cpu systems

[infielder6]

This really goes along with my previous posting about cpus... at a local store i've found that i can assemble two systems, one based on amd the other intel... basically everything is the same except that the intel is a 1.9ghz p4 on an i850 motherboard with Rd ram. the other is an amd anthalon xp 1900+ with ddr pc2100 @ pc266.... the amd is only about $20 cheaper... in this case which system would be better. I would assume the p4 would be but i am not sure... I think that inevitably i'll be waiting until later this year to see if amd comes out with a .13-micron processor as well... until then i guess i'll just have to wait and save money also do you think that by the end of the summer it will be worth it to buy a dvd burner.

[Beefy]

Personally, I'd go with the AMD system. It would probably perform just as well as (if not better) than the p4 system, and I personally try and avoid RDRAM at all costs. DDR seems to be THE ram at the moment...

Also, what motherboards do you get with each system? it could be that you are getting a lower quality board with one system compared to the other, which is also an important consideration....

[infielder6]

thanks for the tip... oh and by the way both are asus mother boards... also it seems to me that amd is better than intel now. is that really the case... i mean i know that the intel processors are more powerful but that seems to be due only to the fact that they have a higher clock speed... intel's processors seemed to be limited by the hardware it is paired with, is this all true and do these same limitations happen to amd processors too. thanks... also curious to know if i buy an amd processor could i upgrade to intel later without having to change my mother board and ram

[JealousMidget]

Although there are certainly different ideas on which is better, I think a lot of that may depend on what you plan to use the system for. Intel processors have higher clock speeds, but AMD chips "do more work" per clock cycle. If you need more technical insight on that, I will leave it to someone else that has more experience in explaining it. :D

Motherboards are processor specific. You will not be able to use an Intel chip in an AMD motherboard. Rdram and DDR ram are NOT interchangeable. To change processors, in this case, you will have to change motherboards and ram, as well.

Hope that helps

Cheers

JM

[infielder6]

thanks alot... so if i wanted to play games on my system... then which would be the best way to go... i certainly don't want to buy one and then realize it doesn't work well with what i want to do

[Beefy]

at the moment, with the current state of gaming, both those boards are overkill to what you need. It's not really CPU speeds anymore that restrict gaming, it's now starting to fall on the Video card... Some games will perform a little better with the P4, others with the AMD.. It basically comes down to personal choice.. if you can save that little bit extra on the AMD, go out and by yourself a Geforce 3-type card if you haven't got one already.. that will make a huge difference to gaming.. ;)

[Onyx]

A P4 with RDRAM compared to an AMD at $20 less?! I'd grab the P4 straight away!! That RAM is gunna KICKASS!!

The only reason why people don't go for P4's (and go for XP's instead) is because of cost. If the P4 is only a few $$ more, and it has RDRAM, it's gunna run sweet! Just make sure it's socket 478 not 423.

[SileNceR]

eh??

/me slaps onyx

RDRAM = buggy and ****e

RDRAM = pairs... a step back towards EDO

RDRAM = costly to "double your ram"

RDRAM = limited upgradability - 4 slots = 2 lots of ram - 64mb and 64mb = 128mb...

AMD with DDR = 512+512+512
and it performs a LOT better

VIA P4X266 (Pentium 4 DDR) benchmarks better than rdram - so even on the p4 DDR is better than RDRAM

therefore - AMD processors which already outperform intel ones - even with SDRAM; + DDR ram = WINNER

[JediAgent]

I like to see the logic that silencer put into his post, very well done.
Yeah, P4 is not good at 1.9 vs XP1900. If you can get a 2.0a or 2.2 on a P4X266 board than maybe theres gonna be some major decision making. BUT thats only if you can get them at reasonably equal prices - which you cant. Go with the AMD, get the mobo type and research online to see if its good. Make sure the builder is using good quality ddr. After that its all about taste in case, drives you want, Vid card for the games (GF3 or wait for GF4 if you got cash, 1-2 months) and OS. Try to get Windows XP if you can, or stick to SE.
Beefy is right thou. All this is overkill for todays games. Your really just doing all this work for your ego, and maybe a cutting edge game that will come out in the future. Good luck thou.

[Beefy]

Beefy is right thou.

I was?!? there's a first

[B]All this is overkill for todays games. Your really just doing all this work for your ego, and maybe a cutting edge game that will come out in the future.

Been there, done that.. :) Bragging rights are good.

[Andy]

I was?!? there's a first

savour the moment beefy :D

[Beefy]

well, you just had to go and spoil it, didn't ya?

[Andy]

i didn't spoil it, i just told you to savour the moment :D

[Beefy]

i was savoring it, until you butted in and made me forget how well i had done.. :(

[Andy]

:devil: hehe :devil: