AMD or Intel (Not the debate you're thinking of)

Okay, so I work in a Mailboxes Etc. and corporate posts listings of what hardware they recommend having. On all the lists I've seen they always say Intel or Pentium processor, but then again corporate has some deal with Dell, and Intel is seemingly all Dell will work with.

Now we've got some computers that should be upgraded, but I'm thinking going with AMD since it's considerably cheaper. As long as the clock speed is the minimum they require, does it matter whether it's an Intel Pentium chip or an AMD?

The short answer is "NO." But, when you are talking about upgrading, are you referring to only the processor, or the processor, motherboard and memory (together)? Or, are you talking about replacing entire machines?

If you are trying to get by with replacing only the CPU, you will have to consider that Intel's and AMD's chips won't work on the same motherboards. So, if you are trying to use your old motherboards, you will only be able to use CPU's that are compatible with your particular motherboards (make sure to read your motherboard manual if this is the case).

If you are gutting the machine(s), make sure you buy CPU, motherboard, and memory that are all compatible with each other. Here you are limited only by your clock speed requirement and your pocketbook. AMD will be cheaper for the amount of performance you want (for now).

Of course, if you are just replacing old machines with new ones, you don't have to worry much about compatibility problems. AMD machines will be slightly cheaper for similar performance. OEM's tend not to have the selection of AMD units as they do Intel units, however.

BTW: Welcome to the forums!

We'd be replacing the processor, motherboard, and possibly the psu if it doesn't have enough power.

I'm assuming that you have the knowledge required to make a motherboard selection based on the other hardware in the machine? I.e., compatible IDE devices, compatible expansion devices (no ISA devices), etc.?

Assuming that you know that, get whatever is cheapest. AMD tends to be cheaper, but if you are looking at older processors around 1 ghz, who knows what you'll find. By the way, what are the speeds you are looking to get?

Also, what kind of memory do the current machines have? If its not SDRAM, DDR Ram, or RDRAM, you will have to purchase new memory as well. I'm guessing that since they're older machines, they might have SDRAM.

If you need help finding processors, try a few sites. Probably the best electronics site on the internet is www.newegg.com. The usually have close to the best prices, and they are extremely reliable. If you want to compare prices, go to www.pricewatch.com. They collect price information from a lot of online vendors, and the website is usually a good measure as to the going price of electronics. Once you find a vendor with the price you are looking for, go to www.ResellerRatings.com and look up the company by their URL (i.e. to find newegg's rating, look up www.newegg.com). This way, you get the company you're looking for. When ordering from companies listed on pricewatch, ALWAYS look them up first on ResellerRatings.com. There are a few companies that advertise the lowest price and like to scam people...so watch out.

Anyway, to answer your question, the only way it matters is because it affects what motherboard you can purchase. I'm assuming that you want to find the best deal possible, so I would recommend that you compare prices. Depending on what you want to get, the prices will differ between an AMD system and an Intel system of the same speed, and it is very hard to tell which chip maker it will favor.

shouldnt matter which chip.
but.depending on the speed they require amd might not really be any cheaper.1.8-2.4 p4's are almost same prices as amd.no cost advantage anymore. unless using 1600-2000 xp's.all tbreds $175-300.
also gotta think of heat.amd is still hotter and noisier.and u need decent case airflow.

im all amd. but if u arent payen the bill,id advise p4.
plus if things go wrong for any reason its your behind for such a "bad" decision.

Okay first, everyone is assuming that I know nothing. The computers are currently P2 400 machines using SDRAM. Mailboxes Etc. corporate recommends atleast a P3 500 machine. What I'm asking is if it matters if I replace the mobo with something that uses a socket A. It'll prolly just have a Duron 900 for now 'cause it's cheap, but I know from there I can move up to an XP if it's every required.

Corporate expects the stores to run to Dell and buy a whole new computer all the time, which isn't necessary or cost effective.

You should be alright with that plan, f0x...upgrade the mobo to an inexpensive 133 chipset board like the Biostar M7VKQ or the MSI 6378X-L, put an XP1600 (that's around $110 for the combo from newegg), and upgrade the SDRAM only if you need to, while continuing to use the RAM your already have. Those will be solid systems for the work you do, and they will be a lot faster than what you currently use...these are work-horses, not overclockers, so you should have NO problems at all with this set-up...and at stock speeds with an AMD HS, your temps will not be an issue (should be somewhere around 40-43C, maybe less)...good luck!

From a purely logical point of view, what you're saying makes a lot of sense. However, if you ever have any problems with the new mobo/cpu, then you'll be in deep **** because you wont be able to blame it on Dell/Intel.

Buying Intel is basically the no brainer/safe way of doing things. Going AMD and saving your company mucho money is innovative/risky. It could land you a lot fo brownie points with your boss if things work out.
Good luck!

i say either way intel or amd are both good not to sure about intel but with with amd if you get a good kt133a board like the msi K7T turbo2 board it should last you a very long time cause it can take anywhere from a duron 600 up to the XP2600!!

if you get an amd 266fsb you need pc133 ram to run it at 266fsb right now a 256 chip of pc133 is about $20-$30 depending on quality.

i don't rally see heat as an issue if you do happen to choose amd as long as you don't overclock their is nothing wrong with the stock cooling you get with an retail processor. I don't think you will be overclocking an office machine??

Just to be safe, I would just get an Intel setup. That way, you don't get s*** on if something bad happens. If it is just an office machine, you could consider an 845E motherboard, like the Asus P4B533, and a Celeron 1.8Ghz. That way, the Celeron would get you into a new platform, and if needed, you could upgrade to a new CPU later on.

The whole reliability comparison between Intel and AMD is all pure myth. Your hard drive is more likely to die before your CPU or motherboard anyway. As far as Dell service is concerned, it's not worth the extra money for the extra hassle. You will also save yourself the expense of buying another unneeded O/S license. You should be able to move the O/S over with the hard drive.

If you want to save money, pick up some ECS K7S5A boards. They have LAN and Sound included and are extremely stable. They run a little over $50 (US). Pick up the socket A processor of your choice--Duron or XP--that meets your speed requirements. XP 1600+'s are just a little over $50 (US). The ECS K7S5A supports both SDRAM and DDR (but not at the same time). So you can likely use your current memory and you can have an upgrade path for a while for both the processor and the memory.

Just slap in an AGP video card and drives (you can probably reuse your old ones), and you're in business (again).

he wasn't saying anything about the reliability of AMDs, he was saying that fox should use Intel because that is what is recommended by the company....because if it were an AMD system and something went wrong, he would get in trouble for not using intel....

and actually, I would have to agree.

I forgot to mention, you want to get a motherboard with everything integrated. Mainly because you do not need good video or sound. That way, thats a ton less you need to install...its not like its a performance machine or anything...try and get an nForce board that has onboard sound and onboard ethernet...