[makotech222]

Well, my birthday is coming up and i was hoping to upgrade my current computer:

AMD Athlon 900mhz
Geforce 5500fx
576 mb of ram

And i was hoping to buy a new processor, i was thinking this one:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc....-116-182&DEPA=1

A intel pentium 4 3.4 ghz for $280
I was wondering if i needed to buy a new motherboard because i was changing from amd to intel, and how much should ispend on a new one?

Also, is this a good processor to go buy? i have little money and im trying to get a good deal on it

 

[fireblaster_lyz]

Not really
I suggest obtaining a Atlhon FX 64.....

 

[bahamut_2006]

Not really
I suggest obtaining a Athlon 64.....

I second that. Intel is not the way to go if you are looking for an inexpensive rig. I would point some parts for your new rig at newegg, but the site's running as fast as a snail right now and I have a research paper to write. :lol:

 

[makotech222]

i see... i need a processor that runs at at least 3.2 ghz. any recommendations?

 

[bahamut_2006]

AMD processors will not clock that high. Why do you need a processor that runs at that speed when a good AMD processor can match it (as long as HT isnt being used, and even then the difference aint that great)

 

[n_w95482]

You could get an Athlon 64 3500+ for about the same price, although they're not in stock at Newegg right now. They perform quite well and run decently cool. With either the Athlon 64 or the Pentium 4, you'll have to buy a new motherboard. If your current motherboard is new enough and you really don't want to spend a lot of money, look for an Athlon XP. Check your motherboard's specificiations first though, if it's too old it may only support older AXP's or none at all.

 

[fireblaster_lyz]

Althon XP is pretty outdated.
Another option (CHEAP) is the AMD Sempron.

 

[n_w95482]

The Athlon XP is still a pretty decent performer and a good upgrade over his current CPU if he needs to cut costs. I'll assume you're talking about the Athlon 64-based Sempron, which is cheap, but is also Socket 754 only. That could limit future upgradeability (although the Athlon XP would as well but I recommended it if his current motherboard could handle one).

 

[INCA]

Don't think about getting sempron. Get good system b/c it seems like your gonna be using it for a long time since you still using 900mhz system till now. I think a 3.4 gigahertz is fine and for that price its worth it. I have an Amd 64 system and really like it but you gotta make sure you have system that can last. I bought my parts really cheap knowing that i will upgrade in two years. For my system i had to wait two birthdays and one christmas for my parents to fork over cash for my system which cost like 500 bucks in total. So try to get the best what your parents can afford.

 

[Esturk]

I bought an Athlon XP Barton 2500+ and overclocked it to 3200+ speeeds. It's plenty fast for me since upgrading from a 1700+ Palomino. Why does one need 3.2Ghz for anyways?

 

[fivefeet8]

I bought an Athlon XP Barton 2500+ and overclocked it to 3200+ speeeds. It's plenty fast for me since upgrading from a 1700+ Palomino. Why does one need 3.2Ghz for anyways?

Depends on the video card you have. Even an Athlon barton 3200+ limits the performance of my video card somewhat.

 

[makotech222]

Yea. Ill be using my system fro probably another 4-5 years before another uprgade, so i want to get a fast processor for todays games

 

[bahamut_2006]

I think a 3.4 gigahertz is fine and for that price its worth it.

I would have to disagree with that. An Athlon 64 3000 costs $155 and as long as you dont encode too much (or overnight like I do), that P4 will not have any advantage. Mobos for either AMD or Intel are generally about the same price, with the exception of SLi mobos. With dual core cpus coming out this year, both current AMD and Intel processors will be flattened as far as performance goes. If you dont like the low clockspeed, you can always oc it. The Athlon 64's are easy to oc and usually top around 2.6, at which point, it would rival Intel's highest clocked P4's. The only time AMD loses is in encoding or other HT intensive progs, and those synthetic benchmarks. I dont know about yall, but I dont intend to play benchmarks so I never take em into consideration. Too unreliable.

 

[makotech222]

<< computer semi-noob

Encoding?

And how much should i spend on a new mobo?

 

[n_w95482]

I'm assuming he means video encoding, which is one of the Pentium 4's strengths. As for the motherboard, it depends on whether you want a high quality one or a more budget-level one and what features you want it to have.

 

[makotech222]

Whats the purpose of the Motherboard anyway, really, lol what will ig et if i spend more money on it, then less?

 

[n_w95482]

I would say that it's the hub of the system. If you were to spend more on it, you could possibly get a better chipset, more features (like SATA, dual channel support, etc.), more reputable/reliable manufacturer, and so on.

 

[Esturk]

A good motherboard goes a long way. I would never buy a cheapo motherboard. Intel and nVidia make damn good chipsets, as well as Via. I'm sure SiS is alright.. but why bother?

 

[cooliscool]

As far as stability goes, SiS is actually better than Via.. I don't think Via's ever released a chipset without a major issue requiring a bios update or something else drastic. Not to say I don't love Via.. this PT880 is a great chipset. Memory bandwidth benches are pure greatness, and overall performance is awe-inspiring (after a few critical bios updates, naturally ).

They (SiS) have grown alot. The 655FX actually outperforms the i875P, which is quite a feat!

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1487&page=6

 

[Esturk]

I used to have so many P2, P3 boards with VIA chipsets and they were horrible. Namely the Apollo 133 series.. The 694x Northbridge wasn't too bad a performer though paired with the 686B southbridge. My old Asus CUV4X-E and Abit VP6 were awesome boards. Well unfortunately the CUV4X-E is dead and the Abit was sold..

I have a Socket 462 board with an ALi chipset and it's not that bad at all.