[AMD 64 3700/X1900XT] or [AMD 64 3800 X2/X1800XT]

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DJCrunkMix

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Apr 29, 2006
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Hey all, I am trying to find some good deals on CPU/GPU combos and stumbled upon newegg's promotion for AMD/ATI combos with 75 $ off. So, here is the deal:

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego + ATI Radeon X1900XT = 609 $

or


AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester + SAPPHIRE Radeon X1800XT = 596 $

I dont care about 10-20 $ difference...

Please give some advice. I will be using this PC mostly for Gaming/Music Production. I wont be overclocking anything.

Thanks !!!
 
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DJCrunkMix

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Apr 29, 2006
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Thanks guys, but from the benchmark tests, X1800XT beats 7900 GT and both are around the same price. Also, I have heard that 512 MB is more future proof.
 
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w00t

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2004
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I would go with the dual core route than you would have dual core and a nice graphics card and you can always get a new graphics card and still have dual core. why wait for Intel core duo? I dont think those compare to AMD64 Dualcores or do they?
 
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GeNome

Senior member
Jan 12, 2006
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Originally posted by: w00t
I would go with the dual core route than you would have dual core and a nice graphics card and you can always get a new graphics card and still have dual core. why wait for Intel core duo? I dont think those compare to AMD64 Dualcores or do they?
Click to expand...

Hehe..yes, they do. So waiting for Conroe wouldn't be a bad idea by any means.
 
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Chris2wire

Senior member
Oct 20, 2004
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He said Core 2 Duo, due out this summer. It will outperform X2's by a mile, but probably not the giant mile that original benchmarks show. But it will be the king, plain and simple.

Right now I'd go single core and get a better vid card. The reason is not enough apps and game benefit from dualcore, and you may be upgrading again by the time dualcore is widely supported. You can get dualcore at that time.

Right now single core with a faster megahertz speed and a faster vid card is mucho better.
 
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DJCrunkMix

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Apr 29, 2006
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@ Chris2wire,

Thank you very much for your reply. My plans are to purchase a singlecore (and cheap) CPU and an expensive GPU right now. I will upgrade the processor+motherboard (Conroe baby!!!) sometime in March 2007 when Conroes are well established in the market.

The thing is that, is it worth spending some extra on x1900xt compared to x1800xt ?
 
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DJCrunkMix

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Apr 29, 2006
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Now, the question is :-

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ = 235 $
or
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ = 185 $

Is the L2 cache (an extra 512 KB) worth 50 $? What performance improvement will the L2 cache make as far as gaming/music production is concerned?
 
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wolfman11

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Apr 29, 2006
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Well, here's my suggestion and others may not agree...I picked up an Opteron 146 for $169 - 2.0 gigahertz stock and 1 meg L2 cache (www.tankguys.com). There are coupons floating around here for similiar deals on www.monarchcomputers.com from time to time.

I ran the chip stock at 2.0 for a while to get a feel for it (and benchmarked it). Bumping up to 2.2 gigahertz (the core clock of the 3700+ and 3500+) - a 10% overclock - increased benchmarks by ~8%. And was nearly imperceptible in normal use.

However, bumping the chip to 2.4 gigahertz - 20% overclock - increased benchmarks by another ~8%. That DID result in a noticable difference in system resoponsiveness. It felt snappier.

Bottom line - if you're looking for a cheap chip I'd recommend finding the cheapest 2.0 gigahertz chip you can get your hands on - if it has 1 meg of L2 cache great - the difference a 2.0->2.2 gigahertz chip brings is not worth the price bump. The jump from 2.0->2.4 is much more noticable and tangible, IMHO. For example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103535

Not only is the chip $50 less than the 3500+ but you can save an additional $75 by buying a combo with the ATI X1900XT 512meg...
 
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Addikt

Senior member
Apr 26, 2004
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Personally I am waiting for Core 2 Duo to be released, but if you really can't wait I wouldn't waste money on a 3700. I would go dual core, an X2 3800+ and an X1900XT. An X2 3800+ can be overclocked to X2 4600+ speeds rather easily with decent cooling.

The 1900XT blows the pants off the 1800XT, in benches at least.

Originally posted by: Chris2wire
Right now I'd go single core and get a better vid card. The reason is not enough apps and game benefit from dualcore, and you may be upgrading again by the time dualcore is widely supported. You can get dualcore at that time.

Right now single core with a faster megahertz speed and a faster vid card is mucho better.
Click to expand...

Actually Dual Core makes a huge difference for a lot of applications and it's really good when you multi-task. For the time being, no dual core isn't all that hot for gaming but if you aren't an extensive gamer and you are big on multitasking like I am, then dual core makes your life A LOT easier.

If you're a gamer, then Chris2wire is right, go the SC route until Conroe, and it seems like that's what direction you're headed in. Good luck, so if that's the case, then get the X1900XT, it's a much better card, the X1800XT wasn't really anything profound, it didn't really significantly improve over the X850 series being based on a similar architecture and was mainly released to compete with the 7800 Nvidia cards which were a big success for a decent period of time. ATI is back on top though. Nothing beats the X1900, and I think you will be happy with your purchase.
 
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imported_fx

Senior member
Feb 4, 2006
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Well, I'll just suggest you to get AMD 64 4000+ with X1900XT that will be at least good at multi-tasking and best for gaming. BTW, MAVS ROCKS, w00t! :D
 
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DJCrunkMix

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Apr 29, 2006
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^^ That made a lot of sense :D, really appreciated your help :).

@ Addikt, thanks dude... I think I am gonna go with what wolfman11 said and get a kick ass x1900xt, overclock the hell out of 2.0 Ghz 3200+ ... But I am a bit of a n00b in overclocking business... nevertheless, I am willing to learn. I am a mech. engg. by profession and I love building stuff !!!

@ Fx, thanks for the suggestion, but I ain't no money for 4000 + :-(


Thanks to all!

PS - I will post another thread with the final parts list before I order ;)
 
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DJCrunkMix

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Apr 29, 2006
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Oh ******...the $30 dollar rebate expires in 1:15 hours !! I gotta hurry up...

I am going with AMD Socket 939 3200+ Venice + X1900XT = 509 $ (After rebates :D)... Please let me know if there are any problems...

Thanks in advance !!!
 
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jaythespacehound

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Apr 30, 2006
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not if you're overclocking, though I would reccomend the 3700+, nicest gaming cpu around at the moment in my book... Note the word GAMING. :)
 
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DJCrunkMix

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Apr 29, 2006
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The thing is that I am planning to upgrade to Conroe after few months..., so should I still go with 3200 ? I will probably learn to overclock :D ... just searched some benchmarks for 3200 venice and it overclocks upto 2.8 Ghz !!!
 
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jaythespacehound

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Apr 30, 2006
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Yes, overclock it and it will push that GPU nicely for a few months :)
Then swap around for the conroe.
Only question is, what are you running at the moment that makes you not able to wait for a few more months? :D
 
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DJCrunkMix

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Apr 29, 2006
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I am on a crappy laptop with ATI 7500 :( ....cant play ANY latest games... I am bored over the summer :D...need something to do ;)
 
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jaythespacehound

Member
Apr 30, 2006
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So this would be a whole build?
Then you have to remember that you can't bring much from this rig over to the conroe...
Conroe uses ddr2 socket 939 uses ddr. Different MB too obviously... Still it would last you a while.
I say go for it.
 
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DJCrunkMix

Member
Apr 29, 2006
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Ok, I ordered it :D!!! One thing I noticed, when I was ordering, It told me to accept the offer for 1 year subsciption of PC World mag. (9.95 $ value for free!) :/ ..wth?
 
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Chris2wire

Senior member
Oct 20, 2004
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You made a good purchase... Any doubts you have will be answered when you find yourself in a trance playing a game at full resolution!
 
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jaythespacehound

Member
Apr 30, 2006
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Yes a very very nice choice congrats!
I ordered almost the same a few days ago, x1900xtx as opposed to the x1900xt :)
Got a very nice deal $20 extra :)
 
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