Just wondering if some of you on here can give me some advice. I'm considering what seems like a pretty good HP system at Sam's Club for approx $1400. I comes with a AMD Phenom X4 9500 quad core processor. I ran this past my bro-in-law, who isn't an expert, but knows more than I do, and he said that the Intel quad core is infinitely better than the AMD. I'm looking for performance plus value. I'm not a power user, but I'm looking to be able to play some games (Flight Sim), audio/video (not power editing), multitasking.

I have noticed that the Intel is more expensive than the AMD. Am I going to get value for this? Should I pay more for Intel, or will I notice much difference?

Sorry if this is a rehash. I couldn't find my question with a search.

there is a reason for the phenoms to be cheaper than intel's quads, performance... U pretty much get what you pay for, well maybe not in the intels ultra highend...

anywhoo, it would likely be cheaper (and a lot more fun) to build similar rig from scratch, lets say from newegg

Stay away from the amd x4s that don't have a 50 in the name, if you go amd get one with a 50 in it, 9750 or 9850. Intel is more expensive if you want comparable features on the motherboard, i.e. pci express 2.0 and high speed ddr2 support. But intel's lowest speed quad core is still a fair bit faster than the highest amd offers. If you're building a new system i'd say go with intel but amd offers a little more future upgrade options.

You do definetly dou not want the X4 9500. this cpu this cpu and other X3 & X4 with the b2 timings ag a big bug or however you want to call it. so DO NOT TOUCH. You could always go with an AMD with B3 timing and you can tell this by the the 50 in the name 9550 / 9750 / 9850. they do not have this bug.

But Intel is the better cpu at the moment but it does not have to cost more if you get a Q6600 (low end intel quad core )the price will be the same as a AMD cpu. or you could get the Q9300 this one replaces the Q6600 but will cost about 80 bucks more but run cooler and use less power. and performance wise the intels are better the X4 9850 might outperform the Q6600 in a few benchmarks but not the majority.

Okay...I work on all my buddies HP's (they buy them because they are all shiny pretty at walmart) and I am warning you that HP computers are a pile of crap ! Their dvd drives and wifi cards specifically, but basically they are ****, better to go with dell or build your own !

Better to go with Dell?? Ummm...
I wouldn't recommend that, they are probably worse than HP. I own a one year old Dell laptop and its really buggy, has trouble shutting down, freezes from time to time, basically its looking like I need to re-install vista. Plus its made out of low-grade plastic.

Anyways, I would suggest to you to do the same as others have said, learn to build your own! And do not get a phenom 9500....

I'll be so glad when AMD can compete again with Intel on a performance level.

...but that day is quite certainly not today. You want performance today? Intel. Period.

That's sad.

seriously, you local PC builder can give you a better deal than that, and MUCH better support..
or try newegg.com if you dont need any support after the sale. ... don't even think about buying a walmart / wholesale club PC . I beg of you..

as of right now, Intel is still the overall winner, and don't bother with a quad core. it has been proven that if your choice is a slower quad or a faster duel core, the faster clocked duel core will be the better value.

$1,400 at newegg will get you .. a 3.0 ghz duel core loaded machine with all the bells and whistles

DO NOT GET VISTA ... ask for windows xp pro...

Agreed with building your own, but not everyone has the time or knowledge to do this! Like Kari said, you get what you pay for with AMD. I would definitely go with an Intel Q6600 system. Its fast and will be fine for quite awhile, seeing AMD's benches and problems, I just can't recommend a Phenom.

Seeing as you're not a power user, you may not even notice a difference between the Phenom and an Intel Q6600 or Q9300. But for multitasking and gaming, Intel is the way to go. Good luck on your buy.

Well, I can't argue on that, but HP knowingly put incompatible hardware in their vista machines (optiarc) is NOT officially supported by microsoft, not only that, stuff seems to last 30 days and fry...

Too bad about the dells too, I know they aerent awesome, but if they are junk heaps like hp's then he better roll his own or buy from a custom builder.

Dell actually makes great laptops... but like all resalers, any low-mid range systems with Vista will suck, because of the "Vista compatible / Vista Ready" nonsense Microsoft put out...

I'd avoid ANY resaler on a desktop though. While building your own PC can be a pain, the next best thing is to find a trustworthy local computer shop and have them do it for you. You'll pay a bit more than if you do it yourself, but you will still get a good deal (and if they screw anything up and fry a component, THEY pay for it, not you!).

Boo HP! Go Dell! I say this from experience.

I like Dell. I work on Dell systems at work. Of course, I'm working on business class models.

My wife has a cheap consumer class Dell she bought for college back in the day and it has never had an issue. In fact, it's still using the original OS install.

me too.

In a prebuilt OEM computer it comes down to PRICE PRICE PRICE. Your bios OC options will be highly limited or non-existent. That really thumps Intel.

Most AMD HPs I've upgraded lately have been Asus motherboards with 533 DDR2 RAM and ""Best Data"" PSUs. Check this out rite cheer ...
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc [...] 52&lang=en

If this ...
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/n [...] pCatg=5816
is the computer you are considering, I would look at this ...
http://www.shoplocal.com/usatoday/ [...] center-pc-
from Circuit City for $880.

The only 'downgrade' is see is the 19-inch LCD vs the 24-inch LCD. You can purchase an additional HP W1907 19" monitor for $230 at Circuit City ...
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/Sea [...] x=0&go.y=0

That model HP (m8400f) is an ECS mobo.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc [...] 65&lang=en
I've had good experience with ECS mobos but I think someone recently bought them out ...

Basicly, for less than $150 I upgrade the psu and bump the RAM to 4gb DDR2 800.

The psu upgrade replaces the most suspect part of the HP - and sets you up for a nice video card upgrade (maybe an 8800gt ???) over the 8400gs or 8500gt.

Circuit City also has an Intel q6600 HP for $900 this week (but does not include monitor). Lookee here ....
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP- [...] tDetail.do
It's an Intel G33-based Asus - - -
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc [...] 68&lang=en

As noted ..... your options are expanded greatly when you build your own. I volunteer the Brainiacs at THG to help you -

Quoted for Truth - *AND* you get a nice, clean computer, sans vendor installed crap.

Be careful when purchasing a new system. I'm not sure if the Intel Penryn is out yet but, the "Core 2 Quads" as Intel calls them when looked at under the hood, are mere packages (Multi Chip Modules). They are not native quad core. The Multi Chip Module suffers from bandwidth bottleneck. The two dual cores it has communicate with each other via a narrow roadway. Because of this, the chip's full potential will not be realized.

Phenom is native quad core. It doesn't suffer from a bandwidth bottleneck like a Multi Chip Module.
Phenom also has four 128-bit floating point units where as Intel's MCMs have four 64-bit floating point units.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ipfxIgD8DU

Waste your money with Intel or save it with AMD.
Do the math.