Luddite needs help

[RKS]

I want to buy a mobo, processor, and memory and don't want to spend over $700.

My main needs are photo and video editing. (Is Intels HT better than AMD 64?)

I am not really concerned with gaming but a better gaming setup could be a tie-braker.

I don't care whether it is AMD or Intel

sorry I am a luddite and use a 3x rule. When processor speeds are over 3x my current processor I realize I need to upgrade. thanks for any help

 

[o1die]

Athlon 64 3000 ($170); chaintech vnf 250 board ($80); ocz pc4000 memory, price varies. 2 512 meg sticks or 1 1 gig stick. Fry's also had a combo deal for $229 this weekend with msi nforce3 board and athlon 3000 retail boxed. When it gets to $199, then I'm buying.

 

[Sentrosi2121]

Going Intel route.

ABIT "IC7-G MAXII ADVANCE" i875P = $132

Intel Pentium 4/ 3.0E GHz 800M...ng Technology - Retail = $200

PDP SYSTEMS Memory Dual Channe... (512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 = $170

You could always look for 2 Gb Dual Channel RAM kits, as this will definitely help you in editing and encoding, but a Gig o Ram should help to start you out.

Total bill = $502

 

[RKS]

Thanks for the input guys.

Now I have to figure out whether to go Intel or AMD.

 

[Sentrosi2121]

Well, if this was strictly going to be used for multimedia editing and encoding, I'd go with the Intel chip, as they're pretty well designed for this application. If its going to be a general purpose/gaming machine, go with AMD. The few added minutes encoding on the AMD system will be offset by the speed and overall performance in the gaming realms.

 

[dickie1900]

I agree, Intel's HT is pretty much known for it's multi-app function, while AMD is usually used for gaming. But then you have to consider whether the software your using supports HT, because if it doesn't you won't get much of a performance gain from it.

 

[cbehnken]

Whenever your encoding software is written for the AMD 64 bit machine code you will most likely notice a large benefit. The Intel CPUs aren't going to get any better.