ARGH HELP!

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Ok So I've been spending hours apon hours looking over reviews and forums and such over the past few weeks. The bottom line is I just don't know what to get. Should I get Pentium 4 3.4 Northwood or should I wait for the AMD price drops and whatever their best athlon64 3x is at that time. I plan on using the computer for a long time without upgrading it (long after it's lost it's cutting edge). As such, not having a 64 bit processor worries me. The computers going to be mostly for gaming and programming.

 

[high]

i'd go, for that price, get an a64 3200+, Asus (?) SK8N, 1GB Mushkin 3500 or OCZ, 74GB Raptor, 120GB Seagate Cuda sata, 9800np/p/5900nu/U...heh, that's my rig for you

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

SK8N is a socket 940 board. If anything I'll get a 3400+ or if it's out 3700+. I'm not going to buy an amd now because they are due for a major price drop in a week or two. I'm going to have an asus 9800xt 74 gig raptor 200 gig 8mb cache ide WD(already have this). Ram I'm undecided on but I'm not torn on what to get. It's the processor I really need to know about.

 

[Dustswirl]

Just to clear things up for AyashiKaibutsu, i guess high means an asus K8V-dlx (it's 939 pins socket) (since SK8N is a 940 pins and the A64 3200+is a 939 pins cpu) and either two raptors (in raid ) or two seagate (in raid) or a raptor and a PATA seagate and all the goodies high mentioned

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

the k8v deluxe(or any other form of the k8v) is a socket 754... 939 processors and chipsets aren't out yet, and why would I get a 3200 when the 3400 is in my price range... and neither of you have gone into any depth with the question I've asked. P4 now or amd 64 3x in a week or two. Is it reasonable to expect a 32bit processor to last a few years?

 

[cowdog]

According to pretty much all the reviews gaming and compiling are two areas where the A64 clearly edges out the P4. Sounds like a good match for A64.

The question then would be socket 754 now or wait for 939. In the next few weeks I expect we'll see more 754 options. Otherwise 3700+ and 939 will come out end of March (or so "they" say). Now or then is a hard question. Current 3400+ and 754 mobo options are certainly very fast.

In my own personal upgrade desires I have decided that I will either get an A64-754 in the next few weeks or wait and see how A64-939 and Prescott-755 look in April.

 

[Dustswirl]

sorry AyashiKaibutsu that's what happens when i drink too much beer got lost between the upcomming 939 and 754.

Anyway expect a price drop in a64 3... family when higher clocks appear.
am on the same train as cowdog just shopping right now for WD raptors and a good case. at least that won't matter either i get an amd or intel solution.

As for the system you're looking for both solutions are good for you but amd 64 has some extra punch in gaming not to forget 64bit support IF you'd upgrade to the upcomming WinXP 64. i think that, in two years, 32 bit will be considered "old" and "slow"
hell even intel will be into 64bit soon!