Re: PC shopping question
 

...So, those links...well, sadly, they're outdated, as SecretMaster said.

That said...I'm not so sure that I like the benchmark suite that Techreport used on that last test you linked to.

An HD-playback %utilization benchmark is a good (and common) one...as are real-time strategy games, which tend to favor multithreading.

But, I won't quibble too much. If there is room in the budget, then Intel is definitely the way to go at the moment.

That said, the Phenom X3 8450, which really looks bad on those graphs, does perform on par with the E7200...for $24 less.

If you were to instead get the Phenom X3 8650, which costs about the same, you'd *most of the time* get a product that's about 10% faster.

All this, Variol, is a bit subjective, though. Only you know what programs you use, and honestly, that's what matters the most in choosing between Intel and AMD, as both sides have advantages over the other in key categories and software.

Another useful link, which is worth perusing, is the $500 System Builder Marathon Build that Tom's Hardware just posted...though realize that that's $500 US, so you'd probably end up taking the money out of the graphics card to balance it to your budget.

Re: PC shopping question
 

When I called on Friday, they didn't have the E4600. They only had the E7200 for $24 more. They said more of the 4600s were coming in on Tuesday.

I decided to wait.

I'm concerned about the XFX graphics card. 512mb for $50?? I dunno, doesn't sound good to me. But, things have changed over the last 5+ years.