Intell or AMD X2 for $130 budget

[s2002]

hi,
I want to pay $130 to buy CPU. I would like to know which one to buy,

1- Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 - 2.0GHz
2- AM2 - ATHLON 64 Bit X2 Dual Core 5200+
thanks,

 

[Grimmy]

If you plan on OC'ing.. I'd choose E4400

If no OC'ing is intended, 5200+

 

[killz86]

i would get the core 2 duo. over the amd any day of the week. amd is ok. but intel own's everything right now on cpu's the core 2 duo is better then amd x2 by far. no am not a fan boy. i know because my buddy has a amd athlon 4200+ and i builit other computer from e4400 and it runs around the 4200+ like no tomorrow. so core 2 duo plus if you get a p35 chipset you can put a quad-core in it. if you need plus the p35 chipset support 1333 and 45nm intel quad core's with amd you got to use ddr2 800 with intel core 2 duo you only need ddr2 667. ddr2 800 if you are o/cing

 

[killer_roach]

My personal recommendation is for the X2 5200+, mainly because the Core 2 processors really shine when overclocked, and a good OC'ers motherboard for a Core 2 proc... well, let's just say there's not much "budget" about them. Not to mention that, once they come out, you can drop a quad-core Phenom processor into any Socket AM2 motherboard, so it renders the whole "do I have the right chipset in my mobo" argument moot.

killz86: Not quite sure what you're getting at there, but normally Intel's processors are far more sensitive to memory bandwidth available than their AMD counterparts.

 

[s2002]

thanks for replies,
I don't Need OC. What I really need is Windows Common tasks. I need to use it for Server 2003 Services Tasks.
While It's usage is for file sharig(While Raid Enabled) and domain controller. (10 Workstations enviroment)
Which Cpu is stable and proper for this purpose?
Do you have any suggestion about Lower CPU which can do the same tasks ?

thanks

 

[Joe_The_Dragon]

thanks for replies,
I don't Need OC. What I really need is Windows Common tasks. I need to use it for Server 2003 Services Tasks.
While It's usage is for file sharig(While Raid Enabled) and domain controller. (10 Workstations enviroment)
Which Cpu is stable and proper for this purpose?
Do you have any suggestion about Lower CPU which can do the same tasks ?

thanks

You can get a nforce 570 am2 board with tcp/ip off load for under $100 and that will help with network loads and software raid is not that good but you can use a pci-e hardware raid card.

 

[tik]

Buy AMD and you will be sorry for the rest of that cpu life.

 

[s2002]

tik,
Would you please tell your statement reason.
I hope you could tell me your suggestion.

 

[exit2dos]

thanks for replies,
I don't Need OC. What I really need is Windows Common tasks. I need to use it for Server 2003 Services Tasks.
While It's usage is for file sharig(While Raid Enabled) and domain controller. (10 Workstations enviroment)
Which Cpu is stable and proper for this purpose?
Do you have any suggestion about Lower CPU which can do the same tasks ?

thanks

Either chip will do fine - AMD & Intel both have excellent quailty control. Just make sure whatever motherboard you buy is from a vendor you've heard of (e.g. Asus, nVidia, Intel, ATI/AMD).

As JOE_THE_DRAGON indicates, use a hardware RAID card.

killer_roach wrote :

Not quite sure what you're getting at there, but normally Intel's processors are far more sensitive to memory bandwidth available than their AMD counterparts.

Just to clarify this - the AM2 chips from AMD are very sensitive to RAM speed. You take quite a measurable hit in performance by using RAM slower than DDR2-800, whereas a non-overclocked C2D runs quite happily with even DDR2-533. This made a difference in system cost when the AM2 systems were first released, but now RAM prices have fallen so much that there is no reason to even consider RAM slower than DDR2-800.

 

[yomamafor1]

Buy AMD and you will be sorry for the rest of that cpu life.

That was very constructive....

 

[yomamafor1]

tik,
Would you please tell your statement reason.
I hope you could tell me your suggestion.

With your budget, I suggest AMD X2 5200. On stock, it should outperform E4400, although both of them are exceptionally well processors.

 

[Evilonigiri]

Yep the 5200+ would beat a similarly priced Intel anyday...without overclocking. But if you plan to upgrade a year from now, I think Intel would be better because Peryn is a socket 775 and all you have to do is replace the cpu. I believe that the AM2 socket won't last much longer, but this is just my guess.

Either way, I don't think you can go wrong.

 

[runswindows95]

Since you're not OC'ing, the 5200+ is a better choice because AM2 mobos are cheaper than Intel mobos. The only "downside" to AMD is what exit2DOS pointed out about RAM.

 

[weskurtz81]

pfft.... damn fanboy's. On a budget with NO overclock, go with the 5200, otherwise go with Intel. Most of the people in here have been on point, don't listen to the few idiots that have no common sense.

 

[Newf]

X2 2.3GHz BE-2400 AM2 AMD @ 45 watts will do just fine. $109 boxed. Put your money in drive and LAN throughput.

 

[runswindows95]

Newf has a really good suggestion. The BE series will run a lot cooler and save you money on energy bills in the long run.

 

[cbxbiker61]

The BE-2400 is a sweet chip! Combined with a 790G board, in my case Asus M2A-VM HDMI, it's a low-wattage wonder. I'm running 25% overclock at stock voltage. The Asus Quiet Fan slows the CPU fan from 3000 RPM stock, to 2000 RPM under load and 1600 RPM idle. Very nice. 790G boards should be good for the next generation of AMD chips if that is an issue.

Quiet, Low-power, inexpensive, not slow. What more could you ask?

 

[rodney_ws]

If the OP is on such a strict budget, I guess it'd be a good idea to take into consideration the price of a new mobo for both the Intel and AMD platforms. Odds are slim he has either a 775 or an AM2 motherboard presently, so that would suggest he might be better off going down the AMD road.

 

[tik]

Actually, AMD cpu buyers make me more happy because they help AMD get cash so they can survive. Otherwise I will have to buy a lot more expensive Intel cpu. So go ahead pay AMD even we get a poorer product but it will help us in the future. Without AMD we would have to pay $500 for Q6600.

 

[Falken699]

WOAH, Newf is totally right.

Man, that system would be quiet too. I am running @ 2.25 Opty 165 and it is great for this current gen of games.

45 Watts that is just crazy, you could leave that thing on all the time for recording TV and stuff and it would be cheap on electricity.

Is the stock HSF nice that it comes with Newf?? I love the HSF that came with my Opteron 165, heatpipes and everything.

 

[bitrate]

The X2 5200+ can be overclocked a bit despite what others are saying. You'll need good cooling if you persue a large overclock though.

 

[tik]

The X2 5200+ can be overclocked a bit despite what others are saying.

Yes, that a bit is 10% maximum with a huge temperature increase. That means very shorter life span.

 

[smelly_feet]

cool n quiet is buggy on amd systems (riddled with system lockups). I cant comment on eist since I dont have a core2

 

[vegie]

i got my x2 4000 from 2.1 too 3.2ghz 1.5v on stock cooler, why say amd cant overclock... amds do overclock well and they cost nothing compared to intels... im not a fanboy...

 

[cbxbiker61]

cool n quiet is buggy on amd systems (riddled with system lockups).

Out of curiousity I did a search for "cool n quiet buggy". The posts I found were from 2004-2005. Not current by any means.

Cool n quiet CPU's respond to requests from the Operating System to change speed. Those posts that seem to blame CNQ for the system not "spooling up" when there's work to be done should probably be directed at the OS (Windows) not the CPU or CNQ specifically. Certainly there is room for buggy drivers to cause lockups. If the CPU isn't stepped through it's voltages/frequencies in a proper order it can lock.

Lucky for me I'm using Linux and I can view the code in powernow-k8.c to see the how the magic works. Within the last week or so AMD programmer's have submitted some changes to powernow-k8.c going from ver 2.00 to ver 2.20 that is intended to work more effectively with the newer generation processors.

I've been running stresscpu2 (particularly good for K8 thrashing) nonstop for 24 hours with no sign of problems.

Windows users might want to look for newer powernow drivers for K8 if they still have problems. I guess if Microsoft hasn't figured it out by now, they never will.