Another which one should I buy thread

[MonkeyFeces]

The contenders:
In the blue corner: Weighing in at 3.4ghz, is the Intel Pentium D 950 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116240
In the green corner: Weighing in at 2ghz, is the AMD Windsor core Athlon64 x2 3800
http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/ROP...2664&adid=3273208&subid=12546395&type=
And the newbie.... E6300
Which one provides the best performance for the money? I already have ddr2 ram, so the motherboard and x2 3800 combo will cost me only $200 flat. I already have the motherboard
for the pentium d 950, but I have yet to open it, it cost me $100 and is a p5pl2. In total, the upgrade to that will cost $3. I know it is guaranteed to oc to 4ghz, but power consumption is a concern due to my obsession with torrents and porn. Finally, the e6300 will cost me $350 in total. I know the 2 intels are capable of beating the fx-60 with an overclock, but I have cheap ddr 533 ram, so keeping it at stock for now may be my only option. I am heavily leaning on the amd+mobo combo because it is the cheapest, and IMO, will offer the best performance for the money.
On a side note, will getting ramsinks for my naked, cheap 533 ram provide better stability/performance? Since I am going to fry's, I can easily send the idiot... err cashier to the cage and bring me back multiple x2 3800's, which stepping should I be looking for, where would the stepping label be, and how do I read the steppings?

 

[MonkeyFeces]

ACK! I just read this, and it says an EE is on par with an fx-60 in power consumption. If I overclocked the pentium d 950 to 4.0+, and reach/surpass fx-60 at stock, will power consumption stay similar? I need a new motherboard by friday, so if my local Fry's/Pc Club don't have any 965 chipset motherboards, then I can't opt for allendale. Can the 3800 reach anywhere near fx-60 speeds? Will the power consumption reach the level of an fx-60 if it does? Does the newegg stepping incorporate EIST, or will it be presented with a software update? How does EIST compare to cool & quiet? What about normal speed step?

 

[Kromis]

You should either get the X2 3800+ or the E6300. Please edit your post and take the Pentium D 950 away.

 

[MonkeyFeces]

We all know about the tomshardware thingy with the 805 matching a stock fx-60 at 4.1ghz(whether or not it is reliable). I hear from many reliable source that netburst isn't complete trash and really shines at 3.8ghz+. The e6300 is a no brainer if I can have the board for it by this friday, but I already have the board for a pentium d 950 and it can do sli. The pentium D Presler EE is said to consume the same power as an fx-60, if the ones at newegg are the new steppings, then it should use EIST, consuming less power than an fx-60? I also hear that the 3800+ don't oc too well, being just shy of a higher end x2 (2.6ghz). How much power would it likely consume at that oc?
I'm in a real pickle now. I am leaning towards the x2, but if anyone can confirm whether or not the pentium d 950 from newegg can consume less or equal power as the fx-60 oc'd to fx-60 stock speeds, if it has EIST, or if frys miraculously has 965 chipset mobos in stock come friday, then I will most likely be leaning towards purchasing an intel chip.

 

[Cynicist]

Who cares if it can do sli? If you cant afford an E6300 + mobo I doubt you'll be buying two pci-e cards. Netburst is complete trash (except when you are encoding). If you make the processor run faster it will consume more power, simple physics. It consumes as much power as an fx-60 at stock, so it will consume more when you overclock it.

If you really care about doing sli in the future (imho its a big waste of money) get an athlon x2 3800+ and a decent mobo and be happy.

 

[MonkeyFeces]

Is netburst really that crappy? I was under the impression that a 4.0ghz+ is better than an fx-60 and consumes a little more power. I will probably be doing SLI with my 7600gt to make it slightly better than a 7900gt when dx10 comes out. How far will the x2 3800 oc with 533mhz ddr2 ram?

 

[MonkeyFeces]

All right, my budget is now limited to the $200 mobo + cpu combo. How future proof will I be if I purchased this cpu? I have the other option of just buying a motherboard now (i need a motherboard) and running off of my p4 630 prescott for now. Which one should I choose? I am heavily leaning on the x2 3800 because I would get everything I need for $200 rather than purchasing $400 worth of mobo+cpu. If anyone is against the x2 3800, please state your reason why. Otherwise, what should I look for in an x2 3800 (stepping wise), or does it not really matter. Also, I don't know much about amd motherboards (I have been all intel since my original duron), so is this motherboard that comes in the combo lacking any important features http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813135010 ?

 

[stevty2889]

Originally posted by: MonkeyFeces
Is netburst really that crappy? I was under the impression that a 4.0ghz+ is better than an fx-60 and consumes a little more power. I will probably be doing SLI with my 7600gt to make it slightly better than a 7900gt when dx10 comes out. How far will the x2 3800 oc with 533mhz ddr2 ram?

At 4ghz, a Netburst chip is starting to catch up to an X2 at around 2.4-2.5ghz in performance. To beat an FX-62, you would need some where around 4.5-4.6ghz, and at least some good water cooling a great motherboard, and a very hefty power supply.

Between my 805, 820, and 2 920's, the best I could get was 3.7ghz with water cooling, and none could catch the performance of my X2 at 2.618ghz on the stock heatsink.

At 3.7 on water cooling my 805 ran at 57c, at 2.6 my X2 runs at 51c on the stock heatsink. Not to mention toms hardware also used water cooling, severly overvolted there 805, and used an expensive motherboard.

Netburst is dead, and for a good reason. I am about to replace my 805 with a core 2 duo. The 3800+ should reach 2.6-2.8ghz with decent air cooling, and would perform similar to an FX-60 or FX-62. E6300 could also get to around 2.6ghz with a decent motherboard and air cooling, which if you look at the recent overclocking Anand did, also beats an FX-62. The pentium-d 950, well, it's a little ahead of a 3800+ at stock speeds..overclock them both, and the 950 doesn't stand a chance.

 

[MonkeyFeces]

Thanks for the reassurance. Am I good to go with the motherboard that's bundled? Will a thermaltake big typhoon be more than enough? Are all steppings good for 2.6-2.8 ghz, or should I be on the look out for a particular one? Finally, how far of an oc are my pair of el cheapo mushkin 533mhz ddr2 1024mb rams good for? Will purchasing ram sinks (they are naked) do anything for its oc capabality?

 

[stevty2889]

Originally posted by: MonkeyFeces
Thanks for the reassurance. Am I good to go with the motherboard that's bundled? Will a thermaltake big typhoon be more than enough? Are all steppings good for 2.6-2.8 ghz, or should I be on the look out for a particular one? Finally, how far of an oc are my pair of el cheapo mushkin 533mhz ddr2 1024mb rams good for? Will purchasing ram sinks (they are naked) do anything for its oc capabality?

Bundled motherboards usualy aren't that great for overclocking. The big typhoon will definatly be plenty. Overclocking is really the luck of the draw, there is never any guranteed overclock, but in general you shouldn't have much trouble reaching those speeds. As for the ram, just use dividers. The performance differance with higher speed or overclocked ram is small enough that it's not worth the trouble. I wouldn't bother with ram sinks either.