OT: need advice on new rig

[CyGoR]

Hi,

I'm considering a new system to replace my old Compaq D510 PIV 2.0Ghz..
Only, I don't know what to buy.. I'm a little short in the money thing, so it's not going to
be the fastest available on the market though..
Currently in my system I've got the following parts which will be transfered to the new system:

HD: Maxtor 7200rpm, 8mb 120Gb IDE
Vid: Ati Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB BGA mem (600Mhz)
Mem: If new is to expensive, 256Mb PC2100 DDR (although I prefer new)
and further a few things like TV-card, WiFi nic (54Mbit) etc..

I do prefer a PIV 800Mhz HT cpu/mobo combo, but I saw that AMD's cpu's are cheaper and there mobo's are Much cheaper! A very good asus Nforce 2 board with even dual Gig lan and Dual channel DDR for only ?111,- (I don't know the $ to ? difference, but I'll think of it as 1:1) where as a nice PIV board (I875 of I865PE) will be around ?170...

So, the million dollar question, which cpu will kick more a$$?

Both are at almost the same prices (incl. cooler) ~ ?220,-
PIV HT 2.8Ghz 800Mhz FSB
AMD 3200+ Barton 2.2Ghz 400Mhz FSB

I just think I'll fall in love with the HT option, but the change to AMD is also very attractive! (I don't want to start a war, I like both cpu's but I need some more opinions from other people on this )

For the memory, I've been looking at a nice set of Corsair TwinMX 2x 256Mb 467Mhz for ?150,- which doesn't sound to expensive really... I'll buy a cheap case and maybe a new PSU (I've got a 350W Enermax duall fan psu here, is that powerfull enough?)

Thanks in advance everyone! And sorry for the much text..

 

[Confused]

Either of them will be a nice upgrade

However, of course, it depends on how much you really do want to spend (do you want to spend the extra 60 on the P4 system)?

The rest of your bits (vid, hdd etc) are still pretty nice

You will however want at least PC3200 memory for whichever you go for, and you must get 2, for dual channel. This is more important on the P4 systems than the AMD system!

I would also suggest you get yourself 1GB memory (2x512), it will speed things up a lot as well, as you can do way more things without needing to attack the hard drive (which will always be the bottleneck - even if you have raid5 15k scsi )

My suggestion...AMD XP2500+ (save yourself a little money here), 2x512MB PC3200 (or higher) memory, nForce2 board, and overclock that puppy like anything!


Garry

 

[CyGoR]

I could save over 50% on the CPU when I choose a 2500+ and I can OC' it to much higher speeds.. Although I prefer not to OC them to high and go for stability as well.. And the difference in FSB is also kind of high.
The ?200+ on a CPU is something I can afford though. But the mem is quite expensive if I need 2x512mb (?267,94 for PC3700)... I think I'll choose a fast CPU first, then save a little money to buy me some serious RAM a month later or so

Thanks Garry!

 

[CyGoR]

I did find a nice Asus P4p-800 deluxe mobo for the PIV for ?125,- so the difference between both systems is alsmost nothing.

Total costs (I'll buy me some Ram later on..):
Mobo_________125
CPU__________220
Case__________80
Shipping_______25
Total_________450


I can get almost 350 for my old system if I play it well So the total costs are just 100!
But, do I get an Intel of an AMD

 

[soni]

If you dont buy any RAM now, then you would have to check if the P4 board can run single-channel.
Not all P4 boards can do that. That wont be a problem with the AMD.

Other alternative, buy the RAM now, dual channel, and move your current cpu over (if possible in the new board, check voltage requirement).
You wont gain much speed right away, but you can save up and buy a new cpu later (cheaper or better)

 

[CyGoR]

I could do that, but I'm going to sell the current machine
So I want to put a working machine in its place as soon as I sold the other one.
But.. I might even wait a month.. After doing some new calculation, I thing I'm going for the best I can get..
Been looking at an Abit KV8-800 Max3 + AMD64 3200+ 800Mhz FSB, 1MB L2
Cpu is ?60 more and the mobo ?40... So, why not? Think it's going to be a nice cruncher!!

The Abit mobo is the best there is for the 64 amd cpu's.. It has all I will ever need!
And, an OC'ed AMD64 is, from what I heard, the fastest thing you can get
It would be my first time that I can brag about Seti wu times

 

[Confused]

The AMD64 3000+ is the best bang-for-the-buck right now

Also, you can overclock the FSB (well, HyperTransport) higher than you can with the 3200+, and they should all reach about the same speed

Any way you go, they will be nice systems!


Garry

 

[CyGoR]

I just noticed that the Amd 64 doesn't use Dual Channel DDR, so I don't need to buy that expensive ram..
Garry, the 3000+ has 'only' 512Kb L2 cache and the 3200+ has 1MB.. will this be a big difference?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

For SETI crunching, a P4 with hyper threading

 

[soni]

CyGoR, those 512Kb L2 means upto 1-5% in almost all test I have seen.
I would go for the 3000+ only on the price difference, and treat yourself to 1GB memory.
When you have been there, you wont go back

You could also use the extra money on a bigger HD or a DVD-burner

 

[CyGoR]

Thanks for the advice guys!
AgaBooga, I'm not intend to only run Seti on it, but the project is just great to compare wu times with

Soni, I'll go for the 3000+ then, after checking some of the articles myself it looks just fine
The Abit mobo doesn't support 'cool-and-quiet' from the cpu unfortunatly Not that I need that anyway, it's going
to crunch 24/7 ofcourse!

I'll let you know what it's going to be in the end..

 

[ProviaFan]

I'll stay out of the Intel vs. AMD argument, but on the RAM, since you mentioned getting more in the near future anyway, I think you'd be better off getting one 512MB module now, and then adding another 512MB module in a few months, if possible. The gains from dual channel are not tremendous, and you'll probably appreciate the extra upgradability in the future. If you don't plan to keep the machine for a long time, then ignore my comments because upgradability will not be a big concern for you.

 

[Soggysocks]

Originally posted by: CyGoR
Hi, I'm considering a new system to replace my old Compaq D510 PIV 2.0Ghz.. Only, I don't know what to buy.. I'm a little short in the money thing, so it's not going to be the fastest available on the market though.. Currently in my system I've got the following parts which will be transfered to the new system: HD: Maxtor 7200rpm, 8mb 120Gb IDE Vid: Ati Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB BGA mem (600Mhz) Mem: If new is to expensive, 256Mb PC2100 DDR (although I prefer new) and further a few things like TV-card, WiFi nic (54Mbit) etc.. I do prefer a PIV 800Mhz HT cpu/mobo combo, but I saw that AMD's cpu's are cheaper and there mobo's are Much cheaper! A very good asus Nforce 2 board with even dual Gig lan and Dual channel DDR for only ?111,- (I don't know the $ to ? difference, but I'll think of it as 1:1) where as a nice PIV board (I875 of I865PE) will be around ?170... So, the million dollar question, which cpu will kick more a$$? Both are at almost the same prices (incl. cooler) ~ ?220,- PIV HT 2.8Ghz 800Mhz FSB AMD 3200+ Barton 2.2Ghz 400Mhz FSB I just think I'll fall in love with the HT option, but the change to AMD is also very attractive! (I don't want to start a war, I like both cpu's but I need some more opinions from other people on this ) For the memory, I've been looking at a nice set of Corsair TwinMX 2x 256Mb 467Mhz for ?150,- which doesn't sound to expensive really... I'll buy a cheap case and maybe a new PSU (I've got a 350W Enermax duall fan psu here, is that powerfull enough?) Thanks in advance everyone! And sorry for the much text..

Well If it helps to decide......I was running three rigs ...(see my sig) lost my main rig ...my Asus p3v4x rig with the 1 gig ....went from 15 a day average to 10 a day average. Bought a P4 2.6c with HT.....just the two rigs now are doing more per day than the three were check my stats. Ordered a refurb board to put the p4 2.4 back to work on. Should have it thursday....................running friday....then check the stats...................................... should be almost double what I was doing. The P4 HT's Rock
Oh and build your own....manufacturers warrenties don't amount to squat

 

[Cashmoney995]

Your thinking is off, getting more ram will do you more good since the Athlon XP 2500+ is just as fast if not more fast than intel offerings and the overclock is amazingly easy and stable. Get a 2500+ a good volacano and a gig of 3200 ram and your set for a speedy system. If you really want to spend 200 on a cpu, get the Athlon 64, honestly there is no reason to waste that type of money unless you want to step forward in technology.