P4 or Athlon?

[LordGorzul]

I'm trying to build a new PC, and am mostly a gamer but i use my PC for all sorts of things..
I've been using Intel all my life, and was going for the P4, but I'm wondering if I should do the switch. I heard the athlons are better with games. What do you all think?
Also I'm not familiar with the athlon or it's compatibility with anything.
I assume the Pc components RAM a d so on are the same for both the AMD and Intel chipset..

Can you recommend a good CPU/MOBO/RAM combination? (looking for about 1.3 1.4ghz PC)

Thanks a bunch

LG.

 

[sean2002]

Athlons are cheaper and clock for clock are faster in almost everything. I would recomend a Iwill KK266, and a 1.2ghz Thunderbird, and a 256mb stick of Crucial CAS 2 PC-133, or if you choose a good AMD 760 (DDR) based board and Crucial DDR. Any way you look at it it will be cheaper than a P4 system. Oh, and the Thunderbird overclocks really well.

 

[Adul]

oh great, expect to have a small flame war errupt from people pushing their views. Both have their pros and cons. Both will run games faster then most people need.

P4
requires atx 2.2 spec Power supply
Uses RDRAM
good cooling
If you use another mb other then the asus p4t, then you'll need a special p4 case has well
p4 hsf

Athlon Requires a powerful enough power supplly
Good quality cooling
Uses SDRAM Pc133 or DDR SCDRAM
Runs at 100/133FSB DDR bus

Both overclock well, though athlon you have more option to overclock and tend to overclock more.
Some issue with via chipsets, but I have had non myself with my 3 duron based systems at home.
P4 will cost more
Athlon is more powerful on a clock for clock basis
1.33 athlon ~ P4 1.7 ghz
Rdram is 2x the cast of DDR SDRAM/PC133 SDRAM

This doesn't hel to much, but it gets some pro/cons of both sides


My preference is anathlon system. Saving some money matters to me.

 

[fkloster]

<< I heard the athlons are better with games. What do you all think? >>



I heard P4's are better @ games

 

[SpeedTrap]

if you want a fast cool system get a P4, if you want a chip that runs almost 2 times as hot get a athlon. i think cooler is better, but if you go athlon get retail, cause that chips gonna fry before the warranty

120-125F for a stock speed chip, reminds me of the old K6's

 

[Novgrod]

I heard that the p4 is much better at games, if by &quot;games&quot; you mean &quot;quake 3.&quot; Even including that, it's a dead heat between the p4 1.7 ghz and the tbird 1.33 ghz. Since the tbird is much cheaper, I'd go with the tbird.

 

[Duvie]

&quot;I heard P4's are better @ games&quot;

what q3 fkloster? c'mon even you know more benchmark test show that is not true for stock 1.33 versus stock 1.7 will comparable other system specs....I would say a dead heat or a little on the athlon side...noticeable? probably not...


&quot;...but if you go athlon get retail, cause that chips gonna fry before the warranty &quot;

&quot;120-125F for a stock speed chip, reminds me of the old K6's &quot;

Keep quiet, you idiot!!!...at least talk facts....

I run a oem tbird 1.1@1.2 with a HSF I got for 9.00 bucks and I see 38c idle and 45c high...sine you are probably not smart enough to convert to fahrenheit that is 100f idle and 113f high...my stock speed is 2c lower or 3.6f lower...

&quot;...if you want a chip that runs almost 2 times as hot get a athlon.&quot;

so I guess that means you are running 19c (66f) idle with your chip? jackass!!! that is lower then average room temperature.


I know at least fkloster knows his sh^t a bit more...he may were intel colored glasses sometimes, but I know he doesn't stray too far from the truth.

WBStrooper is obvious just a zealot spreading false info...

 

[Flat]

The P4 1.3, 1.4, cost right around the same as the athlon 1.3, not saying the Intel is faster, just of note. Of course the RDRAM cost more, but from quite a few retailers, it is included with the processor.

 

[acejj26]

depends on what game you're running....p4 is great on q3 because q3 loves system bandwidth...but on a bunch of other games, athlon runs faster...but really, what's the difference between 140 fps and 135 fps?? you can't go wrong with either for gaming. i still recommend athlons because they are cheaper and they have a better upgrade path (if you buy a p4 system right now, you can't really upgrade to the higher speed p4's whereas you should still be able to upgrade an athlon down the road since they are sticking with socket 462 for quite some time).

 

[Texmaster]

<< I'm trying to build a new PC, and am mostly a gamer but i use my PC for all sorts of things..
I've been using Intel all my life, and was going for the P4, but I'm wondering if I should do the switch. I heard the athlons are better with games. What do you all think?
Also I'm not familiar with the athlon or it's compatibility with anything.
I assume the Pc components RAM a d so on are the same for both the AMD and Intel chipset..

Can you recommend a good CPU/MOBO/RAM combination? (looking for about 1.3 1.4ghz PC)

Thanks a bunch

LG. >>




Having owned one AMD and 2 P4 computers, I think I can provide a little feedback.

The biggest hit the P4 takes is cost. Expect to spend roughly 200 more on a mobo cpu and ram on the P4 than on a comperable AMD system.

AMD is the king of cheap processors there is no doubt.

What the P$ has going for it is its low heat factor and a special clock down feature if for some reason, the processor gets too hot. I've read that once AMDs get over 1ghz if your fan fails, it will burn up in less than 2 seconds. So, heat is a major conscern.

And I dont understand the Rabmus haters out there. Rambus is Great ram especailly if you are running a gameing benchmark program like 3dmark2001, Rambus really shines with all that memory bandwith.

It has 2 drawbacks however, price and it has to be installed in pairs.

The upgradeability is really a dead issue. Athlons are not going up in mhz in this model and the new motherboards will almost certainly be incompatable with the old AMD chips. AMD wont screw their mobo manufacturers out of easy money off a new chip.

And I would argue that P4s are better overclockers ONLY when compared to T-birds 1.2ghz and up. I had a 1.5 and hit 1.8. Now I have a 1.7 and it hits 2.07 and I'm only using air. Granted a LOT of air (over 1100cfms) but still just air.

IF you go with a P4 and you like your case, get a P4T. It has a backplate to fit old ATX cases.

And as far as the power supply goes, you can pick up an adapter cord at 3dcool.com and use your own Power supply. (300W or better)

Athlons are also for the most part stuck with VIA chipsets which means a patch to get stability.

Another bonus for the P4 is the chip itself. It is totally encased in metal making it much less of a risk to cracking the die like you can with PIIIs and Athlons. You can buy the big heavy fans. (IE. THE CORE!!!) and not worry about the chip.

Whatever you buy though, GET A BOXED CHIP!!!

So, the P4 has less heat and a dummy feature if you get it too hot BUT Athlons are cheaper.

I hit 2ghz with my P4 rock stable. Perhaps you can take the title

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[SpeedTrap]

<< &quot;I heard P4's are better @ games&quot;

what q3 fkloster? c'mon even you know more benchmark test show that is not true for stock 1.33 versus stock 1.7 will comparable other system specs....I would say a dead heat or a little on the athlon side...noticeable? probably not...


&quot;...but if you go athlon get retail, cause that chips gonna fry before the warranty &quot;

&quot;120-125F for a stock speed chip, reminds me of the old K6's &quot;

Keep quiet, you idiot!!!...at least talk facts....

I run a oem tbird 1.1@1.2 with a HSF I got for 9.00 bucks and I see 38c idle and 45c high...sine you are probably not smart enough to convert to fahrenheit that is 100f idle and 113f high...my stock speed is 2c lower or 3.6f lower...

&quot;...if you want a chip that runs almost 2 times as hot get a athlon.&quot;

so I guess that means you are running 19c (66f) idle with your chip? jackass!!! that is lower then average room temperature.


I know at least fkloster knows his sh^t a bit more...he may were intel colored glasses sometimes, but I know he doesn't stray too far from the truth.

WBStrooper is obvious just a zealot spreading false info... >>

review of the 1.4GHZ u idiot

heres a quote so you dont get your high horse up in the air

&quot;Though this processor runs fairly hot?around 125-132 degrees Fahrenheit during our testing?it was eminently stable, as well. Now, let's see how it performs. &quot;

it may be stable but i can cook eggs and bacon on the chips

rather have a chip that runs 50 degrees cooler..

some people dont know shlt and this guy shows it. I read the reviews idiot

 

[NeonFlak]

WSP kinda harsh =) I would get the athlon for now. Nothing really makes use the of p4 and it is on the more expensive side compared to an athlon. I'm not gonna talk about performance differences though cause I don't want people stalking me over it =)

 

[SpeedTrap]

wasnt harsh at all he practically came out and called me a liar , i aint gonna go for that

 

[madfeetch]

<< depends on what game you're running....p4 is great on q3 because q3 loves system bandwidth...but on a bunch of other games, athlon runs faster...but really, what's the difference between 140 fps and 135 fps?? you can't go wrong with either for gaming. i still recommend athlons because they are cheaper and they have a better upgrade path (if you buy a p4 system right now, you can't really upgrade to the higher speed p4's whereas you should still be able to upgrade an athlon down the road since they are sticking with socket 462 for quite some time). >>



He said it perfectly. Intel in their crazyness that only they understand is changing the socket that the CPU goes into. So that the newer P4's that come out will not be compatable with the older P4 mobos. So if you like upgrading about once a year like I do then I would stick with AMD, plus AMD is cheaper too. You get more band for your buck and (big and here) you are helping technology developers push the envelope of technology when you support the competition. And AMD is the competition right now. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Just my .02

 

[Jgtdragon]

Agree with what Texmaster says.

I also have an Athlon and a P4 system.

 

[formulav8]

<<

<< I heard the athlons are better with games. What do you all think? >>



I heard P4's are better @ games >>




Quakes3 is every game? In fact I think thats the ONLY game the P4 wins at.

 

[Duvie]

I will give you that review...fine..I have seen people here report numbers on 1.33ghz chips they have oc'd up into the 1.5ghz and have temps running below those numbers...so they may tend to be on the high side...


For the crap comment &quot;...but if you go athlon get retail, cause that chips gonna fry before the warranty.&quot;


that is a lie...and yeah I guess you are either a liar or stupid SOB...

edit: most oem warranties are 30 days...my tbird 750@840 I had for 4 months until I sold it to upgrade 2 months ago...my new 1.1@1.2 tbird has been running for 2 months...

Oh wait I must be the luckiest bastage on the planet neither one of them fried before the warranty...OHHHH

The palominos coming out in late august will help some on the heat issue while boosting chip performance 10-15 percent...wait until then if you can.

 

[Texmaster]

<< Agree with what Texmaster says.

I also have an Athlon and a P4 system. >>



Thank you sir! I thought my first reply would be a lot less friendly

 

[bigbootydaddy]

once you go dual baby, you never go back...


..unfortunately its on the disabled list today.

 

[fkloster]

<< Quakes3 is every game? In fact I think thats the ONLY game the P4 wins at. >>



Mercedes Benz Truck Racing is another game P4 shines in. And every game based on the Q3 engine (F.A.K.K 2, Elite Force, ect..I think there are like 6 or 7). Tribes 2 is also faster on a P4 because it has SSE2 opts Anyways, Athlon wins price performance and for most, thats all that matters.

 

[Flat]

Wow, a civilized discussion on this topic, maybe a first!
Mercedes Truck Racing, god that is the worst game, not because of gfx or gameplay, but because those trucks are so freakin bad as race cars.

 

[tasslex]

If you're going to go P4 wait until the Tulatin <sp?> P4 chips come out. The socket design is changing completely for those new chips, Dual Processing will be an option, DDR will be an option (with any luck!).

 

[Flat]

<< If you're going to go P4 wait until the Tulatin <sp?> P4 chips come out. The socket design is changing completely for those new chips, Dual Processing will be an option, DDR will be an option (with any luck!). >>



DDR will decrease the P4s performance, and its always best to wait, wait, wait, (moores law ) wait... wait...
wait...wait...wait.... whoa now we have 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000Ghz Pentium2000's! GLAD I WAITED lol

 

[Duvie]

&quot;Mercedes Truck Racing, god that is the worst game, not because of gfx or gameplay, but because those trucks are so freakin bad as race cars. &quot;

LOL...I never understood the premise of that game myself.

p4 vs athlon (MY OPINION)

Gaming: tossup (can find fair number of games on each side)
Business Apps: slight nod to Athlon
overall performance of best vs best: slight nod to Athlon
overclocking: tossup ( I am seeing good numbers on both sides)
heat issues: Intel
upgradability: Athlon
Price: Athlon
chipset Stability: Intel (via blows)

these are the things I look at, but not necessarily in that order...I'd go price, performance (not a real gamer), stability, upgradability, overclocking, heat...

regardless of heat issues it seems the cooler running p4 gets about the same percent of oc boost as the high temp athlons...Is that due to most of the p4 oc can only be done fsb? I dunno...so texmaster and Fkloster?

 

[tasslex]

<< DDR will decrease the P4s performance... >>


Is this becoming the popular opinion? I honestly haven't looked into the performance aspects of it all, I just want DDR on a P4 because it's not as expensive as RDRAM. Even if it is a bit slower, it'd be worth it just to not have to buy RDRAM.

Do you think that by the time DDR is available as a sanctioned, official memory option for the P4, Intel will have made steps to make the performance of DDR with the P4 >= RDRAM? After all it looks like they want out of that deal anyways.