A very serious dilemma... Please help me decide!

[n0iu]

I will be getting a new PC and here is my problem...

I have narrowed my choices to two computers. One PC has an Intel Core i3-4130 Haswell Dual-Core 3.4GHz processor and the other has an AMD A8-5500 Trinity Quad-Core 3.2GHz processor. Other than that, the PCs are both pretty much functionally identical with the same size hard drive (1tb) and 8gb of memory. There is only a $20 difference between them so money is not an issue.

So what should I do... Get the slower quad core or the faster dual core.... or will I even be able to tell the difference?

[koØm]

Intel.

.

[KC2UGV]

Slower quad. Each core is a processor in it's own right.

[KG4CGC]

Minimum i5 on the Intel. Minimum A10 on the AMD. Do not get an i5 from Walmart as they are barely i5s.
I'd just do an i7 with minimum of 8gigs of ram. I mean hell, you'd spend 3 times as much on a radio and not use it as much.

[NM5TF]

quad-core.....

you will NEVER notice the difference of 200 MHz unless you do a lot of benchmarking.....and even then....

and AMD is every bit as good as/better than Intel for processors....

and 16 MB of RAM would take full advantage of the quad-core......

[WØTKX]

I'm running an AMD Phenom II quad core with 8G of RAM. I did upgrade the supply and video. Runs my Flex software and surfs with two monitors. Until Flash crashes in the browser(s), but that's not the fault of the PC.

[NQ6U]

I'm running an AMD Phenom II quad core with 8G of RAM. I did upgrade the supply and video. Runs my Flex software and surfs with two monitors. Until Flash crashes in the browser(s), but that's not the fault of the PC.

Boycott Flash. It is evil and no longer necessary now that there are open format solutions that do the same thing, and often better.

[n0iu]

Well I am leaning towards the quad core (AMD) despite the fact that it comes with Windows 8.1. The dual core (Intel) is a factory refurb and comes with Windows 7 (which I prefer) and is actually the more expensive of the two... by a whopping $20!

[n2ize]

Go for the quad. Unless the Windows 8 is a major issue. Here it doesn't matter because I don't use Windows anyway. It comes off the system the day I get it. If you can live with Windows 8 get the quad.

[kb2vxa]

The bottom line here is you'll never notice the difference when it comes to processor speed alone, ACTUAL speed is all in the chipset aka side rails. Being Top Gun with a need for speed is vastly overrated anyhow.

Here's a bit of education for the masses leaked by this industry insider. All solid state components like CPUs in this example go from the manufacturer to a "testing house" untested and unbranded. They go down a line of testing stations operated by meat puppets with nothing more than pass-fail at each one. If the CPU is working 100% (pass) it goes into a bin eventually to be branded Intel, if less (fail) it goes to the next station. If pass it goes into another bin to be branded AMD and if fail it goes to the next station, so on and so on down the line until it gets to the last station where it either gets branded Radio Shack (;->) or sent to recycling where they're ground to powder and by mysterious processes valuable metals recovered.

That BTW was an interesting but pain in the arse job where my position as aid to the Chief Engineer setting up testing stations was created allowing him to devote 100% of his time to engineering.