Desktop processor question

[Ezzzzy1]

I am looking for a few computers for the new manufacturing setup that I will be moving into. Its been a while since I have shopped for a PC and was wondering what everyones view/knowledge is on the AMD A8 processors.

I have been happy with the i5s and 7s that I have used in the past but because I am buying multiple computers I was looking to maybe save $500+ on maybe going with some refurbished towers that have the A8s in them.

They will mostly be used to run Adobe design programs, no gaming.

I have only checked out a few websites but if anyone knows of some good ones I would love to hear about them!

Thanks all!

[TFOGGuys]

Pretty much anything Intel has will kick the crap out of anything remotely comparable from AMD, clock for clock. The exception might be heavily multithreaded apps on an 8 core FX AMD versus a 4 core Intel with Hyperthreading (8 virtual cores). The A8 series will give good but not outstanding performance, and offer good value for the money.

[longrider]

+1 on what Jim said. AMDs are a good value, but if you need the performance go Intel.

[Ezzzzy1]

Thats kind of what I was thinking... I guess I will pony up the difference and just go with the name in the game.

I googled a bit but can anyone break down the true difference between the processors? In other words, whats the difference between the i3 and i5?

Thanks for the help!

[Nick_Ninja]

Thats kind of what I was thinking... I guess I will pony up the difference and just go with the name in the game.

I googled a bit but can anyone break down the true difference between the processors? In other words, whats the difference between the i3 and i5?

Thanks for the help!

http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/201...right-for-you/

[I`m Batman]

I built my 5 yr old daughter an A8 machine with 4GB and I am surprised of what that thing can do. The whole thing for just over $300 with case and everything plus 212 EVO heatsink. Couldn't be happier. It even play a lot of games with high settings with no problem.

It serves my purpose for her. If I were to build/upgrade my own I would go with the FX 8 core series. Best bang for the buck. I'm not trying to beat the benchmark test record or anything. Just want the best value for the money.

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?...350+Eight-Core

[Ezzzzy1]

http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/201...right-for-you/

This is great! Thanks man. Lots of useful info in the post/replies.

I appreciate the insight Batman!

[kevplus2]

You dont buy an a8 for heavy computing. The benefits are lower power, lower heat, and a cheaper price. they are meant for workstations and media pcs. And since they are apus, you get a vid chip and cpu in one...something you wont get in an i5 or i7.

You said yourself the workstations arent for gaming and you want to save some money, so the amd apu is a valid choice for you

[Ezzzzy1]

You dont buy an a8 for heavy computing. The benefits are lower power, lower heat, and a cheaper price. they are meant for workstations and media pcs. And since they are apus, you get a vid chip and cpu in one...something you wont get in an i5 or i7.

You said yourself the workstations arent for gaming and you want to save some money, so the amd apu is a valid choice for you

Ahhhh hell balls!

I wish that I would have seen this earlier. But now im a just confused!

Today I decided to start moving in the i7 direction because of its ability to hyper thread. Its a little hard because most guys in the graphic design world dont build their own computers.... but I have learned that when running the Adobe suit hyper threading is important for quick usage of it. I was also talked into buying a little more expensive hardware so that it lasted longer (in the scope of the computer world).

I figure if I spend $500 on the building of two good computers I am better off than if I were to spend the $500 on commercial ones. I can upgrade them etc...


I was going to list all of parts that I have either bought or was planning on buying but I didnt want to bore anyone!

[Generic]

Ahhhh hell balls!

I wish that I would have seen this earlier. But now im a just confused!

Today I decided to start moving in the i7 direction because of its ability to hyper thread. Its a little hard because most guys in the graphic design world dont build their own computers.... but I have learned that when running the Adobe suit hyper threading is important for quick usage of it. I was also talked into buying a little more expensive hardware so that it lasted longer (in the scope of the computer world).

I figure if I spend $500 on the building of two good computers I am better off than if I were to spend the $500 on commercial ones. I can upgrade them etc...


I was going to list all of parts that I have either bought or was planning on buying but I didnt want to bore anyone!

i5 and i3 can do hyper threading also, it's mainly clock speed, core size and cache that is different. Not that I recommend an i3 for any serious lifting.

If you aren't an experienced builder one-thing you might run into is how well all the components work together. It can be frustrating sometimes when a certain video card doesn't like a particular motherboard, etc. If these will be primarily for graphics work load up the RAM and try to get an SSD, the perceived speed increase with an SSD as your boot/work drive is huge.

Check sites like - http://lifehacker.com/5840963/the-be...r-600-and-1200 for good lists of components that work well.

If you do want help, post what you have and are eying and we can make suggestions.

[Ezzzzy1]

i5 and i3 can do hyper threading also, it's mainly clock speed, core size and cache that is different. Not that I recommend an i3 for any serious lifting.

If you aren't an experienced builder one-thing you might run into is how well all the components work together. It can be frustrating sometimes when a certain video card doesn't like a particular motherboard, etc. If these will be primarily for graphics work load up the RAM and try to get an SSD, the perceived speed increase with an SSD as your boot/work drive is huge.

Check sites like - http://lifehacker.com/5840963/the-be...r-600-and-1200 for good lists of components that work well.

If you do want help, post what you have and are eying and we can make suggestions.

Hmmm... I will have to look into it but "no hyperthreading" kept coming out of everyones mouth Its not too late for me to go with the i5 but I was told that only the i3 and i7 do hyperthreading and so to me the decision was simple.

The motherboard I am planning on getting may even be capable of running without a video card. Not that I know but based on what I have read it looks that way. Maybe someone could clarify. I will probably buy a video card just in case though. I also like it because it has built in wifi and bluetooth so I dont have to buy and add those.

Motherboard
RAM thats already been purchased


This computer building stuff is no joke!

[Generic]

Hmmm... I will have to look into it but "no hyperthreading" kept coming out of everyones mouth Its not too late for me to go with the i5 but I was told that only the i3 and i7 do hyperthreading and so to me the decision was simple.

The motherboard I am planning on getting may even be capable of running without a video card. Not that I know but based on what I have read it looks that way. Maybe someone could clarify. I will probably buy a video card just in case though. I also like it because it has built in wifi and bluetooth so I dont have to buy and add those.

Motherboard
RAM thats already been purchased


This computer building stuff is no joke!

I was mistaken, the i5 doesn't include it, odd. So board and RAM look good, what i7 are you shopping?

[Ezzzzy1]

I was mistaken, the i5 doesn't include it, odd. So board and RAM look good, what i7 are you shopping?

I am going to probably go with the i7-4770k. Its unlocked so from what I gather there is more room to "boost" the processor speed. Again, totally noob with all this so if what I am saying sounds stupid its because I am

Ordered a nice case today for the computer that I will be using most

[Drano]

I am going to probably go with the i7-4770k. Its unlocked so from what I gather there is more room to "boost" the processor speed. Again, totally noob with all this so if what I am saying sounds stupid its because I am

Boosting the processor speed is generally referred to as overclocking. It's generally not a good idea to do it unless you know what you're doing. By increasing the clock speed, you are increasing the operational range of the CPU's frequency beyond the manufacturer's recommended settings. This, in turn, increases the heat generated. Overclocking can result in some serious gains, but it comes at the risk toasting your processor and voiding your warranty. If you're going to dabble in the world of overclocking, be savvy about it, and, ideally, make sure your system is water-cooled in order to handle the heat.

[Generic]

Boosting the processor speed is generally referred to as overclocking. It's generally not a good idea to do it unless you know what you're doing. By increasing the clock speed, you are increasing the operational range of the CPU's frequency beyond the manufacturer's recommended settings. This, in turn, increases the heat generated. Overclocking can result in some serious gains, but it comes at the risk toasting your processor and voiding your warranty. If you're going to dabble in the world of overclocking, be savvy about it, and, ideally, make sure your system is water-cooled in order to handle the heat.

This, don't overclock it.

[Ezzzzy1]

And like that my plans of putting a turbo on the processor are dead....

Sounds a little too rich for my blood.

Has anyone or does anyone use a solid state hard drive (say 256gb) and combine that with a larger normal hard drive? Meaning use the SSD for the OS and main programs that will be run and use the other for storage?

I was just thinking that may make some sense and would probably be doable. My main goal was to have the startup speed (among other things) of the SSD but I didnt want to fork out the $$ for a 1TB or even half that.

[~Barn~]

<Snip...> Has anyone or does anyone use a solid state hard drive (say 256gb) and combine that with a larger normal hard drive? Meaning use the SSD for the OS and main programs that will be run and use the other for storage?

I was just thinking that may make some sense and would probably be doable. My main goal was to have the startup speed (among other things) of the SSD but I didnt want to fork out the $$ for a 1TB or even half that.

A 250GB SSD for Program data with 2 traditional internal HDDs for all other data.

[Generic]

And like that my plans of putting a turbo on the processor are dead....

Sounds a little too rich for my blood.

Has anyone or does anyone use a solid state hard drive (say 256gb) and combine that with a larger normal hard drive? Meaning use the SSD for the OS and main programs that will be run and use the other for storage?

I was just thinking that may make some sense and would probably be doable. My main goal was to have the startup speed (among other things) of the SSD but I didnt want to fork out the $$ for a 1TB or even half that.

That's exactly what I do and suggest doing. Get a nice efficient 1TB for your secondary drive and then dump the OS, Apps on the SSD. If you are working with a large video or images, put those on the SSD until you are done, then move them off to the 1TB drive for storage.

[Ezzzzy1]

And now I will be looking for a SSD!

I really appreciate all the input

[Sarge]

And since they are apus, you get a vid chip and cpu in one...something you wont get in an i5 or i7....

:facepalm:

Google Intel HD4000 and get back to us.

[Sarge]

Also, for intel, look up "Intel SSD Caching". I have a 64gb SSD paired with a 2tb WD Caviar Black. It caches everything from the big drive onto the small drive at 90% SSD speeds. Basically, the last 60 gb of any data you access, namely windows, internet explorer, etc, always sit on the SSD. Only when you access "new" data or save something larger than 64gb does it operate at regular hard drive speeds. Any Intel z5x or later chipset supports it. (I started using it with z77, can't remember exactly when it started.)

[Ezzzzy1]

Ok, now on to power supplies...

I ordered this.

I know its not 500 or 600 watts but its not 300 either. I was looking at stepping up to the 550 watt but it was like $100 more! Im assuming that the bigger named manufactures are more reliable and therefore you can get away with not having as much power?

[Generic]

You should be shopping something more like this: Corsair 650W

Bad/cheap power supplies can cause a host of hard to diagnose issues.

Shop newegg.com, check Slickdeals.net and if you can, wait for Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. It's a month a way and could save you a couple hundred.

[Ezzzzy1]

Got it all finished up. I ended up just buying the second computer... Its an i5 that was already built, HP with everything for >$500

On the computer that I built I ended up going with a larger power supply, thanks for the recommendation. After talking with a few other people I now know that it was the right decision. I also went with a SSD for the operating system and Adobe. All in all I couldnt be happier with the whole process. I shopped around and picked the best that I wanted and ended up saving probably $500 just on those. So all in all including a 23" led monitor, top of the line logitec mouse and keyboard I ended up spending $925 on it all. I think that if I had just purchased the same setup it would have been well over $2k.

I really appreciate all the input and direction.