[OT]CPU Advice needed

DJ Speedy,

It appears you are certain that you want an Intel processor. I have
built 93 systems in the last four years. Right now is the worst time to
go with Intel. They slower processor and it costs more money. It is
really a lot slower when playing games. Look at this review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7....html?tag=lnav
Granted it is dual core but the single core results are close to the
same. Bascially the Intel chips cost more and perform less. Things may
change in the future but for now that is the way it is. Also consider
you can buy a single core AMD processor and later upgrade to a dual
core processor using the same motherboard. I do not think this is
possible with Intel at the current moment. Brian Bowles

DJSpeedy wrote:
> Here's the system as it is currently spec'd. I included a DVD-RW combo because I only have a 4x DVD burner, and I'm tired of waiting 15 minutes to burn 1 DVD. It'll also replace my current 48x CD-RW.
>
> And the SATA drive is there so that I have something to help with in the transition of data. I might just re-install everything and when I get everything that done, just transfer over my "legacy" 160gb WD HD as the currentC: drive is only a 20gb IBM POS, and the other is only 40gb. LOL.
>
> I've heard good things about ASUS mobo's, and someone said the nForce4 onboard sound doesn't eat the CPU as most onboard sound tends to do.
>
> But you're right - thing is will be so much faster than what I have now Iprobably won't care.
>
> I WANT to go with the 7800 GTX 512mb, but I'd need to knock the CPU down to 3.0ghz...hmmmm.......decisions, decisions...
>
> CASE : Xplorer Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOW & LCD Temperature, upgraded PS to a NZXT PF-500w
> CPU : (Sckt775)Intel® Pentium® D 840 CPU @ 3.2GHz w/ 800FSB Dual-Core2x1MB Cache, 64 Bit
> MOTHERBOARD : Asus P5ND2-SLI nForce4 Chipset LGA775 DDR2/667 SATA RAID Dual PCIE w/7.1Audio, GbLAN, &USB2
> MEMORY : (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)1GB (2x512MB) PC5300 DDR2/667 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Value Select)
> VIDEO CARD : NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GT 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
> HARD DRIVE : (SATA150) Maxtor 300GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive
> Optical Drive : SONY DWQ-28A DUAL FORMAT 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
> SOUND : HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

Yes, unfortunately there's no compelling reason to buy an Intel CPU at this
point in time. It's actually quite annoying that Intel aren't even
bothering to try to compete with AMD for price/performance/temperature these
days. Intel are holding their market share purely on their history and IT
industry ignorance/fear of change (and bribing Dell) and they're milking it
for all it's worth. It might backfire on them though.

I was set for an Intel CPU, yes.

But after doing some reading on Tom's Hardware, now I'm on the fence, though I'm leaning more towards the AMD at this point.

It seems clear to me (thanks to the above reading) that getting a dual-core CPU right now is a waste of money as only future apps would support it. Might be nice to have, but nothing more than a paperweight at this point in time.

That being the case, I believe I can get by with a single core HT CPU. So I've spec'd two systems (one Intel, one AMD) for comparison purposes.

Also from my reading, SLI is a good way to go, but only if I were to get dual SLI vid cards. From reading the marks on Tom's Hardware, I was suprised to see dual 6800's outperform a single 7800 GTX. But for now I'll settle for the single 7800GTX.

Both specs come in under my budget ($1500), and the AMD is $35 cheaper. I tried to select the best match as far as CPU and mobo but don't know for sure if I succeeded.

CASE : Xplorer Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOW & LCD Temperature Display
CPU : (939-pin) AMD ATHLON64 4000+ CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
MOTHERBOARD : (Sckt939)Asus A8N5X nForce4 Chipset SATA RAID PCI-E w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio
MEMORY : 1024 MB (512MBx2) PC3200 400MHz Dual Channel DDR MEMORY (Corsair Value Select)
VIDEO CARD : NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GTX 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
HARD DRIVE : (SATA150) Hitachi 400GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive
Optical Drive : SONY DWQ-28A DUAL FORMAT 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER
SOUND : HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO


CASE : Xplorer Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOW & LCD Temperature Display
CPU : (Sckt775)Intel® Pentium® 4 660 CPU w/HT Technology 3.6GHZ 800FSB 2MB Cache, 64 Bit
MOTHERBOARD : GigaByte GA-8I945P-G I945P Chipset LGA775 DDR2/667 SATA PCIE w/7.1Audio,GbLAN
MEMORY : 1GB (2x512MB) PC5300 DDR2/667 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Value Select)
VIDEO CARD : NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GTX 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
HARD DRIVE : (SATA150) Hitachi 400GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive
Optical Drive : NEC 3520A 16X DVD+-RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER
SOUND : HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

"Brian Bowles" > wrote in message oups.com...
DJ Speedy,

It appears you are certain that you want an Intel processor. I have
built 93 systems in the last four years. Right now is the worst time to
go with Intel. They slower processor and it costs more money. It is
really a lot slower when playing games. Look at this review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7....html?tag=lnav
Granted it is dual core but the single core results are close to the
same. Bascially the Intel chips cost more and perform less. Things may
change in the future but for now that is the way it is. Also consider
you can buy a single core AMD processor and later upgrade to a dual
core processor using the same motherboard. I do not think this is
possible with Intel at the current moment. Brian Bowles

Hi DJSpeedy,

You might want to read some of the comparisons on www.anandtech.com I
think they are not as biased as tomshardware. Tom loves Intel. You are
correct that single core is probably your best bet at this point in
time. A lot of people are buying the opteron chips right now because
they have 1mb of cache instead of 512k and the are fantasitic
overclockers getting 2.7-3.0ghz on average. If you go this route and
want to overclock get a DFI nF4 lanparty motherboard. Do not get the
corair ram with this board because it does not work well. The corsair
will work in almost all other boards fine. I think they need a bios
update for it. I think the AMD chips over the 3700+ have 1mb of cache
anyway. If you do not plan to overclock then get one of the regular
Athlon64 processors. Also Asus makes nice boards. Keep in mind that the
AMD processors over 3700+ all overclock to about the same speed. For
that reason most people do not buy the most expensive ones. OCZand G
Skill make good ram too. If you plan to go sli you might need more
power on the power supply. Unless you need the power the 7800gt is a
better value. It all depends on what you want to spend.... I am going
to use some parts that I already have to build the following system
Opteron 2800+ w/ Thermalright si 120 heatsink
DFI Lanparty Expert
WD 74gig raptor
WD 160gb special edition drive
Nvidia 7800GT
1mb OCZ 3200 DDR
OCZ Powerstream 520watt ps
Thermaltake Tsunami case
NEC 3540 DVDr
Lite On cd/dvd
Leadtek tv tuner
Logitech coredless keyboard and mouse
Klipsch pro media speakers
Dell 2405fpw lcd
Sony floppy drive


DJSpeedy wrote:
> I was set for an Intel CPU, yes.
>
> But after doing some reading on Tom's Hardware, now I'm on the fence, though I'm leaning more towards the AMD at this point.
>
> It seems clear to me (thanks to the above reading) that getting a dual-core CPU right now is a waste of money as only future apps would support it. Might be nice to have, but nothing more than a paperweight at this point in time.
>
> That being the case, I believe I can get by with a single core HT CPU. So I've spec'd two systems (one Intel, one AMD) for comparison purposes.
>
> Also from my reading, SLI is a good way to go, but only if I were to get dual SLI vid cards. From reading the marks on Tom's Hardware, I was suprised to see dual 6800's outperform a single 7800 GTX. But for now I'll settle for the single 7800GTX.
>
> Both specs come in under my budget ($1500), and the AMD is $35 cheaper. I tried to select the best match as far as CPU and mobo but don't know for sure if I succeeded.
>
> CASE : Xplorer Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOW & LCD Temperature Display
> CPU : (939-pin) AMD ATHLON64 4000+ CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
> MOTHERBOARD : (Sckt939)Asus A8N5X nForce4 Chipset SATA RAID PCI-E w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio
> MEMORY : 1024 MB (512MBx2) PC3200 400MHz Dual Channel DDR MEMORY (CorsairValue Select)
> VIDEO CARD : NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GTX 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
> HARD DRIVE : (SATA150) Hitachi 400GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive
> Optical Drive : SONY DWQ-28A DUAL FORMAT 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER
> SOUND : HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
>
>
> CASE : Xplorer Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOW & LCD Temperature Display
> CPU : (Sckt775)Intel® Pentium® 4 660 CPU w/HT Technology 3.6GHZ 800FSB 2MB Cache, 64 Bit
> MOTHERBOARD : GigaByte GA-8I945P-G I945P Chipset LGA775 DDR2/667 SATA PCIE w/7.1Audio,GbLAN
> MEMORY : 1GB (2x512MB) PC5300 DDR2/667 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair ValueSelect)
> VIDEO CARD : NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GTX 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
> HARD DRIVE : (SATA150) Hitachi 400GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive
> Optical Drive : NEC 3520A 16X DVD+-RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER
> SOUND : HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
>
> "Brian Bowles" > wrote in message roups.com...
> DJ Speedy,
>
> It appears you are certain that you want an Intel processor. I have
> built 93 systems in the last four years. Right now is the worst time to
> go with Intel. They slower processor and it costs more money. It is
> really a lot slower when playing games. Look at this review:
> http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7....html?tag=lnav
> Granted it is dual core but the single core results are close to the
> same. Bascially the Intel chips cost more and perform less. Things may
> change in the future but for now that is the way it is. Also consider
> you can buy a single core AMD processor and later upgrade to a dual
> core processor using the same motherboard. I do not think this is
> possible with Intel at the current moment. Brian Bowles

what is the difference on the "lan party boards" that one says SLI D, next
has DR next doesnt say SLI in the but has the 2 same slots, all ate
different prices.

Lastly I assume there is a reason you said "DFI Lanparty Expert"
and same time you getting um, 2 7800gts then?

Im wanting to cheapen what your building, as FIAK all Im gonna use is mem,
processor board & GPU rest of the stuff I have pretty new.

So since I wont be dumping for 2 7800 in to sli mode you still think the gt
better than the GTZ? In fact I would probably get by with the non SLI
version of the DFI board, since they are so much cheaper, spend the
difference on a good vid card, or you think no?

Im asking because I see the damn cards are saying more or less "SLI" which
of course means cost more? (which is bass Akwards IMHO if Im gonna dole
money out, for 2 they should give me a little break, right?)

Then of course, I dont get it, unless they are saying they wont work in SLI
on boards that do SLI, without sayign SLI on them cards? If that is the
case, I cant get one now and on later either then, right?

C R A P...


Brian Bowles wrote:
> Hi DJSpeedy,
>
> You might want to read some of the comparisons on www.anandtech.com I
> think they are not as biased as tomshardware. Tom loves Intel. You are
> correct that single core is probably your best bet at this point in
> time. A lot of people are buying the opteron chips right now because
> they have 1mb of cache instead of 512k and the are fantasitic
> overclockers getting 2.7-3.0ghz on average. If you go this route and
> want to overclock get a DFI nF4 lanparty motherboard. Do not get the
> corair ram with this board because it does not work well. The corsair
> will work in almost all other boards fine. I think they need a bios
> update for it. I think the AMD chips over the 3700+ have 1mb of cache
> anyway. If you do not plan to overclock then get one of the regular
> Athlon64 processors. Also Asus makes nice boards. Keep in mind that
> the
> AMD processors over 3700+ all overclock to about the same speed. For
> that reason most people do not buy the most expensive ones. OCZand G
> Skill make good ram too. If you plan to go sli you might need more
> power on the power supply. Unless you need the power the 7800gt is a
> better value. It all depends on what you want to spend.... I am going
> to use some parts that I already have to build the following system
> Opteron 2800+ w/ Thermalright si 120 heatsink
> DFI Lanparty Expert
> WD 74gig raptor
> WD 160gb special edition drive
> Nvidia 7800GT
> 1mb OCZ 3200 DDR
> OCZ Powerstream 520watt ps
> Thermaltake Tsunami case
> NEC 3540 DVDr
> Lite On cd/dvd
> Leadtek tv tuner
> Logitech coredless keyboard and mouse
> Klipsch pro media speakers
> Dell 2405fpw lcd
> Sony floppy drive
>
>
> DJSpeedy wrote:
>> I was set for an Intel CPU, yes.
>>
>> But after doing some reading on Tom's Hardware, now I'm on the
>> fence, though I'm leaning more towards the AMD at this point.
>>
>> It seems clear to me (thanks to the above reading) that getting a
>> dual-core CPU right now is a waste of money as only future apps
>> would support it. Might be nice to have, but nothing more than a
>> paperweight at this point in time.
>>
>> That being the case, I believe I can get by with a single core HT
>> CPU. So I've spec'd two systems (one Intel, one AMD) for comparison
>> purposes.
>>
>> Also from my reading, SLI is a good way to go, but only if I were to
>> get dual SLI vid cards. From reading the marks on Tom's Hardware, I
>> was suprised to see dual 6800's outperform a single 7800 GTX. But
>> for now I'll settle for the single 7800GTX.
>>
>> Both specs come in under my budget ($1500), and the AMD is $35
>> cheaper. I tried to select the best match as far as CPU and mobo
>> but don't know for sure if I succeeded.
>>
>> CASE : Xplorer Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOW & LCD Temperature
>> Display
>> CPU : (939-pin) AMD ATHLON64 4000+ CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
>> MOTHERBOARD : (Sckt939)Asus A8N5X nForce4 Chipset SATA RAID PCI-E
>> w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio
>> MEMORY : 1024 MB (512MBx2) PC3200 400MHz Dual Channel DDR MEMORY
>> (Corsair Value Select)
>> VIDEO CARD : NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GTX 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
>> HARD DRIVE : (SATA150) Hitachi 400GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive
>> Optical Drive : SONY DWQ-28A DUAL FORMAT 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW
>> DRIVE DUAL LAYER
>> SOUND : HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
>>
>>
>> CASE : Xplorer Mid-Tower Case 420W W/ WINDOW & LCD Temperature
>> Display
>> CPU : (Sckt775)Intel® Pentium® 4 660 CPU w/HT Technology 3.6GHZ
>> 800FSB 2MB Cache, 64 Bit
>> MOTHERBOARD : GigaByte GA-8I945P-G I945P Chipset LGA775 DDR2/667
>> SATA PCIE w/7.1Audio,GbLAN
>> MEMORY : 1GB (2x512MB) PC5300 DDR2/667 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair
>> Value Select)
>> VIDEO CARD : NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GTX 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card
>> HARD DRIVE : (SATA150) Hitachi 400GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive
>> Optical Drive : NEC 3520A 16X DVD+-RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER
>> SOUND : HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
>>
>> "Brian Bowles" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> DJ Speedy,
>>
>> It appears you are certain that you want an Intel processor. I have
>> built 93 systems in the last four years. Right now is the worst time
>> to
>> go with Intel. They slower processor and it costs more money. It is
>> really a lot slower when playing games. Look at this review:
>> http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7....html?tag=lnav
>> Granted it is dual core but the single core results are close to the
>> same. Bascially the Intel chips cost more and perform less. Things
>> may
>> change in the future but for now that is the way it is. Also consider
>> you can buy a single core AMD processor and later upgrade to a dual
>> core processor using the same motherboard. I do not think this is
>> possible with Intel at the current moment. Brian Bowles

Thought this was good info, didnt know if you knew this, but I didnt know
it... about the lan party boards (from newegg).
I was lucky in a way, I ordered a new PSU, and I got the this one with the
new 24 pin connector that I could NOT use on my old machine... I didnt want
to waste shippin it back, figured Ill use it sooner or later (knew I was
beginning to look for upgrade boards and all)

Pros: I don't know yet, I'm going to have to wait another week to ship an
adapter to make it work.
Anything I've ever gotten prior to this from DFI meant a smooth fast
assembly and competetive build....


Cons: Well, apparently this "ATX form factor" board won't work with the 550
watt ATX Form factor PSU that I've used for all my other DFI builds. The
fact that it requires a 24 pin connector instead of the standard 20 should
be lit up like a neon sign, but there is no mention in the stats, so now my
prized rig is sitting useless until I wait for an adapter to be delivered at
the speed of snail. I highly doubt something like that can be found locally.

UPS 3 day actually means a week, so if you want a "newegg" like delivery be
sure to pay extra for fedex.

If you are using 3 dimms of RAM, your 3rd dimm is now completely useless, go
box it up or something or buy another identical dimm. This board works in
several configurations involving it's 4 dimm slots but none of them involve
3 sticks of ram.

Other Thoughts: I realize that if I had studied the picture of the board
carefully I may have noticed the power input being as wide as the floppy
connector, but honestly "form factor" is supposed to mean "compatible"
otherwise they need to make mention IMO.

Reviewed By: Badger, 11/30/2005 9:25:58 PM

You should be able to use a 20pin PSU on a 24 pin mainboard. Most
mainboards have an auxilliary power connector (IDE HDD type) for
compatibility with 20 pin PSUs. In fact, the A64 4000+ (x850XT) machine
I'm using right now has a 24 pin board and I'm using a 20 pin PSU.

I am kind of backing away from the Expert board now. I think I am just
going to get the DFI UTnF4 board for $125 from newegg. I am not going
to go SLI.

I am kind of backing away from the Expert board now. I think I am just
going to get the DFI UTnF4 board for $125 from newegg. I am not going
to go SLI.

>I am kind of backing away from the Expert board now. I think I am just
> going to get the DFI UTnF4 board for $125 from newegg. I am not going
> to go SLI.

Some would say SLI is strictly for those with more money than brains since
there's usually a single card released soon after that outperforms SLI
setups but it's the extra heat generated that bothers me the most. Stock PC
coolers already sound like vacuum cleaners as it is and I like to be able to
hear myself think.