Need help: XP 2700 or XP 2800

[Dolby]

I need some help. I am building a new system (It's about time as my current PC is a P3 850) and this is my first time working with Athlon. I am using the Asus A7N8X deluxe mobo/ 2 512's of Samsung DDR 400 and a Radeon 9700 pro graphics card. My primary goal is to create a great gaming system.

I read the Toms Hardware review [http://www17.tomshardware.com/cpu/20021001/index.htmlof 2700/2800] and I had difficulty understanding if the 2800 is worth paying a hefty sum more for than the 2700. If the performance is ultimately far superior using the 2800, I would feel better about spending the extra money. If it's just a slight difference I would rather save a few bucks to put towards rent

Any suggestions or information would be greatly appreciated.

-Dolby

 

[vk2amv]

As the performance rating shows the difference is minimal. Only 100 performance points. If the 2800 is much more expensive then stay with the 2700. They are both that fast you wont notice any difference. Toms hardware likes to make a big thing out of 5 frames per second speed difference out of something lilke 400 FPS. Or you could just get a 2100 T-Bred B and overclock to 2.3gighz at 200Mhz FSB to give you an efective speed of 3200.
AREA_51

'It's only when you look at an ant through a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames'

 

[sabbath1]

Tough call there. Price difference between the 2700+ (based on the Thoroughbred core), and the 2800+ (Barton core) should be around $50. Performance difference is pretty much minimal. It's hard to say.

 

[Dolby]

Unfortunately, the lowest price difference I can seem to find between the two is $100. Is the Barton core a better buy?

 

[sabbath1]

Not really. It offers 256 more cache, that's all. The 2800+ Barton runs at 2.08 Ghz, while the 2700+ T-bred runs at 2.16, meaning the 2700+ T-bred performs better in some benchmarks. The 2800+ Barton still performs better in 2 or 3 more benchmarks, when you count the numbers, and quite a lot better when you use cache-intensive benchmarks.
Anyways, if you can't find the Barton 2800+ for less than 100$ more than what you'd find the 2700+ T-bred for, I'd say go for the 2700+ T-bred.

 

[Dolby]

Thanks so much for the info and advice. It is truly appreciated!

-Dolby

 

[AMD_me]

Get the 1700+ JIUHB or 2600+ and overclock it and you will reach much better performance levels than a 2800+ at its best.

eBay, kick ass!

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