Comments On This Setup

[willbemcse]

I have decided to build a new pc with these parts. I will appreciate any comments or sugestions is someone has the samesetup . Both Asus and Abit have good products , but I heard that Abit charges the credit card before doing RMA.
a)Asus P4P800-E Deluxe (dont know why P4C is so expensive) or IC7-G .
b) P4 3.0E or Regular P4.
c) Corsair PC 3700(1GB)

The main use of this pc will be playing games , building web pages , photoshop. As for OCing I might do it or no . Which memory will give me a better performance. There is very little price difference between P4 E or regular P4. Isn't having a 1MB cache will speed things up ??

Thanks

 

[myocardia]

First of all, only get a 3.0E if having a 2.6 or 2.7ghz P4C will be fast enough for you-- the Prescott's are that much slower than P4C's. For a motherboard, definitely get the Abit IC7-G. If you ever do get a bad board, you RMA through newegg, not through Abit, as long as you don't wait more than 30 days to call them and let them know that something is wrong with your board. And whether you are going to be overclocking or not, you will be happier with Corsair XMS PC3200 than with PC3700, and you will save yourself some money.

 

[Falloutboy]

if you must go intel I guess thats a fine setup but I do still recomend to avoid the prescots. now if you would condsider AMD I'd go with a Athlon 64 3000+ or a 3200+ much better for gaming and little to no difference in speed to comparable p4 in most other benches except video encoding,

 

[willbemcse]

Hi myocardia
I was reading abit forums and most if the posts I have seen are relating to the board doing no POST. Didn't see that many issues with Asus, you also have IC7-G.Thanks I will go with Abit IC7-G , P4 C 3.0 not Prescott and 3200. What difference 3700 will make . Does anyone of this forum has the same setup which I am thinking of getting. Will I see a that much performance difference between 2.8 or 3.0C.

I am also looking to get a PVR for my pc , which one is good or if someone is using one right know.

 

[Duvie]

Defintely avoid the Prescotts....

As for DDR3200 vs ddr3700 only get the pc3700 if you plan on ocing otherwise it is a waste as a dual channel pc3200 setup with a p4c is in bandiwdth balance so to speak....

I like the 2.8c if you plan on ocing as many have been getting these to 3.5ghz...Tha would need a 250fsb so with a 5:4 ratio that would allow you to run pc3200 memory. I think 1:1 may be difficult unless you bought some quality pc3700 stuff and volted it 2.8v plus to get to 500mhz ddr.

A 3.0c should also be able to do 3.5ghz and only need 233fsb or in 1:1 mode 466mhz which is pc3700.....Overall more cost...less for bang for the buck since the oc is smaller and you buy more expensive ram.

The first system with PC3200 may be the best since with pc3200 you likely can run some tight cas 2 timings and 5:4 versus 1:1 will not be that big of a drop, trust me....

 

[willbemcse]

Hi Duvie
I might OC or might not. I just best bang for my money and want the system to be stable . Is there a big performance difference between 2.8 and 3.0 . Do you have any troubles ocing yours. Whats the best site to buy the chip newegg or googlear.com as I want to make sure I get the one with the right stepping #.

 

[yourdeardaniel]

I have almost same setup.
my P4C800-E is stable.
I would get the Abit mobo and PC3700 only if you plan to OC. Personally I'd get the Prescott just because it's newer even though it runs just a bit hotter.

Newegg has fast shipping. You should check http://www.resellerratings.com

 

[charloscarlies]

Didn't THUGSROOK do some benches with PC3700 @ 1:1 and some PC3200 at 5:4 and there really wasn't any difference? I'm assuming the difference is in the lax timings of the 3700.

I would personally go with a 2.8C. I believe almost all of them are the M0 stepping now and overclock very well. I would also go for some nice PC3200 that will run tight timings and just use dividers if you want to overclock.

 

[myocardia]

Yeah, it was Thugs, here it is: link. Save yourself some money and get good quality PC3200, Will.

 

[seashlock]

I would not get the prescott as the others are saying. I run a 2.4c m0 with a p4c800-e deluxe and can oc to 3.66Ghz with fsb at 305 on air.
I suggest getting a northwood they seem to do much better than prescotts.

 

[willbemcse]

Ok Guys
I am doing price comparsion between building a P4 (3.0C) with Asus P4C and Corsair 3500 (1GB) vs Amd 64bit 3200 , Asus K8V Dlx and 1 GB(PC 3200). There is not much price difference the both two. I have few questions about AMD:-
a)Whats the FSB of the 64 bit.
b) Even though 3200+ only runs at 2.0 , can it be compared to P4 3.0 800 FSB with HT . I am just looking for a best value for my $$ . Most of the Amd boards using Via which had lots of stability problems.

Thanks

 

[myocardia]

Will, both processors are good at what they do best: the A64 is better for gaming, the P4 is better for encoding video. BUT, both of them do anything you can do with a computer extremely well. And both of them overclock very well, also. You won't be disappointed with either, I assure you. And as far as overclocking, the Asus K8V is the best Athlon64 board (right now, anyway).

 

[willbemcse]

I have decided to get this system
P4 3.0 C
Asus P4C800 Dlx
As for memory( I know I want cosair) not sure to get PC 3200 , 3500 or 3700. Which will give me a stable system with more room to OC . Whats the maximum I can get with 3200 using a Zalman heat sink , I dont plan to use water cooling in my setup for now.

 

[Zebo]

2.8C is the the best bang for the buck @ $170 not the 3.0C

Abit IS7 is the best bang for the buck @ $95 only 2% slower than Asus P4C800

KomUSA 2 x 512 PC4200 is the best bang for the buck @ $270 cas 2-2-2 1:1 @200 mhz bus, and 2.5 at 1:1 @250 mhz bus

Then when you start overclcoking it's even a better bang for the buck.

Review on memory http://www.cluboverclocker.com/reviews/memory/kth/kth4200/index.htm

 

[Soulkeeper]

yeah most pc3700 isn't worth your money
it's usually just overclocked pc3200 or pc3500 with relaxed timings and/or a slight increase in voltage to compensate. Plus the extra $$

if you really want top of the line memory spring for some pc4400 or pc4200 with the hynix chips like Zebo recommends
this is however kinda overkill because it is basically the best overclocking memory as far as maximum mhz/bandwidth is concerned.

pc3200 and pc3500 should be enough for most the 5:4 fsb/mem ratio is a saviour
heck you could run pc1600 or pc2100 if you wanted and still get the cpu overclocked as much as most everyone else can with their fast memories.
your best bet is to start at pc3200 and work from there with fast timings preferably (best performance/cost ratio imo)
unless you wanna spend nearly twice the amount on the top of line stuff that'll prob let you overclock at 1:1 higher than any cpu you might ever put in that board.

I also recommend one of the abit i875 or i865 solutions for the P4
i own a prescott and am not all that impressed with how it compares to the p4c
so unless you just wanna own .09u and sse3 and 1mb of cache for bragging rights then it won't be better than a p4c
well.... maybe if you wanted to hit 4ghz+ and bought a top of line subzero-type cooling setup, then maybe prescott could win

good luck

 

[willbemcse]

Thanks, I was looking at the specs of AMD 64 3200+ AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 1MB L2 Cache. Why AMD is better than Intel even though its only operating at 2.0 vs P4 2.8 with 800 FSB and HT. Does anyone has AMD 64 and P4 2.8 with PC 3200 and want to post its review on it.

Right know I am running P4 1.8 with 512 PC 2100 on Asus P4E533-E . I am happy with it , it runs fine when playing Halo, UT2003. I am just using a regular heat sink, I tried till 2.0 . I just cann't make up my mind regarding building a AMD 64 or P4 . The main use will be playing games , video encoding . As for AMD 64 there are 2 chipsets one with VIA and NF3-250( I was pretty impressed by the features) . Will I see that big a difference in playing games sometimes.

 

[willbemcse]

Finally decided on this system
a) Asus P4C 800 dlx
B) P4 3.0 c there is only $50 difference between 2.8 and 3.0 .
c) PC3200 Corsair 1GB . Any sugestions would be appreciated, I am guessing 2.8 would be sufficient for my needs , getting a 3.0 wont be that big of a difference ??

 

[bobsmith1492]

Remember, AMD systems are faster at the same raw speed in MHz, since MHz doesn't determine everything for the proc's power. An AMD 64 3200 blows away a P4 at 2.8 or 3 MHz in almost everything save video/audio encoding. Even an AMD 64 2800 does. (seeing as no one wanted to answer you...)

 

[Gamingphreek]

As for your post about why AMD is able to sustain such good performance at low clock speeds. That is because AMD processes more in 1 clock cycle than Intel does. Basically it is more efficient so it doesn't require as much speed. The intel on the other hand gets its efficiancy from ramping up the clocks becaus eit does less processes per clock cycle.

As for your system if you are looking for top of line stuff than get the Asus P4C800-E Deluxe. Awesome board. If you dont want quite top of the line and you want the best bang for your buck than get the Asus P4p800-E Delixe. Barely slower than the 875 chipset. As for processor i would either get a 2.4C or 2.8C. Both of those are the best OCers aside from prescotts (under different cooling of course). The 3.0 does not OC nearly as well as the 2.4 and 2.8.

As for AMD i would wait until the Nforce 3 250GB's become solid and have all the kinks worked out. Also with AMD wait for socket 939 to come out. Youll want a 3000+ or 3200+. For AMD however any memory is fine but 3200 is recommended because AMD doesn't benefit from ram that is that fast unless it is synced with the Hypertransport speed (sorta like a FSB).

For memory you should be fine with corsair they are probably the most well known and repsected manf out there. I do think however that Mushkin OCZ Geil and the regulars are very fast too. Memory is pretty much up to personal preference.

Good Luck,

-Kevin

 

[willbemcse]

Thanks for all the replies . Decided to get these parts
a) P4C 800 DLX
b) P4 3.0 C
c) Cann't decide is it really worthwhile to get PC3500 instead of PC3200. Its really worth getting 3500 or 3200 XCorsair will be best buck for the $$$. I want some room to OC . What about good heat sink for this setup.

 

[willbemcse]

Next week Intel is coming out with new chipsets , will it be worthwhile to wait for them or just stay with Northwoods for now . Why most users recomend 2.8 C instead of 3.0 C as there is not that much difference in price in between them .

Isn't 3.0 will OC higher than 2.8 with PC 3200??

 

[Degrador]

The 3.0 won't necessarily overclock more... In fact, a 2.4 OCed to 3.0 can be faster than a normal 3.0 (if ram is in sync). But anyway I'd suggest getting an A64 - they are faster, certainly for games. Not to mention they'll become even more faster once windows 64 comes around (my estimate would be by christmas for that, but it's uncertain). I take it from the fact that you have a P4 1.8 that you don't upgrade often, and if this is so then you'd be much better off with an athlon 64.

If you do want intel though, I have a P4C 2.8GHz running on a P4P800 Deluxe, and assure you that (at least in my case) it's stable and a good overclocker (I don't have a good heatsink or good airflow in my case, yet I can easily get 3.3 out of it - most others get 3.5 or more).

Incidentally, part of the reason athlon's get good speed from lower clock rates is in a way similar to why Northwoods are faster than prescotts (at same speeds). It's got to do with the number of stages in the processing pipeline. The more stages, the slower a processor will be per clock (all other things being equal). The advantage is that it's easier to get higher clock speeds. So while prescott is slower now, it'll allow intel to scale it much faster than northwood could ever go (northwood is now at 3.4ghz with not much room to grow, prescott should go well past 4ghz). Anyway, all this doesn't make much impact on how to decide what to get. The basic fact is that in just about everything but video compression, the athlon 64 is a better investment.

 

[willbemcse]

Ok which board is good for A64, I know there are new nforce chipsets out but isn't NVIDIA nForce3 250Gb chipset just came out . I dont want a via chipset as I had too many problems with them before. The reason I didn't upgrade my 1.8 , it plays all the games I need for now. But I want something which will be good enough to play all the upcoming games .

Does A64 supports dual channel ddr ?