Need some advice techheads!

[Fusion]

Okay, looking to upgrade this summer. My current spec is in my signature =).
Heres the dilemma - AMD Athlon 64, or Intel Pentium 4 LGA775? ATM im thinking towards intel, but ireally dont know what to go for. Either i choose a new PCU and new mobo, or i keep my current CPU and buy new MOBO, or Keep MOBO and buy a new CPU (socket A).

Argh! lets say i have 200 for a new CPU and 100 for a MOBO in GBP £.
:hotbounce

Well let me know if you have some views on this, i just want something which isnt going to be out of date by the time it is actually delivered (like my ATHLON XP2600+)

~Fusion
:giddy:

 

[vnf4ultra]

I like amd a64. It's cheaper than intel and performs similarly in many things. It's better for gaming, but worse for multitasking. So if you primarily game, go a64, if you like to run multiple cpu intense tasks at once, go p4 w/ ht. So it depends on your needs.

 

[Fusion]

OK cheers. I primarily game, so i guess ill be looking towards the AMD athlon 64. but i dont know, because the p4's seem slightly cheeper when you compare performance (i dont mean clock speed by the way)

Thanks!
Anyone else?


~Fusion :giddy:

 

[olefarte]

I won't get into the debate on one being better than the other, there's plenty of that debate in the forums already, but I just bought a new Socket 939 AMD 64 3500+, and in the Intel line even slower cpu's were a good bit higher priced.

I'm very happy with my new AMD. I don't think there's anything that will make me want to go back to Intel at least in the near future.

 

[vnf4ultra]

Here's a good place to compare cpus. I chose amd 3000+ and p4 3.0ghz, and compared them.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/index.html?modelx=33&model1=64&model2=18&chart=25
Amd wins farcry, doom3, ut04, sandra mem. float, etc. It does lose in many real world apps to the p4, but it really is amazing that a 1.8ghz 3000+ can beat a true 3.0ghz cpu at anything, and at demanding games the a64 excels.

But on the high end, amd's 3800+, 4000+, and fx55 beat intel's comparable cpus in many(but not all) things.

 

[nickc]

AMD, I say...

 

[isatippy]

I like Intel, because thats what I have use since I was 8

 

[zephead]

intel makes a fine, reliable, and fast product. i have a p4 3e (it's got ht) and the multitasking ability i can get with windows xp is just amazing.

i advise you to state what your intended purposes for your computer are so you get a specific response.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Have a look at these combinations:
# 307752 - AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2 GHz Socket 939, 512KB cache, BOXED w/fan
# 302393 - Corsair TWINX1024-3200C2 DDR-DIMM 1024MB Kit w/two matched CMX512-3200C2 DIMMs
# 301174 - Abit AV8 Mainboard for S939 KT800PRO,SATA,GbLAN,ATX,Dual-CH DDR
All this for £340.00 (uses AGPx8 graphics cards)
http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=109697&cks=PLS

# 307537 - Intel Pentium 4 630 3.0GHz Socket LGA775, 2MB, EM64T, BOXED w/fan
# 303314 - Abit IG-80, I915G, Socket-775, m-ATX, SATA,LAN,Firewire,Dual-DDR,VGA,PCI-Ex16
# 118498 - TwinMOS PC3200 DDR-DIMM 1024MB Dual Pack Kit w/two matched PC3200 DDR DIMMs
All this for £275.- (uses the more expensive PCI-Express/SLI graphics card)
http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=111025&cks=PLS

 

[Tedster]

Both are about equal in performance with AMD having a slight edge and getting more bang for the buck. The crux of the answer lies in the associated parts, chiefly the motherboard. AMD and Intel motherboards are NOT interchangable, therefore there are cost differences. So you have to ask yourself, what will I mostly be doing with this computer? If you're going to run business intensive software all the time - go with an Intel, but if you're going to play games and run a few regular programs, go with an AMD. For the most part, the end user won't notice any difference between the two. It's really for power business users running spreadsheets, databases, etc... that will notice a slight difference.

 

[isatippy]

I would try both and then make up your mind on the best one for you.

 

[Wotrop]

AMD is the way 2 go right now but wait a bit. The x2 CPU's will come out and all of the other CPU's from AMD will go down.