Which is a better spec?

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CBA100

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Ive been looking at getting a new PC, and came across the following. Both supplied with 20" monitors. My previous desktops/laptops have all been intel, never AMD.


'PassMark' benchmark results have them at:

i3-550 - 3013
Amd X4 - 3245



Acer desktop

AMD Athlon 630 X4 quad-core
2.8Ghz
2MB Cache
Socket AM3
45nm

4GB Ram

1TB HD

Windows 7


OR


Zoostorm desktop

Intel i3-550
3.2Ghz
4MB Cache
32nm

4GB Ram

500GB HD

Windows 7
 
They will probably both be fine for photo editing as it's not particularly demanding compared with gaming or video editing - however i'd be interested in what the "20" monitor" is, as the monitor is something that will have a big impact on the overall usability for photo editing.
 
boliston said:
They will probably both be fine for photo editing as it's not particularly demanding compared with gaming or video editing - however i'd be interested in what the "20" monitor" is, as the monitor is something that will have a big impact on the overall usability for photo editing.
Click to expand...

The AMD is supplied with a:

Acer P205Hbmd
1600 x 900
Brightness - 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio - 20000:1 (ACM)
Response Time - 5ms

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009226


The intel is suppplied with a:

Hanns.g HF207AP
1600 x 900
Brightness - 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio - 1000:1
Response Time - 5ms

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/home/product/43228/hannspree-hf207ap-20--lcd-monitor-widescreen
 
How would the above compare to a:

Intel i5-650
4gb Ram
1TB HD
 
About the same....
 
arad85 said:
About the same....
Click to expand...

Assuming they are the 2nd gen processors:-

The i3 processors have turbo boost disabled whereas it's enabled on the i5.

The i5 also has 4 cores against the 2 on the i3, although they both have the same number of threads.

This does make a difference, giving you extra performance when you need it.

Intel themselves recommend the i5 for photo editing.
 
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SteveRob said:
Assuming they are the 2nd gen processors:-

The i3 processors have turbo boost disabled whereas it's enabled on the i5.

The i5 also has 4 cores against the 2 on the i3, although they both have the same number of threads.

This does make a difference, giving you extra performance when you need it.

Intel themselves recommend the i5 for photo editing.
Click to expand...
They both have 2 cores/4 threads (see this review: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2901). If you cut to the chase (i.e.: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/144?vs=118) you'll see that the i5-650 is ~10-15% faster than the i3. Yes, it's 10-15%, but that's not much really and you probably won't notice it when doing editing. As to intel vs AMD, this page is interesting (assuming you'd go for the i5): http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/144?vs=105. The i5 is better in all real world benchmarks.... So, IMHO, they are much of a muchness, but the i5 is marginally better than the other two so is the one to go for if they are the same price :)

If you can stretch a bit further, I'd go with one of the new i5 (2300/2400/2500) systems. The 2500k (an overclockable 2500 but otherwise the same) is streets ahead of the i5-650 (see: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/144?vs=288). Would cost more (perhaps up to £600 with a decent monitor eg: Dell 2209WA off ebay) but would serve you for a long time to come.
 
arad85 said:
They both have 2 cores/4 threads
Click to expand...

I guess i overlooked the full processor name and was looking at the latest specs on the intel site.

Check out-

http://www.intel.com/products/processor/corei3/index.htm#specifications

And

http://www.intel.com/products/processor/corei5/index.htm#specifications

Probably best to look out for one the these latest breed although I've not had a chance to research prices though as I'm moving around a lot at the moment and realise it might blow the budget.

I know which one I'd go for when editing raw (finances permitting) :-) I've been trying to do some converting of raw to jpg on my little netbook, to allow my wife to send photos of her in the Marrakech Marathon to her running club, and it's simply not up to the task but the I am the impatient kind of person lol.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
 
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So do they both have 2 cores or not and does it matter?

My vote is for the i5!
 
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SteveRob said:
I know which one I'd go for when editing raw (finances permitting) :-) I've been trying to do some converting of raw to jpg on my little netbook, to allowing my wide to send photos of her in the Marrakech Marathon to her running club, and it's simply not up to the task but the I am the impatient kind of person lol.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
Click to expand...

Is that a typo or her nickname? :lol:
 
Yep it was a typo deliberately placed as a test. ( damned predictive text on iPhone lol).

Corrected it now in case she spots it :-D thanks.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
 
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Mikesphotaes said:
So do they both have 2 cores or not and does it matter?

My vote is for the i5!
Click to expand...

The new versions that launch this month of the i3 and i5 have 2 and 4 cores respectively, whereas the ones referenced in the OP both have 2.

Does it matter? Depends of how much you want or need a 10-15% improvement and how good or bad applications are at making use of it in real life.

Personally though I'd wait opt for the i5 and wait a few weeks to see pricing on the new chip as iit's likely to give an increased margin in improvement over the i3.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
 
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Just a little update.

After spenging most of the past few days reading reviews, i came to the conclusion that (for what i need it for), the i3-550 is enough, over the i5-650.

My previous laptop had an i3-330m Cpu, 2GB Ram and a 360GB HD....and ran my editing software perfectly fine.

Ive managed to get a deal on a tower with an i3-550 Cpu, 4GB Ram and a 650GB HD.

The monitor in the i5 package wasnt great so with the money i saved buying the i3....and with a little extra, ive also picked up a Dell 2209WA 22" monitor. :D
 
The choice of processor isn't that difficult ;) Glad you have something to work with and I think the 2209WA is FAR better than the bundled monitor...
 
arad85 said:
The choice of processor isn't that difficult ;) Glad you have something to work with and I think the 2209WA is FAR better than the bundled monitor...
Click to expand...

Cheers Andy :)

And thanks to everyone else for your input, much appreciated.

:thankyou:
 
mikeward said:
i3 are ok but limits what you can do in the future for upgrades as the 1156 has now been replaced by the 1155.
Click to expand...
Have to say I've never managed to just upgrade the processor in a system. I've always gone new board/proc/memory...
 
arad85 said:
Have to say I've never managed to just upgrade the processor in a system. I've always gone new board/proc/memory...
Click to expand...

I've done it once with 939 but won't be repeating the experience soon.

Things just move on too quickly these days for " future proofing ".
 
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