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Worth waiting for new Intel and AMD offerings?

D

DodgerLD

Member
Hey again,

I'll try not to ask the 'Intel or AMD' question again. 🙂

My question: Is it worth waiting for AMD socket M2, Intel Cedar Mill/Presler, etc.?

Some background information:

I'm currently running an Intel Pentium 2 (3?), 450MHz CPU with 328MB of RAM, and I'm clearly in need of an upgrade.

I use my PC for: Office applications, internet browsing/communication, programming, image editing "Internet Content Creation" etc. (no gaming), as I've mentioned in my previous two threads:

Serious help required ... - At that time I ended up having "insufficient budget" 🙁
Intel or AMD? (LOL) - Locked, for obvious-enough reasons. :roll:

I now would like at least: A new mainboard, CPU, RAM, Monitor, and PSU (required, I guess. Current = 235W [I think])

My new budget is: $985.00 (at the current exchange rate of 6.09 [South Africa])

Some required/desired:

Mainboard: Asus, Gigabyte. Either onboard graphics or a simple PCIe card. Support for PCIe, SATA (II), PATA x 2. SLI not really required I guess.
CPU: Athlon 64's/Opteron's/X2's/Not so sure about the current Intel lineup -- do the dual core processors also run hot? Regardless, what exactly does this mean? Extra cooling?
RAM: 1GB, I have pretty much have the option of either Samsung or Corsair ValueSelect (I think Corsair is the better choice?)
Monitor: I'm not sure about this yet, I'm thinking of staying with CRT. Anyone here do Photoshop work on an LCD? Hate the dead pixel thing, love the low power consumption and space saving. CRT's just seem a lot clearer to me.
PSU: Wattage will depend on the above selections I guess.

It's really not a problem if there's money left over!!! LOL

Yes, I have done quite a fair amount of research, going in circles actually. The only thing I've decided on is the RAM, and even that is dependent on the CPU! 😕

Suggestions are greatly appreciated -- who knows -- maybe this time I'll actually do the upgrade!! :laugh:

D.
 
Looks like the most intensive application you do is going to be photoshop. No gaming?

Defintely 2gb of RAM. Photoshop loves it.

I wouldn't wait for the new CPUs to come out, although waiting till jan 10th to see if there are any price drops would be a good idea.
 
Originally posted by: Bobthelost
Looks like the most intensive application you do is going to be photoshop. No gaming?
Click to expand...
Right -- Photoshop and programming IDE's like Eclipse and Netbeans. No gaming -- wondering if that makes the use of an Opteron more appropriate? Would this be considered a workstation?

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
Defintely 2gb of RAM. Photoshop loves it.
Click to expand...
Ouch! That's like $260's worth of Samsung memory.

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
I wouldn't wait for the new CPUs to come out, although waiting till jan 10th to see if there are any price drops would be a good idea.
Click to expand...
Why don't I know what's happening on Jan 10th? 😱

Thanks for your help, Bobthelost.
 
photoshop, minimum 1gb ram prefer 2+, prob a dual core proc, intel or amd wont matter since you're not gaming or overclocking or worried about heat. and waiting is up to you.. i have the system in my signature and i'm waiting till summer when amd goes ddr2 to upgrade
 
Originally posted by: DodgerLD
I'm currently running an Intel Pentium 2 (3?), 450MHz CPU with 328MB of RAM, and I'm clearly in need of an upgrade.
Click to expand...
The difference between this and anything relatively modern will be much larger than the differences between different modern computers. I don't think it will matter much whether you buy one now or later or spend $300 or $1000.
 
If you buy value RAM it costs a damn sight less than $260. Also if you buy AMD then it doesn't matter too much if you buy cheap as chips chipsinstead of the top of the line stuff. Look in the memory section for the value RAM comparison.

Opterons aren't all that different to other CPUs, they are meant for server use rather than desktop but the opterons are near identical to the normal A64s. I wouldn't worry about them if i were you, they overclock well but that's not one of the things you're planning for is it?

Jan 10th is when the FX60 is being released, but i only learnt that from another thread.

Some of your other questions:

Dual Core processors do run hotter than single core, unsurprising since there's two cores rather than one. However the stock heatsink is pretty damn good. Upgrading to a SI 120 or zalman 9500 or any one of the other top end HSFs is a nice extra, but unessisary if you're not a silence junky or planning to overclock (much).

If i were you i'd spend a good fraction of that budget on a nice 19" LCD. It's the bit of the computer you'll spend hours staring into everyday after all. Look in the video forum for the LCD sticky.
 
I'd like to say something with emphasis: If you buy/build a "modest" value system today it's only going to be marginally lower performing than the enthusiast specs everybody in such forums as this tend to suggest and recommend.

You today have a 450MHz system. Do you think it really matters much for your experience of your new system if you upgrade to a 2800 or a 3800? Likewise, you can do with 512MB for a start, but 1GB tends to make a difference. But 2GB for someone who doesn't do anything demanding and have other uses for the money? Noway.

Likewise I don't see any reason why you should have socket 939 or LGA 775, or PCI-e. You will do just fine with cheaper stuff. A PC's capability is defined by its age much more than its price. If you still have a 450MHz today, you probably have some difficulty in upgrading often. My advice in that case is to get a cheaper PC!

My suggestion would be something along the lines of:

Raidmax or other cheap simple case.
300W Fortron PSU with 120mm fan.
Sempron64 3100+.
Cheap NF3-250 or K8T800 or NF4-4X socket 754 mainboard.
GF6200 128MB videocard (not the "TC" model).
1GB PC3200 value ram.
160-250GB hd 8MB cache 7200rpm.
Samsung DVD-RW.

Won't cost you a fortune and will IMO serve you almost just as well as a twice or thrice as expensive setup. Then get yourself a new cheap system after 3-4 years, with Vista64 and dualcore CPU.

It doesn't have to be exactly what I listed. I just want to set your mind free downwards. s754 and Sempron is OK. Use your common sense. Maybe you'll find a cheap s754 Athlon64 3000+, maybe you'll find s939 components as cheap.
 
Originally posted by: Vee But 2GB for someone who doesn't do anything demanding and have other uses for the money? Noway.
Click to expand...

Photoshop IS demanding for RAM.

Gaming IS NOT demanding for RAM. Only a handfull of games can even use more than 1Gig ram, whereas Photoshop is limmited by the 2Gb max, it's one of the few applications that seem to have no limit to it's thirst for RAM.
 
Originally posted by: Bobthelost
Originally posted by: Vee But 2GB for someone who doesn't do anything demanding and have other uses for the money? Noway.
Click to expand...

Photoshop IS demanding for RAM.

Gaming IS NOT demanding for RAM. Only a handfull of games can even use more than 1Gig ram, whereas Photoshop is limmited by the 2Gb max, it's one of the few applications that seem to have no limit to it's thirst for RAM.
Click to expand...

It depends on how you use Photoshop and what version. User is not striking me as someone who is aiming for a professional career as PS artist. Quote: "image editing "Internet Content Creation"". The users budget has earlier been stated as $500. It's then not likely that the user intends to use a different newer version of PS than he is using today on a 450MH 328MB machine.

The only thing I do with PS is editing/adjusting family photos before printing. Even so I would imagine it's more demanding than "Internet content", since the imagefiles easily goes way above 35MB. I did work like that a long time ago on a 80MB Pentium and later I've had no problems whatsoever on either a 512MB or a 1GB machine. Finally, nothing is as easy to upgrade later, if necessary, as ram.
 
I have Photoshop version 7.

I think I'd prefer socket 939. It would allow me to upgrade to X2 fairly easily if I didn't start with a dual core CPU.

I think I'll start with 1GB of RAM, if I feel I need more, I can upgrade without much difficulty, as Vee mentions. 2 x 512MB or 1 x 1024MB ?

Thanks -- keep the suggestions coming! 🙂
 
Sounds like you have been using the same excuse to not upgrade for the past 6years. Just do it. Just buy now. Resell and buy again.

Upgrade every 6months or so and always sell the old hardware on ebay. A little bit of time a little bit of money = pure computing happiness.
 
i had a dell XPS 400 with P4 2.8 dual core, 512mb of ram, 2x 160gb HD's, dvd burner, and a dvd-rom, with a x600SE video card, for $550 in my cart.
 
Originally posted by: sniperruff
i had a dell XPS 400 with P4 2.8 dual core, 512mb of ram, 2x 160gb HD's, dvd burner, and a dvd-rom, with a x600SE video card, for $550 in my cart.
Click to expand...
We don't really have Dell here.
 
If you're going for a socket 939 chip then get 2x512 RAM, the current systems can manage 4x512 at reasonable speeds so upgrading is still an option, and in the meantime you'll still be using dual channel mode for the RAM.

The 3800X2 is a great chip, you won't go wrong with it.

*returns to corner*
 
Here's a list of components that should suit your needs well:

AMD SEMPRON64 2800+ 1.60G/1600/256K/S754
ECS 760GX-M SOCKET 754 760GX AGP
KINGSTON KVR 400MHZ DDR NO-ECC 1024M KIT
MAXTOR 160GB 7200RPM 8MB 6L160P0
LG GSA-4167B 16X DVD+-RW 16X Dual Layer Writer
CASE ATX ANTEC SLK1650B BLACK 350W

 
Originally posted by: Zimdesign
Here's a list of components that should suit your needs well:

AMD SEMPRON64 2800+ 1.60G/1600/256K/S754
ECS 760GX-M SOCKET 754 760GX AGP
KINGSTON KVR 400MHZ DDR NO-ECC 1024M KIT
MAXTOR 160GB 7200RPM 8MB 6L160P0
LG GSA-4167B 16X DVD+-RW 16X Dual Layer Writer
CASE ATX ANTEC SLK1650B BLACK 350W
Click to expand...

Agreed. Solid components that match the user's needs. If there's a little more room in the budget I suggest upgrading from the ECS mobo to something a bit more reliable (ie Epox, Asus, or this Chaintech). The Chaintech eliminates the onboard video and thus requires an add-on card; in such a case the cheapest card (approx $30) with DVI is recommended.
 
Yes, forgot the socket 754. Just get a X2 3800+, retail, $76 for 2x512 corsair value, and the rest of the parts... $76 later for another gig.
 
I'm going in circles again. It seems just about every AMD m/board I look at has known issues. How do I choose one?

I'm looking for an nForce4 Ultra - preferably. (I think)

Also -- when they say that Intel CPU's run hot, what exactly do they mean? Extra cooling @ stock speeds? Are the dual core's the same/worse? (I think Bobthelost may have been referring to AMD in his answer)

Thanks ... I'm still really confused ... LOL.
 
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