what new pc? Pentium 4 650 or INTEL VIIV PENTIUM D 920

[sninky]

im looking to get a new computer through work (has to be pc world) and
im not sure which of these twos sytems to go for?

The advent one has 4/650 processor, twice as much ram 2048mb and
appears to have higher clock speed 3.4 ghz the rest is almoast
identical

the Packard bell has INTEL VIIV PENTIUM D 920 only 1024mb ram and a
clock speed of 2.8 ghz

they are both the smae price so im unsure which is the best buy is it
worth going for processor or ram???

im aware that Ghz clock speeds do not always indicate which will be
fastest

thanks
sninky

p.s
these are the computers im looking at

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...-15245&page=Product&sku=085705&fm=0&sm=0&tm=1

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...-15245&page=Product&sku=488717&fm=0&sm=0&tm=1

 

[Tony Hill]

im looking to get a new computer through work (has to be pc world) and
im not sure which of these twos sytems to go for?

The advent one has 4/650 processor, twice as much ram 2048mb and
appears to have higher clock speed 3.4 ghz the rest is almoast
identical

the Packard bell has INTEL VIIV PENTIUM D 920 only 1024mb ram and a
clock speed of 2.8 ghz

they are both the smae price so im unsure which is the best buy is it
worth going for processor or ram???

im aware that Ghz clock speeds do not always indicate which will be
fastest

thanks
sninky

p.s
these are the computers im looking at

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...-15245&page=Product&sku=085705&fm=0&sm=0&tm=1

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...-15245&page=Product&sku=488717&fm=0&sm=0&tm=1

Hmm.. it's unfortunately that you're limited to only what PC World has
to offer, because their selection seems rather.. umm.. weak.

First off, I wouldn't touch a Packard Hell computer with a 10-foot
pole. They were driven out of business in the height of the PC boom
for good reason, they made just abysmally bad products. Now they are
really just a model name for NEC computers, but I used one a few years
back and it was STILL terrible.

The downside to this is that the ONLY dual-core systems offered by PC
World are Packard Bell "VIIV" systems (note: VIIV = 100% marketing, 0%
technology).

Ordinarily the choice would be fairly easy. For games you would want
the fastest and best AMD Athlon64 (single-core) system you could
afford, while for everything else you would go for the fastest AMD
Athlon64 X2 (dual-core) system you could afford. Nice an easy because
you can rule out all the Intel systems which are BADLY outclassed by
AMD's processors these days. Sadly though, the only AMD-based systems
that PC World seems to be selling are some bargain-basement Compaq
Pre-scary-Os.


Soo.. umm.. what to get? Well that depends a bit on what you're going
to use the computer for. The Pentium-D 920 chip is a dual-core chip
(two processors in one package), which will make the PC more
responsive and allow it to multitask better. This is probably a
better choice for "standard" computer use, ie web browsing, office
applications, watching movies, playing songs and the occasional game.
The Pentium 650 is a single-core chip but at a higher clock speed. It
will be faster for doing one single task at a time, in particular, for
games. If there was a halfway decent make of Pentium-D based system I
would definitely recommend that over the Pentium4 based system for
most people, but as mentioned above, at PC World you're limited to
Packard Hell systems. If you want to take a chance on their quality
having improved in the past 3 years, then it might be an option, but
it wouldn't be my choice.

Out of all the systems listed on PC World's web site, this would be my
personal pick:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...fm=0&sm=0&tm=1&sku=568874&category_oid=-15245


Eerr.. hope that URL makes it through without too much corruption.
Otherwise it's the Fujitsu Siemans 3801XP with 19" LCD. Basically the
same specs as the "Advent" system you linked above, but from Fujitsu
who are supposed to have a pretty decent reputation (haven't used 'em
much myself since they mainly only sell in Europe).

 

[Student]

im looking to get a new computer through work (has to be pc world) and
im not sure which of these twos sytems to go for?

The advent one has 4/650 processor, twice as much ram 2048mb and
appears to have higher clock speed 3.4 ghz the rest is almoast
identical

the Packard bell has INTEL VIIV PENTIUM D 920 only 1024mb ram and a
clock speed of 2.8 ghz

they are both the smae price so im unsure which is the best buy is it
worth going for processor or ram???

im aware that Ghz clock speeds do not always indicate which will be
fastest

thanks
sninky

p.s
these are the computers im looking at

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...-15245&page=Product&sku=085705&fm=0&sm=0&tm=1

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...-15245&page=Product&sku=488717&fm=0&sm=0&tm=1

As far as CPU performance goes I'd start by comparing the difference of
the single core 650 3.4GHz versus the dual-core 920 2.8GHz. Dual core
isn't for everyone, sort of depends what you want to mainly do with the
PC. I have an AMD 2.2GHz dual core and loving it.

1GB is OK, but 2GB will make it run smoother unless you never use that
much ram anyway (see Task Manager/Performance/Commit Charge/Peak) then
more ram won't make much difference, it's only when the PC has to use
the (virtual memory) hard drive (swap file) it slows things down
considerably.

Student,
just some links to reviews I've looked at in the past....
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20051121/index.html
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/processorsmemory/0,39024015,39233885,00.htm
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/28cpu-games.html
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1860533,00.asp
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=a64x2&page=1
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122236,00.asp
http://www.sudhian.com/showdocs.cfm?aid=723

 

[Student]

im looking to get a new computer through work (has to be pc world) and
im not sure which of these twos sytems to go for?

The advent one has 4/650 processor, twice as much ram 2048mb and
appears to have higher clock speed 3.4 ghz the rest is almoast
identical

the Packard bell has INTEL VIIV PENTIUM D 920 only 1024mb ram and a
clock speed of 2.8 ghz

they are both the smae price so im unsure which is the best buy is it
worth going for processor or ram???

im aware that Ghz clock speeds do not always indicate which will be
fastest

thanks
sninky

p.s
these are the computers im looking at

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...-15245&page=Product&sku=085705&fm=0&sm=0&tm=1

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...-15245&page=Product&sku=488717&fm=0&sm=0&tm=1

As far as CPU performance goes I'd start by comparing the difference of
the single core 650 3.4GHz versus the dual-core 920 2.8GHz. Dual core
isn't for everyone, sort of depends what you want to mainly do with the
PC and Intel's 2.8GHz dual core isn't all that impressive IMHO.

1GB is OK, but 2GB will make it run smoother unless you never use that
much ram anyway (see Task Manager/Performance/Commit Charge/Peak) then
more ram won't make much difference, it's only when the PC has to use
the (virtual memory) hard drive (swap file) it slows things down
considerably.

Student,
just some links to reviews I've looked at before I built my last PC.
http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20051121/index.html
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/processorsmemory/0,39024015,39233885,00.htm
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/28cpu-games.html
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1860533,00.asp
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=a64x2&page=1
http://pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122236,00.asp
http://www.sudhian.com/showdocs.cfm?aid=723

 

[nobody]

Hmm.. it's unfortunately that you're limited to only what PC World has
to offer, because their selection seems rather.. umm.. weak.

First off, I wouldn't touch a Packard Hell computer with a 10-foot
pole. They were driven out of business in the height of the PC boom
for good reason, they made just abysmally bad products. Now they are
really just a model name for NEC computers, but I used one a few years
back and it was STILL terrible.

The downside to this is that the ONLY dual-core systems offered by PC
World are Packard Bell "VIIV" systems (note: VIIV = 100% marketing, 0%
technology).

Ordinarily the choice would be fairly easy. For games you would want
the fastest and best AMD Athlon64 (single-core) system you could
afford, while for everything else you would go for the fastest AMD
Athlon64 X2 (dual-core) system you could afford. Nice an easy because
you can rule out all the Intel systems which are BADLY outclassed by
AMD's processors these days. Sadly though, the only AMD-based systems
that PC World seems to be selling are some bargain-basement Compaq
Pre-scary-Os.


Soo.. umm.. what to get? Well that depends a bit on what you're going
to use the computer for. The Pentium-D 920 chip is a dual-core chip
(two processors in one package), which will make the PC more
responsive and allow it to multitask better. This is probably a
better choice for "standard" computer use, ie web browsing, office
applications, watching movies, playing songs and the occasional game.
The Pentium 650 is a single-core chip but at a higher clock speed. It
will be faster for doing one single task at a time, in particular, for
games. If there was a halfway decent make of Pentium-D based system I
would definitely recommend that over the Pentium4 based system for
most people, but as mentioned above, at PC World you're limited to
Packard Hell systems. If you want to take a chance on their quality
having improved in the past 3 years, then it might be an option, but
it wouldn't be my choice.

Out of all the systems listed on PC World's web site, this would be my
personal pick:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...fm=0&sm=0&tm=1&sku=568874&category_oid=-15245


Eerr.. hope that URL makes it through without too much corruption.
Otherwise it's the Fujitsu Siemans 3801XP with 19" LCD. Basically the
same specs as the "Advent" system you linked above, but from Fujitsu
who are supposed to have a pretty decent reputation (haven't used 'em
much myself since they mainly only sell in Europe).

Try this one:
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...fm=0&sm=0&tm=1&sku=252538&category_oid=-15245
COMPAQ SR1639 AMD ATHLON 64 3700+ PROCESSOR + 19" TFT FLAT PANEL
MONITOR
Features for this COMPAQ SR1639

- 1024Mb DDR RAM
- 320Gb Hard Disk Drive
- Multi-Format Dual Layer DVD-RW Drive
- 256Mb NVidia 6200 + TurboCache Graphics
- 9-In-1 Media Card Reader
- 7 USB connections
- Microsoft Works 8.0 Software
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
- 19" TFT Flat Panel Monitor

Just dump XP home/MS Works and install XP pro/Office. The rest of the
spec looks OK. A64 3700 will run circles around P4 3.4GHz.

The only advantage of P4-based system would be in case your boss is
skimpy on heating - it doubles as a space heater. OTOH, in the summer
you'll need stronger air conditioner to cool down your office ;-)

NNN

 

[chrisv]

1GB is OK, but 2GB will make it run smoother unless you never use that
much ram anyway (see Task Manager/Performance/Commit Charge/Peak) then
more ram won't make much difference, it's only when the PC has to use
the (virtual memory) hard drive (swap file) it slows things down
considerably.

I'd say 1G RAM is plenty for 99% of users...

 

[sninky]

thanks
im more confused now than ever but all advice is helpfull
thanks again

 

[Mark Whitlock]

thanks
im more confused now than ever but all advice is helpfull
thanks again

The answers would have been more succinct if you would
have added 'I intend to use this for ' ;
blank Operating system
blank game or blank Application program
sincerely,
Mark Whitlock

 

[Tony Hill]

Try this one:
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/st...fm=0&sm=0&tm=1&sku=252538&category_oid=-15245
COMPAQ SR1639 AMD ATHLON 64 3700+ PROCESSOR + 19" TFT FLAT PANEL
MONITOR
Features for this COMPAQ SR1639

- 1024Mb DDR RAM
- 320Gb Hard Disk Drive
- Multi-Format Dual Layer DVD-RW Drive
- 256Mb NVidia 6200 + TurboCache Graphics
- 9-In-1 Media Card Reader
- 7 USB connections
- Microsoft Works 8.0 Software
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
- 19" TFT Flat Panel Monitor

Just dump XP home/MS Works and install XP pro/Office. The rest of the
spec looks OK. A64 3700 will run circles around P4 3.4GHz.

For many (most?) non-gaming applications it would indeed run circles
around the P4 650. However for most non-gaming applications I would
tend to prefer a dual-core solution. I think the improved
responsiveness of a dual-core system would be of a much greater
benefit than the smallish increase in raw processing speed.

For gaming though this Athlon system would get blown out of the water
by the P4 system mentioned above. Why you ask? Because it's using a
GeForce 6200 Turbocache video card vs. the ATI x600 card in the P4.
The difference in video cards would be VERY substantial in games (and
most other 3D stuff), resulting in the Intel/x600 system offering 2 to
3 times the performance of the AMD/6200-TC system.

Besides, I'd be a bit leery of a new OEM system using a Socket 754
Athlon64. These are definitely yesterday's technology.

 

[sninky]

thanks everyone