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choosing a CPU

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Am I missing something? Why would someone buy 478 socket motherboard/cpu now?

A64 3000+ venice overclocks way past 3500+ speeds, has 64-bit support, motherboard supports dual-core, is faster for most apps, runs cooler....pair that with dfi ultra nforce 4 board. I have P4 2.6ghz at 3.2ghz. It's now 2 years old. And you are buying essentially the same thing 2 years later?????
 
Well you are missing something, but you couldn't have guessed it since I didn't write it.
I'm getting this computer for a certain purpose and I checked all my options and it turns out Pentium 4 Northwood is the best option, since I don't intend to upgrate for at least 3 years (I hope even more).

I'm going to use this computer ONLY for recording instruments and making music. AMD would be an option but I couldn't find a motherboard I liked for AMD. PCI-Express cards are very bad for audio work like mine, so it has to be an AGP mobo. I didn't want a Via chipset because it's not as easy to install on SATA with Via chipsets, and as a first time builder I wanted it to be as easy as possible. I didn't find a nForce3 board without about a million bad reviews, and most have annoying chipset fans which is bad.

Also, as I mentioned in my original post (if I remember correctly) I am not going to overclock at all.

Since it looks like Prescott will not have any advantage over Northwood for my use, I'll go for the cooler Northwood because I want as few fans as possible.

Now all Americans, forget you are in America for a second, where everything is just a mouse click away. Here I can only get a Northwood OEM, they don't sell it retail for some reason. Computer stores here are the most untrustworthy of all stores! How I do know it is in fact a Northwood when I look at it?
It happened MANY times that people bought something and the stores just gave them something else instead and hoped they wouldn't notice, and these are the good stores.

Thank you very much and I apprecicate all the help.
 
Originally posted by: clarnibass
Well you are missing something, but you couldn't have guessed it since I didn't write it.
I'm getting this computer for a certain purpose and I checked all my options and it turns out Pentium 4 Northwood is the best option, since I don't intend to upgrate for at least 3 years (I hope even more).

I'm going to use this computer ONLY for recording instruments and making music. AMD would be an option but I couldn't find a motherboard I liked for AMD. PCI-Express cards are very bad for audio work like mine, so it has to be an AGP mobo. I didn't want a Via chipset because it's not as easy to install on SATA with Via chipsets, and as a first time builder I wanted it to be as easy as possible. I didn't find a nForce3 board without about a million bad reviews, and most have annoying chipset fans which is bad.

Also, as I mentioned in my original post (if I remember correctly) I am not going to overclock at all.

Since it looks like Prescott will not have any advantage over Northwood for my use, I'll go for the cooler Northwood because I want as few fans as possible.

Now all Americans, forget you are in America for a second, where everything is just a mouse click away. Here I can only get a Northwood OEM, they don't sell it retail for some reason. Computer stores here are the most untrustworthy of all stores! How I do know it is in fact a Northwood when I look at it?
It happened MANY times that people bought something and the stores just gave them something else instead and hoped they wouldn't notice, and these are the good stores.

Thank you very much and I apprecicate all the help.
Click to expand...

i understand what you are saying, but are the audio cards pci? most pci-e boards have a pci-ex16, pci-e x4 pci-ex1 and then usually a couple regular pci cards. do you have paypal where you live? also is the audio software definately optimized for p4s? some people in the fs/ft section my be willing to send it to you.
 
" quote:
Originally posted by: Matrix21
All the Socket 478 Presscots have 1Mb L2 cash
All of the Socket 478 Northwoods have 512Kb L2 cash. And It should be clearly Advertised Which core it is When you Buy.
I Think you can get away with a lower Rpm fan. about 1800 min or just undervolt a normal Fan.

Just my 2cent



The amount of L2 cache is really a non-issue when comparing two different processor architectures/revisions, just like you cannot compare the clock speeds of Intel and AMD processors.
That Prescott has twice the L2 of Northwood is not a reason to get it."



This was only ment as a way of distinguishing Between the Two. I was not Recomending Presscot!!
 
" Well you are missing something, but you couldn't have guessed it since I didn't write it.
I'm getting this computer for a certain purpose and I checked all my options and it turns out Pentium 4 Northwood is the best option, since I don't intend to upgrate for at least 3 years (I hope even more).

I'm going to use this computer ONLY for recording instruments and making music. AMD would be an option but I couldn't find a motherboard I liked for AMD. PCI-Express cards are very bad for audio work like mine, so it has to be an AGP mobo. I didn't want a Via chipset because it's not as easy to install on SATA with Via chipsets, and as a first time builder I wanted it to be as easy as possible. I didn't find a nForce3 board without about a million bad reviews, and most have annoying chipset fans which is bad.

Also, as I mentioned in my original post (if I remember correctly) I am not going to overclock at all.

Since it looks like Prescott will not have any advantage over Northwood for my use, I'll go for the cooler Northwood because I want as few fans as possible.

Now all Americans, forget you are in America for a second, where everything is just a mouse click away. Here I can only get a Northwood OEM, they don't sell it retail for some reason. Computer stores here are the most untrustworthy of all stores! How I do know it is in fact a Northwood when I look at it?
It happened MANY times that people bought something and the stores just gave them something else instead and hoped they wouldn't notice, and these are the good stores.

Thank you very much and I apprecicate all the help."


I not sure what you mean, Why is pci-Express Bad for Audio Workstations? I have a X850XT
Which is fine with Cubase and Logic ect..

If you want a good Amd mobo there are Loads! Geting sata working is easy
my A8n-Sli deluxe can run 8 sata drives in raid

X2 Amd would Kill any Intel Chip even 2 Xeons for Audio!

Just my opinion


 
I read in several places, including RME's website, that nForce4 boards are problematic. They said it's fine for hobbysts but for heavy DAW work (which means many channels and a lot of effects) there are problems with the nForce4 boards, because of the PCI-E graphics card. I'm not willing to take the chance.
I seems the PCI-E card and audio card use the same channels, and the PCI-E card takes a lot of it.

I know X2 AMD is great, but that is way out of my price range. A friend of mine has a P4 3.0Ghz and deosn't have any problems so I think a 3.0Ghz or 3.4Ghz would be good enough.

I don't want to work in RAID. I want to have two SATA drives without RAID. I understand that for Via chipsets I have to use a driver I download to floppy. I don't like that.
I'll be using a very basic graphics card too, something like the FX5200, since I won't be playing any games, just work with Cubase and Vegas.

Here is the link to RME's website for more information:
http://www.rme-audio.com/english/techinfo/nforce4_tests.htm

I would still like to know how can I phisically know if it's a Prescott or Northwood.

Thank you.
 
Originally posted by: clarnibass
I'm probably gonna go with the Northwood and XP-90 heatsink. For a fan we don't have the Panaflo recommended by Thermalright, but we have fans by Zalman, Enermax, Thermaltake. What is the minimum CFM I need for the 90mm CPU fan to be safe? I don't want to risk it and use a too slow fan just to make it quiet, but I don't want an airport in my room either.

Again, if I buy the OEM version of the Northwood, how do I know (by looking at it) it's the Northwood and not the Prescott?

Thank you very much everyone.
Click to expand...

See if you can get the chip's ID code, then go to intel processor finder and check to see what core it has. the northwoods should have only 512 kb l2 cache, whereas the prescotts have 1 mb l2 cache. what country are you in, by the way?
 
Originally posted by: clarnibass
I read in several places, including RME's website, that nForce4 boards are problematic. They said it's fine for hobbysts but for heavy DAW work (which means many channels and a lot of effects) there are problems with the nForce4 boards, because of the PCI-E graphics card. I'm not willing to take the chance.
I seems the PCI-E card and audio card use the same channels, and the PCI-E card takes a lot of it.

I know X2 AMD is great, but that is way out of my price range. A friend of mine has a P4 3.0Ghz and deosn't have any problems so I think a 3.0Ghz or 3.4Ghz would be good enough.

I don't want to work in RAID. I want to have two SATA drives without RAID. I understand that for Via chipsets I have to use a driver I download to floppy. I don't like that.
I'll be using a very basic graphics card too, something like the FX5200, since I won't be playing any games, just work with Cubase and Vegas.

Here is the link to RME's website for more information:
http://www.rme-audio.com/english/techinfo/nforce4_tests.htm

I would still like to know how can I phisically know if it's a Prescott or Northwood.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

nForce3's are more mature than nForce4's and you shouldn't have problems with those. nForce3 is also AGP so I don't understand why you are stuck with VIA if you go AGP.
RAID isn't forced on you, it's an option. You only need a floppy if you use RAID.
 
between prescott and northwood, go with northwood if you wont be overclocking because its slightly faster and runs cooler (less problems with stability and overheating). Get the 3.0ghz version.
 
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