Intel or not?

[sturlez2k]

hi, ive been recently thinkin about building a new pc soon. ive currently got an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ and that seems to run good on the latest games. Ive been thinking about getting an AMD64 recently, but then i thought about getting and Intel.
so my question is, if i was 2 build a new system and it was mainly for gaming should i go for the amd64 or for one of the latest intel's?


thanks

[rraehal]

I think you would be happier with an A64. They seem to be better with games IMO.

I prefer Intel for video and sound editing but thats about it. I just said that so you know I only own Intel systems but think the A64 would be better for you if you are only going to do games.

Keep in mind that there are other factors that will affect your performance outside the processor. Your video card and even sound card also make a difference. Intergrated sound does nto perform as well as a good PCI card.

[pootietang]

Originally posted by rraehal
I think you would be happier with an A64. They seem to be better with games IMO.

Keep in mind that there are other factors that will affect your performance outside the processor. Your video card and even sound card also make a difference. Intergrated sound does nto perform as well as a good PCI card.

Agree, go amd if your gaming and have a good video card to boot!
You'll get a little faster performance over an intel. Intel is faster for any video editing, encoding & sound editing etc!

This also depends on your videocard, fast ram/timing etc..

[Ol'Tunzafun]

There used to be a good case for buying intel before Via matured and nvidia started making chipsets. As time passes, intel looks more and more like a waste of money.

[sturlez2k]

cheers for the reply guys. yeh i think i mite stick with amd. so if i was to get an intel to go with my 2gig of ram and my radeon 9800 pro would i be able to notice a difference in game playing compared to getting an amd64?

[lptech]

sturlez2k-

Go AMD if you are purely gaming only! But if you intend to do any video editing, then go Intel. If you want really good performance using the AMD platform, then go with AMD 64 FX series CPUs. Those would outdo the Intel platform in all aspects!

LPTECH

[RamonGTP]

If you go with the new dual core CPU's, there's no comparison really. AMD dominates, even in video/audio editing where intel generally does better.

[sturlez2k]

ok my specs are

AMD Athlon XP 2400+
GA-7N400E-L m/b with a nForce2 400 chipset
2 gig DDR RAM
Radeon 9800 Pro 128 mb
Creative sound blaster audigy 2 ZS
and not to mention a HDD

i am currently running Hl2 in good performace, i am also looking forward to the release of COD2 in the near future

If i was to purchase a

GA-8IPE1000 Pro-G
Intel 865PE chipset

with a Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz Prescott Skt478 FSB800

i take it i would see an increase in performace
in the latest gaming titles?

also what makes intel not very good for running games? is it down 2 performance? or staibility?

thanks

[Rabbitrunner51]

boy ..what an open question and the answer seems simple... but in all reality... it becomes a matter of what you want to do..as has been said.

I have never owned an AMD product..but the latest AMD 64's are very good across the board...according to most out there for gaming esp...and not to discount for other as well. They just have different architechture than Intel and cost versus performance it is the best bang for the buck definitely.

If you have the money then why not get a 3500+64 and either a MSI neo 4 board or a ASUS A8V mobo to run it on?? that is a better choice. it would be a very big upgrade from what you have and game playing will be very good.

I have the 865PE chipset board from Asus right now and it is a very good board.. but as things go alot has happened since i purchased it in the Mobo and CPU update technology.
(including sound that has gotten much better on the newer boards)

For P4..the 865PE is the best they made for that CPU family.
In my opiion tjhough I would steer clear of the Prescott as they are iffy. They work ok but get too hot according to the experts out there.

I have the older 2.8GHZ C model(along with the 865PE Chipset) , which was and is the best they made..up until the 560 models for the SLI boards. the ladder can use DDR2 memory ,,but the overall diff. is only slight.
If you decided to go with the 865 chipset then try and find a 3.2 GHZ."C" model.( rock solid..,fast and they still stay relatively cool.)

Hard decision..but just keep doing some reading and researching on your own and look at the users reviews always.

[Shoreguy]

Originally posted by sturlez2k

If i was to purchase a

GA-8IPE1000 Pro-G
Intel 865PE chipset

with a Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz Prescott Skt478 FSB800
thanks

Please rethink that. I upgraded my socket 478 system about a year ago, and everything was fine, and still is really.

Except, Socket 478 has been in its death throws for more than 6 months now. Companies are making fewer and fewer boards for them, and Intel is phasing them out. There's no new development in that platform. All newer technology is, and will be based on a minimum of the Socket 775 platform. If you're looking to buy/keep everything on your system for the next 3-4 years, fine. However, with SLI and PCI-E hitting retail everywhere, the socket 478, 865 chipsets, and PC2700-3200 DDR ram are effectively what the manufacturer has leftover in their stockpiles at this point.
Yes, they're dirt cheap in pricing, but for $50.00 more (on average), chosing socket 775 will allow you much more expandability in the coming years.

I'm wringing my hands when I think about this on a weekly basis..."if only I had thought about it a minute longer before plunking down my $$$...."

Essentials:
Socket 478/865 system....

Allied 500W PSU
Asus P4C800-deluxe
P4 3.2E HT Prescott (spent a year getting it down to 38 celcius idle, 44 celcius under load)
4x512 Kingston PC3200
BFG 6800 GT OC 256 AGP

[Comage]

From personal experience, AMD CPUs have unsurpassed FPU power when compared to Intel CPUs (same clock speed of course).

As for games, I would say it doesn't really make a difference, in the sense that game requirements now are not so dependent on the CPU speed, but more on the graphics card. Even a 1.4/1.8GHz card, coupled with a decent video card, should still allow you to enjoy your games.

If you are hardcore on RTS and/or FPS shooters, probably you'd want the AMD for the gaming.

Again like what everybody has mentioned above, you'll have to do your research carefully, and take your own budget into consideration.

Hope it helps.

[RamonGTP]

Originally posted by sturlez2k
also what makes intel not very good for running games? is it down 2 performance? or staibility?

thanks

Performance mostly. Since the introduction of the Athlon64, AMD has been a step ahead of Intel when it comes to gaming performance. With the intro of dual cores, AMD is even further ahead of Intel in gaming, and as I said earlier, is now ahead of Intel even in audio/video editing scenario's. At this point in time, AMD simply has the better processor, and its not limited to only gaming, but just about anything. To add icing to the cake, they run cooler and consume less power too.

Its not that Intel isn't good at running games, both processors will run any game you want, its just that AMD runs games better.

[sturlez2k]

ok so if i was to go with amd ( which to me sounds like one of the safest bets rite now, as ive seemed to change my mind.

ive seem amd 64 sell cpu's for socket 939 and 754 so wats the difference between those two?

ive seen a AMD (Winchester) Athlon 64bit 3200 and if im not mistaken that looks good. from wat the reviews say. ive currently got my pc running at 2.4gig on a AMD Athlon XP 2400+ so if i was to purchase Athlon 64bit 3200 wat would the speed be?

[RamonGTP]

Go with Socket 939. Its newer, has dual channel support, there are faster CPU's available for it, and will be around longer. I believe the clock speed of the A64 3200+ is 2.2GHz, but i'm not positive.

[Rabbitrunner51]

Yes... my advice will concur with that. AMD of at least 3200+ ( 3500+ up to 3800+ preferred ) with the 939 chipset. is best.

I like Intel OK and they make good CPU's but becuase of the internal architechture..mainly AMD is surpassing Intel in all graphical benchmarks...and quite a few of the other also.

Intel have for years concentrated on GHz speed and did not do a whole lot about the other ..because they already commited to this and it takes about two years to completely change the product code writing,drivers, language..ect.. ) to keep up as AMD started thiers on another premise,which now is showing itself to be the right away to go..esp. with the 64's.

Hyper threading helps with things like decoding,running multiple apps. at once and video editing chores..but if gaming is your thing mostly... AMD will just surpass Intel for now.

The info is all out there for anyone to see if you search... it just a matter of opening your mindset up and understanding what you read and see..and hear from others.