AMD vs. INTEL

[Nox1]

I'm currently looking into upgrading my P3-650 to a 1.4ghz but am torn between AMD and INTEL.

I've read countless reviews and would like some real owner comments. What is the good and the bad points of either cpu that you have encountered?

Here are the choices that I have settled on:

AMD upgrade -- total: $425
1.4 ghz
ASUS A7M266
256 DDR

INTEL upgrade -- total: $473
P4 1.4 ghz
Asus P4T
256 RDRAM

My issue is not the motherboards or ram but the CPU itself. I've always been an INTEL owner. But, with all the reviews I've read about AMD, I am seriously considering it.

I am very much a gamer I prefer Quake3 above all my games. I currently have an Asus GeForce3 Deluxe and I assume (by reading the reviews) both the AMD and Intel perform the same with a simular cpu clock.

Another issue would be a power supply. I have a PC Power and Cooling 275w and know that I will need to upgrade with the AMD (by their recommemd page) and I assume with the P4...can anyone confirm this?


Thanks to all,
David

 

[BurntKooshie]

The 1.4Ghz Athlon will CRUSH the 1.4 Ghz P4. You'll also need to upgrade the PS for the P4, as it requires an extension of the ATX standard.

At like clock speeds, the P4 and T-bird are ~ equal in Q3, though the T-bird is faster in most other things at like clock speeds.

 

[DDad]

Nox
275 is marginal fo the Athlon, but it "may" work- a lot depends on what other devices you have in the system. However- it will definately NOT work with the P4- has additional power connectors.

Also -you may want to check this out (means I'm not entirely sure), I think the P4 may require a new case- one that allows you to bolt the HS/fan to the MB tray. Seems that I recall reading that somewhere. Anyone with P4 experience , please let me know!

 

[jugornot]

I can't beleive the incredible nonsense that comes from somme people. Its obvious you do not know a thing about what your talking about. You have absolutely no clue... All advice is wasted on you... How could you possibly like q3 more than ut. As far as the amd vs intel thing. I build for the moment, but I always try to keep the future in mind. I really don't like the fact that the new p4 requires a new mb. I really don't like the new p3 is not compatible with all p3 boards. I understand that intel is kicking via with the new chip. Who would redesign a chipset for a chip that is supposed to be phased out in 6 months. However AMD is trying to make the ath4 as backward compatible as possible. The whole scheme lets me know that AMD is trying to please me. Intel don't give a crap about me. If they want to unveil a new chip and chipset every 6 months just so I will be forced to upgrade well forget them. I'm pretty sure all that adds up to 2 cents. On a final note. I will say that the p3 boards are pretty well sorted out. The athy boards are very close to being real good. But it does take a little more effort to build an athy and get it perfect. If you aren't willing to do that ... well just go buy a dell then! HTH

 

[Nox1]

Thanks for teh advice so far...I had no idea that the P4 needed additional addons.

Jug - you kill me! I'm actually just starting to get back into UT. I'm a huge ctf fan and wasn't too keen on either the Q3CTF or the UTCTF but I do like Classic CTF (q3 mod).

So far..the more people I ask about AMD vs. intel, the more I lean towards the AMD.

I just don't want to be sitting in front of my computer after my upgrade thinking "i shoulda got the other chip".

 

[Sukhoi]

With those two choices, I'd say AMD hands down, but I'd suggest getting a larger power supply. Does AMD recommend 400 watts with a 1.4 GHz TBird?

BTW, you should run SETI on that system.

 

[Doomguy]

Get the epox 8k7a instead of the a7m266. Much cheaper and better. With the money saved you could get 512 megs of ddr ram.

 

[Ausm]

I used to be a die hard Intel Fan but I switched to AMD and never have looked back...


Ausm

 

[Swanny]

Go for the AMD. The P4 holds its own on a clock for clock basis in Q3, but that's about it. The Athlon will rip it apart in most everything else.

BTW, it seems that you have just joined the forums. Welcome! Do you already know about our distributed computing teams? We do a wide range of projects including SETI@home, RC5-64, ORG, and many others. SETI is the project that I do. Anyway, if you're interested in joining the TeAm and helping us send me a PM or post in the DC forum.

 

[Dan]

Nox1: Let me be upfront with you and say right from the get-go that I have been an AMD fan for years. With that disclosure out of the way, I'd recommend the Athlon over a Pentium 4.

As others here have noted, going the P4 route requires more than a motherboard and chip upgrade. You're looking at the need for a vastly different case and powersupply and, of course, you also have to consider RDRAM and the issue of how much of a "standard" that will become.

Which enables me to neatly segue into the whole notion of the upgrade path. If you do a review of the literature out there I believe you'll find that the current P4 has none. As I understand it, in their rush to keep up with AMD, Intel brought out a chip that will be vastly redesigned in the next year.

 

[gjwild]

The Asus P4T will fit an ATX case, no problem.
You will need a power supply no matter which route you go from what I have been seeing about 1.4's from either chip maker.
If you like Quake then the P4 is quite stunning,I have been on the P4 platform for 6 months and simply love it. And it's true that there is a new socket coming out soon but it's not like you have to buy it as soon as it's available, because you can still purchase socket 423 with speeds up to 1.8 as of next week.

 

[DarkMajiq]

Nox1: At 1.4GHz, the Athlon will beat the P4 hands-down at everything except Q3, where the two will be neck-and-neck. The PSU you have there should do the trick with the Athlon unless you've got a whole ton of extra cards, hard drives and fans in your system, but to play it safe I would get a new one. You'll definitely need a new PSU for the P4 though. Like Doomguy, I would suggest another motherboard for the Athlon, possibly the ePoX, maybe something else, but not the A7M266, it's a great board, but it's expensive as hell, and you can get boards of the same calibre for a lot less money, making the upgrade even cheaper than the P4, or like Doomguy said, get more RAM, but really more than 256MB is overkill. And the Asus P4T motherboard for the P4 will work in current ATX cases without a problem because Asus included a special tray and screws and stuff, but you'll still need the new PSU.

GJMT8: The upgrade path of the current P4 is $hit. Intel's replacing it with a new socket and chipset in just a few months, and those who've bought systems based on the current standard will be forced to upgrade all over again. As jugornot mentioned however, AMD is doing their best to make the transition to Palomino as hassle-free as possible, sticking with the same Socket A / Socket 462 interface, and allowing most current boards to support the new processors with a BIOS update.

 

[gjwild]

Upgrading is just not a problem for some, if you get my drift, a lot of people do it all the time!
I was just simply saying that if someone went P4 1.4 it is not a dead end as far as clock frequency goes...
Hassle free, that's good.....hehe

 

[SpeedTrap]

either way a 1.4 is going to make you upgrade the PS

 

[rommel]

yeah you should go AMD for now....but you should prolly wait a couple of months for a palomino....i think i heard august as the eta for the deesktop one

 

[rommel]

and i have the asus a7m266...its a great board...but i like my epox 8k7a better...the only thing is the epox's onboard sound isnt as good...but i never use that anyway

 

[Rostig]

If you are choosing between 1.4GHz Athlon & 1.4GHz P4, get the Athlon. I am about to build a new system, and am choosing between a 1.4GHz Athlon & 1.7GHz P4. A 1.4GHz P4 can't compare to a similarly clocked Athlon. You really would need a 1.7GHz P4 to compete. I like the Athlon, but am leaning to the 1.7GHz P4. I think it would provide a slight edge in games. I have seen 1.2GHz Palominos for sale at online retailers. They are for server setups, but will still work in a mobo, like the KT7A even.

 

[Nagumo]

Either way you will have to get a new power supply. AMD 1.4 is faster, but u can always wait til the new athlon comes out then upgrade. The price of the old athlon might drop a bit too, so you could get for a cheaper price

 

[Pabster]

I keep seeing so much misinformation around the forums. I mean, people act like you need to rebuild your entire rig to put an AthlonMP in. That's just not the case. I did use a new mobo, but not because I "had" to. There are several current boards which support AthlonMP now, or will shortly with a simple BIOS flash. AMD is sticking with Socket A for the next couple cores, so it shouldn't be a big deal. And Palomino is an improvement from the regular Thunderbird core. I can personally verify the performance difference

 

[toft-dk]

I would have to say go with AMD.
Price/Performance is right and THEY intend to stay with socket a not like Intel that changes
platforms FAR to often.

 

[BurntKooshie]

toft-dk - let me ask you something:

How long was Slot A the platform of choice for AMD?

Slot 1 is STILL A VIABLE OPTION for upgraders. If you bought a BX board way back when, you're still in luck with low end celerons (if you bought a good board from a company that updates their bios') and if you're still in luck, potentially, with Tualitin. AMD's Slot A was around as the platform of choice for less than a year.

Yes, I think it's rather unfortunate that Intel chose to release the P4 on a platform that will have a shortened lifespan than most would like, but they're NOT the only ones who have done it, and AMD is NOT all godlike because they're trying to stick it out with Socket A (which, I might add, has been around for a year).

What about Slot 2? That's been around since the beginning, and it's still around now! Intel doesn't change platforms nearly as often as you seem to indicate....

EDIT - I made a typo which made things sound quite different

 

[Wingznut]

And even though AMD's newest processor is still Socket A, who would dream of using a top of the line Tbird on a 12 month old motherboard? And the Athlon 4 runs best on a DDR platform, so even a motherboard just six months old wouldn't be a good choice. And you think today's Via-based motherboards are going to be a good option in six months?

I think it's pretty rare that people upgrade to the latest cpu, without upgrading the motherboard. I'm not saying that it never happens. But it surely isn't commonplace, especially with motherboards purchased a year ago.

 

[ST4RCUTTER]

Wingznut,

That is all true, but at least they have the choice. And choice is a good thing.

 

[gjwild]

Excellent points to say the least, man if you mention P4 around here you are doomed and mostly from peeps that have never seen one. Don't believe everything you read.
But you AMD'ers still have not told me why he would have to change mobos because the 1.4(socket423) he is thinking about will reach speeds of 2GHz.

 

[Wingznut]

I agree with you, Starcutter... Choice is definitely a good thing.