A pivotal moment in my computer build

[BigCoolJesus]

As some of you may know, ive been very busy lately trying to peice together my new rig (socket939) and i never stopped to look at AM2 because i never thought it was available. Well a little looking around and i see that it is......

Im building my current rig based on the premisis that since ill be in college, i can upgrade it it peices every so often, like a new graphics card (which is why i went with PCI-E), a new hdd (SATA2), new memory and a new cpu.
But since AM2 out, would it be a waste if i built a socket939 system now, since in a year or so, AM2 will be more mainstream (and i dont want to have to buy a new mobo, i want that part to be done with this summer).
Is it worth looking into builing my rig on the AM2 socket now?


Thanks for the help.
(and i know as of now, AM2 offers little to none performace over 939, but im builing this rig based on future-proofing so that when i do need to upgrade, ill already have the right mobo and memory, so ill only have to worry about my graphics card and cpu)

 

[morkman100]

What's the price difference between your 939 CPU/MB/DDR setup versus a comparable AM2 CPU/MB/DDR2 setup? Is this amount worth it for you for future upgradability?

 

[BigCoolJesus]

Well the only thing that would be different between my current set-up and an AM2 setup would be the CPU, Mobo and RAM.


My current CPU, Mobo and RAM is :
- Opty Dual Core 170 ($360)
- Asus A8N-E ($100)
- 2x1GB Patriot DDR500 ($200)



The AM2 setup would be :
- X2 4000 ($320)
- Asus M2N32-SLI ($230)
- 2x1GB DDR2 PC553 OCZ Titanium ($200)


So the only price difference is the AM2 would be about $100-$150 more, unless im missing something.

The only problem i have is that i dont want to jump into AM2 and have it be buggy/a pain in the ass (much like i usually wait a year or two before buying the newest Windows OS). Is this fear retarded and unwarranted? Should i do AM2?

 

[LOUISSSSS]

in your position i would get the 939 rig. am2 is bound to have problems with bios's, drivers etc? i dunno. but i rarely buy brand new things. 939 is the best money can buy as of today... as for next month i dunno but waiting for comp parts is generally a bad idea.

 

[BigCoolJesus]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
in your position i would get the 939 rig. am2 is bound to have problems with bios's, drivers etc? i dunno. but i rarely buy brand new things. 939 is the best money can buy as of today... as for next month i dunno but waiting for comp parts is generally a bad idea.

Yea, i guess that makes since.
Ill just bite the bullet and do 939 now and just start saving up money for a transition sometime next year.

 

[EffeX]

NO! Get AM2. if you buy DDR ram it becomes obsolete now and any future upgrade in ram will cost more than it does now(SDRAM Anyone?).

 

[LtPage1]

I say stick with S939. By the time you'll want to upgrade your processor (3-ish years? maybe a little less?), AM2 will be obsolete anyway. Either way, you'll end up having to buy a new motherboard/cpu/RAM.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: EffeX
NO! Get AM2. if you buy DDR ram it becomes obsolete now and any future upgrade in ram will cost more than it does now(SDRAM Anyone?).

2nd that S939 is a dead end. But if don't plan on upgrading the CPU down the road then it makes little differance.

 

[Kakumba]

Im buying a 939 system as I want an OVERCLOCKING system. and I jsut dont think that there are going to be any really mature overclocking boards for AM2 any time soon. by mature, I mean DFI SLI-DR Expert mature (how long after the 939 release was that board released?), so 939 for me.

anyways, AM2 is worth thinking about, but im not too worried about it if you want to build in the next 2 weeks.

 

[BigCoolJesus]

Even though DDR RAM and 939 CPU's will be discontinued and new models wont be developed, im still gonna build a 939 system mainly because i want to wait until thiers a wider selection of AM2 Mobos and until CAS Latency's and Timings come down on the DDR2 RAM thats already out.
Plus i dont plan on upgrading my RAM or CPU now, im just gonna buy what i can and make it last until i have money for an AM2 system.

 

[Bozo Galora]

Anandtech did reviews of both AM2 and NF5 on home page in the last few days.
The verdict: Both suck, stupid waste of money

The real choice is between AMD 939 and Conroe. Now THATS a decision.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: Bozo Galora
Anandtech did reviews of both AM2 and NF5 on home page in the last few days.
The verdict: Both suck, stupid waste of money

The real choice is between AMD 939 and Conroe. Now THATS a decision.

QFT.

In the last couple of months I went AMD 939. Popped in my 4 sticks of DDR PC3200 and love it. The ram was from my previous P4 system. I just received my 2 1gb sticks of G.Skill ram so I can run at 1T. 939 is very much alive and will be so for a while, IMO. Plus, I can just sell off my old stuff to recoup. Already sold the P4. Mobo and mem and video card are next.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

i believe that 939 will live till the end of am2. look at 754, its still beind sold in some places along with motherboards till this day (i think). ram is cheap, no big deal if u can't use your ddr1 ram later on

 

[EffeX]

As you know there is still EPP Memory to consider. That might be the deciding factor between s939 and AM2.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
i believe that 939 will live till the end of am2. look at 754, its still beind sold in some places along with motherboards till this day (i think). ram is cheap, no big deal if u can't use your ddr1 ram later on

You would be wrong. AMD has already stated that they will start phasing 939 out as soon as AM2 ships. 754 on the other hand is sticking around for the low-end sector.

 

[morkman100]

Originally posted by: BigCoolJesus
Well the only thing that would be different between my current set-up and an AM2 setup would be the CPU, Mobo and RAM.

My current CPU, Mobo and RAM is :
- Opty Dual Core 170 ($360)
- Asus A8N-E ($100)
- 2x1GB Patriot DDR500 ($200)

The AM2 setup would be :
- X2 4000 ($320)
- Asus M2N32-SLI ($230)
- 2x1GB DDR2 PC553 OCZ Titanium ($200)

I don't think the Asus 939 MB is very comparable to the AM2 MB you picked. One is a standard, run of the mill motherboard, and the other is the super deluxe, SLI MB (I mean, it even has built-in wireless!). It's also more than double the price of your 939 MB. Pick an AM2 MB around $100-150 and the systems will basically be the same price. So for about the same money, you will get a marginally faster system (0-5% faster) and a future upgrade path.

good luck.

 

[acole1]

right now 939>AM2 for smart people.

IMO there is no reason to upgrade to AM2 unless you are starting from scratch (you have SD ram, and an 800Mhz P3 CPU) or want an FX-62 (<-- not smart people). Anyone with a 939 system is just blowing money to upgrade to AM2 right now... just buy a better CPU and wait till AMD's next *real* upgrade comes around.

There must be some reason why AMD stocks are dropping *scratches head*... oh yeah! They don't have any better products than they did a year ago! Lo and behold, has AMD become Intel?!

 

[BigCoolJesus]

After reading around and in this thread, im gonna have to agree with the majority and not do an AM2 system, at least not yet anyways. Mine as well wait a year or two and see what unfolds.

 

[wpshooter]

There is NO such thing as future proofing, just future extending, a little !!!

 

[BigCoolJesus]

Originally posted by: wpshooter
There is NO such thing as future proofing, just future extending, a little !!!

No one argued otherwise........everyone here knows future proofing is imossible, we were just discussing whether its worth going to AM2 now, or if itd be better to wait and see what happens.
Wait and see what happens seems to be the best option right now.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: BigCoolJesus
Well the only thing that would be different between my current set-up and an AM2 setup would be the CPU, Mobo and RAM.


My current CPU, Mobo and RAM is :
- Opty Dual Core 170 ($360)
- Asus A8N-E ($100)
- 2x1GB Patriot DDR500 ($200)



The AM2 setup would be :
- X2 4000 ($320)
- Asus M2N32-SLI ($230)
- 2x1GB DDR2 PC553 OCZ Titanium ($200)


So the only price difference is the AM2 would be about $100-$150 more, unless im missing something.

The only problem i have is that i dont want to jump into AM2 and have it be buggy/a pain in the ass (much like i usually wait a year or two before buying the newest Windows OS). Is this fear retarded and unwarranted? Should i do AM2?

You would have to buy DDR2-800 memory to get the same performance out of AM2 as s939 with just pc3200. (Its a hair better in benchmarks) thats what anandtechs tests seem to show.

 

[morkman100]

Originally posted by: acole1
right now 939>AM2 for smart people.

IMO there is no reason to upgrade to AM2 unless you are starting from scratch (you have SD ram, and an 800Mhz P3 CPU) or want an FX-62 (<-- not smart people). Anyone with a 939 system is just blowing money to upgrade to AM2 right now... just buy a better CPU and wait till AMD's next *real* upgrade comes around.

There must be some reason why AMD stocks are dropping *scratches head*... oh yeah! They don't have any better products than they did a year ago! Lo and behold, has AMD become Intel?!

Did you read the OP? He's buying from scratch and wants future upgradability. These are basically the 2 best (and probably only) reasons to go AM2.

If he buys a 939 setup now, if he wants to upgrade his CPU within the next couple of years, he'll have to replace his MB and memory too. If he goes AM2 now, then he's already set.

 

[BigCoolJesus]

Originally posted by: morkman100

Originally posted by: acole1
right now 939>AM2 for smart people.

IMO there is no reason to upgrade to AM2 unless you are starting from scratch (you have SD ram, and an 800Mhz P3 CPU) or want an FX-62 (<-- not smart people). Anyone with a 939 system is just blowing money to upgrade to AM2 right now... just buy a better CPU and wait till AMD's next *real* upgrade comes around.

There must be some reason why AMD stocks are dropping *scratches head*... oh yeah! They don't have any better products than they did a year ago! Lo and behold, has AMD become Intel?!

Did you read the OP? He's buying from scratch and wants future upgradability. These are basically the 2 best (and probably only) reasons to go AM2.

If he buys a 939 setup now, if he wants to upgrade his CPU within the next couple of years, he'll have to replace his MB and memory too. If he goes AM2 now, then he's already set.

Yea, but for the lack of options out now im just gonna put together a really good 939 to hold me out for a year or two and in the meantime save money up for an eventual transition to AM2 (or whatever is mainstream then)

 

[Nick5324]

Originally posted by: morkman100

Originally posted by: acole1
right now 939>AM2 for smart people.

IMO there is no reason to upgrade to AM2 unless you are starting from scratch (you have SD ram, and an 800Mhz P3 CPU) or want an FX-62 (<-- not smart people). Anyone with a 939 system is just blowing money to upgrade to AM2 right now... just buy a better CPU and wait till AMD's next *real* upgrade comes around.

There must be some reason why AMD stocks are dropping *scratches head*... oh yeah! They don't have any better products than they did a year ago! Lo and behold, has AMD become Intel?!

Did you read the OP? He's buying from scratch and wants future upgradability. These are basically the 2 best (and probably only) reasons to go AM2.

If he buys a 939 setup now, if he wants to upgrade his CPU within the next couple of years, he'll have to replace his MB and memory too. If he goes AM2 now, then he's already set.

Maybe he's set. I'm not saying that socket AM2 will follow a similar path as socket A, but it does give a good example as to why he might have to swap out a MB, RAM, and a CPU even if he goes AM2 right now.

I had an Asus A7V, which used an early socket A chipset by VIA. After a year or two, having that board presented two problems. One, it didn't support socket A chip's with a FSB of 166 (or 133 IIRC). It also used DDR, but only PC1600 and PC2100. So, when I got a Barton AthlonXP, I had to get a new MB.

Again, AM2 may not follow the same path, but it is something to think about. AMD doesn't have a traditional FSB anymore, so that isn't a concern. DDR 2 RAM is a concern though, as I'm sure in 1-2 years, we'll have faster DDR 2, and these early boards won't support those speeds. Plus, who knows what else will change. Maybe a new revision of AM2 CPU's will come that will be much better for reason X, and these early MB's won't support the new version.

Bottom line, if the biggest argument for going AM2 now is so that one can avoid replacing MB and RAM come CPU upgrade time, it may not pan out.

 

[Jaimie]

Originally posted by: Nick5324
I had an Asus A7V, which used an early socket A chipset by VIA. After a year or two, having that board presented two problems. One, it didn't support socket A chip's with a FSB of 166 (or 133 IIRC). It also used DDR, but only PC1600 and PC2100. So, when I got a Barton AthlonXP, I had to get a new MB.

Again, AM2 may not follow the same path, but it is something to think about. AMD doesn't have a traditional FSB anymore, so that isn't a concern. DDR 2 RAM is a concern though, as I'm sure in 1-2 years, we'll have faster DDR 2, and these early boards won't support those speeds. Plus, who knows what else will change. Maybe a new revision of AM2 CPU's will come that will be much better for reason X, and these early MB's won't support the new version.

Bottom line, if the biggest argument for going AM2 now is so that one can avoid replacing MB and RAM come CPU upgrade time, it may not pan out.

I had a similair problem when trying to upgrade an older Socket A system, but the key with the A64 architecture is that the memory controller has nothing to do with the mainboard, since it is all integrated on chip. When the Revision E3 (E6 maybe?) chips came out and added 250 memory dividers, all the motherboards prior were able to run DDR500 stock with a BIOS upgrade for the new chip. We've seen in Socket 939 that when changes happen, such as the move to dual core and an expanded memory range, AMD has those features integrated CPU-side, rather than chipset-side. Motherboard upgrade woes should not be an issue until 2007 at least, when AMD goes through an architecture change again for DDR3.

Jaimie