is it time to get 64bit?

[sillyguy]

first post here... i'm new

i've been reading all those tests and benches for the 64bit amd chips, and they sound pretty nice. but is 64bit really worth consideration right now? they keep saying 64bit is "future proof", how long do we need to wait for this "future" until 64bit kicks 32bit outta the game? i'll mostly be doing programming in the upcoming years. should i just get a barton 2500+ to OC and screw the 64bit? (considering the price dfference and the performance gain in the *distant* future)

 

[Mik3y]

so far, i dont know a single person who's bought the athlon 64 because it supports 64-bit. the athlon 64 is a 32-bit cpu that is also 64-bit. dont get the barton if you can afford teh athlon 64. dont forget that a barton 3200+ is slower then an athlon 64 2800+. 64-bit is really not worth considering right now, but a cpu that's 32 AND 64 bit is definitely worth it.

 

[Mik3y]

btw, welcome to the forums! also, i wish i had a 72 thousand rpm harddrive like you do in your sig.

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
i wish i had a 72 thousand rpm harddrive like you do in your sig.

LOL yah.

Anyhow, the "future" is still a ways off, and Socket 754 is just about as dead as Socket A. If you want the best value, go with a mobile barton and overclock it. If you want the best performance, go with an A64. If I were going A64 right now it would be the 3000+.

 

[sillyguy]

hahaha yep i have a 72kRPM.. damn typo

the problem is, the price for athlon64 is double that of barton, and athlon64 doesn't seem to perform twice as good :roll:

 

[skgarach]

you also may want to consider how often you upgrade...if you're someone that upgrades their cpu or mobo every 12 to 24 months you'd be just fine with a barton. On the other hand, if you're someone that likes to stick with what they have for a while (like my parents who had a pentium 2 300mhz up until last month) then get the a64....just my opinion...

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: sillyguy
hahaha yep i have a 72kRPM.. damn typo

the problem is, the price for athlon64 is double that of barton, and athlon64 doesn't seem to perform twice as good :roll:

Well, you could just wait a couple of weeks for the Sempr0n. It's a Socket 754 value chip that appears as though it's going to be an incredible bargain. I'm not 100% certain of the release date though.

 

[Mik3y]

well, the thing is: the athlon 64 is compared to the pentiums now. the athlon xp's are in their own world. also, the athlon 64's arent too bad for their price. their still cheaper then the pentiums. also, you cant compare the athlon 64 and the xp's by figuring out if its double in performance as the other. the athlon 64 2800+ is faster then the xp 3200+ and is cheaper. an xp 3000+ is only like intel's 2.6ghz or 2.7ghz. dont forget, you can overclock the athlon 64 just like you can overclock the xp 2500+. dont look at 64-bit potential right now. look at which does better. also, there is no benchmark that decides which cpu is better. you have to make several tests/benchmarks and decide which cpu fits your needs in a particular field.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: sillyguy
hahaha yep i have a 72kRPM.. damn typo

the problem is, the price for athlon64 is double that of barton, and athlon64 doesn't seem to perform twice as good :roll:

Wise man... and a newbie at that.... welcome. Most sane customers use the same value matrix for tools, which computer are, as you're doing instead of getting caught up in the hype. If something costs twice as much it should be twice as fast, Period. We evaluate video cards this way most of the time... but people have a brain fart when it comes to CPUS and raptor/SCSI harddrives. Anyway/

My sugesstion is get a $100 AMD mobile 2600+ and overclcok to 2500 MHZ which is most probable.
A DFI ultra Infinity for $80 or a Abit NF7-S for $80 or a shuttle AN35N for $55 if you already have a sound card.

Benchmarks are here: http://www.bit-tech.net/review/309/

 

[sillyguy]

Originally posted by: Zebo

Benchmarks are here: http://www.bit-tech.net/review/309/

hm... i'm quite surprised by the oc'ed barton...

 

[imported_michaelpatrick33]

Have you seen the new prices of the AMD 64's? Go to [http://pricewatch.com and look at the prices go down, down, down. A 3400+ 754 for only $288.00. A 939 3500+ is now $345.00. The prices are starting to come down to sane levels.