I want to build a new computer system for video editing and maybe some occasional gaming. I was originally planning on buying an Athlon 64 3700+ 939 chip b/c it has the 1mb cache and it has the better memory control to treat 2 individual (identical) sticks of RAM as one big chip. But after the THG article about overclocking that Intel D 805 or the discussion on overclocking an Opteron I'm not really sure which chip and motherboard to go with. I like the idea of overclocking the 805, but the $100 I would save on the chip does not make up for the much more expensive motherboard and cooling solution I would need to hit the about 3.7ghz I would probably overclock it to.
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I'm not really a gamer and I don't want to break the bank for this project, but I haven't built a new system for myself in 5 years so I'm not building a budget system either. What's your advice on a processor, mobo, ram, and video card? This will probably have to last me another 4-5 years.

Overclocking is fun and gives a certian sense of accomplishment when you've achived it's working potential. However it is not for everyone and when people push the limits, they find themselves back to square one.

So, if that's not for you then start with a base AMD AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+, or atleast 2 core. For no gammers or at least for those who do once in a while, working from the processor down is a good start. I say AMD->X2 CPU-> and so on. If the threads got you thinking this far use them or the reviews on TH to guage a mobo with a large about of value ram beucase the money and focus after that should be on storage. Complie something more and give some specs.
Cheers.

The opty 165 would be a good choice for your project. The price is only $20 more than the x2 and OC'ing will be better, plus you get the l2 cache you wanted. All this without all the power and heat issues of the 805.

yeah, but did you see the power consumption graphs? considering your last upgrade was 5 years ago, supposing you'll use this computer for 5 years, how much would you spend with the power bill?

I would go for the cheapest amd dual core

Yeah, how much watts was the OCed 805 consuming, 200w? That's a bit excessive and it might not survive 4 or 5 years.

The best thing to do is get the X2 3800+. As the years progress there will be more programs that will take advantage of dual cores.

Well stated. I would get the opty 165 over the 3800x2 cuz it has twice the cache

Ty. Nice to seem a positive response instead of all the flaming that is more common. I haven't seen anyone get too great of results OC'ing the 3800x2 yet. Anyone got some #'s?

Ty. Nice to seem a positive response instead of all the flaming that is more common. I haven't seen anyone get too great of results OC'ing the 3800x2 yet. Anyone got some #'s?

How about considering an intel 940, about £30 cheaper than the AMD X2 3800 and a little quicker and if you intend on using it for another 5 years intel i think are the way to go, i have only ever used intel (not cause im a fanboy) and have never had one go wrong or if you considered the opty 165 then the intel 950 is cheaper and a very quick and solid processor, however you if want to go AMD then I would suggest sticking with the X2 3800 or 4000 because my guess is you wont be overclocking a long term CPU

Sorry buddy, but unlike the P4 based cpu's, the AMD's can be overclocked long term pretty easily. When your temps are at stock levels and your voltages are at stock levels, you're doing ok. Also, you can recommend a yonah if you want to, but to compair the processors you did to the ones you did is no where near accurate. In other words, Either go Opteron/AthlonX2, or Yonah. Don't touch the other Intel dual cores. If yonah isn't what you want due to 64bit issues, wait for the new stuff, it'll be here soon enough.

yeah fair enough i can agree with what you just said, except dont go core1 because within tonofox's timespan of 4-5 years 64bit processors will be necessary, i would wait and go core 2 in a few months it wont be expensive despite what everyone says, intel will keep hold on the prices if its CPUs

You may wish to also consider an X2 4200, which is essentially 2 3500s or an X2 4400 (2 * 3700). If you want it to last another 5 years, one of these would be real nice to build a complete system around. I've an Opteron 175 (essentially a 4400) and it's a nice CPU though I probably should have saved and bought the 4400 instead. I also have an X2 3800 but haven't built that comp yet.

I can say that a 4200 or 4400 will definitely please at stock. Maybe you should take a look at this. It's an interesting read and shows you that the extra cache just isn't as necessary as most people claim that it is.

Exactly right for AMD K8, but cache is a very important bandaid for bandwidth starved systems (not AMD).