Processor Advice

[PJ101]

I am a little stumped. I am building a computer around summetime and I am trying to get the plans set up. The rest of the build doesn't really matter at this point but I have a processor question to start off. I know AM2 is coming in June or so but when is AM2 coming? Second, I think i could afford a Opteron 165 (barely...) come summer but I am worried that it wont be a good solution with all the new hardware coming out. My main question is would it be better to get a cheap AMD to begin with so i can maximize money for GFX and just get a better processor around say.. christmas? Or should i go with a Pentium D 805 and upgrade from there.. As i have heard that there are motherboards that would support this chip and conroe.. and we all know conroe will be good (at a fair price too). The only downside to the Intel rig is the DDR2 ram. Is DDR2 a lot more expensive for ram equal that would equal the performance of some DDR400 in a 2 gig kit. The problem here is that $$ is tight and I want to maximize performance as soon as i can, Although I know most games see a big improvement from a better graphics card and not a slightly better cpu.

Hope someone can straighten this out. Thanks

 

[MadModMike]

I am a little stumped. I am building a computer around summetime and I am trying to get the plans set up. The rest of the build doesn't really matter at this point but I have a processor question to start off. I know AM2 is coming in June or so but when is AM2 coming? Second, I think i could afford a Opteron 165 (barely...) come summer but I am worried that it wont be a good solution with all the new hardware coming out. My main question is would it be better to get a cheap AMD to begin with so i can maximize money for GFX and just get a better processor around say.. christmas? Or should i go with a Pentium D 805 and upgrade from there.. As i have heard that there are motherboards that would support this chip and conroe.. and we all know conroe will be good (at a fair price too). The only downside to the Intel rig is the DDR2 ram. Is DDR2 a lot more expensive for ram equal that would equal the performance of some DDR400 in a 2 gig kit. The problem here is that $$ is tight and I want to maximize performance as soon as i can, Although I know most games see a big improvement from a better graphics card and not a slightly better cpu.

Hope someone can straighten this out. Thanks

1. Either get a Socket 939 now, or get a AM2 or "Conroe" when it comes out ("Conroe" launch may be Q3 or later, AM2 is June-Julyish)

2. If I was you, I would get a Socket 939 A64 3200+ Venice now, and get cheap RAM, High-End HDD(s), and a cheap Mobo/PSU/GPU, than in a few months get the new x1900 (The GDDR4 one) or one of the new nVidia cards (G80)

3. The only point to getting DDR2 in an Intel platform is if it's DDR2-533, as the FSB can't handle over that (As it is, you need a 1GHz FSB to be able to utilize all that bandwidth, so getting over DDR2-533 is a huge waste unless you plan HEAVY overclocking)

4. Get a decent CPU (Dual-Core, AM2 or "Conroe", doesn't matter) and get a High-End GPU to top it off

If you want good gaming and overall system performance, don't skimp on the GPU, HDD(s) and RAM, those are the 3 main components if you get a decent Dual-Core CPU (Be it AM2, "Conroe", or whatever).

~~Mad Mod Mike, pimpin' the world 1 rig at a time

 

[SidVicious]

If money is an issue and you don't feel confident about making a purchase now, hold on to your current 'rig.

You could also go for a motherboard with a long upgrade path such as the Asrock 939Dual-SATA2 which feature an adaptor for the upcomming Socket AM2 and full blown PCI-Express/AGP support.

That would allow you to buy migrate most of your hardware to your new platform and upgrade components as money allows. Since this is a temporary system and you already familiar with overclocking, an OC'ed 3000+ or 3200+ Venice will blow your current P4 out of the water.

 

[PJ101]

Thanks for the input, my only concern is that I need this computer to be able to run anything I throw at it for a few years. MMM you think that it would be better to get a cheap single-core AMD opposed to a dual-core Pentium D (yes i know that the AMD will eat it aliv) even though the upgrade path for the Intel machine is greater? I have to agree that i would like to go AMD (like the small guys and like what they have to offer) but at the current time it looks like Conroe is going to beat the what AMD has to offer (at least short time offerings). So what do ya think?

 

[PJ101]

Oh and SidVicious, I like the idea that The AsRock board supports AGP and PCI-e except if I upgrade it will mainly be in the graphics department as I can already see where my computer can't handle even some easy games at top resolutions and detail levels. However I do like the idea that it supports AM2, although I thought that will only incorporate DDR2 memory which hasn't proven (at least to me) that it can kick out current DDR 400 memory modules in the performance department... not to mention the high price.

 

[SidVicious]

Oh and SidVicious, I like the idea that The AsRock board supports AGP and PCI-e except if I upgrade it will mainly be in the graphics department as I can already see where my computer can't handle even some easy games at top resolutions and detail levels.

That's the point, you can keep your upgrade cost low enough by initially migrating your current GPU, once you get a couple paychecks, you upgrade to a better GPU at your leisure.

However I do like the idea that it supports AM2, although I thought that will only incorporate DDR2 memory which hasn't proven (at least to me) that it can kick out current DDR 400 memory modules in the performance department... not to mention the high price.

Again, this board give you the option to keep relying on DDR and Socket 939 up until you feel that AM2 and DDR2 reach a performance/price ratio that you are comfortable with.

 

[PJ101]

Thanks Sid, How does that board OC. As well, how exactly does it support AM2 when its a different socket?

 

[SidVicious]

Thanks Sid, How does that board OC.

According to reviews, that board has a nice OC potential (as you can see Here) but BIOS Vdimm options are extremely crude and the CPU voltage is limited to 1.55V.

Fortunately, that board gained some attention and enthusiasts came up with some BIOS, Vdimm and Vcore mods.

As well, how exactly does it support AM2 when its a different socket?

Socket AM2 support is based on an riser card that plugs into a special slot, it is believed that it will cost around 30$

As you can see on this picture, the riser is populated with four DDR2 dimm slots, voltage regulators and an AM2 Socket.