I had a debate with a friend about which is better a carb or efi. He thinks that a properly setup carb would run just as good as a efi system. Although efi is more pricey I think its more dependable in the long run. Plus you don't have to change anything i.e. carb jets if i want to drive to a area with different elevation.

I'm interested in your opinion because i cant seem to make up my mind on a efi system and have considered running a carb until I figure it out. The engine is a 383 and will be used on mostly on the street. I'm more concerned about making torque than hp. I would be happy with 400lbs of torque and 350hp.

I'm new to this site and new to the the engine building game, your advice is greatly appreciated

EFI, if you can afford it and you are not building a factory-restore car.

dependable/reliable the carb is better. i have driven with bad carbs plenty of times.
every time something on the efi goes you call the tow-truck
witch one performs better the efi hands down

Agreed

The beauty of a good EFI is that is will/can constantly self-adjust. Need a little more fuel today because it is colder? We can do that. Need more/less idle speed because the A/C is on? We can do that too.

And because it can self-adjust, the adjustment can be much more precise. You really can run that theoretically perfect 14.7 AFR all the time and know it will not go leaner.

Carbs can work but can also be a much bigger compromise. Using vacuum to suck fuel means that you can lose fuel sucking just when you need it most.

There are still a lot of old school rodders out there that continue to hold the carburetor in very high esteem.

EFI continues to evolve and get better and better. With spark and fuel systems integrated and working together, power and fuel economy are maximized. With no pump shot of fuel to wash down cylinder walls, cylinders and rings will wear much longer - I just put a set of heads on a 150K mile 4.3L that still had factory crosshatch marks in all 8 bores. Still, when it's down, it's down and you're stranded unless your vehicle is set up with a limp-home mode.