EggXpert

Which brand of CPU's do you like better? For me I like Intel as you can see from my username.

So what do you think? 

High End = Intel

But for HTPCs and people on a budget, I'd say AMD..  The 5050e is an awesome chip..  I'm going to get the 605e the day it comes out..   2.3 Ghz x 4 cores with a thermal footprint of only 45 watts... Eat that Intel Atom..  Low wattage AMD chips are huge in the HTPC market, the nvidia Ion platform doesn't provide enough *oomph* to do full HD x264 encoding, but the decoding it can do....

My 2.6 Ghz 5050e makes a pretty good gaming machine also, but I am forced to throw in a power hungry 200 watt GPU to get good FPS though, but it will play any game out there and the 5050e is a $60 chip that can usually be run fanless (if you get a big enough heatsink).. 

It really does not matter. It depends on your budget and what you use your rig for.Both Intel and AMD have its pros and cons. I think there are many threads in this forum discussing Intel vs AMD.

 

 

I would have to agree with you Intel for the power and long haul, but AMD for the tight budget and cheap builds.

For 99% of computer users it doesn't matter.  I have had both and the performance edge usually goes to Intel but the price they charge for it isn't worth it, IMO.  I just upgraded my wife's computer with a Phenom II X4 940 and easily overclocked it to 3.6 ghz with the stock heat sink/fan.  I paid $170 for the motherboard and CPU.  Nothing Intel offers comes close to its level of performance at that price level.  Since my current computer has an E6700 Intel CPU it makes since for me to upgrade using an Intel CPU but if I were starting from scratch I would be buying AMD.  Their 45nm CPUs are by far the best bang-for-the-buck you can buy.  Especially if you overclock them or by a dual or triple core CPU and use a motherboard to unlock all four cores.  Doing this on one of their dual core 45nm CPUs and getting one that runs all four cores stable gives you a high end quad core for around $100.

Remember though, not all cores can be unlocked, depending on the CPU, and if the chip was a lunker anyways, and if your board has the brass to do it.

Penewab2007:

Remember though, not all cores can be unlocked, depending on the CPU, and if the chip was a lunker anyways, and if your board has the brass to do it.

The odds are in your favor if you have the right motherboard. Getting a quad core CPU running overclocked in the upper 3 ghz range for about $100 is the best deal I have seen since I have been building computers from the early 1990s.

AMD just lauched a quad core under $100

 AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

New Arrival

To unlock the fourth core is a risk thing but it seems that everybody likes it. ;-)