Which is a better processor?

[blacknight705]

I've been looking into building a new PC and I'm not sure which processor is faster or better for my gaming needs. I figured whichever is most expensive has to be the better one, but I would rather be safe than sorry, so I thought I had better ask.

AMD ATHLON 64 FX 60 (2.6GHz) 939-PIN 2X1MB L2 CACHE 64-BIT DUAL-CORE PROCESSOR - OEM

INTEL PENTIUM 965 EXTREME EDITION LGA775 DUAL-CORE PROCESSOR @ 3.73GHz 1066FSB 2x2MB L2 CACHE EM64T HYPER THREADING TECHNOLOGY

I just want to build a computer that I can use for a really long time and I won't need to upgrade it.
Any Help would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot =)

 

[Mirob]

The FX-60 is better. The FX-62 is the best. Soon the X6800 will be out to be the top gamming chip. The E6400 will out perform AMD's best for $316, if you can wait two months.

 

[blacknight705]

Thanks a lot! =)

 

[ZeroCount]

FX-60 and 64 is miles better in my opinion. AMD kills Pentium by a long shot.

 

[Rik]

Plus the fact that you can run xp32 on an amd 64 (for compatability reasons) whereas you cant run it on an intel 64.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Will the FX-62 be supported on my board(its in my profile)? Please let me know guys, so I can start saving up for it.

 

[CMH]

If you're gonna save up for it, Conroe is due out any moment, and those supposedly beat the be-jeebers outta the FXs... For much cheaper too.

 

[Didou]

The FX-62 is exclusive to the AM2 socket. As of yet, there are no plans to release it on the S939 socket.

ps. You can run Windows XP 32-bit on an EMT64 capable Intel CPU.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Thanks. So, will AM2 mobos be getting cheaper after the Conroe arrives? Or would it take some more time? What about them supporting DDR RAM? Will I have to buy new DDR2 RAM? Thanks for ur time again.

 

[Mirob]

AM2 had better get much cheaper after July 23. Conroe is priced to bring AMD in the red. A review of a ES E6300 (1,86GHz, $183) has shown it competitive with the FX-60. Speculation is that AMD may need to buy ATi to survive long term. I hope AMD neither goes bankrupt or merges with ATi.

Here is a short review of E6700 and E6600 with a FX-60, FX-62 and Pentium EE 965,
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=5692
I'm getting a E6700 and overclocking it to 3.33GHz+.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

But from the site that u posted, the only game the Conroe can run substantially faster than the FX-62 is Far Cry, which is a pretty old game. Keep in mind that I want this PC for gaming mainly.

 

[Mirob]

At real high resolutions the video card is the bottleneck. The tests ran at 640x400 show a massive Conroe lead, while at 1600x1200 just a little lead. Some newer games like FEAR and Oblivion put more load on the CPU and even at high resolutions show Conroe's superiority. I'm certain that future games will load the CPU more and more.

If you play at high resolutions a fast Celeron and Crossfire is all you need. :haha:

I play at 1680x1050, so I guess I don't need to upgrade my 3200+ for gaming. I do more than play games.

 

[CrossFire851]

Thanks. So, will AM2 mobos be getting cheaper after the Conroe arrives? Or would it take some more time? What about them supporting DDR RAM? Will I have to buy new DDR2 RAM? Thanks for ur time again.

It will have full support for DDR 400 pc 3200.

 

[CrossFire851]

Thanks. So, will AM2 mobos be getting cheaper after the Conroe arrives? Or would it take some more time? What about them supporting DDR RAM? Will I have to buy new DDR2 RAM? Thanks for ur time again.

AM2 has full support for DDR 400 pc 3200.

 

[Mirob]

AM2 is DDR2, and DDR3 may be possible. Regular DDR is out of the question. DDR2-800 is needed to surpass socket 939 performance.

X6800 Dominates FX-62 at Anandtech

 

[CrossFire851]

Sry for posting the samething twice, Yea using ddr2 is the the main part about AM2.

 

[KingCody]

AM2 has full support for DDR 400 pc 3200.

no it won't. AM2 is DDR-2 only, where did you get your info from??

the following quote is from AMD's website ...

Socket AM2 provides support for DDR2 memory. Socket AM2 is almost identical to socket 939 but uses a protective mechanism (a manufacturing “key”) designed to prevent any socket 939-pin CPUs (DDR1 only) from being inserted into a socket AM2 motherboard, and to prevent socket AM2 CPUs (DDR2 only) from being inserted into a socket 939-pin motherboard.

note the "DDR1 only" and "DDR2 only"

 

[CrossFire851]

Hum, you would think it would support ddr (1) , but then it would be defeating it purpose of AM2.

 

[KingCody]

the initial releases of socket-AM2 cpus will be socket-939 cpus with a new DDR2 memory controller on it. these memory controllers will not support DDR1 (at least not officially)

you shouldn't tell people that it will have "full support for DDR 400 pc 3200" based on an assumption.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

OK, so from what I know, the best time to upgrade would be about a year and a half from now, when DX10 cards are out and worth it. Also, by that time, Vista will be out and the AM2 mobos and Conroe CPUs will be cheaper right? Would that be a better idea than upgrading immediately to a Conroe? And what about the gaming bit? Will Conroe be able to handle upcoming games like UT2007 and its ilk better than the FX-62?
The AnandTech link shows that the memory bandwidth of the FX-62 system is double that of the Conroe system? Wouldn't that have a significant impact on performance? It seems to whup the FX-62 in nearly everything else, though, so I think it would be a good buy.
Thanks for ur time. I really want to buy a system thats worth the money I spend on it. Thats why I'm so interrogative. Sorry if I'm annoying anyone.

 

[Mirob]

The best time to upgrade is up to the individual. With your rig, I think you could hold out for some time. As for me, I'm thinking it my be time to go dual core, or Core 2 Duo that is. :bounce:
Although, dual core is still far from necessary.

AM2's memory bandwidth goes unused. I guess the 4x4 platform will put it to good use, albeit at much higher price and power requirements. People have blamed memory bandwidth for netbursts shortcomings, but pipeline stalls are the culprit.