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Help! Benchmarks vs. Real World Apps--Athlon vs P4

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs - Help! Benchmarks vs. Real World Apps--Athlon vs P4

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I’m shopping around for a new computer (components) I have a question.

Although THG's most recent tests indicate that the Athlon XP performs better in most if not all of the benchmarks they run, when it comes down to it, I won’t be running the apps used in the benchmarks. The main applications that I will be running, Cakewalk Sonar and Adobe Photoshop, have been optimized for the Pentium 4 processor.

How do I know if Sonar and Photoshop run better on an Athlon XP or on the P4?

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Most sequencing programs do not require an extremely high-end processor. Remember sound is measured in kilohertz not megahertz. Mixing 6 channels at 44.1khz 32bit is only going to require a data throughput of 1058400 bytes/second or a little more than a megahertz. Sure there is some overhead when adding effects and mixing 50+ channels but I doubt you will ever need the power of Intel or AMD’s flagship processor. Intel does hold the crown for the MP3 compression, which may be the swaying factor in your decision. Photoshop may require a fair amount of processing but there is very little it does in real time. I would focus most of my energy in getting the correct chipset and audio card for your upcoming system.

All errors are undocumented features waiting to be discovered.

Reply to Schmide

and plenty of memory... and fast too... with speeds so high, the main improvements non-gamers see is when a system's memory and speed are increased

:wink: Engineering is the science of making life simple, by making it more complicated.

Reply to tnadrev

Yes, but if you convert between formats (not only MP3 compression), then you want it to go as quickly as possible. The actual recording time isn't the only thing a processor is used for in a music editing PC.

Quarter Pounder Inside
Don't step in the sarcasm!

Reply to FatBurger

Not familiar with the two apps you mentioned, but so many of the benchmarks are close enough performance wise that it doesn't really matter anymore. If you know that the apps are optimized for Intel and a few extra FPS are critical then get a Northwood. IMO the money you could save getting an Athlon could be used to double the memory, making a performance difference due to processors even less of an issue.

Reply to Harisahmed

I agree with haris, the extra money spent to get an equalvalent pentium system can be better used on ram, videocard etc.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"

Reply to Matisaro

there are two factors to consider..

a) some programs such as the ones you are running are optimized for pentium and may benefit from a p4.

b) the athlon has better fpu performance which can be an important factor if you choose to use other, unoptimized or fpu dependant programs (such as some software synthasizers/effects).

So I would say either processor is up for the job, and the athlon is currently cheaper so it might be a better value. No matter what though make sure you have lots of memory and a fast hard disk (especially important for audio mixing)

My life wasn't complete untill I tried sse-2 optimized pong

Reply to Intel_inside

sorry but I couldn't find any sonar bechies but here's a link that maybe can help you out. <A HREF="http://www.cakewalk.com/pentium4power/index.html" target="_new">sonar clinics</A> you can visit these places and judge for yourself.

imo, sonar is best on the P4 as far as cakewalk is concerned, photoshop is also somewhat optimised for the P4 and they're always adding more.

both are good and more than enough, but if you want to do music I suggest to go with a P4. otherwise you'll spend all your time trying to tweak and cool you amd system.

"AMD/VIA!...you are still the weakest link, good bye!"

Reply to AmdMELTDOWN

I love this quote

Quote :

<from the link>
Intel® Pentium® 4 processor-based PC's

Get the power you need to mix your music and explore your creative potential with the Intel(r) Pentium(r) 4 processor and SONAR. Mix down your music to CD or MP3s 53% faster on a PC with an Intel Pentium 4 processor. To find out more about Intel and the Pentium 4 processor, visit the Intel website.

53% faster than what? If you use a specific number like 53% you better back it up with what it is compared to.

All errors are undocumented features waiting to be discovered.

Reply to Schmide

"53% faster than what? If you use a specific number like 53% you better back it up with what it is compared to."

the 53% figure is a comparison between the non-optimised and the P4 optismised version of sonar.

btw, I hope you're not trying to quote me, I never said any of what you have in your [reply to] part.

if you need more info on this you should contact cakewalk directly.

"AMD/VIA!...you are still the weakest link, good bye!"

Reply to AmdMELTDOWN

Quote :

I suggest to go with a P4. otherwise you'll spend all your time trying to tweak and cool you amd system.

Too bad P4's typically run hotter than Athlons, otherwise you might have some credibility left. :tongue:

If a server crashes in a server farm and no one pings it, does it still cost four figures to fix?

Reply to Kelledin

Did anybody notice that both Intel_inside and Meltdown actually gave credits to both processors, but the latter giving a last remark about AMD, though not as insulting?
Either intel was drunk dead when he wrote this, or the person has multiple personality disorder, and feels to insult AMD occasionally.
As for Meltdown...dunno...

--
For the first time, Hookers are hooked on Phonics!!

Reply to eden

512KB L2 Northwood 1600MHz costs $130 and 1600MHz Athlon XP costs $150.

To double the RAM? 256MB x 2 RDRAM $130, 256MB x 2 DDR333 $140, To make it 1GB DDR will cost extra $150.

A. Intel Pentium 4 Northwood 1600MHz + RDRAM 512MB = $260
B. AMD Athlon XP 1600MHz + DDR-SDRAM 1024MB = $440

Will Athlon XP with 1GB DDR make so much difference?

Searching for the true, the beautiful, and the eternal

Reply to Kennyshin

Replace the PC2700 with PC2100 and you'll have a more accurate comparison.

EDIT:
Newegg has the 1600+ retail for $125. I personally always use Newegg for pricing, but of course you're free to use whoever you want. Just letting you know you can get it cheaper than what you listed (from a reputable vendor).

Quarter Pounder Inside
Don't step in the sarcasm!Edited by FatBurger on 03/19/02 02:32 PM.

Reply to FatBurger

Sorry I got called away.

Quote :

btw, I hope you're not trying to quote me, I never said any of what you have in your [reply to] part.

Notice I put the <from the link> in the quote and got the information from the link you gave.

Thanks for the clarification. I could not find the information on where the 53% number came from. Where did you find it?

All errors are undocumented features waiting to be discovered.

Reply to Schmide

Newegg price is not exactly the lowest on the planet, right?

Even with DDR266, 1GB DDR is 100 dollars more expensive than 512MB RDRAM PC800.

I typed Athlon XP 1600MHz, not 1600+. 1600+ Athlon XP runs at 1400MHz. 1600MHz Athlon XP is 1900+.

Seems some people tend to quote wrongly what others say here.

Searching for the true, the beautiful, and the eternal

Reply to Kennyshin

Why are you comparing 1GB DDR RAM with 512MB RDRAM?

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the ULTIMATE PC processor

Reply to AMD_Man

Did you read what I replied to?

Searching for the true, the beautiful, and the eternal

Reply to Kennyshin

Ohh sorry, my mistake, I missed that post. I sometimes miss posts when skimming through flat mode.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the ULTIMATE PC processor

Reply to AMD_Man

I assumed you were comparing the 1600+ with the 1.6A, which would seem logical, and most people use the model number instead of the actual clock speed. Sorry for the mistake.

Newegg is not the lowest price on the planet, but they have good prices, a large selection and great service. I personally buy all my hardware from them. This makes them (IMO, of course) a good one-stop shopping place to compare prices. PriceWatch of course works too, but it takes more effort to make sure it's accurate (retail/OEM, etc).

The XP 1900+ (1.63GHz) would outperform the P4 1.6A in pretty much all applications, any reason you're doing the price comparison on those?

Quarter Pounder Inside
Don't step in the sarcasm!

Reply to FatBurger

Quote :

The XP 1900+ (1.63GHz) would outperform the P4 1.6A in pretty much all applications, any reason you're doing the price comparison on those?

Same reason he says 1gb of ddr is more expensive than 512 megs of rdram, hes an intel troll.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"

Reply to Matisaro

I made my remark about doubling the memory for the money saved on processor, because I was thinking about purchasing through alienware. With the exact same parts for a top of the line AMD 2100+ with 1GB DDR and an Intel 2.2 with 512MB RDRAM system, you would save $164.
I wasn't talking about DDR333 since this memory is going to be more exspenive until the production and adoption rate increases.

Reply to Harisahmed

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