I'd also add a few other things... If you look around, you can get an Opteron system with ECC memory for very little more than a Core i7 jobbie. (at least last time I was buying you could)
Getting the ECC on a system you are going to actually depend on, and will get cranky at if it fails is all goodness... If you stick with Phenom-II, you should get a similar configuration somewhat cheaper... And- I'd tend to push for more memory than a slightly faster CPU... If you are thinking about spinning up vBox, get all the memory you can fit in. My play boxes have 8GB, and I'm frequently cranky I don't have more, as once you have the flexibility of using VM's for whatever you feel like, 2 is never enough... ;) For what it's worth, my last two purchases have been Phenom and Phenom-II x4's. Nathan. Charles wrote: > I think this is a "personal" choice... > > Some folks really swear by Intel and the i series... can't remember the > reasoning .. maybe gaming..?? > > Personally, my last 2 builds have been AMD 64 X2 and Phenom (AM2+) > on DFI boards.. > I was going to get into overclocking.. never did.. and the boards are > rock-solid... > > Previous to that was Intel P4 (478 pin ) on Asus boards.. > One of the Asus boards are still running.. without issue.. > Other one got messed up shipping it to the UK for a friend.. > Both Asus boards were rock solid. > > I play a few games on XP but all my other tasks are done on a Linux / > OpenSolaris (is taking Linux place) boxes.. > > IMHO ... AMD tends to be "more bang for the buck" > and works quite well on OpenSolaris. > > I think either choice is ok.. > but I would suggest the following > - get good quality memory > - read the reviews for issues on the board you are going to buy > - make sure your hardware is supported or there are drivers available .. > i.e. had to install drivers for my Marvell NIC.. > - finally get an Nvidia card as these are well supported in OPenSolaris > > Good luck.. > rk
