AMD 64 3200+ System buying guide

[Edward Lee]

**Prices from newegg.com
*********************************************************************************
System A

GIGABYTE "GA-K8NXP-SLI" NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL
$249.00

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz, 512KB L2 Cache 939-Pin 64-bit Processor - OEM
$219.00

Chaintech nVIDIA GeForce 6600GT Video Card, 128MB DDR3, 128-Bit, TV-Out/DVI, PCI-Express, Model "SE6600G" -RETAIL
$190.00 x 2 = $380.00

Product total: $848.00 2 x 6600GT ($658.00 x 1 6600GT)

********************************************************************************
System B

SOLTEK "SL-K8AN2E-GR" NVIDIA nForce3 250Gb Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL
$89.00

AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512k L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - OEM
$172.00

Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, TV-Out/DVI, 8X AGP, Model "A400
$379.00

Product total: $640.00

*********************************************************************************
System C

GIGABYTE "GA-K8NS Ultra-939" NVIDIA nForce3 ULTRA Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU
$116.00

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz, 512KB L2 Cache 939-Pin 64-bit Processor - OEM
$219.00

Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, TV-Out/DVI, 8X AGP, Model "A400
$379.00

Product total: $714.00

*********************************************************************************

The results bench ranks the above systems.
System C 1st (tie)*
System B 1st (tie)*
System A 3rd

*The AMD 64 939 Winchester is slightly better in Gamming and the AMD 64 754 Newcastle is better in video/Audio applications
Benches courtesy of Tomshardware.com
http://www6.tomshardware.com/c...221/cpu_charts-13.html
http://graphics.tomshardware.c...1/gigabyte_3d1-09.html

Conclusion:
The 754 seems to be the best overall Value for those looking for the Best bang for the buck. The 939 is very close with only about a $80.00 difference seperating it from the 754 system. The 939 proved slightly better in gamming applications may be a good choice for a little more money and slightly longer upgrade life.
The SLI 6600GT seems like nothing but a waste of money. It's not even close to competative on bench tests and the 2 x 6600GT setup is almost $200.00 more than a 754 Newcastle.

 

[TheBDB]

B or C

 

[Confusednewbie1552]

True, but when you get to overclocking I think the Winchester core has a better bang for the buck, but please prove me wrong.

 

[Edward Lee]

Originally posted by: Confusednewbie1552
True, but when you get to overclocking I think the Winchester core has a better bang for the buck, but please prove me wrong.

You can overclock a Newcastle as well as a Winchester and the Newcastle is still $50.00 cheaper.

 

[SrGuapo]

Originally posted by: Edward Lee

Originally posted by: Confusednewbie1552
True, but when you get to overclocking I think the Winchester core has a better bang for the buck, but please prove me wrong.

You can overclock a Newcastle as well as a Winchester and the Newcastle is still $50.00 cheaper.

Where are you seeing a 3200+ newcastle for $150? hey are only a few dollars different... I assume you are reffering to the 3500+, which has nothing to do with this thread...

 

[Edward Lee]

The price check is written above.
Thoses are the prices from newegg.com

Obviously if you shop around you're bound to find lower prices. But just to be fair I went with a place everyone was familiar with and that offered a good price. (if you read the thread carefully you would've seen that and I wouldn't have to walk you through this)

Now if I did my math correctly 219 - 172 = $47.00

 

[Jassi]

Originally posted by: Edward Lee
**Prices from newegg.com

Monarch has the 3200+ OEM and the SLI MoBo for cheaper. I stopped there because you are already paying about $70 more than you have too. If you don't have a problem with Monarch, check the hot deals section of AT. And you can grab a XFX 6800 GT for the price of the 2 6600s, get better performance and still have the option to dump another one later for SLI. All courtesy of AT Hot Deals.

 

[Edward Lee]

Originally posted by: Jassi

Originally posted by: Edward Lee
**Prices from newegg.com

Monarch has the 3200+ OEM and the SLI MoBo for cheaper. I stopped there because you are already paying about $70 more than you have too. If you don't have a problem with Monarch, check the hot deals section of AT. And you can grab a XFX 6800 GT for the price of the 2 6600s, get better performance and still have the option to dump another one later for SLI. All courtesy of AT Hot Deals.

THIS THREAD ISN'T ABOUT FINDING THE BEST DEAL! The comparison is done for one place that most people are familiar with. You can start a thread about deals at the "Hot deals forum" This is based on MSRP or Retail Pricing. And stop thread crapping with price checks.

 

[laurenlex]

Originally posted by: TheBDB
B or C