purchasing a new pc help

I have some questions about getting a new deskstop computer. office depot has one currently that has 8gb memory 1tb hard drive , its an HP Pavilion Desktop with AMD Quad-Core A6 Processor . Is this processor the best or is the intel processors the best. ?

 

It depends on what you want to use the PC for. As for your question, many, but not all, serious gamers prefer AMD CPUs because the manufacturer acquired ATI (the GPU manufacturer) some years ago.

 

I'm not a gamer i just want a fast processor. What is wrong with the ATI you are referring to?

 

I did not say there's anything wrong with ATI. With AMD purchasing ATI, one company now manufactures both CPU and GPU - serious gamers like that. The PC you're considering will suffice for most PC tasks. Only high-end gaming and video rendering requires the fastest/best hardware.

 

Both companies make quality, reliable CPUs. To say Intel is better than AMD or AMD is better than Intel is too generalized. Pick two CPUs then compare them to see which is better for you and your intended purposes.

 

Me too. Why? Because "generally speaking", Intels offer better performance and are more efficient thus generate less heat. But "generally speaking" they typically cost more too. But there are notable exceptions across both lines. And the differences in efficiency and heat are typically just a few points or degrees apart, and performance differences can normally only be seen on paper.

As for cost differences, once you factor in the cost of the motherboard, power supply, RAM, graphics card, case, drive(s), speakers, monitor(s), OS, keyboard and mouse, the difference in CPU prices become almost insignificant.

So the answer is clear, my Ford F150 is better than your Chevy 1500 and both are better than his RAM 1500.

 

I agree - but with all the other components consuming large chunks of the budget too, that "loot" you save - especially when spread over the life of the computer - may not be that much.

 

If it were a laptop, I too would say Intel.
We have two Acer netbooks purchased 2 years apart. The older one has an AMD processor and probably better graphics because of it. It has a weaker CPU so it runs slower than the newer computer so that is to be expected given a 2 year difference in manufacturing. But the one thing I truly notice, the AMD netbook runs much hotter than the Intel.

In a desktop, you can add additional cooling, as needed but not in a laptop. I have the older, hotter one sitting on a passive thermal transfer mat. I don't need one for the Intel.