Speed: Athlon 64 3000 (1.8Ghz/939) vs. Athlon XP 3000 (2.16 Ghz) ?

[B S D]

Hi all,

I am planning to build a budget system around an Athlon XP 3000 (stock @ 2.16 GHz), but am wondering about splurging for the Athlon 64 3000 (Socket 939 stock @ 1.8 GHz) on an nForce4 platform instead.

Clearly this would buy me a few extra upgrade options later on, but for the extra cash I would also want some better performance now as well.

Please note that I am talking about the new Socket 939 Athlon 64 3000 that is actually clocked slower than the old Socket 754 part it replaces. (See AMD's spec page )

Thanks,

David

 

[ts3433]

It's clocked the same on 939 as a S754 2800+, which still blows an XP3200 out of the water. The 3000+ Winchester, though, runs a hair cooler and is quite overclockable.

 

[B S D]

Thanks. Can you pont me to some benchmarks?

 

[ponyo]

anand review

Hot Deals thread for great deal on 939 A64 3000.

 

[jta009]

S939 all the way, not only will it be upgradeable for the future but it OCes like a mofo

 

[B S D]

Thanks to all for the help.

Does anyone know of specific bechmarks that pit the 939 A64 3000 against the XP 3000?

Thanks again,
David

 

[SonicIce]

Just wondering, what do you plan on using the computer for?

 

[B S D]

Originally posted by: SonicIce
Just wondering, what do you plan on using the computer for?

Don't Laugh....

Gaming. (And other general use.)

It's for a friend. His total budget is ~$550.

This can be done with a XP3000 and an nVidia 6600 GT or X700 gfx card. (~$200)

Going to a 939 A64 3000 would up the price beyond his limit. I am just trying to see if it is worth it to push him. (No overcloking..., just stock speeds..)

-- David

 

[dguy6789]

It would be faster, but the difference would NOT be light and day, maybe 15%. The 3000+ Athlon XP is still a fast processor and will run thigns fine for another 2 years.

 

[KoolDrew]

socket 939 is the way to go.

 

[SonicIce]

So what does your friend need? Everything except monitor or what? Keyboard/mouse?

 

[NasdaqTrader889]

Originally posted by: SonicIce
So what does your friend need? Everything except monitor or what? Keyboard/mouse?

After adding in the CPU and motherboard that's a good part of the $550. Then the HDD, SATA I assume, and the case that's pushing it. I'm sure it can be done with price matching/coupons, etc.

But I would have to agree with everyone else that the AMD64 is the way to go since you friend is looking to make this his PC for a long time and the AMD64 is made for future upgrades.

 

[Appledrop]

a64 overclock it to 2.6

 

[B S D]

Originally posted by: SonicIce
So what does your friend need? Everything except monitor or what? Keyboard/mouse?

Yeah, he already has a cheap 17" CRT from his current K6 setup, and I presume that he'll be keeping the kb/mouse/speakers too.

So, it's just machine for $550 we are trying to build.

I am really trying to get some hard numbers on A64 3000 vs. XP 3000 performance, as the upgrade potential for a 939 platform is not really relevant.

Basically, he won't be upgrading the machine for at least a year or two, and by then even mainstream solutions will be multi-core, DDR-2, "Socket Whatever" whiz-bang things. So, he'll need to do a CPU/MB/RAM/GFX swap then anyway.

That being the case, what does it matter if he goes for Socket A or Socket 939 now?

True 939 will buy him a little more short term upgrade flexibility, but I am not sure he will really use it.

That extra $150 it would cost for 939 is not justifiable unless it will also provide a current benefit over a Socket A solution.

Any thoughts?

-- David

 

[edro]

How about the difference between the A64 754 3000+, A64 939 3000+, and AMD XP 3000+?

I am getting an A64 754 3000+ through that Microsoft partner seminar...

Is there a speed difference between the 754 and the 939, or is it just about the upgradability? Does either one overclock more? What about the difference between the 754 and the XP?

Thanks!

 

[gobucks]

I really haven't seen a whole lot of benchmarks between the K7 and K8. However, if you can find a benchmark of a 3000+ to a 3.0GHz P4, then you can compare a 3.0GHz P4 to an A64 3000+. In general, the higher numbers of the Athlon XP seem pretty liberal, while the A64 ratings are pretty conservative, so I expect a substantial difference. The A64 architecture also seems better equipped for future software, due to things like fast memory access, SSE2, and just overall better architecture. The 64-bit extensions are also nice, and show a lot of promise, with linux results showing an average 20% improvement going to 64-bit. In fact, some beta Windows apps are a lot faster, too - I think I saw somewhere that Visual Studio saw a 100% improvement going to 64-bit! Also, the review above shows that the 939 version is usually faster than the 754 version, and since they are practically the same price, I'd go with that. As for upgrade path, that socket 939 mobo will last you a long time. AMD has said that dual core will be compatible with existing mobos, so you will have an upgrade to that. Having PCI-express means a nice upgrade path for graphics, as well. As for DDR2, it won't take over on the AMD front for a while, and will require a new socket, socket 900. Still, DDR socket 939 systems will coexist with Socket 900 for quite a while.

My recommendations would be:
A64 3000+ - $150
nForce4 Ultra - $125?
1GB Corsair valueram - $170
Geforce 6600GT - $189

Total - $634, a little bit more, but if he wants gaming, he's not gonna be able to do much better than that.

 

[sswingle]

Originally posted by: edro13
How about the difference between the A64 754 3000+, A64 939 3000+, and AMD XP 3000+?

I am getting an A64 754 3000+ through that Microsoft partner seminar...

Is there a speed difference between the 754 and the 939, or is it just about the upgradability? Does either one overclock more? What about the difference between the 754 and the XP?

Thanks!

The 939 gives 5-10% increase over the 754 socket, mainly because of the dual channel memory support.

 

[edro]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: edro13
How about the difference between the A64 754 3000+, A64 939 3000+, and AMD XP 3000+?

I am getting an A64 754 3000+ through that Microsoft partner seminar...

Is there a speed difference between the 754 and the 939, or is it just about the upgradability? Does either one overclock more? What about the difference between the 754 and the XP?

Thanks!

The 939 gives 5-10% increase over the 754 socket, mainly because of the dual channel memory support.

Cool, thanks. Anyone think an upgrade from AMP XP 1900+ ---> A64 754 3000+ will still be a big upgrade?

 

[KK]

How about an upgrade from a P4 1.6A. How much of a performance boost would I see. Applications I use include unrarring large files(4.7GB), watching movies/tv, capturing TV, surfing web, minimal photo editing. Was thinking about the A64 939 3000 with an asus board and OCing it. How much does the memory affect OC abilities.