Home Office Budget Build AMD or Intel?

[EliteRetard]

Like the title says, building a cheap computer for office use. Last (current) computer was a P2 333 and its definately feeling its age. Aint got much in the way of cash...about 300$ for the system.

The computer always has multiple windows of IE and/or email programs open but doesnt really run to many heavy duty programs...more basic stuff like word powerpoint etc. There is some gaming...though currently the machine is limiting that. Nother uber, but current games used are things like alpha centari civilization and masters of orion.

I figure with a little more power other slightly heavier games and apps will be used but Im sure either chip (805 or 3000) should handle that yeah? My thinking is that the 805 will be the better choice because of the dual core...but what all would you guys vote for?

Due to the budget nature, and the fact that upgrades only happen like every 10 years, I am factoring in OCing to increase longevity (probably wont OC right away...other than to test out its limits/capabilities). Thats also why I aint looking at sempron/celeron, not enough longevity. I know both chips can OC pretty decently...but lets say total newb here, which is the easiest and safest to OC, OCing can/does reduce chip life increase heat etc which will handle it best (probably 3000 but will the 805 do fine as well)? And were not talking about super fancy coolers either...its either gonna be stock or maybe 25-30$ cooler max (any reccomends on a cooler? Silent aint really a factor).

Part of the thing too is the MOBO (totaly gay that the sections are split...I really need the answers to both questions)...due to the budget Im looking at integrated graphics, but that usually means low end boards. I was hoping to get an Xpress200 or Geforce6 series integrated MOBO because there is some mild gaming involved...but which one would be best for which chip and how far could I OC with it (given the other limitations and need for easyish OCin)? Are there other integrated graphics chips/MOBOs to consider (How do the unichrome or intel graphics fair)? Or would it be wise to get a cheper MOBO without graphics, but better OCability and then to buy a cheap 40$ video card (though thats really taking a stab at the budget)?

I think the rest, like RAM HDD etc are fairly simple...but any and all info on this stuff would be very much apreciated. I know with the intel chip there are older MOBOS that use DDR instead of DDR2...but I think Im gonna want DDR2 with intel. The only question then is to get 533 667 or 800MHz RAM...and again newb to OCing, so I dont know whats needed/best/required to acheive the best bang for the buck.

Last thing to mention is the budget...it is 300$, but it can stretch a hair if it would really be wise to do so. Already got a CD/DVD drive and were not looking at cases/PSUs or monitors were fine there...I figure a third to half goes to HDD and RAM and the last 150-200$ goes to CPU and MOBO. I know, the chips are in the 100-125$ range...so Ive really been looking out for a good combo deal. Missed the 100$ one at frys with the 3000...I probably coulda been good with that. If I have to spend more, well I guess I just have to spend more.

Oh and I know AM2 and the big C are here, but this system cant wait any longer...and I figure now is the best time to get theese chips...while theyre still cheap and available (well sorta).

 

[Duvie]

For you....I would get a sempron or celeron D for under 70 dollar cpu...Honestly the apps you talk about need ram and not much cpu power...Why get the power of dual core and let alone the heat of the 805D...the 3000+ is a much better cpu then the 805D at single core apps but it is still likely much more then you need....


If you think you are going to hang onto the computer for 5 years I guess i would think about dual core but would spend the money to get the cooler running D 930...I see it at newegg for 215 (like 80 buck more) and it is 333mhz faster, cooler running 65nm chip, and has 800mhz FSB....

 

[Redered]

You can OC the 805 a long way a long long way but thats up to the bios on you mobo wich brings up the price. You said you would be multasking so I would think about ram befor duel core for what you are doing. As far as games I know this is a home office pc but intergrated graphics not to crazy about it. For the cpu go intel the duel core will out live the single core amd. Could save you an upgrade down the road. Things are going multi thread like it or not. One last thing I dont rember reading in your post do you have an OS

 

[Avalon]

I wouldn't write off a Sempron 64 if you're already considering an A64 3000+. You can get a Sempron 3100+ 754 chip at Outpost for $60, or $80 with a combo ECS NF3-A board if it's still in stock, which allows for moderate (2.4ghz) OC's. The 3100+ will perform 85% as fast as the 3000+ 754, closer to 90% in many cases.

Only problem with going for the ECS combo is that the board doesn't have onboard video...you'd have to find a cheap video fill in.

If you wanted just the chip with an onboard video mobo, I'd suggest the Biostar Tforce 754 board. It's a good OC'er with onboard GF6100, but mind you is microATX.

Now for the Intel side...if you got yourself a decent cooler, that 805 would overclock nicely. I don't know too much about their boards though, as I haven't owned such a chip, but I'm sure someone else here can help you with that.

And above all, make sure you get at least 512MB of RAM...I'd actually recommend 1GB if you can.

 

[hardwareking]

celeron d would suffice for a home office apps.
Otherwise the pentium d 805 is ur man,i mean cpu.And it's highly overclockable too,if u plan on doing that later.
As for compatable mobo,i'd go with the Gigabyte GA-8I945P-PRO.

 

[3chordcharlie]

You may keep it 10 years?

Pentium D for sure.

 

[o1die]

I was able to get the ecs nforce3 with athlon 64 3000 $100 fry's deal, and the price has been listed in 2 different ads. I suggest you keep watching the Fry's ads. They might repeat it. I'm not even using mine until one of my systems croaks. I have so much pc3200 that I don't want to change to ddr2 or pci-e.

 

[Duvie]

I think dual core gives him longevity...though I dont recommend the 805D...especially when the 930 D can be had for very little more....less heat...less power...means he can have less system cooling and that means quieter....

 

[Viditor]

My suggestions...

1. The Sempron would be fine for your upgrade ideas, as long as you get a Socket AM2 Sempron. That way you could swap out just the CPU down the track for an X2 if you wish...the Sempron 3400 Socket AM2 2.0GHz is going for $99 plus shipping right now.

2. For the mobo, I would suggest an Asus M2NPV-VM. It has shipped but isn't in the stores yet (probably this week). It uses a 6150 and 430 chipsets which give you:
- Dual-channel DDR2 800/667/533
- PCI Express architecture (if you want to upgrade your video to whatever the latest card is)
- Integrated GeForce6 GPU
- Dual VGA Ouput: DVI-D & RGB for the onboard GeForce6
- HDTV out interface (HDTV/AV/S output module was bundled)
- 2 x 1394a Support
- Raid 0/1/0+1/5/JBOD
- High Definition Audio
Product Page
The 939 version of this motherboard goes for ~$80, so figure ~$90 for this one.

Asus is excellent quality, and this is their flagship VM board...
The real beauty of this rig is that you have a solid upgrade path for everything on it (RAM, PCIe Video card, AM2 CPU, all forms of Raid array, both IDE and SATAII).
Also, if you decide in a couple of years that you want to build a new system, this mobo has HDTV video and audio output...that means that you could move it all into an HTPC case and create a very nice Home Theatre PC from your old system...

BTW, the total is just under the high side of your budget (~$190)...

 

[EliteRetard]

It would seem dual core is the way to go...I do see a few votes for semprons, and yeah...I guess for 60$ thats a pretty good deal but I just dont think a 1.8GHz 256KB chip will last even 5 years not to mention 10. Corse I guess the A64 3000 wouldnt be much different...but thats why I think Im gonna go for the 805. Its cheap its dual core it can OC pretty well to prolong its life...though I see a few complaints about the 805. But hey its a pentium. I mean how hot does it run? It cant be that bad. Power usage doesnt matter to much, and again neither does sound. If youve ever heard a loud computer, a really really loud computer...multiply that by 2 or 3 and you get the sound from my current machine. And a 930D isnt anywhere near the same cost...its twice the price and over 2/3 of the budget. Unluess somehow magically they change prices in the next week.

I thought about AM2...Im still undecided. Its really new, so lots of unknows...and little in the way of parts selection. And I would prefer to just get something now that works and not need to upgrade it.

OS is XP Pro gonna get a single stick 1GB upgrade to 2GB when/if needed. Undecided on video...cant really afford a mid video card, and a budget one aint much better than whats integrated yeah? And Im sure even a ****** intergrated card is better than my current 1xAGP 8MB card. If it can run the games I think the integrated ones can yeah? Though I dont know much about em and I dont really see benchmarks for integrated stuff so its hard to tell.

The thing that bothers me about the intel chip is motherboard selection...everything on the net is about AMD. Theres like 3 or 4 crappy reviews about some older intel boards and thats pretty much it. And thats really the biggest part...without a decent MOBO with decent video I wont be able to OC and whatnot and thats kinda a big part of the longevity factor. So maybe I should consider AM2...man I dunno crazy stuff. And this thing needs to be picked out and ordered by the end of this week/early next week.

 

[Viditor]

But hey its a pentium. I mean how hot does it run?

Overclocked? Very!! It's the hottest running chip in Intel's current DC lineup.
With water cooling @ 3.7GHz, expect the high 50s (~57C or 135F).
On air you probably won't be able to crack much beyond 3.2 GHz unless you buy a more expensive mobo and better cooling.
You should also remember that dual core won't run your games or apps faster...what it will do is let you run more things at the same time faster. In other words, if you do a virus scan and game at the same time, it will be faster than a single core.
However, if you don't do things simultaneously, then the single core Sempron would actually be faster than the 805...even with a minor overclock.

The motherboard that all of the overclocker reviews are using for the 805 is the P5WD2 from Asus (~$240). There are many on this board who have experience with the 805 overclock...you should check on which ones had stability problems because of the mobo and then find the cheapest decent OC mobo.

 

[EliteRetard]

Yeah thats just the thing...I do allot of multitasking. And arent pentiums good up to like 70-80C? So what about the 930 what kinda temps does it get on air, and how far could it OC with a cheaper MOBO?

 

[stevty2889]

Originally posted by: EliteRetard
Yeah thats just the thing...I do allot of multitasking. And arent pentiums good up to like 70-80C?

No, throttling starts around 70c and you lose 33-66% of your performance. The 805 will be fine temp wise at stock speeds, but overclocked it's a total flamethrower. My 920 @3.6ghz ran cooler on the stock heatsink, than my 805 water cooled @3.7ghz does.

The problem with overclocking the 9xx series is that the only boards that have gotten good overclocks are the around $200(ie Asus P5WD2 premium and P5WD2-E premium). The 945 chipset boards get stuck at ~225mhz FSB unless you OC the PCIe bus, which ends up making the system unstable. Same problem on NF4 chipset board, couldn't get past around 230mhz FSB, while on my P5P800-SE I can get to around 245mhz FSB, but it has no chipset voltage options, so that seems to be the limiter there.

 

[Duvie]

If you plan on multitasking dont make the same mistake most of the pl make....Get multiple Harddrives, otherwise you wil quickly become IO limited and see some lagging many will confuse with not enough processing power...

 

[dexvx]

1) I don't think overclocking should be talked about for this kind of use.

2) Probably consider a cheap DC (not an 805), depending on how long you wait a 930 or 915.