Confusing about PC purchase

[imsofa2003]

Hi,
I'm considering to buy a desktop PC but still confused with which CPU to choose. The one with AMD Athlon 64 +3700 2.2GHz is 380$, while the one with Intel PD DualCore 2.66 GHz costs 440$. I want my computer to be fast to run many software programs. Are the two much different in speed? I am pretty tight on budget so... I would really appreciate anyone's help. Thank you.

 

[Blakhart]

If you can afford the Intel I would go that way. Intel c2d benchmarks are a good deal faster than that AMD at the moment. If you don't stress a system too much in your daily use, and the AMD system has more features than the Intel sys such as mem, drivespace, etc, then go that way. If performance matters, get the Intel.

 

[Grafficks]

The one with AMD Athlon 64 +3700 2.2GHz is 380$, while the one with Intel PD DualCore 2.66 GHz costs 440$.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html?modelx=33&model1=487&model2=449&chart=171
The Pentium D 805 2.66GHz you see is indeed better than the Athlon64 3700+ San Diego.

However, you should not get the Pentium D right now. Get the Core 2 Duo instead for a slightly higher price. They are at the top of the charts right now.

I'm considering to buy a desktop PC but still confused with which CPU to choose.

Since you're buying the computer, try to pick one that features a Core 2 Duo.
The cheapest Core 2 Duo machine you can buy is usually one with an E6300/E4300, which are still excellent processors.

I want my computer to be fast to run many software programs.

In order to multi-task efficiently, dual-core is an asset. You should not get any single core processor for a new PC, because there some dual core machines that are very affordable. The Athlon64 3700+ is single-core CPU that's seeing the end of its days. The PentiumD 805 you mentioned is the cheapest dual core CPU on the market, but I do advise pushing your budget for a Core 2 Duo instead.

 

[imsofa2003]

Thank you guys all for your advices. I would try to push my budget for a Core 2 Duo. Hope you guys have a nice day.