Ok, so I'm in the market for a new gaming system, and as I have for my previous 3, I'm gonna build one. The problem is, since I quit gaming in about 2007-2008ish, I haven't really paid any attention to the new hardware coming out. My main concern is the processor. At the time I played, everything was AMD. Now Intel has come out with the i series, and I know nothing about it.

Being too lazy to wander aimlessly thorough the interwebz reading reviews of 2 years worth of processor updates and changes, can anyone give me a tldr breakdown of the newer ones out there?

Intel - Expensive, Good Performance
AMD - Cheaper, not as good, but still good performance

e: oh and now AMD has 6 core processors, I dont think Intel does but i havent checked in awhile

Originally Posted by Rstevenson

Intel - Expensive, Good Performance
AMD - Cheaper, not as good, but still good performance

e: oh and now AMD has 6 core processors, I dont think Intel does but i havent checked in awhile

That pretty much sums it up. I would honestly not cheap out and go with an intel processor, because when it comes down to processors you really do get what you pay for. Your choice of processor from the intel side pretty much comes down to either an i5 or an i7. I think the i5's generally are more mainstream and the i7's are leaning more towards heavy usage such as gaming, video editing etc. I would suggest checking out tigerdirect's barebone kits as they sometimes have very good deals. Good luck.

Checkout Newegg.ca and CanadaComputers. If you're on a budget, go with AMD/ATI, if you're not, Intel/ATI or Intel/NVIDIA are good choices.

The main advice I'd like to give is that if you're not in a rush to get your system together, take your time and play the sales for a month or two at newegg.ca, tigerdirect.ca and canadacomputers.com

So many parts go on sale every week that if you're just a bit patient you can get every component on sale and honestly save 40 - 50%.

Thanks guys. I'll be keeping my eyes open for deals on the sites mentioned, plus NCIX, which I've dealt with before and is always good.

Tigerdirect also has decent deals

NCIX is a great place to deal with. I dont deal with Canada Computers anymore, there stores dont honour the web sales the couple times I have tried. (not web only specials)Also look for lower prices and then price match. I have done that with like all my components at NCIX

TigerDirect fails... horribly.

They used to change their in-store rules every time I went there, justifying it with the TnC clause "TigerDirect stores have the right to modify terms and conditions as they see fit", just to save a few bucks. Despite being cheaper than stores like futureshop and best buy (which are even more fail, except that rare time when I got some best buy employee to price match a speaker set from $250 to $110), they heavily overprice their parts. I decided to boycott them.

I would definitely recommend using NCIX.com, they have good deals every week and will price match virtually any legitimate online Canadian store. I've spent roughly $1900 there without one pricematch request being rejected- saving about $260 from their original prices, which are already pretty cheap. Nothing I ordered was ever damaged in shipping, and with the one product I did have to RMA (manufacturer's fault), I received a replacement relatively quickly.

Just remember to go to sites like pricebat.ca, search your product, and you'll usually find the lowest price.

Oh and if you don't want to invest a lot into a new computer, I'd recommend a core i5 750 for a processor.

DirectCanada.com is quite good. I got most of my parts from there.

I always found NCIX had decent deals, but shipping killed it :s

Originally Posted by blackdragon

I always found NCIX had decent deals, but shipping killed it :s

right now on NCIX: "FREE GROUND SHIPPING* for orders over $100 and up to 100lbs! "

Originally Posted by reeves

right now on NCIX: "FREE GROUND SHIPPING* for orders over $100 and up to 100lbs! "

That's actually pretty sick.

Originally Posted by thatdudeukno

That's actually pretty sick.

Yeah, think I may order a case for now, since thats the heaviest thing, and take advantage.

Go with a AMD six core...it far less efficient than the i7s, but it'll get you a bit more performance, and you can go around saying you have a hexcore PC...