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Topic: Processors

Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

Summary: Great AMD hardware to give away!

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

Note: This contest is now CLOSED!

The good folks at AMD have given me some neat hardware to give away, but I'm going to make you work for the chance of winning some loot! You're going to have to answer a question or two.

I've got two categories of prizes to give away. I've got four AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz processors (no heatsinks) and a couple of boxed graphics cards (a Radeon HD 6790 and a Radeon HD 5670) to give away. So, I've got two questions, one for those who want a chance to win a CPU (there will be four winners) and another for those who want a chance to win the graphics cards (first prize will be the Radeon HD 6790, second prize the Radeon HD 5670).

Here are the questions:

  • For a chance to win an AMD CPU, tell me what applications consume the most processor power on your PC, and how a faster processor would make a difference to you.
  • For a chance to win an AMD graphics card, tell me what is your favorite gaming platform, and why.

Here are the basic rules. Read them carefully to avoid having your entry disqualified (and to make my life easier!).

  • Register as a ZDNET user. If you're already registered, you can skip this step. If you're not a ZDNet member, click the Join link at the top of this page and follow the instructions.
  • Log in and leave a comment below. In 150 words or less, answer one or both of the above questions. (And don't go over that 150-word limit or your entry will be disqualified!)
  • Leave only one comment per question. You may enter this specific giveaway only twice (once for a chance to win one of the CPUs, and once for a chance to win a graphics card). If you enter more than one comment per question, you will be automatically disqualified.
  • The winners will be selected by a panel of judges.

For a full set of rules, check out this page. Oh, and finally, some more legalese for you to read:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OLD  OR AGE OF MAJORITY IN YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO CONTEST. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.SWEEPSTAKES ENDS AT 12:00 PM PT ON 2/5/12. SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR DETAILS

Topics: Processors, Hardware, PCs

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Talkback

164 comments
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  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    I'd love to win a AMD graphics card. My PC is definitely my fav gaming platform. I love the customization and the ability to upgrade, just can't get that with a console!
    prismperfect
    Reply Vote

  • Favorite Gaming Platform.

    PC. Graphic capabilities are endless when compared to locked down consoles. Customizing games with skins and mods is a dominant PC luxury. Controllers are an optional peripheral, and are usually pushed aside for a more precise and powerful Mouse/KB combo, with buttons and DPI settings that can be easily customized to fit the user's needs, which is ideal for honing your FPS skills. Multiple monitor support is a godsend for MMO players. Using a controller on a console to manage your units in a RTS game is beyond frustrating. As a gamer, I don't like being locked down. Freedom is the PC gamer's greatest power.
    Bates_
    Reply Vote

  • Here it is

    1. Fast Video Cards, which contain graphics processing units and the Power Suppy on your computer.

    2. Xbox 360 is my favorite Gaming platform, because im a loyal Microsoft Customer, I support American Companies and Microsoft is one of them, it was founded in my home town of Albuquerque NM.

    M
    kakarrato
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    AMD CPU
    I know if may sound clich?? but, by far, my most CPU demanding application is video editing/rendering. Sorting raw vacation footage, assembling it in a pleasant to the eye show and finally rendering it into a finished format is my real CPU burner.
    TheCyberKnight
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    AMD GPU
    I've given up on PC gaming years ago because of the eternal compatibility issues that we were facing at the time. Also, I was sick and tired of the never ending race to more potent hardware every single time a new game was released.
    My solution became the game consoles that give (early in their life) very decent graphics and and almost perfect stability for an incredible bang for the buck ratio. I ride the Microsoft platform (XBOX) since it is available. My first love was with Sega.
    TheCyberKnight
    Reply Vote

  • PC Gaming

    For the AMD CPU:<br><br>Most power hungry applications in order of power consumption: <br><br>1. 3D games (Orcs Must Die!, Left 4 Dead 2, Assassin's Creed: Revelations) <br>2. Flash video (My current video card, a Radeon 4850 spins up when playing Youtube and Hulu). <br>3. Running big apps like Visual Studio and Netbeans.
    webslingr
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    For the CPU:
    On the home PC (where this piece of kit would be going), sadly, the web browser is the biggest culprit. I usually open several instances of the app, so hopefully a few extra cores would help lift the load compared to the current Athlon x2. (Best of all, it ought to be compatible with the current MB - YAY for backwards compatible platforms!)
    NetAdmin1178
    Reply Vote

  • PC Gaming Platform

    For the AMD GPU:

    Steam IS THE BEST GAMING PLATFORM. Its better than the rest because there's no physical media and will be around as long as PC's and Macs are around. As video game consoles get old and become obsolete the physical media is useless, then the games reappear in new platforms such as Steam or Wii Ware. If there had to be only one gaming platform I would say Steam.
    webslingr
    Reply Vote

  • running the android envrionment from eclipse

    that and 3d rendering. Having a server and development environment runnning keeps it busy, but 3d rendering really heats things up. Anytime I use microsoft windows, and it decides to update, that really maxes the whole thing out as well.
    sparkle farkle
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    For the graphics card (and just because):
    My favorite gaming platform - honestly - is the old Super Nintendo. Why?... it wasn't all about graphics or online gaming or giving up half your life to keep up with the games, it was just simple and fun - you picked up the controller, played for a while, then you went on to something else... and it's got that certain nostalgia about it. Every time I pull out the old SNES, it's like going back to my early teens.
    NetAdmin1178
    Reply Vote

  • Favorite gaming platform?

    You're not a gamer if you don't say all of them (or none of them!). It's all about which game is on which platform. For example, I'm utterly entrenched in Star Wars: The Old Republic right now, so the PC is currently my favorite platform. The week before it came out? The Wii, because of Skyward Sword. Before that, it was Xbox 360 all the way for some nice and friendly Gears of War. Dark Soul's for PS3 is hiding somewhere in all of this mess as well. Gaming has always been about the library, not the chrome. Why do you think the 3DS is doing so lousy? It has nothing to do with its hardware.<br><br>But I have to admit, that card would look mighty nice in my big shiny new PC. =p
    Aerowind
    Reply Vote

  • AMD CPU

    1. Minecraft Client and Server(Java)
    Currently running on an older CPU and running both the Server and Client on the same system has both cores running at 100%. The extra cores would help alleviate alot of the strain on the CPU.
    Backinmyday
    Reply Vote

  • AMD GPU

    Favorite Gaming platform will always be PC.

    I have tried most consoles and none will ever come close to being able to do the things you can do with a keyboard and mouse for games. I prefer the more unique games like Minecraft that allow you to customize and create things the way you want.
    Backinmyday
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    I only game on a PC, I like the MMO Lord of the Rings Online. It really uses my video card (probably due to my monitor size).
    TelcoChuck
    Reply Vote

  • AMD CPU

    My most CPU intensive application is Mencoder (PS3 Media Server) muxing 1080p videos for display on my DLNA capable Bravia. My current AMD Athlon 64 x2 4800 OC to 2847 has improved performance, but for sure the AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz would allow for seamless playback of even files of the highest bitrate where my current Athlon falters. Thanks in advance for your consideration!
    dick.swift00@...
    Reply Vote

  • For the AMD CPU

    The most CPU intensive application running on our computer at home is AUTOCAD. With our home PC running an 2.2gig I7 processor, 8 gig of ram, Win7 Pro, a pair of 500 Gig drives configured as raid 1 and a 30??? monitor. (The kids loved it when that monitor showed up.) The system works great but Autocad is a beast and (to paraphrase Tim Allen) can always use ???MORE POWER!???
    Scubajrr
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    For the CPU:

    I really could use a new processor for the home HyperV server. The current processor, an old Core2 Duo, is just barely cutting it these days, since there are more than 5 VM's running.
    vel0city
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    For the GPU:

    PC gaming is my first choice. Between playing on my desktop with a keyboard and mouse and sitting back on the media pc with a controller, PC gaming always reigns supreme. Sadly, the graphics card on the media pc is aging quite a bit, and can't seem to handle the newer games.
    vel0city
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    "what is your favorite gaming platform, and why."
    My PC, I can upgrade and update it. I can even customize it.
    MoeFugger
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Share your opinions for a chance to win some cool AMD hardware

    "what applications consume the most processor power on your PC, and how a faster processor would make a difference to you"<br>Converting video to another format. A faster CPU would certainly speed that up.
    MoeFugger
    Reply Vote
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