AMD or Pentium??
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From: Richmond
There's a great review of 14 Intel & AMD processors @ Tom's Hardware Guide.
I used to be a tried and true Intel guy. I recall the days when there were some pretty severe compatibility issues. However, I recently built out a new gaming box built on an Athlon XP 1700+. I got it, plus a fan and SOYO Dragon Motherboard (also highly reviewed at Tom's) for abour $300. Add $80 (or less) in DDR memory and your all set. If you plan to overclock, get good memory like Micron. The Dragon Plus motherboard is great because you can easily overclock from the bios andit has onboard IDE RAID.
I used to be a tried and true Intel guy. I recall the days when there were some pretty severe compatibility issues. However, I recently built out a new gaming box built on an Athlon XP 1700+. I got it, plus a fan and SOYO Dragon Motherboard (also highly reviewed at Tom's) for abour $300. Add $80 (or less) in DDR memory and your all set. If you plan to overclock, get good memory like Micron. The Dragon Plus motherboard is great because you can easily overclock from the bios andit has onboard IDE RAID.
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From: houston
Originally posted by cthree
Yes, AMD is the better choice. You can make the P4 perform better by using RDRAM at the full 400Mhz FSB rate but that's huge money. Most P4 systems are still running 133Mhz and using SDRAM. I recommend an AMD with lots of DDR SDRAM. Make sure your new board supports DDR (double data rate) SDRAM. My AMD 1Ghz screams even today. Also I would recommend getting a board with built in RAID. They usually come that way now. I have the highpoint IDE ATA100 RAID chip and run 2 40GB IBM drives in a mirror. It's wicked fast and safe because you are mirroring your data. I recommend IBM DeskStar drives, the 7500RPM ATA100 (75GXP I think). They are incredably fast.
Also, compatablity is a non-issue. Windows is designed to work with both chips and works the same on both.
Yes, AMD is the better choice. You can make the P4 perform better by using RDRAM at the full 400Mhz FSB rate but that's huge money. Most P4 systems are still running 133Mhz and using SDRAM. I recommend an AMD with lots of DDR SDRAM. Make sure your new board supports DDR (double data rate) SDRAM. My AMD 1Ghz screams even today. Also I would recommend getting a board with built in RAID. They usually come that way now. I have the highpoint IDE ATA100 RAID chip and run 2 40GB IBM drives in a mirror. It's wicked fast and safe because you are mirroring your data. I recommend IBM DeskStar drives, the 7500RPM ATA100 (75GXP I think). They are incredably fast.
Also, compatablity is a non-issue. Windows is designed to work with both chips and works the same on both.
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From: San Jose
[QUOTE]Originally posted by DaveZ
[B]There's a great review of 14 Intel & AMD processors @ Tom's Hardware Guide.
I used to be a tried and true Intel guy.
[B]There's a great review of 14 Intel & AMD processors @ Tom's Hardware Guide.
I used to be a tried and true Intel guy.
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From: bay
AMD all the way! Then again, i'm biased since they pay my check. 
Seriously though, the Athlon XP outperforms a P4 in many many benchmarks even with a slower clock speed.
Regarding the comments about AMD for gaming, and Intel for Office apps...look at the Office benchmarks, you'll see AMD ahead in those too.
Seriously though, the Athlon XP outperforms a P4 in many many benchmarks even with a slower clock speed.
Regarding the comments about AMD for gaming, and Intel for Office apps...look at the Office benchmarks, you'll see AMD ahead in those too.
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From: Calgary
I used to have a Pentium Celery 466
I recently upgraded to an AMD AthlonXP 1600+ and a Gigabyte Motherboard and 256 DDR-SDRAM
Allow me to say that the AMD just rips under heavy load... I'm a hardcore gamer, I run my computer hard and so far not even ONE crash or slip up. I LOVE AMD! =)
I recently upgraded to an AMD AthlonXP 1600+ and a Gigabyte Motherboard and 256 DDR-SDRAM
Allow me to say that the AMD just rips under heavy load... I'm a hardcore gamer, I run my computer hard and so far not even ONE crash or slip up. I LOVE AMD! =)
