Stick to A64 3000+ or upgrade to E2180? Need some advice...

[TGW]

Hi, I need some advice and guidance, I have the following setup:

- AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice OC@2.5GHz
- MSI K8N Neo4 nForce4 Mobo
- Kingston ValueRAM 1GB DDR-400 OC@DDR-470

I have no issues with performance but since I upgraded to Vista, I felt the need to add another GB of memory, the issue is that DDR1 memory is relatively expensive nowadays (1GB=$44) so I thought it's time to upgrade, I'm a bit on budget so here goes my new possible setup:

- Intel Pentium Dual E2180 2GHz (I heard it's a great overclocker; 3GHz is supposed to be fairly easy) - $70
- Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L P35 Mobo - $84
- Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2x1GB) - $41

The new setup will cost something around $195, and I can sell the old setup for $56 because I will no longer need it, which cuts the deal down for me to $139.

Now the question is, should I just get myself one more GB of DDR1 memory for $44 or pay the extra $95 and get the new setup?

Will there be a performance gain that's significant enough to justify the extra $95 I'm going to pay if I went with the full upgrade option or not in your opinion? In other words, is it really worth it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bateluer]

Check the Toms Hardwware Guide charts and compare the two CPUs in different tests. I didn't see the 2180 on a quick look, but I know the 2160 is on there. This'll give you a better idea of where the chips stand at stock speeds.

If it was me, I'd likely go with the extra DDR1 RAM and hold off until after Nehalem and Deneb to do a rebuild. But it also depends on what you do with your system.

 

[MarcVenice]

95$ for a significantly faster setup isn't a lot of money. Depending on what you do with it, it could be worth it. Then again, if all you do is surf the web and use Word, it might not be ...

 

[nerp]

Tough call.

If you get the E2180 to 3ghz it will fly nicely for you.

But if all you're doing is light stuff and not much gaming or encoding, you might want to just save your money for now and grab the extra GB of memory, which will make a nice difference in your machine.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

If you are happy with your performance then you don't really need to spend any extra money. An extra gig of RAM under Vista will certainly help system responsiveness, as well as upgrading from a single core processor to a dual core processor. On eBay it seems you can get a 1GB stick of DDR400 for about $35, which would help mitigate costs. For refernce, DDR2 sticks cost about $20 per GB.

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: TGW
Now the question is, should I just get myself one more GB of DDR1 memory for $44 or pay the extra $95 and get the new setup?

Will there be a performance gain that's significant enough to justify the extra $95 I'm going to pay if I went with the full upgrade option or not in your opinion? In other words, is it really worth it?

Thanks in advance.

Yeah the performance gain from Athlon 64 3000+ to E2180 is Very significant and worth the price. (When OC more than twice the Power().

The question to ask yourself is, do you need the extra Power?

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Check the Toms Hardwware Guide charts and compare the two CPUs in different tests. I didn't see the 2180 on a quick look, but I know the 2160 is on there. This'll give you a better idea of where the chips stand at stock speeds.

If it was me, I'd likely go with the extra DDR1 RAM and hold off until after Nehalem and Deneb to do a rebuild. But it also depends on what you do with your system.

i concur - get another 1GB of DDR on the cheap (used) and wait for Nehalem.

if you must upgrade now, and don't plan to upgrade soon after, get the e7200 for $120 (rumored to drop to $113 soon) and oc to ~4Ghz.
it will work with your proposed P35 mb.

 

[clarkey01]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Check the Toms Hardwware Guide charts and compare the two CPUs in different tests. I didn't see the 2180 on a quick look, but I know the 2160 is on there. This'll give you a better idea of where the chips stand at stock speeds.

If it was me, I'd likely go with the extra DDR1 RAM and hold off until after Nehalem and Deneb to do a rebuild. But it also depends on what you do with your system.

i concur - get another 1GB of DDR on the cheap (used) and wait for Nehalem.

if you must upgrade now, and don't plan to upgrade soon after, get the e7200 for $120 (rumored to drop to $113 soon) and oc to ~4Ghz.
it will work with your proposed P35 mb.

+1

 

[Fenix793]

I was in your shoes as well. I had a 3200+, DFI NF4-D, 1GB DDR. For $400AR I was able to upgrade to E2180, Asus P5Q Pro, 4GB DDR800, and HD4850. I can tell you that it is much faster. The system is far more responsive thanks to the new RAM and dual core CPU. Also I have the CPU running at 2.6Ghz stock voltage and stock cooler. Once I pick up a new cooler I have no doubt I can get this CPU up to 3.2. Best of all it only cost me $60. For $95 I would definitely upgrade. The E2180 simply flies when OCed. Like the others said though do you need the power?

 

[TGW]

Thanks all for your inputs and for sharing your thoughts, plenty of 'em are very insightful and useful.

I'm not on a hurry so I'll give it a second thought, based on a lot of what's been said here.

Thanks again.

 

[nerp]

Originally posted by: TGW
Thanks all for your inputs and for sharing your thoughts, plenty of 'em are very insightful and useful.

I'm not on a hurry so I'll give it a second thought, based on a lot of what's been said here.

Thanks again.

Being conservative and economical is often the "smarter choice" hehehe.

 

[Marty502]

Originally posted by: nerp
Tough call.

If you get the E2180 to 3ghz it will fly nicely for you.

But if all you're doing is light stuff and not much gaming or encoding, you might want to just save your money for now and grab the extra GB of memory, which will make a nice difference in your machine.

I agree. Jumping from 1GB to 2GB on my machine (which used to have a A64 at 2.5 Ghz too) was night and day. I didn't even know how could I use Vista with 1 GB of RAM!

Go with the RAM, you'll love the difference.