PIII 500 - Duron 1GHz

[Deadalus]

Would I see a significant performance increase with this upgrade? Or would I be better off going for an Athlon 1.4 GHz? I don't need top-notch performance, just something to get those extra few FPS in Max Payne

Thanks...

 

[RGN]

Yeah, that would be a difference. But the 1Ghz T-Bird is nearly the same price as the Duron...

 

[bustone]

 

[erub]

bustone: im pretty sure he already has the PIII 500. personally i would get the XP 1600+, its only $113...but that's almost double what you were going to spend. Also remember to factor in price of a new motherboard and possibly a new power supply (well most likely). Maybe going to a P3 933 for $129 would be a better deal - or the 1 GHz PIII for $153. In fact, it most definitely would be. See if you can find a high end PIII on the FS/FT forum, or just buy from pricewatch (make sure you get a slocket if yours is a type I motherboard).

 

[Deadalus]

...bustone I already have the PIII 500, I was questioning what sort of performance incraese I would get by upgrading it to a Duron 1GHz and whether it would be better to go for something a little speedier.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[VBboy]

If you have a crappy videocard, you won't notice any performance improvement. A Voodoo3 and even a GeForce2-MX will start crippling your performance as you get close to 1 GHz.

Get a GeForce2 Pro at least for that machine.
And yes, Duron is much faster than the P3, but you should spend a LITTLE extra and get an Athlon.

 

[bustone]

my mistake, i misread your post. but if you're going to upgrade, why not do a little better than a 1ghz duron?

 

[BFG10K]

Providing your video card is good enough you'll see a massive boost from going to a 1 GHz Duron. However you should definitely pay a bit more and get the 1.4 GHz TBird.

 

[Mltsao]

Sumerizing the posts:

A 1ghz thunderbird costs the same as a 1ghz duron and is faster even in SSE applications (i think, correct me if im wrong).
A faster processor won't help as much if you have a crappy video card. A radeon 64 drr or geforce 2 pro/ultra (mabye even geforce 3 ti) would go nice with a 1ghz cpu.

For value I recommend getting a SiS735 board with a duron if you want to overclock* or a 1 ghz thunderbird.
For preformance I recommend getting a good 266A board with a athlon xp and a radeon 8500 or a geforce 3 Ti 500.

* most duron cores manufatured today overclock 250-350mhz.
I have gotten a duron 650 to a bit over 1000ghz and forum members have done the same with 600mhz durons.

 

[John]

Don't forget the Duron 1GHz is using the Morgan core.....even though the L2 is cut in half, it has refinements that the thunderbird doesn't have.

 

[bustone]

an athlon 1.4 is $135, wouldnt you be better off with an athlon xp 1600 @ $115? or even a 1700 @ $145?

 

[Yihaa]

A 1ghz thunderbird costs the same as a 1ghz duron and is faster even in SSE applications (i think,
correct me if im wrong).

There is no 1ghz T-bird that has SSE, only the XP's and the MP's have them. Duron's 1ghz and up have them
so a Duron can be a better choice if your apps make use of SSE. The 1ghz Duron is also based on a newer core so it runs
much cooler. I have one and runs cooler than my 900mhz T-bird.