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Building system, torn on specs for Processor/Mobo

H

HomeyFoos

Senior member
I'm sure this topic has been beat to hell and I honestly looked about 5 pages deep before I posted this. But I need some advice.

I've read some comparisons between the A64 and the Pentium D 820. But I am looking into an 830 3.0ghz Pentium D socket 775 and I've seen no comments on the 830.

I like Intel. I've never been a fan of AMD. But if the performance difference is substantial then I will swallow my intel pride and make the switch.

I know there are a bunch of AMD guys and there are some (probably fewer) intel guys. If you could, put any prejudice aside and just give me the straight scoop on the difference between the 830 3.0ghz and comparably priced AMD X2 (around $320). The purpose of the system will be primarily for gaming. And I'm taking an enthusiasts point of view on cost. I'll spend for a great machine. I just want the experience of building and owning a top-tier system for the first time.



Thanks in advance for any help given. This board is an amazing resource.




homeyfoos
 
There was a big review on a site (might be anandtech) about stress testing the intel pentium D vs the amd 64 x2... Intel had restarted a few times... Not sure if it was biased towards AMD...

But yes, AMD is meant for gaming so far.... and overclockable... Your best bet for dual core would be an Opteron 165, 170, or 175. and then overclock it if you want more MHz, for they overclock pretty darn well.


IF you want a top tier PC, wait until socket m2 though.
 
If you want impartial then look at some benchmarks, tom's hardware is pretty good for them (about all they are good for really).

The 3800 X2 is better. It can be overclocked easily, often to the same speeds as a 4800 X2. It runs cooler and therefore quieter, it has a better memory controller so you don't need to shell out for top of the line RAM to overclock. Even at stock settings the 3800X2 is better than the best P4 for some apps.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/11/21/...her_of_all_cpu_charts_2005/page39.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/11/21/...her_of_all_cpu_charts_2005/page24.html
 
I have an X2 and a Pentium-D. The X2 is the better choice by far. At stock speeds, the X2 is faster than the Pentium-D at everything, while running much cooler. My pentium-D 830 was running at around 80c and throttling with the stock heatsink. Brought it down to 71c with a better heatsink. Now it's down to 47c using water cooling. Meanwhile my overclocked X2 runs at 51c on the stock AMD heatsink.
 
If Intel was the better choice, the majority of people here, including me would tell you that... right now Intel vs AMD dual-core is an easy decision to make, if you want the best performance you want AMD. If your planning on overclocking and have roughly $300 to spend then go for the Opteron 165, if you don't want to overclock go with the X2 3800+ & with either of them you want an Nvidia NForce 4 mb... I'd suggest either Asus or DFI.
 
I think I've made my decision on the processor based on some research since I've made this post. I have decided to go w/ the Opteron 165 Denmark. It's currently at NewEgg for $345. If I am missing something (like, are there other Opteron 165's besides the Denmark? Is that too much for it? etc.) then please let me know.

The next step, is the motherboard. Captante recommended Asus or DFI SLI. And for this chip I agree. I don't know much about DFI so any info on their quality would be great. I currently have an Asus board and I'm really happy with it. I don't really want to spend more than $200 on the mobo but if there is a board that is simply a must have and it's over that amount, I'll definately consider it.

I currently have 2 gigs of PC3200 DC ram so I think I'm fine there. It's that Corsair Value Select from Fry's for $99 - good price so I got it but if it's not fit for the system I'm building, let me know. I think it'll be ok, but I won't skimp on value. Is there much performance difference between what I have and the expensive stuff? I'm sure there is, but is the difference worth the cost considering I just spent?

Again, thanks for the responses and for taking the time to answer questions you have probably all answered before.




homeyfoos
 
If you're into overclocking get a dual core Opteron. Not only is it priced comparatively cheaper to the X2s, but they also have been known to overclock significantly higher (with earlier steppings that is). The reason is due to the fact that Opterons are primarily meant to be server CPUs, and thus, come from better quality bins.
 
I was looking at that OCZ Titanium Ram. It was like $270 minus a $30 MIR, so $240 in the end. I may go that route and make that my last purchase for this system.

I hate to beg, but could someone tell me if that Mobo will run the Opteron 165? It's a DFI LanParty UT n4 SLI-DR.



Thanks,


HomeyFoos
 
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