The differences between AMD and Intel are slight, but important to the user. Differences exist, however, and they can be related to that of individual car manufacturers. All can get you where you are going, some may go faster, some may look better, and some may be more reliable. Intel and AMD can be perceived in this way as well. Intel processors have often been considered more reliable, while suffering a speed sacrifice to achieve that end. AMD processors perform faster, but in the past experienced a higher failure rate than that of Intel. The processor market has changed so rapidly up to this point that both of those statements can be examined for validity.
Intel processors have been more reliable. They experience “burn up” with less frequency. To the home user this translates into a processor that will give a longer life, thus, replacing the PC less often. Intel does seem to sacrifice performance in order to be more reliable. Examining benchmarks for performance yields the information that Intel is more expensive and experiences degraded performance when pitted against an AMD processor in the same speed range.
AMD and their line of CPU’s have aligned themselves with the gaming community. This strategy has helped them sell processors to PC enthusiasts, but hurt their ability to sell to mid-range users. With the release of the XP processor line AMD finally attempted a more far-reaching advance into the mid-range market. XP processors run faster than comparably rated Intel processors. Many that fear AMD have noted that this has almost always been the case, but the processors burned out more often as well. This was true for the now retired Thunderbird line, but does not seem to be as true for the XP processor series.
When deciding which processor to buy the choice is the customer’s. If he or she feels more comfortable with Intel or AMD then that is what should be purchased. One way to approach the comparison is by pricing the two products against each other. Retail average price for an AMD processor is $115.99. Average price for an Intel processor is $233.99. This can alter the price of a custom built PC as much as $100.00. Price being the major consideration most make when comparing products, AMD’s value shines through.
Making the decision to buy barebones components or a whole new PC can be an ordeal for a customer. Products change and companies bombard with advertising and seemingly unbelievable prices for computers. Intel vs. AMD is just one of the considerations you have to make when evaluating what type of computer one would like. The Computer Exchange sales and technical staff are fully qualified and more than happy to assist any customer in what is one of the most important decisions he or she will make in building a PC.
Jeff Pollard and Joshua Waters
Computer Exchange Sales Department