Opinions on my new rig about to order

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: pushVTEC
I've been a loyal amd fanboy for years, and while the c2d does outperform the athlon x2 in a lot of things, I have a feeling amd will come out with something to compete with it better. When it does I'll have am2 and can just upgrade to the chip, but at these speeds and current software/games there isn't anything I can think of that an a 4600+ can't do that a c2d can, so I'll continue supporting AMD. I don't know the specs on the o/c of the 4600+, but I'm sure at 3ghz levels he is running some liquid.

be a fan of yourself and get the best performance. trust me amd doesn't care what pushVTEC does. the cost differences are not that much but you get a mcuh more efficient cpu plain and simple. being loyal to anybody in the computer industry is kind of ridiculous as they would not be loyal to you.

 

[pushVTEC]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: pushVTEC
I've been a loyal amd fanboy for years, and while the c2d does outperform the athlon x2 in a lot of things, I have a feeling amd will come out with something to compete with it better. When it does I'll have am2 and can just upgrade to the chip, but at these speeds and current software/games there isn't anything I can think of that an a 4600+ can't do that a c2d can, so I'll continue supporting AMD. I don't know the specs on the o/c of the 4600+, but I'm sure at 3ghz levels he is running some liquid.

be a fan of yourself and get the best performance. trust me amd doesn't care what pushVTEC does. the cost differences are not that much but you get a mcuh more efficient cpu plain and simple. being loyal to anybody in the computer industry is kind of ridiculous as they would not be loyal to you.

What I meant by fanboy is not that AMD can do no wrong, and they are perfect, and I will blindly choose them. I like AMD more than I like intel. I know AMD isn't going to care on a person by person basis that they support them, but me buying an AMD chip goes to support them in building new chips. If everyone had the mindset AMDs chips are slower than Intels right now so I'm not buying them, then AMD would be out of business. Now if AMDs chip became stagnant and never showed any signs of improvement then I would probably go after intels. Plus I heard that 99% of the intel c2d boards are complete junk. All my friends have the amd x2 and are extremely happy with them, so why not go with something that works, and I have had a good track record with? With that being said I am no a blind follower of AMD, if someone referes me to a good c2d board and\or could dispell the multitasking myth then maybe I'll take another look at the c2d, because I am very impressed by them.

 

[pushVTEC]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
I think you're making a mistake, not because AMD will never put out a CPU that will beat intel. They will eventually, but that you'll probably have to upgrade the motherboard when you get your next AMD chip anyway to make full use of it or to use it at all (remember socket A and FSB issues, or intel and voltage levels needed for the C2D lineup? Or maybe the crap performance of the C2D compatible NF4 based motherboards. Futureproofing in this case is somewhere between fantasy and stupidity and can best be summarised as follows: Marketing bull.)

There are things that a C2D can do that an AM2 can't. Hit 3Ghz+ consistently and do real time encoding of h.264 are the first things that spring to mind It doesn't outperform the AM2 lineup in a lot of things, it out performs it in nearly every way possible.

But if you're only gaming then just get a cheap AM2 chip and motherboard, overclock the living daylights out of it and replace it in two years with a new one.

I'm trying to think ahead of extending the life of my computer as much as possible before it comes time to purchase a new motherboard, etc. If there is a big architecture change obviously I will need to buy some new hardware.

In my day to day I use my computer to game, web browse, e-mail, program and update my iPod. I multitask more than I need raw processing power for things like video encoding, 3d modeling, etc and I have heard that the AMD chip handles multitasking better than the c2d.

 

[Bobthelost]

That's not multitasking, not in a way that needs a dual core CPU at least. I do all of that on a semperon 3000+. Multitasking that merits a X2 or C2D is when you're gaming while running folding @ home in the background.

 

[acegazda]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
I think you're making a mistake, not because AMD will never put out a CPU that will beat intel. They will eventually, but that you'll probably have to upgrade the motherboard when you get your next AMD chip anyway to make full use of it or to use it at all (remember socket A and FSB issues, or intel and voltage levels needed for the C2D lineup? Or maybe the crap performance of the C2D compatible NF4 based motherboards. Futureproofing in this case is somewhere between fantasy and stupidity and can best be summarised as follows: Marketing bull.)

There are things that a C2D can do that an AM2 can't. Hit 3Ghz+ consistently and do real time encoding of h.264 are the first things that spring to mind It doesn't outperform the AM2 lineup in a lot of things, it out performs it in nearly every way possible.

But if you're only gaming then just get a cheap AM2 chip and motherboard, overclock the living daylights out of it and replace it in two years with a new one.

There has been optimistic speculation that am2 will before forwards compatable with am3.

 

[Bobthelost]

I'd love to be proven wrong, i've got an AM2 board here that'd be more than happy to get one of them in it. But i wouldn't count on it.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: acegazda
There has been optimistic speculation that am2 will before forwards compatable with am3.

this same optimistic thought process screwed over a bunch of people with the 975 intel boards that were suppose to support c2d, but at the last minute didn't. and those 975 boards are not cheap... i wouldn't hold my breath or expect it to be this way - imho you buy in the now and not expect things to be futureproof for more than 1yr-18mos even with a brand new form factor

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: pushVTEC

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: pushVTEC
I've been a loyal amd fanboy for years, and while the c2d does outperform the athlon x2 in a lot of things, I have a feeling amd will come out with something to compete with it better. When it does I'll have am2 and can just upgrade to the chip, but at these speeds and current software/games there isn't anything I can think of that an a 4600+ can't do that a c2d can, so I'll continue supporting AMD. I don't know the specs on the o/c of the 4600+, but I'm sure at 3ghz levels he is running some liquid.

be a fan of yourself and get the best performance. trust me amd doesn't care what pushVTEC does. the cost differences are not that much but you get a mcuh more efficient cpu plain and simple. being loyal to anybody in the computer industry is kind of ridiculous as they would not be loyal to you.

What I meant by fanboy is not that AMD can do no wrong, and they are perfect, and I will blindly choose them. I like AMD more than I like intel. I know AMD isn't going to care on a person by person basis that they support them, but me buying an AMD chip goes to support them in building new chips. If everyone had the mindset AMDs chips are slower than Intels right now so I'm not buying them, then AMD would be out of business. Now if AMDs chip became stagnant and never showed any signs of improvement then I would probably go after intels. Plus I heard that 99% of the intel c2d boards are complete junk. All my friends have the amd x2 and are extremely happy with them, so why not go with something that works, and I have had a good track record with? With that being said I am no a blind follower of AMD, if someone referes me to a good c2d board and\or could dispell the multitasking myth then maybe I'll take another look at the c2d, because I am very impressed by them.

i understand what you are saying, but cpus are not the only thing amd makes, plus as they see their market share dip, this will put a fire unde their arse to get their r&d dept making new cpus that destroy the current intel offerings. this is competition and is what makes us the consumers the winners. look at the recent opteron price slashes - unheard of - computing power is cheaper than it ever has been.

i am sure there are good cd2 boards out there, you have just been hearing the horror stories - nobody ever writes about how good everything is working.

and what is this multitasking myth you are referring to?

 

[acegazda]

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: acegazda
There has been optimistic speculation that am2 will before forwards compatable with am3.

this same optimistic thought process screwed over a bunch of people with the 975 intel boards that were suppose to support c2d, but at the last minute didn't. and those 975 boards are not cheap... i wouldn't hold my breath or expect it to be this way - imho you buy in the now and not expect things to be futureproof for more than 1yr-18mos even with a brand new form factor

...
...
...tu` che`

 

[The Boston Dangler]

the only benefit is if you are running crossfire or sli, which the op's board isn't. running a ati gpu on a nvidia chipset or vice versa doesn't matter as long as it is a single card setup, but putting out a blanket statement like you did has bearing on who the machine works. i have run ati and nvidia mixed for years with never an issue, as with hudreds of thousands of people

i had an nf2 board with an aiw9800pro, also with no problems. multi-cards setups are a fraud imo.

philosophically, i have more confidence in systems and subsystems from a common gene pool. now that the playing field has leveled between the two camps, why not go with the more integrated package? for is ford, chevy is chevy.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: acegazda

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: acegazda
There has been optimistic speculation that am2 will before forwards compatable with am3.

this same optimistic thought process screwed over a bunch of people with the 975 intel boards that were suppose to support c2d, but at the last minute didn't. and those 975 boards are not cheap... i wouldn't hold my breath or expect it to be this way - imho you buy in the now and not expect things to be futureproof for more than 1yr-18mos even with a brand new form factor

...
...
...tu` che`

indeed

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler

the only benefit is if you are running crossfire or sli, which the op's board isn't. running a ati gpu on a nvidia chipset or vice versa doesn't matter as long as it is a single card setup, but putting out a blanket statement like you did has bearing on who the machine works. i have run ati and nvidia mixed for years with never an issue, as with hudreds of thousands of people

i had an nf2 board with an aiw9800pro, also with no problems. multi-cards setups are a fraud imo.

philosophically, i have more confidence in systems and subsystems from a common gene pool. now that the playing field has leveled between the two camps, why not go with the more integrated package? for is ford, chevy is chevy.

there is no benefit - what about the people that choose a intel chipset? also there is a place for mult-card setups but it with extremely high resolutions like 2048x??(whatever it comes out to)

 

[pushVTEC]

Ok, so I took some advice and went and built two systems, one AMD, one Intel.

My amd rig would be:

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 Case

MSI K9A mobo

POWERCOLOR 1900XT512OEM Radeon X1900XT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

ENERMAX 435W PSU

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2 dual core

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 dual channel

WD Caviar SATA 3.0gb/s 320 gig hd - although i may choose a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) (250 gig) hd

WD 74k 10k rpm raptor sata 3.0gb/s (gaming and os)



The intel system would be:

the exact same as the AMD rig but a

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 mobo
Intel c2d e6600
OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB timings 4-4-4-15

It seems like with the intel mobo\processor setup I could overclock conservatively to 3ghz which is far as I would go. Opinions, both work out to be like $1360 shipped to my door. So I'm thinking even if I leave everything stock the c2d would outperform the 4600+ but I sure do like the idea of a stable o/c of 3ghz on air. I guess since I could piece together a pretty sound intel system for about the same price as a 4600 and have better performance and the oc i'm leaning intel, now what does everyone think of my mobo/ram selection? I read the ram i chose works well with the gigabyte board, but does anyone know of anything else about the board, like how good it is, and is a 3ghz clock possible with it?

 

[modestninja]

One thing that I have to add is that if you're looking for a quiet, stable PSU with good rails, little ripple and good effieciency, take a look at the Enhance 5150gh (500W) at eWiz. If you go through froogle you can save a buck or two.

Anyway, it is the same as the Silverstone ST50EF-PLUS which JG reviewed on his site. Mine is powering a rig almost the exact same as yours will be (DS3, E6600, 1900xtx) and it is rock solid with the cpu OC'd to 3gig (will push it more later).

You most likely haven't heard of Enhance because they generally just make the power supplies for other companies to rebadge, but they are definitely a tier A manufacturer.

 

[pushVTEC]

Originally posted by: modestninja
One thing that I have to add is that if you're looking for a quiet, stable PSU with good rails, little ripple and good effieciency, take a look at the Enhance 5150gh (500W) at eWiz. If you go through froogle you can save a buck or two.

Anyway, it is the same as the Silverstone ST50EF-PLUS which JG reviewed on his site. Mine is powering a rig almost the exact same as yours will be (DS3, E6600, 1900xtx) and it is rock solid with the cpu OC'd to 3gig (will push it more later).

You most likely haven't heard of Enhance because they generally just make the power supplies for other companies to rebadge, but they are definitely a tier A manufacturer.

I will look into them, but I have used nothing but enermax in my computers, and computers that I've built for others and they seem really solid.

 

[myocardia]

Keep the Enermax. There's nothing wrong with the Enhance psu's, but they aren't Enermax, either.

 

[kenji4life]

the ram in the intel rig you put together is superior

 

[johnos]

if you go intel the 965P-DS3 may be something to look at as it uses solid capacitors and should last longer and be more resistant to heat etc etc
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Mot...x?ProductID=2314&ModelName=GA-965P-DS3
might be worth thinking about if your going to overclock or plan on keeping the system for a long time.
allthough in all of the computers in my house (all use Gigabyte mobos in about the $180 **Australian** dollar range) all have been stable, the comp im using now is going on 7years old and has never had a problem with the mobo and its gotten alot of use, not so much really stressfull use, but alot of use noe the less.
so you should probs be fine with just the 965P-S3, but i thought id throw the idea out there

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: pushVTEC
Ok, so I took some advice and went and built two systems, one AMD, one Intel.

My amd rig would be:

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 Case

MSI K9A mobo

POWERCOLOR 1900XT512OEM Radeon X1900XT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

ENERMAX 435W PSU

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2 dual core

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 dual channel

WD Caviar SATA 3.0gb/s 320 gig hd - although i may choose a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) (250 gig) hd

WD 74k 10k rpm raptor sata 3.0gb/s (gaming and os)



The intel system would be:

the exact same as the AMD rig but a

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 mobo
Intel c2d e6600
OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB timings 4-4-4-15

It seems like with the intel mobo\processor setup I could overclock conservatively to 3ghz which is far as I would go. Opinions, both work out to be like $1360 shipped to my door. So I'm thinking even if I leave everything stock the c2d would outperform the 4600+ but I sure do like the idea of a stable o/c of 3ghz on air. I guess since I could piece together a pretty sound intel system for about the same price as a 4600 and have better performance and the oc i'm leaning intel, now what does everyone think of my mobo/ram selection? I read the ram i chose works well with the gigabyte board, but does anyone know of anything else about the board, like how good it is, and is a 3ghz clock possible with it?

definately go the c2d route - same $$$ + more power = you win at this point it is a no brainer. nothing wrong with enhance, but also if you alredy feel comfortabe with enermax nothing wrong with them at all either. personally i would run either one.

 

[BOLt]

Let me preface this response with the fact that I am a big OCing enthusiast. Therefore, it is my goal to convert anyone with an OCable chip into a like OCer. If that's not for you, skip my post!

Check out this guide submitted by another Anandtech user on how to OC: link.

Originally posted by: pushVTEC
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 Case

ASUS M2N-E Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP ATX AMD Motherboard

POWERCOLOR 1900XT512OEM Radeon X1900XT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

ENERMAX Whisper II 535W PSU

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2 dual core

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 dual channel

WD Caviar SATA 3.0gb/s 320 gig hd - although i may choose a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) (250 gig) hd

WD 74k 10k rpm raptor sata 3.0gb/s (gaming and os)

re-using my audigy sound card and dvd-rw

What you think?

Seagate FTW.

How expensive is that X1900XT? The 512MB of GDDR3 is sexy, but I got my 7900GS for only $150 shipped. That's tits.

Go for the cheapest AM2 chip and OC it.

Go for ValueRAM because AMD's OCing is a breeze and expensive RAM is not needed. In which case, make sure your motherboard is a good OCer. I am not familiar with that model myself.

I'd RAID a couple of Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 instead of buying a Raptor. Too loud, generates too much heat, etc. However, if you have money to burn and don't mind the aforementioned drawbacks, go right ahead. I know some people who swear by the damn things.

Not bad, overall. I'm sure you'll be kicking some major ass with this setup.

Good luck!

 

[acegazda]

Originally posted by: myocardia
Keep the Enermax. There's nothing wrong with the Enhance psu's, but they aren't Enermax, either.

Are you saying that the enermax is superior to the enhance? I will fight you on that one! Seriously... which one LOOKS of better quality?
Enermax
Enhance
The sinks are much bigger on the enhance, they use teapo caps, has a 120mm fan for quiet operation... you get the idea.
BOlt where did you get a $150 7900gs?

 

[modestninja]

Originally posted by: acegazda

Originally posted by: myocardia
Keep the Enermax. There's nothing wrong with the Enhance psu's, but they aren't Enermax, either.

Are you saying that the enermax is superior to the enhance? I will fight you on that one! Seriously... which one LOOKS of better quality?
Enermax
Enhance
The sinks are much bigger on the enhance, they use teapo caps, has a 120mm fan for quiet operation... you get the idea.
BOlt where did you get a $150 7900gs?

Exactly. I'm not saying that the Enermax is bad, but from everything I've seen the Enhance is at least as good of quality and costs less than pretty much any Enermax out there. You can go ahead and get the Enermax and you'll be fine, but you'll be as well off with the Enhance and have a little more money in your pocket. If you doubt the quality of the enhance PSU's take a look at JonnyGuru's review of the 5149gh and the Silverstone.

LINK

 

[acegazda]

Yeah, jonnyguru's reviews are great, just remember, he puts loads on the rails that you couldn't possibly recreate in real life situations.

 

[pushVTEC]

Just want to thank everyone for their help, I am ordering my intel rig tonight

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: pushVTEC
Just want to thank everyone for their help, I am ordering my intel rig tonight

you won't be disappointed :beer: :thumbsup: