P4EE or AMD FX?

[dynasty]

I'm considering selling my computer before the price of it goes down the drain with the new PCI express coming out later this summer. So I was wandering which one these two rcessors would be better as performance? The Intel P4EE or the AMD FX? I have bee looking at prices and there is like a $200 difference in the AMD and the Intel processor. Or should I wait to see if amd or intel comes out with a processor made for pci express? I'm currently running a P4 2.6c. Pretty nice computer, I just want to upgrade or sell this thing before the prices go drastically down. Thanks

 

[nick1985]

FX

 

[biostud]

A64 3400+ and save your money. If you for some reason need to spend a lot of money, just buy the 3400+ and send the difference between the 3400+ and the P4EE to me.

 

[dynasty]

Well the only reason that I was considering those two was because I was looking for something that would be really good and run very fast for a couple years. Wanted something that was going to be pretty high end for awhile. What are some good a64 motherboards? Thanks

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Asus K8V Deluxe for Athlon 64s, and I think you should get the new AMD Athlon FX-53 with the ASUS SK8V

 

[Mik3y]

go with the FX. just because something costs more doesnt mean its better.

 

[Soulkeeper]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
go with the FX. just because something costs more doesnt mean its better.

 

[dynasty]

No I don't think if the P4 costs more it's going to be better. I have just been running a P4 setup for awhile and that is what I just thought about getting at first.

 

[Mik3y]

well, i can tell you that if u decide to go with socket 939 and an fx, it will be better then the EE in perhaps every way. that is, of course, with the 64 bit drivers and everything.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
well, i can tell you that if u decide to go with socket 939 and an fx, it will be better then the EE in perhaps every way. that is, of course, with the 64 bit drivers and everything.

The 64bit drivers cause enormous performance loss in most cases, mostly because of their lack of driver maturity.

In games specifically performance can be as little as 50% that of 32bit, as well as have major stability problems.

 

[Alkaline5]

Originally posted by: biostud666
A64 3400+ and save your money. If you for some reason need to spend a lot of money, just buy the 3400+ and send the difference between the 3400+ and the P4EE to me

Originally posted by: Mik3y
...just because something costs more doesnt mean its better.

Unless you bought MS stock when they first went public, just go with the 3400+.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: dynasty
Well the only reason that I was considering those two was because I was looking for something that would be really good and run very fast for a couple years. Wanted something that was going to be pretty high end for awhile. What are some good a64 motherboards? Thanks

There is no thing as a computer that will be fast for years....i think the recommendation for an A64 3400+ is good, since it'd be better to spend the money saved on upgrades later

 

[Algere]

Neither unless you want specific features exclusive to the P4EE or FX e.g. unlocked multiplier. In any case another recommendation for the A64 3400+ or Pentium 4 3.4GHz depending on the intended role of the system.

EDIT: When I mentioned the P4 3.4GHz I meant the one based on the Northwood core.

 

[dynasty]

This is going to be a gaming computer. And yes I do agree with ya'll about the a64. I think that will be a much wiser decision than the fx, in terms of performance to money ratio. Do ya'll think the a64 3400+ will be around for awhile? I have heard of AMD switching sockets or something on the a64. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[wicktron]

What's the big deal with AMD changing sockets if you want your system to last a few years? It doesn't affect your system any. Say 2-3 years from now... there will be more new sockets and new platforms. Also, what does it matter if the 3400 will be out for awhile. If you build your system today, you want it to last a few years, what's the difference? I mean... really.

 

[Mik3y]

you have a really good point wicktron, but in this case, the other dudes are right about waiting for the socket changes. its not gonna be too long from now, and with taht, it will make your system last a while longer performance wise. also, with the new motherboards supporting pci-e and such, it will give u a much more open upgrade should the time come. with the new socket, the 3400 will become a 3500 too.

 

[o1die]

I wouldn't start over unless you get a very good price for your current system. I used to upgrade about twice a year, until Fry's came to town, and with Dell here in austin. Between the two, prices have dropped so low that you can't get a decent price selling a used system here. If you need a better video card, I would start there, or wait for socket 775 and pci-express. No point in selling your current rig at a loss. I'm still using my 2.4b system, and it performs pretty well. When I upgrade, if I can't get a decent price for my old parts, I just give them to friends or family.

 

[dynasty]

Thanks for the help guys. You know socket 775 will be out? Thanks

 

[Jeff7181]

Buying a computer every couple years isn't exactly a great way to stay current. It's best to buy just under top of the line, for example... an A643000+ or a 2.8 Ghz P4 or the 2.4 Ghz Prescott or the Mobile Athlon XP's. You'll spend 25% as much on the CPU as if you went for a top of the line one, and you'll have about 90-95% of the performance of the top of the line. 6 months to a year down the road you can afford to upgrade the CPU because what was once top of the line will now be just below top of the line, and priced more reasonably.

If you don't mind having a computer that's slower than molases in January at the end of your 3 year upgrade cycle, then by all means, upgrade every few years... but if you upgrade more often, but only do a componant or two at a time, your computer may never be the absolute fastest, but it will probably never feel too slow.

I sell my old componants when I upgrade... that way my CPU upgrade ended up costing me $20... my RAM upgrade ended up costing $40... and my video card ended up costing me $100. And that was to go from a 2.2 Ghz Barton, 1 GB PC3200 2.5-3-3 RAM, Ti4200 @ 325/650 to a 2.47 Ghz Mobile Barton, 1 GB PC3500 2-3-3 RAM, and a FX5900 @ 490/940. I didn't even spend $200 in a year to keep me current... if you spread that out over 3 years, figure in a motherboard upgrade that ends up costing $50, and a hard drive upgrade that ends up costing $100, that's only $750... can you buy a $750 computer once every 3 years and never have it be too slow? Even if you sell your old one? How much does a 3 year old computer cost right now? $500? So your once every 3 years top of the line computer can't cost more than $1250 to match the effectiveness of my upgrades... and at the end of those 3 years your computer can't run the latest software very well.

 

[hytek369]

FX