Buying AMD or Pentium?

[Dark_Link2135]

hullo im new to these forums, registered to get a good opinion

i currently have a P4 2.4 Ghz w/ a 533 FSB in it, and I want to upgrade to an AMD, maybe even a 64 bit if i have the $$$ by August. with my current config on my computer, what performance hits/takes will i get? i use this comp primarily for gaming

Video: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256 MB
RAM: 512 MB DDR SDRAM
HDD: 80 GB Ultra ATA/100

i can give more info if you need it, but this is primarily what affects games, so i gave that

its a dell 4600, i didnt have the time to build my own when i bought it

also, i know i have to get a new motherboard, i would also appreciate any advice you could give me on that

[HeadBand]

you will need a new case as the dells will only work with their motherboard

[DanGrease]

AMD - Budget (Also Gaming)
Intel - If you have the cash (better for designers)

dan

[Optimus Prime]

AMD all the way. I don't know why anybody uses Intel, they are way over priced.

[Dark_Link2135]

i didnt know i would need a new case, don't the dells all use the standard ATX size?

and even so, shouldn't I still be able to mount it?


also, i did not mention this:

i have heard reports of AMDs being subject to quick overheating, cracking and crushing, any things on this?
are these accusations unfounded, or do they only happen under extreme conditions?

also, what about the FSB? most AMDs have lower FSB speeds then P4s, anything on this?

most of my friends recommend AMD, and i think i agree, i can take a little slowness and save myself a bundle of $$$ over an overpriced P4, but these are only rumors i have heard and i do not know if they have any actual basis or real hard facts

o yeah, and what are your opinions on 64 bit vs 32 bit? i know 64 is MUCH faster, but there are no 64 bit apps to make use of them, what is your opinion on this matter? i dont know whether i should stay 32 bit or head on up to 64 bit and spend the extra cash

[samwichse]

Just IMO, but upgrading a P4 2.4 to anything is a waste of money at this point.

I guess if you absolutely had to, you could go for an AMD64 processor, as it will give you some future proofing. But looking at the system from which you're upgrading, you don't seem too awful worried about future proofing.

Sam

[DanGrease]

Most rumors arent true of the ones you mensioned. One though is a bit true, the overheating. It gets really hot if you dont have a nice case with nice fans, compared to Intel which doesnt as much. My CPU (AMD Athlon 2000+) is 60C all the time, and I cant get it lower. But my system runs fine so I am not that scared. But sure it is a high number for sure.

dan

[Omardeth]

Originally posted by samwichse
Just IMO, but upgrading a P4 2.4 to anything is a waste of money at this point.

I guess if you absolutely had to, you could go for an AMD64 processor, as it will give you some future proofing. But looking at the system from which you're upgrading, you don't seem too awful worried about future proofing.

Sam

agreed . upgradeing what you have now is kinda a waste . so i would hold off . even the amd 64's are not really worth getting at the moment . nothing really is able to take advantage of the 64bit processor and the cost is really high .

you have a fine machine now

"if it ain't broke don't fix it "

[Starfury_2260]

the bartons dont run as hot. My 2600+ barton (which is running at 3200+ speed) never breaks 45C (42C cpu and 24C system right now), and besides my room is about 78F right now.

[Gait_Keeper]

Originally posted by Starfury_2260
the bartons dont run as hot. My 2600+ barton (which is running at 3200+ speed) never breaks 45C (42C cpu and 24C system right now), and besides my room is about 78F right now.

What are you using for cooling

my 1800+ stays between 38C and 45C and depending on room temp it's been cooler and hotter, I cut a blowhole in the top of my case last summer and that helped

AMD for life........................Nuff said

[shawshank62]

i have heard reports of AMDs being subject to quick overheating, cracking and crushing, any things on this?

I have had a 700 duron, 2 1700+ xp's, 1.4 thunderbird, 2600+ xp, 2500+ xp, never had any cracking or the such that you mention. They all still work too, well i have sold a few etc. But my 700 duron is still kicking

also, what about the FSB? most AMDs have lower FSB speeds then P4s, anything on this?

I forget exactly how this goes, but there is a little ancedote. Lets say pentium engine is running, so it does more rpm's per minute but at a lesser quality. While the AMD engine is running, it does less rpm's per minute but at a better quality. In the end they both come out about the same, just pentium costs more.

[The Real Bingo]

I'd keep what you have, but maybe double up on the ram. Even that is sufficient though.

[Dark_Link2135]

yeah, i know what you mean about not needing to upgrade, but i have the money and i would like the experience of doing an upgrade as big as a motherboard

thanx for the advice

[aReda]

Dark: I'm upgrading like you from my P4A 1.8GHz to a Athlon 64 3200, and, like you, I also have a DELL to work with.

This is what I'm doing. I'm buying a Antec PLUS 1080AMG case, an ABIT KV8-MAX3 mobo, an Athlon 64 3200 CPU and, of course, some Crucial DDR400 RAM. I'm goin with 2X512 sticks of DDR for this baby.

Like you, I will be switching all hardware that I'm not replacing from the DELL to the 1080. However, I don't want to give you too much advice because I've never actually owned an AMD, nor have I build a computer with NEW GOOD hardware(I've only done it with old comps). The only reason I'm buying the Athlon 64 3200 setup is because I'm going to run Win XP Pro and SuSe Linux 9.0 64-bit Professional on a bual boot.

I am also buying a Radeon 9800 Pro 128. The 1080 comes with 3 case fans; 2 rear 1 side stock, bit when I buy the case, I'm going to order t with 2 other fans for the front as well. The case supports 5 fans stock, and is HUGE if you ask me. There are some relly sweet features about this case and I've heard only good things about it. The side fan blows air on the GPU which helps I hear.

Those decisions listed above are the product of long research on my part With the items listed above, my grand total (minus the GPU) is roughly $650 when buying from newegg.

Just my 2 cents,
Red

[aReda]

Originally posted by HeadBand
you will need a new case as the dells will only work with their motherboard

Sorry I misunderstood this. Can you please clarify this for me? It affects me because since I don't have the money to upgrade all at once, I'll be buying my 1080 and GPU and then throwing all the hardware in my DELL case to the 1080 case. If I understand you correctly, I won't be able to do this.

Please clarify
Red

[tgxiii]

Originally posted by Dark_Link2135
i didnt know i would need a new case, don't the dells all use the standard ATX size?

and even so, shouldn't I still be able to mount it?

I'm pretty sure you can mount a new motherboard on your Dell case, but you would need a new power supply because Dell's power supplies are different.

[MitaDC]

Wow if Dell's cases are different so u can only mount their mobo's on them than that is either really stupid or really smart...hmmm

[PresterJohn]

Originally posted by DanGrease
It gets really hot if you dont have a nice case with nice fans, compared to Intel which doesnt as much. My CPU (AMD Athlon 2000+) is 60C all the time, and I cant get it lower. But my system runs fine so I am not that scared. But sure it is a high number for sure.

prior to the p4 2.4, Amd cpus as a rule did run hotter than intel. but the high clock speeds on the later p4's make them JUST AS HOT as their comparable Amd counterparts.

the prescott is the hottest (temperature wise) processor on the market today. the opterons run noticeably cooler, esp at full load.

i see a lot of people here on the board running xp2000's w/running temps much cooler than yours. you might want to ask them what they did.

[PresterJohn]

Originally posted by Dark_Link2135
most of my friends recommend AMD, and i think i agree, i can take a little slowness and save myself a bundle of $$$ over an overpriced P4, but these are only rumors i have heard and i do not know if they have any actual basis or real hard facts

i don't think you will see much of a performance gain if you upgrade. this would apply to whether you stuck with intel or switched to amd.

but if you are determined to upgrade, i would buy an amd 64. they actually perform a little better than the p4 for gaming. even w/o the gaming aspect, they run neck-to-neck with the fastest p4's.

i've bought intel processsors my entire life. started w/a 80286 and went thru 80386, 80486, p1, p2, p3 & p4. i have never owned one amd machine ever. but my next machine will be an AMD machine - a dual opteron.

with the opteron design (which the amd 64 cpu borrows much from), AMD has finally made a processor which is markedly superior to the best that intel has to offer. the athlon xp/mp and the bartons were good chips but they were comparable to intel & not enough to make me switch.

but opteron is an engineering marvel. it's the first chip that made the big players like solaris, cray, ibm, etc want to use to build mini-clusters around. when you start to see interest from these guys, then you know the opteron is for real.

[HeadBand]

yes the powersupply is different and a new one will not fit in the case...also the connection for the buttons/leds on the case is different for dells...the motherboard mounting may be the same but i wouldn't be surprised if it was different as well