More affordable.
People seem to have this weird misconception that Intel does not have cheap processors. They do. It just depends on what kind of product you are after. FSX loves quad cores. Therefore, if you're looking for a really cheap quadcore then AMD is the way to go. The Phenom II x4 940 is practically unbeatable in that regard. If we up the ante, the slowest Intel quad core (Core i5 750) is just as good as competition from AMD (Phenom II x4 955 / 965) for a similar price. The i5 750 also puts out less heat, and overclocks further than competition from AMD. If you're looking for premium performance then the only product that can give that is Core i7. Which product is the best for you? It depends on your price and your required performance level. It would be stupid to recommend a Core i7 960 to someone who needs a quad core yet has a budget of $140 where a Phenom II 945 would be a far better option. Likewise, it would be stupid to recommend a Phenom II 940 to someone who needs a Core i7 930. Consider all options.
I don't like it when people advice one computer manufacturer over another without taking into account the performance requested and price range. There are plenty of great AMD processors, and great Intel processors....
No heat problems so far.
No processor should EVER have heat problems on stock cooling. In my experience stock coolers are garbage for overclocking, but have considerable margin at stock speeds. When you hear about overheating it's always due to dust, improper heatsink installation, and improper overclocks. I had an old Pentium 4 Dell that was overheating. It was due to faulty heatsink supplied by DELL.
I max out at 29 C on a 80 F day while playing FSX(non oc atm)(and on stock cooler)
What are your idle temperatures on an 80F day?
Plus I can get all my drivers from one site(amd/ati)
So? The drivers on the intel website are not difficult to find. Windows 7 downloads them automatically.
No current Intel processor uses pins. They're on the motherboard...
but then again both CPU companies excel in one thing,
Speed vs Toughness basically.
Not sure what you mean? I've never had a CPU die on me. It's generally other components that go first. The processor I have at the moment has a reputation of being practically indestructible.
Last edited by Slotback on Sun May 09, 2010 12:58 am, edited 1 time in total.