What platform is better for music composing: Intel or AMD?

[AlexS]

I can\'t get reasonable answer for this question. Most of us are using Intel processors. Why?

[killerbobjr]

Short answer: Intel Pentium IV if you want lots of tracks or multiple apps running, AMD XP if you want lots of plugins.

Long answer: Since the fastest Intel Pentium IV\'s run at higher clock and memory speeds than AMD chips, you can get more I/O per second than AMD chips. Intel CPUs are much more expensive than AMD CPUs though. AMD Athlon XPs can do more work per clock cycle than Intel, so they usually stomp all over the faster Intel chips for some benchmarks. AMD is especially good a floating point instructions which are used intensively by most plugins (DXi or VST). Until plugin programmers start using SSE2 instructions in their code, AMD will trounce Intel CPUs for number of plugins you can use simultaneously.

[AlexS]

Thanks a lot images/icons/smile.gif

[eliam]

I had a bad experience with AMD systems, and out of options I changed for a P4, which I don\'t regret. It works so much smoother, even if I had the most recommended AMD mobo for audio.
Now there\'s no question in my mind: paying a few hundred box more and get something that\'s stable and reliable is the right thing to do, no matter what the stats say.
A steady car will get you further than the fastest one.