Which CPU shall I get?

[WildViper]

Sup All,

I have seen all the threads about intel vs AMD and so on. However, most of them end up being about gaming. My need is a little different and wondered what the opinions here were.

I am building this PC to run proprietory software that does a lot of financial calculations. I would also like to be able to multi-task between these math applications. In addition, the regular usage will come into play..listen to music, surf and editing photos and movies.

I was thinking of getting the AMD 64 3200+ Venice with the Epox Ultra board. Now wondring if Intel has a better offering.

Main concern is (in order) Stability, Speed and Stability! I do not want the thing to keep on crashing every day every hour or so.

Of course, money is an object. I want to keep the budget below $700.

Any help would be great.

 

[Arkodominion]

Given that it is proprietory software, it's hard to say which PC manufacturer will run it best. However, you mention that you would like to run movies, music, and edit photos at the same time. With that thrown into the number crunching CPU equation, I think it's clear that the AMD X2's will best suit your needs. It's multitasking abilities exceed the Intels, and should keep you from needing to upgrade sooner than any single core processor could.

 

[WildViper]

Thanx, but I think the X2 is out of my price range. Here is the PC so far

AMD 64 3200+
Epox Ultra Motherboard
1 Gig x1 of MWave RAM - Cheap..and I have memory from mwave and it works ok.
1x Benq DVD Dual Writer
Antec Black Case with 350W PS
Video Card is: GeForce 6600 by Asus I think..PCI-E 16X with 128 MB Ram
Regular HD with 160Gigs - Saw an ad in CompUSA or Bestbuy..for $40 or so.

This setup was coming out at about $680 + tax. Is this a good setup for what I want above? Would I be able to OC if I wanted to???

Thanx again

 

[secretanchitman]

hold up buddy...i would get a 6600GT. worth the extra price, plus a heck of a lot more performance.

if you want to OC/keep the heat down, you should get a heatsink. preferably a thermalright XP-90/90C/120. or some cooler.

 

[MBrown]

Originally posted by: secretanchitman
hold up buddy...i would get a 6600GT. worth the extra price, plus a heck of a lot more performance.

if you want to OC/keep the heat down, you should get a heatsink. preferably a thermalright XP-90/90C/120. or some cooler.

Yes. I regret buying my 6600 vanilla.

 

[theMan]

that is a good setup. just get a 6600gt.

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

u could save some bucks on the video card. a 6600 is hardly enough for real gaming needs, and if u dont play any games at all, something like a X300SE might be enough already.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...ry=0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

the rest of the rig looks absolutely ok to me. a 3000+ should oc similiar to a 3200+ (2.3Ghz-2.5), again u could save some clams.
the PSU should be fine, if its an original Antec (?).

 

[Markfw]

A 3800+ is only $379 or less. Are you sure thats out of your price range ???? You won;t be sorry if you splurge.

 

[Braveheart77]

I gess I won't forgive myself (been an AMD fan), but if you do plenty of multitasking and an X2 is out of range for you, you may consider the Pentium D. They are "cheap" enough, fast for simple maths, and very well suited for multitasking... not as good as X2 but almost half the price, and multitask better than any single core chip.

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

the P-D itself might be cheap, the power bills are not

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: BlingBlingArsch
the P-D itself might be cheap, the power bills are not

And the heat and the noise, and with all that heat, stability may be an issue in the long run. If you can;t swing the X2, your 3200 should be OK.

 

[Braveheart77]

Thanks for saving me pals... LOL!!!
Long live to AMD.

I just mentioned that because WildViper talked about multitasking between heavy math apps and regular surfing, video editing and so... then remembered some anandtech review about the new dualcore chips (both intel and AMD). For casual multitasking I gess a good A64 will do. For heavy multitasking, do anything you can to get a dual core. For gaming, just the fastest A64 you can get

 

[Dribble]

If you want stability you don't want to overclock. If you don't game then a 6600 is more graphics then you need - a 6200 will do fine. If you want to multi-task then dual core is the best way forward. A64 X2 are better but if you can't afford one I would recomend a pentium D over a single core machine - a pentium D will complete the maths task slower but you'll be able to do whatever you want while it's running, or run two at once. Both AMD and intel are pretty stable these days, I would be highly suprised if intel was less stable then AMD (one of the traditional reasons for buying intel was stability, in particular intel chip-setted motherboards were always the most solid thing out there).

 

[WildViper]

Thanx guys for all the help.

As for the video card..this comp won't be used for gaming at all..perhaps Solitaire..but that's it.

I thought the 6600 would be good in terms of offering stability and less crashes. Not really going after gaming graphics. Video editing is also very basic..nothing Hollywood studio style.

I will have a look at the Pentium D (though I like AMD). See how that fares up in price. I want the X2, but can't stretch the money that far.

 

[Markfw]

If you are not going to do squat, go with the cheapest video card you can find, and the ULI chipset mobo to save money. That motherboard is $67, I have one and its great ! Not the greatest for OC'ing but you won;t be doing that ! Then maybe you could get the X2. Remember, you will save up to $10 each month with that over the PD.

 

[Braveheart77]

Go for any Radeon 6200 Turbocache (those will be more than enough and are priced well under than a standard 6600). Also look for an Uli motherboard and with the savings maybe you can reach for that precious X2!!!!!!

 

[fatty4ksu]

p-4 w/hyper threading.

:thumbsup:

 

[ryan256]

Well... from what you've said you want the computer to do (math & multi-tasking) the CPU that would serve you best is the one with the highest GHz. So I would be looking at an Intel chip for this specific application. Intel has always beaten AMD in applications like video encoding and serious number crunching simply due to their higher clock speeds.
I would get a P4 3.0GHz Prescott for$178. This chip seems to be right at the optimum price/performance break.

 

[Pabster]

I'd take the Venice core 3000+ for ~145 and overclock the snot out of it.

 

[WildViper]

Ok...I am trying to fit the X2 in. I like the PD, but I think X2 appeals more.

If I go with this..I have to cutback on my videocard and mobo.

I checked out the X300SE...is that a stable and good video card?? I don't want conflicts between Nvidia mobo and ATI based videocard.

A cheap $50 video card should be able to handle watching DVDs and light video editing/photo editing right?

Also, is the Epox Ultra a good board for the X2??

Most probably...no oc'ing.

 

[Braveheart77]

You won't encounter conflicts between Nvidia mobos and Ati vidcards and viceversa. As for watching DVDs any actual video card shuld be ok unless you want to play HD video content (which is far beyond standard DVD specifications). And for video/photo editing, even a $1000 video card wont help as your CPU and Memory will do 99% of the job (and the X2s excels there).

I ghess the Epox will do.

 

[Markfw]

You could even get a mobo with integrated video for those tasks ! Let me see if I can find a cheap one. How about this ATI chipset and integrated video for $71

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

check out the ECS RS480 board if u like mATX.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...ry=0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&Go.x=0&Go.y=0
It requires a bios update, to make it dualcore ready. And it has GPU onboard.

 

[Markfw]

Thats the one I linked to above your post.....

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

sheesh, i should have followed ur link before posting...