worth buying an a64 3000?

[Genocidus]

Im thinking of going for this a64, but im wondering if after i buy it will be obselete in 6 months or it will drop to half price?

I know everyones waiting for socket 939, but how far is that in the future? a year?

would it be worth getting an a64 now, cos if the new gen comes out in year i can deal with that and upgrade then..if it comes out in 6 months and drives down the prices of all the older a64 models THEN id be miffed!

what do u guys think?

cheers

 

[mechBgon]

Socket 939 should be appearing this Spring. I wouldn't be so fixated on the Socket 939 processor itself, so much as the chipsets that will support 939 (VIA K8T890, nForce3 250/250Gb, SiS 755TX). The main improvement I anticipate with Socket939 processors is the ability (presumably) to run four memory modules at PC3200 speed, not just two. The chipsets will bring lots of improvements to the table.

Whether it's worth it is a very subjective thing. If your present system meets your needs, maybe it wouldn't be worth it. If your present system doesn't meet your needs, it could still be smarter to spend the money elsewhere (more RAM, faster hard drive or additional hard drive, or a better video card). Ace's Hardware had an article that might be relevant to you, check it out here. They show what a gamer with an older gaming rig can expect from an A64 upgrade and/or a top-of-the-line video card upgrade.

edit: you might need to factor in a power supply upgrade too, keep that in mind.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

If you're willing to wait 6 months vs pay more now for the same hardware then definitely wait.

 

[ricoDadams]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Socket 939 should be appearing this Spring. I wouldn't be so fixated on the Socket 939 processor itself, so much as the chipsets that will support 939 (VIA K8T890, nForce3 250/250Gb, SiS 755TX). The main improvement I anticipate with Socket939 processors is the ability (presumably) to run four memory modules at PC3200 speed, not just two. The chipsets will bring lots of improvements to the table.

Whether it's worth it is a very subjective thing. If your present system meets your needs, maybe it wouldn't be worth it. If your present system doesn't meet your needs, it could still be smarter to spend the money elsewhere (more RAM, faster hard drive or additional hard drive, or a better video card). Ace's Hardware had an article that might be relevant to you, check it out here. They show what a gamer with an older gaming rig can expect from an A64 upgrade and/or a top-of-the-line video card upgrade.

edit: you might need to factor in a power supply upgrade too, keep that in mind.

That link you provided is exactly what I have been looking to find for the longest time. I currently have a 1700+XP w/GeForce ti200 card. That review help me do a comparision of what I currently have and what I can expect to achieve. Thanks.

 

[high]

just oc your 1700 and oc your ti200 a bit and i think you should be ok until summer

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: ricoDadams

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Socket 939 should be appearing this Spring. I wouldn't be so fixated on the Socket 939 processor itself, so much as the chipsets that will support 939 (VIA K8T890, nForce3 250/250Gb, SiS 755TX). The main improvement I anticipate with Socket939 processors is the ability (presumably) to run four memory modules at PC3200 speed, not just two. The chipsets will bring lots of improvements to the table.

Whether it's worth it is a very subjective thing. If your present system meets your needs, maybe it wouldn't be worth it. If your present system doesn't meet your needs, it could still be smarter to spend the money elsewhere (more RAM, faster hard drive or additional hard drive, or a better video card). Ace's Hardware had an article that might be relevant to you, check it out here. They show what a gamer with an older gaming rig can expect from an A64 upgrade and/or a top-of-the-line video card upgrade.

edit: you might need to factor in a power supply upgrade too, keep that in mind.

That link you provided is exactly what I have been looking to find for the longest time. I currently have a 1700+XP w/GeForce ti200 card. That review help me do a comparision of what I currently have and what I can expect to achieve. Thanks.

Sure thing BTW, did you guys notice the $229 Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB at Newegg? I saw that mentioned at The Inquirer.

:Q <--- mechBgon

(and I have a GeForce2 GTS-V, I think it might be time to upgrade... )

 

[Dman877]

In the world of PC hardware, if your policy is to wait a few months for prices to drop, you will NEVER buy any new hardware again. My policy is, when I need an upgrade, I upgrade to whatever the current price/performance hardware is. I go either for cpu/mobo/ram, or video card, in rotating cycles. Right now a A64 3000 w/K8V is a pretty solid performer, sure to last a year and a half or 2 years (my last cpu was a 1800 that I'd had for about a year and a half). And when I'm done with this, my mom will have a very fast email box .

 

[Soulkeeper]

I would wait for the new chipsets/socket but that's just me
and chances are in 6 months it will be almost half the price unfortunately

 

[Soulkeeper]

Originally posted by: mechBgon

Originally posted by: ricoDadams

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Socket 939 should be appearing this Spring. I wouldn't be so fixated on the Socket 939 processor itself, so much as the chipsets that will support 939 (VIA K8T890, nForce3 250/250Gb, SiS 755TX). The main improvement I anticipate with Socket939 processors is the ability (presumably) to run four memory modules at PC3200 speed, not just two. The chipsets will bring lots of improvements to the table.

Whether it's worth it is a very subjective thing. If your present system meets your needs, maybe it wouldn't be worth it. If your present system doesn't meet your needs, it could still be smarter to spend the money elsewhere (more RAM, faster hard drive or additional hard drive, or a better video card). Ace's Hardware had an article that might be relevant to you, check it out here. They show what a gamer with an older gaming rig can expect from an A64 upgrade and/or a top-of-the-line video card upgrade.

edit: you might need to factor in a power supply upgrade too, keep that in mind.

That link you provided is exactly what I have been looking to find for the longest time. I currently have a 1700+XP w/GeForce ti200 card. That review help me do a comparision of what I currently have and what I can expect to achieve. Thanks.

Sure thing BTW, did you guys notice the $229 Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB at Newegg? I saw that mentioned at The Inquirer.

:Q <--- mechBgon

(and I have a GeForce2 GTS-V, I think it might be time to upgrade... )

yeah man it's upgrade time hahaha

 

[Cerb]

the argument against the A64 is CPU and chipset maturity. Any other worries...toss 'em.
Yes, it will half the price in six months (I hope so! ).
No, you won't have a good upgrade path. You might as well expect to replace the CPU and mobo nect time. Maybe even RAM
Yes, it will be obsolete.
But the same will be true for whatever is out in 6 months unless you go with the bleeding edge parts.

 

[UCSDHappyAsian]

hmmm..... AMD puts up a lot good fights against Intel....

 

[CyGoR]

I did order a A64 3000+ because I don't want to wait 6 months. And then again, the 3000+ can be a nice sell or second system when I will upgrade.. The 4-memory banks (2 slices of PC3200) will be more then enough for me (2x512Mb). Only problem with current chipset (Via K8T800) is the AGP/PCI frequency lock which is a pain when you want to OC..

Don't forget that the 3700+ A64 will be available for socket 754 also!!
Ofcourse, you can wait. But when is a good time to buy a cpu??

 

[Corsairpro]

BUY the 3000+ you won't regret it

 

[Jeff7181]

Personally, I'm waiting for the 3200+ to drop more in price when the new models come out. That extra cache it has over the 3000+ should make a larger difference in 64-bit apps than it does in 32-bit apps. I guess if you want something now, I'd go with a 3000+ and then later on you'll still be able to upgrade to a better socket 754 processor with a full meg of L2 cache. Doesn't look as though dual memory channels help very much since the 3400+ is almost in a dead heat with the FX-51. Maybe as clock speed increases they will require more memory bandwidth, but right now it seems to be even more of a marketing gimmick than with the nForce2's dual channel memory.

 

[Dustswirl]

In my case am waiting for new chipsets (K8T890, nf3-250, K8T800Pro SiS...), should provide more "mature" performance and more goodies(8 channels sound among other stuff), more ocing-capabilites. ah and since intel's chipset are kinda coming during the same time frame then prices should be competitive for chipsets & CPUs.

 

[Davegod75]

damn intel and amd always switching sockets on us. why can't they just fine one they like and stick to it for like 5 years...hmmmmm socket 7

 

[Dustswirl]

Hehe how do you think they'll make $ if not by making our life miserable! just look at the upcoming pci express! hopefully motherboard manufacturers will be kind enough to equip their products with both AGP and PCIexpress 16x for graphics! hell i won't pay $$$ to upgrade just coz one part of my system isn't compliant!

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
Personally, I'm waiting for the 3200+ to drop more in price when the new models come out. That extra cache it has over the 3000+ should make a larger difference in 64-bit apps than it does in 32-bit apps. I guess if you want something now, I'd go with a 3000+ and then later on you'll still be able to upgrade to a better socket 754 processor with a full meg of L2 cache. Doesn't look as though dual memory channels help very much since the 3400+ is almost in a dead heat with the FX-51. Maybe as clock speed increases they will require more memory bandwidth, but right now it seems to be even more of a marketing gimmick than with the nForce2's dual channel memory.

On a few benchmarks, it becomes quite apparant that the dual HTT channels DO make a difference.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: Markfw900

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
Personally, I'm waiting for the 3200+ to drop more in price when the new models come out. That extra cache it has over the 3000+ should make a larger difference in 64-bit apps than it does in 32-bit apps. I guess if you want something now, I'd go with a 3000+ and then later on you'll still be able to upgrade to a better socket 754 processor with a full meg of L2 cache. Doesn't look as though dual memory channels help very much since the 3400+ is almost in a dead heat with the FX-51. Maybe as clock speed increases they will require more memory bandwidth, but right now it seems to be even more of a marketing gimmick than with the nForce2's dual channel memory.

On a few benchmarks, it becomes quite apparant that the dual HTT channels DO make a difference.

You mean dual memory channels (you can have 6000 HT links and if you only have one memory controller nothing will change)... and those few benchmarks don't paint an accurate picture of the total performance. There are tests where the 3400+ clearly performs better than the FX-51. I doubt that's because the FX-51's dual memory controllers slow it down, but it shows a difference in performance between the chipsets. So if the 3400+ outperforms the FX-51 in some tests because of the chipset being used, isn't it reasonable to say that maybe the FX-51 outperforms the 3400+ in some tests because of the chipset and not necessarily the dual memory controllers? (not saying you're wrong, just pointing out that the differences in the chipset seem to make a difference in some areas, so they may in other areas as well)

Of course we see that the FX-51's memory bandwidth plays a role in rendering software, but we already knew those tests were very dependant on memory and cache. Like I said, that doesn't paint an accurate picture of the total performance. Hell, someone could write a benchmark program that just moves data in and out of RAM and show that the FX-51 has twice the memory bandwidth of the 3400+... does that mean it'll be twice as fast in everything else? Of course not.

I seriously doubt dual memory channels will make a big enough impact on performance to justify paying a whole lot more than a single channel processor until the clock speeds scale up around 3.0 Ghz where the processor is working so fast that it puts more of a strain on the memory bus. And don't forget, as AMD makes more and more A64's, the process will only get better and overclockability will get better. If things work out the way I think they will, I'll be getting a nForce3 250, A64 3200+ and PC3700 RAM and will set the bus and RAM to 233 Mhz if possible. Until there's a good chance of attaining those kind of overclocking results, I probably won't upgrade. If the bug gets me, I might just get an A64 3000+ and some good RAM and a good motherboard as a starting point for a future upgrade (like when 64 bit Windows and software is available).

 

[cowdog]

If you are going to pick up an A64, wait a week.

 

[AkumaX]

it is now since msoft's giving away xp 64-bit for free! (1 yr)