Differences in requirements for Intel vs. AMD cpu's?

mallik

Senior member
Dec 25, 2001
693
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Ok, I know the Intel vs. AMD type questions have been asked before, but please don't kill me. I couldn't seem to find the answer to this question, so here goes: I don't want to overclock or anything. I just want a MB and CPU. I've noticed that an AMD 1600+ would cost around the same as a p3-866 or whatever. I figure the 1600+ would be significantly faster than the p3. I heard though that AMD requires extra cooling and things like that. Is that true even if you don't want to overclock? I have a 350W Enermax and a 300W generic PS. Would I be able to use the generic one with an AMD setup? Also I don't have any fancy cooling or case fans or anything like that. Would it be possible to run an AMD at stock speed like that, or would I need to fix it up. I just want the cheapest overall solution. If the 1700+ is cheaper, but then you have to pay extra money for all sorts of cooling and things like that, then it's not really worth it. So basically, if I bought a 1600+ MB and CPU combo, would I need extra money on a good power supply and a good heatsink, and good case fans etc. Or would my basic equipment cut it?
 

Yeti101

Member
Aug 12, 2002
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Get a XP1600 forsure, if you have no Over Clocking interests.... If your not going to OC the XP1600+, the stock HSF should do the job... AMDs run hot, but you should be stable.
 

CrazySaint

Platinum Member
May 3, 2002
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The stock HSF should be fine if you aren't going to OC, and the 300w PSU should be fine, as well. You will need to buy at least two case fans however (this is true even with Intel), but you can get them cheap at SVCompucycle. Just get two of their 80mm NMB fans. They should be quiet, and still provide proper cooling.
 

paralazarguer

Banned
Jun 22, 2002
1,887
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You will need to buy at least two case fans however (this is true even with Intel),

False. My room temp is 30c today and I'm running my p41.6a@2.13ghz and my Athlon XP 1700+ with stock cooling and no case fans in either of them. Just enermax whisper power supplies. Additional cooling is generally only required in top of generation processors and overclocked systems. There's a lot of myth regarding this.
 

o1die

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
4,785
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I'm running my 1.8a at 2400 with no case fans either. Just on old desktop case design (for quiet) and enlight 300 watt power supply. With the asus thermal monitor, the fan usually runs at 1200-1500 rpm. At first, the fan speed was so low, it wouldn't boot up smoothly, stopping with an error message in hardware monitor. I just hit F10 and exited. After awhile, the error message stopped. I was also getting random reboots with the p4s533, but after tweaking the bios settings and reloading drivers, it finally runs stable in jumper mode. I have a new power supply ordered, but may not use it now. I hate to mess with it, once it is stable.
 

paralazarguer

Banned
Jun 22, 2002
1,887
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Just to clarify, running your 1.8a at 2.4 is a lot more of a stretch than me running my 1.6 at 2.13. I'm using the same motherboard (P4s533) and I also use that lovely Q-fan to run it at around 1600rpm. It's great that your system is running smooth now. I bet a voltage increase was all that was needed though.
 

Lonyo

Lifer
Aug 10, 2002
21,938
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I run an XP 1900+ off a 300w PSU and it's fine, never had any problems even when I took it up a bit to 1744mhz (from 1600)