Looking to upgrade my PC

  • Thread starter Thread starter Summer of '67
  • Start date Start date
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Summer of '67

Hi,

The time has come for me to upgrade my computer. My 1.2GHz Pentium III is just
not up to the job anymore.

I'm seriously considering going the dual-core processor route so I'm looking
for help on deciding whether to go the AMD or Intel route.

I've always gone for Intel processors as, from what I've understood in the past
when choosing processors, they're typically faster than equivalent Intel based
systems but draw much more power, need more stringent cooling requirements and
are more prone to catastrophic failure if there's any problems with the cooling
of the processor.

Is that still the case with AMD chips or have they improved markedly in that
regard?

I also hear there are different flavours of dual-core processor from each
manufacturer. How would I go about deciding which flavour is best for me?

What about motherboards? Are there any good, impartial guides out there that
can help me decide which motherboard to get?

Finally, I probably won't be able to buy a new graphics card and sound card at
the same time that I upgrade so will need a motherboard that has at least
adequate on-baord sound and graphics.

Any help in deciding would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.
 
Is that still the case with AMD chips or have they improved markedly in that
regard?
Click to expand...

No, that is not true. Latest AMD cpu's run cooler than the latest
Intel cpu's.
 
Kevin said:
No, that is not true. Latest AMD cpu's run cooler than the latest
Intel cpu's.
Click to expand...

What about performance? Are they still superior to comparable Intel CPU's?

Cheers.
 
Summer of '67 wrote:

" Is that still the case with AMD chips or have they improved markedly
in that regard? "

AMD's socket A processors took a lot of criticism (perhaps rightly so)
because of the lack of an integrated heatsink (IHS). This meant that
thermal paste and heatsink application was a little more difficult than
with the Pentium 4, and this often contributed to a higher failure rate
from overheating.

All of AMD's socket 754 and socket 939 processors now have an IHS, which
has helped to drop the failure rate from incorrect heatsink application.
Today, AMD's 90nm processors run cooler than Intel's 90nm processors,
but failure rate is probably equal due to all of the processors
respective thermal limits.


" I also hear there are different flavours of dual-core processor from
each manufacturer. How would I go about deciding which flavour is best
for me? "

You could start by reading some reviews and performance comparisons.
You'd also do best to compare the current prices before checking
comparisons, as Intel's dual-core processors tend to be considerably
cheaper than AMD's offerings (and you'll see why from the reviews).

http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20050405/index.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20050509/index.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20050603/index.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/business/20050708/index.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/200508011/index.html


" What about motherboards? Are there any good, impartial guides out
there that can help me decide which motherboard to get? "

By now, all socket 939 motherboards should support the dual-core Athlon
64, either out-of-the-box or with a BIOS update. That's not the case
with Intel's LGA775 motherboards, as you will need one with a specific
chipset to run a dual-core Pentium.

Perhaps you could start with the articles at
http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/index.html


" Finally, I probably won't be able to buy a new graphics card and
sound card at the same time that I upgrade so will need a motherboard
that has at least adequate on-baord sound and graphics. "

The Socket 939 selection isn't blessed with onboard graphics, and the
ones I know of are all MicroATX.

According to http://www.intel.com/products/processor/pentium_D/ , the
supported LGA775 chipsets are the 955X, 945P, 945G and E7230. The E7230
is a server platform.

There are a lot of LGA775 motherboards with onboard graphics, but Newegg
lists none with the 955X or 945P chipsets. It lists 11 with the 945G
chipset, with MicroATX, ATX and even MicroBTX among the choices.

Perhaps you'd do better to consider the cheapest PCI-Express x16
graphics card along with your choice of motherboard. It will perform
better than most onboard graphics for the time being, and you have a
larger choice of cheaper motherboards to offset the price.
 
Cuzman wrote:

<snipped>

Cheers for that. You've given me plenty of material to read.
 
Summer of '67 said:
I'm seriously considering going the dual-core processor route so I'm looking
for help on deciding whether to go the AMD or Intel route.

I've always gone for Intel processors as, from what I've understood in the
past
when choosing processors, they're typically faster than equivalent Intel based
systems but draw much more power, need more stringent cooling requirements and
are more prone to catastrophic failure if there's any problems with the
cooling
of the processor.
Click to expand...
Is that still the case with AMD chips or have they improved markedly in that
regard?
Click to expand...

The Socket 939 and 940 AMD64 CPUs compete very well with the P4s and Xeons. I
switched to Opterons, and am very happy with them.

I also hear there are different flavours of dual-core processor from each
manufacturer. How would I go about deciding which flavour is best for me?
Click to expand...

I don't follow Intel, but AMD has the X2 (Socket 939) and Opteron (Socket 940)
for dual-core offerings. You'll have to go to AMD's web site for the details of
the differences, but the biggest one is that the X2 supports a single CPU only,
while the Opterons allow up to 8 CPUs in a system. At the current price points,
you'll probably want the X2 if you have no intention of going to a dual-CPU
(4-core) system.
 
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