'd i7-2600K on an 850w PSU and I have zero stability problems under full CPU and GPU load. If his motherboard has a weak VRM setup then his CPU may not be getting clean voltage (regardless of how good his PSU is) and could be causing the instability when overclocking.