Why a 939 board over a 754?
- Thread starter ingeborgdot
- Start date
Socket 939 offers:
1) NFORCE4: PCI-E/NCQ
2) FX processor support
3) 90nm cpu (Winchester) support
4) dual channel
The price difference is minimal when you weigh in the benefits of socket 939.
1) NFORCE4: PCI-E/NCQ
2) FX processor support
3) 90nm cpu (Winchester) support
4) dual channel
The price difference is minimal when you weigh in the benefits of socket 939.
Faster procs on the 939 socket is the main thing. Plus, if your someone who likes to upgrade instead of going out and buying a whole new comp, the 939 is only way to go. O, and all the kids will laugh at you for having a 754
On a serious note, speeds are pretty much the same at this point with slower Athlon64 procs, but 939 overclocks better.
On a serious note, speeds are pretty much the same at this point with slower Athlon64 procs, but 939 overclocks better.
with the recent price cuts on cpus, i'd go socket 939. which is why I AM going socket 939 myself.
3000+ cpus are down to $130, which is about the same as socket 754 cpus. you have the added benefit of having pci-e support, and the newest platform (seeing as there are no nforce4 754 boards yet or any other pci-e nf4 boards). the cheapest boards out there now with 939 and pci-e support are like $95 (ati rs480 based)
3000+ cpus are down to $130, which is about the same as socket 754 cpus. you have the added benefit of having pci-e support, and the newest platform (seeing as there are no nforce4 754 boards yet or any other pci-e nf4 boards). the cheapest boards out there now with 939 and pci-e support are like $95 (ati rs480 based)
the bad thing is you loose about 200mhz for the same price comparing 754 and 939, hard to see if you just go of PR ratings.
Sure:
Athlon 64 3000+:
754: 2.0GHz, 512KB L2 cache, single-channel memory controller
939: 1.8GHz, 512KB L2 cache, dual-channel memory controller
So the 939 has dual-channel but a slower clock. People usually overclock it and forget about that.
"1) NFORCE4: PCI-E/NCQ
2) FX processor support
3) 90nm cpu (Winchester) support
4) dual channel "
1) nForce4 is not 939-only, though very few mobos will use the Ultra version with NCQ support.
3) The just released Semprons are 90nm. Soon all A64 will be 90nm, 754 or 939-pins.
Athlon 64 3000+:
754: 2.0GHz, 512KB L2 cache, single-channel memory controller
939: 1.8GHz, 512KB L2 cache, dual-channel memory controller
So the 939 has dual-channel but a slower clock. People usually overclock it and forget about that.
"1) NFORCE4: PCI-E/NCQ
2) FX processor support
3) 90nm cpu (Winchester) support
4) dual channel "
1) nForce4 is not 939-only, though very few mobos will use the Ultra version with NCQ support.
3) The just released Semprons are 90nm. Soon all A64 will be 90nm, 754 or 939-pins.
The question you should be asking yourself isn't socket 939 vs. 754 but rather NForce4 or NForce3. Both offer similar performance with basically the same chipset but for a little more money with NForce4 you get PCIe or even SLI on higher end boards. The answer to that question is wether you've already invested heavily in a high end AGP video card or plan to also purchase a new video card.
Well, isn't the 754 a tech dead-end now that they have 939? I mean... if you like having to buy an entirely new computer every time you upgrade then go ahead and get the 754.
In addition to what everybody else said, I am pretty sure the new AMD dual core processors will be socket 939. Socket 754 is nearing the end of its run. I think I saw on an AMD roadmap somewhere that socket 754 will be phased out by the end of this year (2005). So next time you go to upgrade you will have a hard time finding another socket 754 cpu to put in. Therefore you will likely have to buy a new motherboard at that time anyway. Socket 939 is new and is going to be around much longer and you will be able to put a cheap Athlon 64 FX in it in a couple years or even a dual core processor.
Look at the MSI RS480M2-IR, It's a Socket 939 motherboard with an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 chipset available at NewEgg for $92. On top of having a PCI-E graphics slot, gigabit Ethernet, onboard sound with a S/PDIF digital out, and SATA RAID 0/1/0+1 support, it also has an integrated DirectX 9 video processor similar to the X300-series PCI-E video card.
You can upgrade cheaply and use the integrated graphics core. If you decide you want more graphics horsepower, you can pop in a PCI-E graphics card any time you want.
It's also one of the only mATX socket 939 boards available. You can install it in an Antec Aria case and build a Small Form Factor PC if you like.
At this point I don't think it makes any difference to go with NF4 PCIe over NF3 AGP unless you want to really spend the big bucks and go with SLI or plan to use it as an upgrade path down the road.
A fast system with SLI 6800GTs or higher is just so much power that it's ridiculous even for playing HL2 or Doom3. A single high end card does the job very well. We are all aware that there is no logic in building a system today that will be capable of playing the games of tommorrow. Unless you really feel compelled and have the financial resources to play these games on very large expensive monitors at 1600x1200 resolution. My 19" monitor won't even run that high faster than 60Hz so there is just no point unless I get a new monitor.
Eventually there will be a whole new generation of vid cards that make todays X800 and 6800 cards look like yesterdays 9800 and 5900 cards (which are still fine cards) and they will cost about the same as today's cards. You will probably find that upgrading to a single one of those future cards will be more beneficial than adding another 6800Ultra to your existing one to run it in SLI so I'm skeptical about the use of SLI as an upgrade path. Still, for only a little more money it doesn't hurt to have the slot there anyway.
I currently own a X800Pro VIVO that I purchased recently and run it on a 32 bit Barton NF2 system. VIVO was a major consideration in my purchase and so was ATi. There is one app I run that has serious known issues with NVidia 6800 cards and since I was upgrading from a 9700Pro it made installation and transition easier. Even though the X800Pro is only 12 pipes it still performs on par with the 6800GT in Steam games or Unreal Tournament 2k4 which is primarily what I play. It was also cheaper than the 6800GT even with the VIVO.
I now am considering a new mobo/CPU so of course my decision to go to NF3 has already been made. I simply couldn't justify doing the whole thing at once and there also were no reasonable options in PCIe at the time for the price I was willing to pay.
hope that little story helps. ;-)
A fast system with SLI 6800GTs or higher is just so much power that it's ridiculous even for playing HL2 or Doom3. A single high end card does the job very well. We are all aware that there is no logic in building a system today that will be capable of playing the games of tommorrow. Unless you really feel compelled and have the financial resources to play these games on very large expensive monitors at 1600x1200 resolution. My 19" monitor won't even run that high faster than 60Hz so there is just no point unless I get a new monitor.
Eventually there will be a whole new generation of vid cards that make todays X800 and 6800 cards look like yesterdays 9800 and 5900 cards (which are still fine cards) and they will cost about the same as today's cards. You will probably find that upgrading to a single one of those future cards will be more beneficial than adding another 6800Ultra to your existing one to run it in SLI so I'm skeptical about the use of SLI as an upgrade path. Still, for only a little more money it doesn't hurt to have the slot there anyway.
I currently own a X800Pro VIVO that I purchased recently and run it on a 32 bit Barton NF2 system. VIVO was a major consideration in my purchase and so was ATi. There is one app I run that has serious known issues with NVidia 6800 cards and since I was upgrading from a 9700Pro it made installation and transition easier. Even though the X800Pro is only 12 pipes it still performs on par with the 6800GT in Steam games or Unreal Tournament 2k4 which is primarily what I play. It was also cheaper than the 6800GT even with the VIVO.
I now am considering a new mobo/CPU so of course my decision to go to NF3 has already been made. I simply couldn't justify doing the whole thing at once and there also were no reasonable options in PCIe at the time for the price I was willing to pay.
hope that little story helps. ;-)
Megatomic
Lifer
- Nov 9, 2000
- 20,127
- 6
- 81
Well, the vast majority of the responses in this thread are not meant for the OP. He is not an overclocker and obviously is not a hardcore gamer. Chances are he won't even be upgrading his system in the near future.
Given these observations, I'd recommend a mid range NF3 system, either s754 or s939 would do. Here's a s754 system:
Soltek K8AN2E-GR NF3-250Gb
AMD A64 3000+ s754
2 x 512MB Kingston ValueRAM
Subtotal: $366.74
Here's a s939 system:
Epox EP-9NDA3J NF3 Ultra
AMD A64 3000+ s939
2 x 512MB Kingston ValueRAM
Subtotal: $382.49
And for $103.99 shipped he can get a Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro 128bit 128MB
So, I'd recommend the s939 system. The performance is going to be very similar, but the OP will have a better opportunity to upgrade the CPU later if he decides that he needs more CPU power.
Given these observations, I'd recommend a mid range NF3 system, either s754 or s939 would do. Here's a s754 system:
Soltek K8AN2E-GR NF3-250Gb
AMD A64 3000+ s754
2 x 512MB Kingston ValueRAM
Subtotal: $366.74
Here's a s939 system:
Epox EP-9NDA3J NF3 Ultra
AMD A64 3000+ s939
2 x 512MB Kingston ValueRAM
Subtotal: $382.49
And for $103.99 shipped he can get a Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro 128bit 128MB
So, I'd recommend the s939 system. The performance is going to be very similar, but the OP will have a better opportunity to upgrade the CPU later if he decides that he needs more CPU power.
First, dual channel doesn't mean squat on 939. Sure, you pay more for it, but you don't get anything out of it. It's just bragging rights. Any kinda decent ram like valueRAM will perform just as good as any other good pc3200 ram.
Second, pci-e isn't really IMHO proving itself to be 'that' much better than AGP right now. i mean, it's awesome and all, gives capabilites of SLI, but who has cash to do that?
754 performance isn't that much different from 939. if your on a budget, 754 with AGP is the way to go. Can't go wrong with it. if you want the latest stuff, 939, sure. But you won't see a huge performance difference from a similarly configured 754 system.
megatomic's comment is true. if you want upgradability, go 939. budget = 754. good thing about amd64 is budget 754 performs just as good as performance 939. hardly a noticeable real life difference.
Also, 754 is not gonna die. AMD is still releasing new processors for it if i'm correct(the sempron line). so saying 754 is going away isn't true. i thought before 754 was supposed to liek replace socket a eventually or something. either, please don't make it sound like 754 will be phased out and non-existent, because it's far from.
Second, pci-e isn't really IMHO proving itself to be 'that' much better than AGP right now. i mean, it's awesome and all, gives capabilites of SLI, but who has cash to do that?
754 performance isn't that much different from 939. if your on a budget, 754 with AGP is the way to go. Can't go wrong with it. if you want the latest stuff, 939, sure. But you won't see a huge performance difference from a similarly configured 754 system.
megatomic's comment is true. if you want upgradability, go 939. budget = 754. good thing about amd64 is budget 754 performs just as good as performance 939. hardly a noticeable real life difference.
Also, 754 is not gonna die. AMD is still releasing new processors for it if i'm correct(the sempron line). so saying 754 is going away isn't true. i thought before 754 was supposed to liek replace socket a eventually or something. either, please don't make it sound like 754 will be phased out and non-existent, because it's far from.
Megatomic
Lifer
- Nov 9, 2000
- 20,127
- 6
- 81
I tend to ignore all the inane and immature comments like those. But since you've drawn my attention to it, I have to that if anyone attaches their ego to their PC they have some serious issues. The least of which is that their computer is running with a single channel of DDR.Originally posted by: bay
and I'll laugh while my 3400 newcaslte beats the 3500 winnine in every benchmarkOriginally posted by: friedrice O, and all the kids will laugh at you for having a 754
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