AMD64 3700+ vs Intel ?

[bulldawg1979]

At the moment, I'm trying to help my sister (who classifies herself as an extreme newbie or Internet roadkill) buy a new computer. She has mentioned getting a Dell, but I expressed some reservations. First, I'm worried that they use proprietary parts that would be more expensive to replace. Is this true? Secondly, they tend to be pricier because of using Intel processors.

I've been a big fan of AMD processors for years, so I've been looking around for a good AMD system to compare to a Dell. I haven't kept up with the details of the struggle between Intel and AMD, so I don't know if I'm comparing apples to apples. Circuit City has a package deal (processor, 17" flat panel CRT monitor & printer) for an HPa1310n at $600. It uses an AMD64 3700+ processor. Which Intel processor is the closest match. On the Dell website, the machine that matches most closely in price, after configuring it with other similar features, contains an Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 521 w/HT Technology (2.8GHz,800FSB). Is this a comparable processor or should I upgrade the processor to get a fair comparison?

Any help appreciated.

 

[dguy6789]

Probably the 570 or 670. 3700+ would likely be faster than any single core Intel cpu in most tasks.

 

[bulldawg1979]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
Probably the 570 or 670. 3700+ would likely be faster than any single core Intel cpu in most tasks.

Do you have an opinion on Dell products? Do they use proprietary parts? I know, at one time, the power supply was. I worked on an old emachine, recently, for someone and wanted to upgrade the RAM, which I could do for about $25 using locally bought memory, but the motherboard required the use of emachine memory, costing over $75.

 

[bulldawg1979]

Back to the Intel vs AMD question, is there an Intel processor with 64 bit capability that compares to the AMD64 3700+?

 

[stevty2889]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
Probably the 570 or 670. 3700+ would likely be faster than any single core Intel cpu in most tasks.

I agree, a 3700+ will keep up with a 3.8ghz P4 in pretty much everything. I don't think Dell uses proprietary parts anymore, but since I build my own machines I would definatly never buy a Dell, and definatly not if you can get a system with a 3700+ for the same price, since the 3700+ is far far superior to the 2.8ghz P4, not even remotely in the same leauge.

 

[stevty2889]

Originally posted by: bulldawg1979
Back to the Intel vs AMD question, is there an Intel processor with 64 bit capability that compares to the AMD64 3700+?

The closest thing would be the 670 3.8ghz, with EM64T(64bit). But you better live some where cool, the reason 3.8ghz is the highest P4 is because of heat issues, which is also the reason the 8xx series dual cores are limited to 3.2ghz.

But what do you need 64bit for anyway? There is a very very limited number of programs that will use it at all, driver support for 64bit windows XP is still far from mature.

 

[Cook1]

Snag up that HP system.

 

[bulldawg1979]

Originally posted by: stevty2889

Originally posted by: bulldawg1979
Back to the Intel vs AMD question, is there an Intel processor with 64 bit capability that compares to the AMD64 3700+?

The closest thing would be the 670 3.8ghz, with EM64T(64bit). But you better live some where cool, the reason 3.8ghz is the highest P4 is because of heat issues, which is also the reason the 8xx series dual cores are limited to 3.2ghz.

But what do you need 64bit for anyway? There is a very very limited number of programs that will use it at all, driver support for 64bit windows XP is still far from mature.

Not really concerned about the 64 bit, except as it relates to getting an apples to apples comparison. I don't need to be convinced about the AMD superiority, but looking for ammunition to convince my sister.

 

[dguy6789]

Originally posted by: bulldawg1979

Originally posted by: dguy6789
Probably the 570 or 670. 3700+ would likely be faster than any single core Intel cpu in most tasks.

Do you have an opinion on Dell products? Do they use proprietary parts? I know, at one time, the power supply was. I worked on an old emachine, recently, for someone and wanted to upgrade the RAM, which I could do for about $25 using locally bought memory, but the motherboard required the use of emachine memory, costing over $75.

Contrary to most on the forum, as far as prebuilt machines go, Dell holds my highest respect. Of all of the various companies, Dell's tend to last longer, be more stable, and also run near silent. The recent models I have looked at seem at least moderately upgradable. My Uncle has a Dell and when we needed to add ram, a video card, and an ide card, it was painless. I installed it all quite simply and it worked quite well.(The mainboard even ran 3 sticks of memory in dual channel, which is less common than I originally thought) While the bios was not as feature filled as I would have liked, it did have the necessary options to have a smooth running pc. While I never personally used it, people around here say Dell support is top notch.

 

[bulldawg1979]

Good feedback. Glad to know that Dell products don't lock you into using their replacement parts. However, further research on the web has led me to believe the Circuit City price on the HP is really good. I would love to hear from anyone who has had experience with this system. Again, it is an HP a1310n with monitor and printer for $600 AR.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

yep the HP looks much better IMO, but I am biased against Dell as I've not had good luck with them in the past.

 

[homercles337]

@ the OP, and OT, why did you put a space between the end of your topic title and the "?"? I see this alot and its troubling.

eg. AMD64 3700+ vs Intel ? versus AMD64 3700+ vs Intel?

 

[bamacre]

The problem with eMachine and HP are they are cheaply built, and horribly designed. The problems with Dell are that they are sometimes expensive and they lack AMD cpu's.

But all those are going to have some propriatory parts as well. Why don't you just build her a system? What does she plan on doing with the system? She may not need something equivalent to an A64 3700+. Hell, I game with a Pentium 630, and I sell desktops for a living.

 

[starwars7]

This should help you:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/11/21/the_mother_of_all_cpu_charts_2005/