AMD vs. Intel ...part 2

[E^vol]

aaarrrrrhhhh.... i've lost my focus...
i went to a computer store yesterday and the sales guy was pushing the P4 2.26Ghz / 533fsb ....i was planning on an AthlonXP 1800+ (for price)... ....for my about to be upgraded system, but he was a good salesman...he had some good points...
now, i'm at a loss...
it'll cost me ~ $300cdn extra for the P4 cpu/mainboard. IS IT WORTH IT ??
which would be more stable ?
is there really a performance difference between those 2 cpu's ?
i appreciate any help you guys can offer me with this decision..

any pros or cons for either cpu would help, as would personal experience with them too..

thanks..

[saidin]

http://forums.tweaktown.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4113&pagenumber=3

[drpeterbright]

Ditto. It looks like a copy of that other post doesn't it?

[zeradul]

IS IT WORTH IT ??

Nope.

which would be more stable ?

The P4 is a slightly more stable overclocker, but not-overclocked they are the same.

is there really a performance difference between those 2 cpu's ?

No, they are dead even in most aspects. Overall, I'm gonna say that the P4 is just a bit ahead of the Athlon, because in the most demanding benchmark known to man, (Quake3) the P4 wins. However, this is a VERY negligable amount. And I guarantee its not worth 300$


Here is all you need to know to make your descision. In one year, you will be able to buy a Athlon 2600+ for the amount you SAVE right now... and that processor whoops the 2.5 Ghtz P4 in ALL benchmarks, ranking roughly 8% more powerful.

So its, Buy the P4 now and be hard on your wallet.... or wait and get a brand new Athlon 2600+ for FREE in one year.

Salesmen are not to be trusted, they ALWAYS have a hidden (or not so hidden) agenda to make a buck. They wouldn't be there if they didn't.

[drpeterbright]

Mr. z, if one can foget about which is the absolute fastest today & concentrate on the best buy, there's not much choice is there?

[zeradul]

Not so fast.... actually if someone is intersted in buying a top notch mobo, and then some good ram as well, and overclocking something like a 1.6a or 1.8a Ghtz P4, they CAN compete for bang for the buck with AMD. That is assuming you get roughly a Gigahertz overclock and all of your other components can handle it as well.

Intel's front runners are expensive, but a little ways back in the pack they sure decrease the price. But an OC is still needed to compete in bang for the buck. Intel can't compete in that category any other way.

[Wiggo]

Here in Australia the 1.8A P4 costs about the same as the Athlon 2200+ and a lot of ppl now are findin' that the P4's in the lower speed grades arn't overclocking as well as they use to. :(
<center>:cheers:</center>

[zeradul]

Well, I haven't heard that.... that they aren't OCing as well as they used to... and I'm sure you are right Wiggo, in which case Intel can go to hell... Hahh...

And let me re-instate the somewhat obvious, as AMD's new chips come out, and Intel's new chips as well, all of this will change quickly. Bang for the buck is extremely volitle, constantly shifting and changing.

[Ehhe Yebeb]

Yeh but most of the time if not all the best bang for the buck stays with AMD. Even with the massive price cut on the 2.53 (which most swindling aussie sellers havent passed on YET) i'd rather get myself an XP based system, its cheaper.

[zeradul]

I agree completely.

[paradox]

Doesn't the question of processor bang for the buck have to include the possibilities of upgrading the processor without changing motherboard and RAM? Since the P4 2.26 533fsb is part of a new line, it seems you could upgrade just the processor for some time to come, continue to use the mobo and RAMBUS for some time to come, and make a fast system faster with just a processor change. Am I missing something in this argument? Won't you have to change mobo or RAM for the screaming Athlon when it comes out? Finally, the numbers I've seen on the 533fsb with 850e chipset seem to blow away the Athlon. Again, I'm very new to this, but how can I learn without asking dumb questions?
:)

[E^vol]

All's in focus again...AthlonXP it is..with a nice little MSI KT4 Ultra mobo next week....

[Ehhe Yebeb]

Paradox. Thats not the case at all. Im pretty sure the P4 tops out at 3GHZ because the architecture cant take it any higher than that with DDR or 16Bit Rambus. The new chip is not going to have 478 pins either, which means 3GHZ is the fastest chip you will be able to put in your P4 mobo. AMD on the other hand, socket A (462) has been around for agesm athlon Tbirds, Durons, Athlon palomino's, Athlon TBreds, and Athlon Bartons are all using/going to use socket A. And since the barton is probably set to top off around the 3400+ mark that would make for upgrading a processor alot easier. I can upgrade from my athlon XP 1700+ to a Barton 3000+ or thereabouts when they are out, and all i will probably need is a BIOS flash.

[E^vol]

exactly... Ehhe Yebeb

not to mention that, in my case, the P4 cpu is more than twice the price of the AthlonXP cpu...granted a speed difference is there...i could get the AtholnXP 1800+ now (for the price), and then upgrade to a 3000+ or higher in 6-12 months from now...and be able to use the 333fsb that the future AthlonXP's will have, thanks to the KT400 chipset on the MSI KT4 Ultra mobo.
that'll also buy me the time for all (most of) the bugs to be worked out of the Hammers.

[Ehhe Yebeb]

Some KT333 boards would also be able to take 333mhz FSB chips i hear. You would have to manually adjust the FSB to 166, but since on some KT333 boards, the PCI and AGP clocks reset at 166 (Epox 8K3A) it means you can run a 333mhz chip without putting the AGP and PCI out of spec.