POLL: Which system would you use for your main rig?

[MDE]

Would be used for gaming, surfing, and possibly some light encoding (importing stuff off my TiVo through a TV card).

Setup 1:
Athlon XP 2500+ @ 2.1GHz (unlocked, this is the max stable OC on this chip)
Abit NF7-S
2x36GB WD Raptors (RAID 0)

Setup 2:
Pentium 4 3.2GHz
ECS Intel 848 chipset board (think single channel 865)
250GB 7200RPM Maxtor drive

Parts pool to be split between each:
2x512MB HyperX PC4000 RAM
1x 128MB, 1x256MB Crucial PC2100
BFG GeForceFX 5900XT
Audigy2 ZS Platinum
Buffalo 802.11g card

The ECS board was part of a Fry's bundle, but it will be sold off to fund an Abit IS7, and doesn't have SATA RAID, eliminating the prospect of moving the Raptors over.

Will the single channel RAM on the P4 hobble it too much or am I better off with the P4?

 

[jpeyton]

I'd run Setup 2. Unless that Barton clocks faster than 2.2GHz, the P4 will beat it.

 

[dennisjai215]

dont even matter u can clock it to like a 2.4 and the p4 will still beat it a 3.2 p4 compares to a a64 3200.. but a a64 3200 is no where near a 2.4ghz xp

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
I'd run Setup 2. Unless that Barton clocks faster than 2.2GHz, the P4 will beat it.

So the single channel RAM won't cripple the P4 as badly as I think it will?

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: dennisjai215
dont even matter u can clock it to like a 2.4 and the p4 will still beat it a 3.2 p4 compares to a a64 3200.. but a a64 3200 is no where near a 2.4ghz xp

What drugs are you on ? At 2.3-2.4 the XP Will beat the P4. And an Athlon64 3000+ will beat a P4 in anything but encoding....

Take the AMD....

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: dennisjai215
dont even matter u can clock it to like a 2.4 and the p4 will still beat it a 3.2 p4 compares to a a64 3200.. but a a64 3200 is no where near a 2.4ghz xp

What drugs are you on ? At 2.3-2.4 the XP Will beat the P4. And an Athlon64 3000+ will beat a P4 in anything but encoding....

Take the AMD....

Don't forget that the P4 can also be overclocked, and the stepping I have quite often hits 3.6 on default voltage. The XP won't do anything over 2.1 stably. 2.2 is stable enough for mundane stuff but running Folding@Home along with games, etc. it gets flaky.

 

[bjc112]

AMD.

With the 2x36 Raptors it even makes it more attractive..

It takes my AXP @ 2.4 to bring down a P4 3.0 in most things, however.. The raptors will seal the deal.

 

[ponyo]

If P4 was dual channel, I would say P4 no contest. Single channel I would probably pick XP.

 

[bjc112]

What about cost? Identical?

If not, you can through in a mobile AXP 2500+ and are almost assured 2.4ghz



That will definintely take down that P4.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: bjc112
What about cost? Identical?

If not, you can through in a mobile AXP 2500+ and are almost assured 2.4ghz



That will definintely take down that P4.

I have both right now. I will be using the P4 once I upgrade the motherboard, but I don't know if I should start using it now. The problem is I only have one power supply that I trust until next week.

 

[n7]

I realize most people here love AMDs (i do too), but there is no way a Barton @ 2.1 is gonna beat a 3.2 P4, especially considering the P4 could likely go well past 3.5.

Why don't you put the Raptors with the P4?

Edit: i see you cannot move the Raptors over

Well then i guess it won't really matter either way.

 

[Schadenfroh]

the athlon, ECS scares me

 

[caz67]

Intel all the way

 

[woodscomp]

Intel everday of the week.....

 

[MercenaryForHire]

I'd:

1) Take the AMD rig
2) Sell that pair of overpriced crapblocks (Raptors), the 5900XT, and the oddball RAM
3) Buy a nice Seagate 200GB and a 6800NU/GT

- M4H

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
I'd:

1) Take the AMD rig
2) Sell that pair of overpriced crapblocks (Raptors), the 5900XT, and the oddball RAM
3) Buy a nice Seagate 200GB and a 6800NU/GT

- M4H

Thanks for the suggestions, but I wasn't asking about that stuff. I'm keeping both systems, and will DEFINATELY use the P4 once I get a new motherboard and overclock it, and then will get a 6800GT for the P4 and have two nice gaming systems for a home LAN.

 

[Mik3y]

since you cant oc the barton anymore, then go with the intel. an intel 2.8 with dual channel is faster then a barton at 2.2ghz.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
since you cant oc the barton anymore, then go with the intel. an intel 2.8 with dual channel is faster then a barton at 2.2ghz.

But the Intel won't be dual channel right now. That's the entire point of the thread. Single channel P4 3.2 or Barton at 2.1?

 

[sandorski]

I'm an AMD fan, so I'd take System 1, but System 2 would be faster. So for speed, get System 2.

 

[Arcanedeath]

Single channel will kill the P4 + the AMD has the raptors for the raptors alone I'd go w/ AMD in this case, no ? the P4 3.2 is better than a barton at 2.1Ghz, but the platform for the P4 cripples it making AMD a better choice in this case. My 2 cents...

 

[mrchen]

AMD here, so system 1.

even though pentium is rated faster, most benchmarks prove amd is actually faster.

and also, those raptors make your amd system faster a lot.

 

[Mik3y]

still the intel would win in performance. the athlon xp 3200+ was technically made to compete with intel's 3.06 Ghz 533MHz FSB system in singe channel. does the xp at 2.2 beat it? yes. i'm sure the barton at 2.1 would beat it by a very small margin, but a p4 at 3.2C GHz with 800MHz fsb still has the superior edge by a little. if the barton were perhaps clocked at 2.2GHz, maybe it might be superior, but dont forget that the 3.2C will be overclockable also. IMO, you should sell both setups and grab a nice and tasty athlon 64 rig, but if i had to decide between the two, i'd get teh intel and get some dual channel ram (even if dual channel wasnt an option).

 

[txxxx]

The intel needs dual channel memory to perform well, so its AMD for now.

 

[corkyg]

Have had both - Intel is more stable than AM in most applications that I use. My criterion is stability - period! A crashed speed burner is useless.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: corky-g
Have had both - Intel is more stable than AM in most applications that I use. My criterion is stability - period! A crashed speed burner is useless.

BS