New System - Suggestions??? Part 2

[JPS35]

Okay, okay, okay, folks!!!! I get the picture on the AMD vs. Intel discussion. If this is the case, I need some more help as I am not that familiar with AMD. The computer would be used for gaming, video editing, photoshop, powerpoint, music, databases, internet, and other smaller odds and ends. So, design me a dual core system with Nvidia SLI that I can build myself for around $1200 - $1500 (including the parts listed below) with the following criteria:

1. Processor equal to the speed of a Pentium D 940 3.2Ghz without overclocking
2. FSB of at least 800
3. Ram suggestion (Preferrably DDR2 Ram although I do not know that AMD uses this)
4. Decent motherboard with RAID/SATA and future upgradeability
5. Parts that I will purchase: Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX 12V (550W), eVGA Nvidia Geforce 7900GT, Lite-On 16x DVD +/- R, Western Digital Caviar SE 160Gb SATA 3.0Gb/s
6. Parts that I have: Case, sound card, and backup drives

Also, could someone please provide some decent websites showing me the tests for AMD vs. Intel for a variety of programs; not just games. Second, since clock speed does not mean much for AMD as it does for Intel; what are the equivalent real time clock speeds for AMD?????? Are there websites that show this data?

I understand that people have strong opinions and preferences for their processors (as I do for Intel), so I like to go with the hard data and facts in plain English. But, as I stated earlier, although I am a BIG gamer, the computer will need to be used for a variety of other tasks as I cannot afford two separate systems (at least not yet!).

Thanks!

A second thought, and I think I already know the unfortunate answer to this question, but what about my old games? Freespace 1/2, Baldur's Gate, Diablo 1/2, Iwar, Mechwarrior, No One Lives Forever, etc.). I do not believe that they are compatible with AMD technology.

 

[fatetheory]

AMD is as far as I know changing there slots and there mobos this upcoming late summer/early fall, ill have to actually look this up, but they are changing to the new ddr2 standard

 

[DaveSimmons]

Click the CPU tab at the top of the page.

Current socket 939 processors use DDR1, but they don't need the DDR2 bandwidth. The upcoming M2 version athlons will use DDR2 but don't gain much from the bandwidth either so you won't miss out by buying now.

An A64 4200+ is a bit faster than an intel D940 in games.

A second thought, and I think I already know the unfortunate answer to this question, but what about my old games? Freespace 1/2, Baldur's Gate, Diablo 1/2, Iwar, Mechwarrior, No One Lives Forever, etc.). I do not believe that they are compatible with AMD technology.

No, those games used "DOS" and "Windows" technology, nothing exclusive to intel. Some might not run under Windows XP but that's true regardless of the CPU.

I keep an old Pentium 933 system running Win98SE for the old stuff that doesn't like XP.

 

[bamacre]

I have never used an AMD cpu in my personal gaming/work/neffing PC. That said, AMD dual core cpu's are blowing the snot out of Intel dual core cpu's in just about every category imagineable.

AMD systems use DDR memory, they will not be using DDR2 for some time to come. That said, it doesn't matter.


Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail
$79.79
http://tinyurl.com/glc47

Gigabyte GA-K8N-SLI nForce4 Athlon 64(FX)/64 X2 Dual-Core Skt939 DDR ATX Motherboard
$89.99
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=242615

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Processor Socket 939 Retail
$355.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80725-R

Corsair VS2GBKIT400C3 2GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 Value Select Memory Retail
$141.80
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80098-86

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB Serial ATA II 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer
$70.90
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101208-11

LITE-ON Black 16X DVD+/-RW
$40.88
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...6014&CMP=OTC-pr1c3watch&ATT=27-106-014

BFG GeForce 7900 GT PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card w/2 Dual-Link DVI-I & HDTV Retail
$349.99
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=326035

Total Price Shipped:
$1,128.35

 

[imported_rod]

Originally posted by: JPS35
Okay, okay, okay, folks!!!! I get the picture on the AMD vs. Intel discussion. If this is the case, I need some more help as I am not that familiar with AMD. The computer would be used for gaming, video editing, photoshop, powerpoint, music, databases, internet, and other smaller odds and ends. So, design me a dual core system with Nvidia SLI that I can build myself for around $1200 - $1500 (including the parts listed below) with the following criteria:

If it's being used for gaming, go with AMD. But if your main use is video editing and photoshop, a Pentium would perform better.
1. AMD X2 3800+ / 4400+
2. FSB is irrelevant with AMD 64s.
3. 2GB DDR400 (not DDR2) ram. DDR2 will not work with current AMDs.
4. Anything by ASUS

Originally posted by: JPS35
Also, could someone please provide some decent websites showing me the tests for AMD vs. Intel for a variety of programs; not just games. Second, since clock speed does not mean much for AMD as it does for Intel; what are the equivalent real time clock speeds for AMD?????? Are there websites that show this data?

If you multiply the clock speed of an AMD by 1.5, that will give you thew clock speed of an equilavent P4. Eg. a 2GHz Athlon 3000+ (s754) is about the same speed as a 3GHz P4. However, features such as memory controllers and cache can change this.

Originally posted by: JPS35
A second thought, and I think I already know the unfortunate answer to this question, but what about my old games? Freespace 1/2, Baldur's Gate, Diablo 1/2, Iwar, Mechwarrior, No One Lives Forever, etc.). I do not believe that they are compatible with AMD technology.

As long as it is running on Windows, it doesn't matter if it's an AMD or Intel. I have Diablo I and II running fine on my AMD based PC (see my signature).

RoD
Edit: Fixed.

 

[alimoalem]

here are the answers to your questions:

1. here's the cpu benchmark link you want. you can pick any 2 cpus and choose the test you want to see them compared in. the cpus you choose will have red bars representing FPS/etc.
2. equivalent real time clockspeeds of AMD basically go like this: AMD MHz = 1.5 x Intel MHz. so a 2GHz AMD is ~ 3GHz intel but it's not always true. just use the benchmarks in the link above.
3. AMD does NOT use DDR2 ram, yet. it uses regular DDR ram for the socket 939 motherboards and cpus. socket M2 (the new AMD socket) comes out in june. it's not really worth waiting for but it is like 3-4% faster than the socket 939 cpus. it may improve when it comes out but it might not. Benchmarks of s939 vs AM2
4. about your old games, applications are dependant upon the OPERATING SYSTEM one uses, not the cpu. whatever intel can play, so can AMD.

hope i answered all of your questions

 

[JPS35]

Thanks for the great ideas, everyone! Upon doing some more research and reading a BUNCH on the AMD dual core vs. Intel Pentium D 9XX, it appears that it may come out in the wash. AMD is definitely better for gaming and certain other tasks, but the Pentium also has its strengths based on its hyperthreading technology for multitasking. However, it does not appear that it is significantly greater over the Athlons.

So, I am considering an Athlon 64 X2-4800 and 2 gigs of Corsair XMS DDR, but am still undecided about a motherboard. The Asus A8N SLI Deluxe appears to be decent, but reviews from a variety of sources show it to be a finicky and somewhat tricky board to work with. The Gigabyte GA-K8N-SLI does not appear to have a great ability for overclocking if I ever think I might want to really be stupd and try it myself.

Other responses????

 

[DaveSimmons]

Only the EE intel P4s offer dual-core hyperthreading so your 940D lacks it.

DFI Ultra SLI motherboards are popular, but are a little finicky about the PSU (avoid Seasonic).

 

[alimoalem]

Processor: 3800 x2 (2.0GHz w/2x512kb cache) - $295 or 4400 x2 (2.2 GHz w/2x1mb cache) - $458
Motherboard: EPox 9NPA+ Ultra (1000MHz FSB) - $94
RAM: (if not overclocking too much)G.SKILL 2x1gb kit CL2 ram - $133AR or Corsair XMS DDR400 2x1gb kit CL2 - $141AR
(for better overclocks) G.SKILL DDR500 2x1gb kit - $162 or Mushkin eXtreme 2x1gb kit DDR500 - $165AR or OCZ Gold GX 2x1gb kit DDR500
GPU: eVGA 7900GT ~$320
HDD: Western Digital SE16 250GB - $90
Optical: dvd burner ~$40
PSU: Antec TRUEPOWERII 550w - $90. i would recommend a fortron 450w for $50 though (if you're not going SLI)

using the most expensive parts in this list (most expensive ram and most expensive CPU), this comes to a total of about $1227. well within your budget. if you wanna spend more, just spend it on the video card. no point in spending more on the CPU, ram or motherboard (unless going SLI)

i think this looks pretty solid. whatever you choose, good luck with your build

 

[JPS35]

I am not looking to do SLI just yet, but want to have the option available for an upgrade within 6 months to a year.

Some are recommending the 4400 for the processor, but I do not understand why. I have the funds available for the 4800 and this would increase the speed as well. Is it because of the price value?

Thanks again!

 

[alimoalem]

yes, if you want 2mb of cache, then the 4400 is the way to go. if you don't mind having 1mb, then the 3800 is the way to go. paying $200 to from a 4400 to a 4800 for 200MHz is not worth it. going from a 3800 to a 4400 for 1mb cache and 200MHz isn't really worth it but it's somewhat justified

 

[imported_rod]

Originally posted by: JPS35
So, I am considering an Athlon 64 X2-4800 and 2 gigs of Corsair XMS DDR, but am still undecided about a motherboard.

Good choice on the Ram, but consider an X2 4400+. It's half the price buy offers 90% of the performance of the 4800+.

Originally posted by: JPS35
The Asus A8N SLI Deluxe appears to be decent, but reviews from a variety of sources show it to be a finicky and somewhat tricky board to work with. The Gigabyte GA-K8N-SLI does not appear to have a great ability for overclocking if I ever think I might want to really be stupd and try it myself.

I don't think they even make the A8N-SLI deluxe any more. There were alot of problems with the chipset fan on it (I had to replace mine), and eventually I think they replaced them with the fanless A8N-SLI premium.

Other than the fan issue, this is a great board. EASY to work with - I just plugged in everything and it worked. I didn't even have to mess around with SATA drivers. Also, I've overclocked my CPU to 2.4GHz (20%) without even raising the voltage. (The board itself overclocks to 300Mhz - that's 150% of it's stock speed).

RoD

 

[Tig Ol Bitties]

Originally posted by: JPS35
I am not looking to do SLI just yet, but want to have the option available for an upgrade within 6 months to a year.

Some are recommending the 4400 for the processor, but I do not understand why. I have the funds available for the 4800 and this would increase the speed as well. Is it because of the price value?

Thanks again!

People are suggesting the 3800 or 4400 because the 4800 is just a waste of money...put that towards a better video card if anything. The 3800 and 4400 can easily reach 4800 speeds with overclocking if you intend to do so. If you dont intend to OC, then the 4400 is a good choice

 

[JPS35]

Besides the two motherboards that I have listed, do folks have other quality selections to suggest? I have read the reviews on the new MSI and it seems rather impressive as well. What would you say are the top 3 companies for motherboards and quality?

Thanks!