I think Intel might be better in some cases now! :-(

[gplracer]

I have built over 25 systems in the last year. Everyone except one has been an AMD based system. The computer I am typing on now is an AMD system and my son has an AMD system. All of the AMD systems have been great. They are all running with no problems at all. The Intel system is running great too. Although I might start recommending Intel based systems in some cases. It seems to me if you are going to build a budget system then AMD is the way to go. Amd gives you more for the money when you are buying the XP1600+ to the XP2000+. If you are going to build a system with say a 2.4ghz cpu then Intel is the way to go. From what I have seen the Pentium 2.4b beats all of the AMD cpus that are in the same price range. Also, it is a lot quieter. It even has more overclocking capabilities if someone decided to go that route. The people I build systems for do not. What do you guys think? I am not trying to start a flame war. I like AMD and Intel. I will buy whichever is the best deal. I really have no loyalty to either one.

 

[MadRat]

The TBred runs cold compared to any previous generation.

 

[ai42]

I agree with that, while AMD has been given all the press by us ethusiests lately. I have not been too impressed with AMD's recent offerings, and would much prefer to have a P4 right now.

 

[amdskip]

I'll fight you on the quiet part. I use panaflos for all fans and have absolutely no cooling problems.

 

[gplracer]

In a way I want AMD to do well. All of my AND systems have been great! The last three computers I built for myself were all AMD. I just think on a higher end system now Intel might be a better choice. Maybe there is something I am not thinking of?

 

[cmdrdredd]

memory bandwidth is better on the P4 based motherboards which helps in the usual areas. Gaming, graphics, animation etc

most multimedia and gaming applications benefit from a fast memory controller

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
memory bandwidth is better on the P4 based motherboards which helps in the usual areas. Gaming, graphics, animation etc

most multimedia and gaming applications benefit from a fast memory controller

Really?

 

[ChefJoe]

Sigh... I've been tempted by AMD's cheap price, but the higher thermal output, seemingly greater frequency of memory type changes/sensitivities to memory issues, and greater number of chipsets, games,etc requiring "patches" has kept me with Intel in my machines.

 

[RanDum72]

I made a slow but steady shift to Intel the past few months. I have several computers, they used to be 100% AMD powered but now its 50-50 betwen Intel and AMD. I am still shocked at seeing my 2.4ghz P4 at 108 deg. F even with SETI running in the background. My 1.6ghz XP 1900+ would have been running at 110-115. And thats with a fancy Alpha PAL8045 HS (the Intel CPU is running with the stock HS). Before, the only reason why I held off trying Intel is their prices. But now, they have more or less equalized the prices and they actually seem to be a better value. They also have niceties such as a heat spreader ( no crushed core headaches) and a thermal management system that is more effective than AMD's.

EDIT: Yo! I'm now a Diamond member!

 

[BD231]

I don't think you could go wrong with either of the two. Intel offers a more advanced cpu so it's obvious it's a better choice if your building a computer from scratch, but if you have a KT333 based motherboard or up it's not worth the switch with the way you can jack up the FSB and change multipliers on T-Breds now.

 

[EdipisReks]

i got my northwood 2 weeks after they came out, and i've been a big Intel fan since. i don't forsee myself moving back to AMD in the near term unless Hammer is really impressive, though i've been helping plenty of my friends build AMD systems. i currently prefer the Pentium IV, but i've owned plenty of Athlons and i like the t-bred well enough.

 

[gplracer]

I almost forgot about the Hammer. That is the one thing that makes me hold out right now. If it is a better cpu than the Intel ones then I will opt for it. I am afraid it is going to be more money. Anyone have any information on this. It seems there are no examples of it running on the Internet. I have seen benchmarks of Hammers running at slower speeds but not at speeds that would make it look really impressive.

 

[Whitedog]

Get a Cyrix!

 

[elwood03]

Who cares if your AMD system is a few degrees (110-115 vs 108) hotter. I've gone the quiet route after years of going for the best cooling. I'm running a 1600+ on an nForce with Panaflos (and two Seagates) that's virtually silent. I took out my front case fan and it's running a few degrees hotter but is rock stable still so what's the big deal. Too many people are so focused on temps. As long as the system is fast, quiet and stable what's the big deal? I've never actually killed a processor or had any component (other than HDs) die so I don't see what the big deal is. I still have an ASUS P5A with a K6III+ running that I gave to a friend. I have nothing against P4s - but I wouldn't choose one just because it runs 5 degrees cooler. Now maybe if I had tons of them in a server room....

(By the way, I've been here for years... just with a new logon name!)

 

[RanDum72]

Who cares if your AMD system is a few degrees (110-115 vs 108) hotter. I've gone the quiet route after years of going for the best cooling. I'm running a 1600+ on an nForce with Panaflos (and two Seagates) that's virtually silent. I took out my front case fan and it's running a few degrees hotter but is rock stable still so what's the big deal. Too many people are so focused on temps. As long as the system is fast, quiet and stable what's the big deal? I've never actually killed a processor or had any component (other than HDs) die so I don't see what the big deal is. I still have an ASUS P5A with a K6III+ running that I gave to a friend. I have nothing against P4s - but I wouldn't choose one just because it runs 5 degrees cooler. Now maybe if I had tons of them in a server room....

My point is, the P4 2.4ghz is 800mhz faster than the 1.6ghz Athlon 1900+ XP but puts out LESS heat. Its the technology behind the CPU that has me wondering. Also, I had to spent almost $50 for a HSF with temp results that are HIGHER, while with the P4 the HSF comes FREE and results in a LOWER temp. It doesn't need fancy Panaflo's to be quiet either. Tell me, how much additional $$ do you have to pay for them? The P4 runs faster, cooler and quieter for the money.
There are additional expenses involved so I CARE. Its not about the temps, its about value. And currently, the P4 is the better value.

 

[elwood03]

It was actually a pretty cheap heatsink that takes the large, low RPM fan. Still cheaper than an equivalent Intel setup. I agree at the top the price advantage disappears now a days but in the midrange there's still money to be saved! Especially if you a building a non-gaming sytem where integrated graphics are fine. None of the integrated intel solutions touch the nForce/nForce2. My point was basically that temperature isn't a big deal when the system is stable (for desktops). Modern XPs (expecially T-Bred Bs) can be kept cool enough with relatively low cost, quiet fans. People get a freaked out about their temps in most cases for average systems - as long as it's stable temp isn't a HUGE issue. I like the trend on the forums towards quiet systems. My main system is in my bedroom and I want it quieter rather than cooler. A quiet AMD system can be built, be stable and be cheap. The only fans in my system are my quiet power supply and my CPU fan. I lost the front fan, gained a noticable reduction in sound and a couple extra degrees in system heat. I'll take the quiet!

 

[Pauli]

Originally posted by: elwood03
It was actually a pretty cheap heatsink that takes the large, low RPM fan. Still cheaper than an equivalent Intel setup. I agree at the top the price advantage disappears now a days but in the midrange there's still money to be saved! Especially if you a building a non-gaming sytem where integrated graphics are fine. None of the integrated intel solutions touch the nForce/nForce2. My point was basically that temperature isn't a big deal when the system is stable (for desktops). Modern XPs (expecially T-Bred Bs) can be kept cool enough with relatively low cost, quiet fans. People get a freaked out about their temps in most cases for average systems - as long as it's stable temp isn't a HUGE issue. I like the trend on the forums towards quiet systems. My main system is in my bedroom and I want it quieter rather than cooler. A quiet AMD system can be built, be stable and be cheap. The only fans in my system are my quiet power supply and my CPU fan. I lost the front fan, gained a noticable reduction in sound and a couple extra degrees in system heat. I'll take the quiet!

I agree with you that too many people freak out about heat issues that usually are pretty minor. However, you do have to pay extra for that quiet fan, and that pretty much kills the cost advantage over the P4. I'm not worried about spending the extra $20 or $30 when building a system. To me, it's just another hassle to get the alternative HSF.

 

[edro]

Originally posted by: gplracer
From what I have seen the Pentium 2.4b beats all of the AMD cpus that are in the same price range. Also, it is a lot quieter.

Yeah, all those damn electrons, racing through the AMD core, are too loud!

Now that I think of it, I have never heard a processor make any noise.....

 

[Siddhartha]

I just checked Newegg and they are selling the retail P4 2.8 gHz for $389 and the OEM AMD XP 2800+ for $399. So the AMD chip costs at least $30 - $40 more. Though I am sure the XP2800+'s price will continue to go down.

How does a XP2800+\Nforce2 system compare with a P4 2.8 gHz\RDRAM (or DDRAM) in terms of performance?

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

I'm going to be building a system shortly after christmas and from all I've read a P 4 is the best value for my budget. I'm gonna get a 2.4 ghz P4, mobo, case, ram, and vid card for a little over $600.

 

[microAmp]

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth
How does a XP2800+\Nforce2 system compare with a P4 2.8 gHz\RDRAM (or DDRAM) in terms of performance?

Linky for the comparision, AMD 2800+ is at 333 MHz FSB

 

[Pothead]

Who cares if your AMD system is a few degrees (110-115 vs 108) hotter. I've gone the quiet route after years of going for the best cooling. I'm running a 1600+ on an nForce with Panaflos (and two Seagates) that's virtually silent.

A point to make is that people that have p4s in silent rigs can easily OC them without any problems whereas if you're OCing an AMD chip, your temps are going to go up in addition to the fairly high temps.
Excluding the T-Bred, p4s give off less heat and you can OC it easily without reaching the temps of AMD chips. I build quiet systems...I have a p4 1.8A @ 2.3Ghz and a TBird 1Ghz. With the T-Bird, temps hover around 55C, no ocing whereas my OCed p4 runs 45 C.

I even bought a XP1600 and was thinking about getting the Epox nforce2 board, but I think I just changed my mind.

 

[everman]

Personally I only look at the price/performance ration. I don't really care if AMD or Intel is better, it's just who can give me the most for my money. However I do like to see a good amount of competition between the two make them drop prices and come out with better technologies

 

[ArborBarber]

I wonder what temps the 3.06 run at, and I wonder how hot the next p4 chip will run at, it seems to me that if intel keeps running their chips at higher wattages their bound to get hotter...What's the intel's new offerings going for...$650+? In the near future I don't think temps will be an issue as I believe the playing field will soon be level.

 

[gplracer]

My whole point of this was trying to fine a reason to stay with AMD when buying a cpu that is either a XP2400+ or a P4 2.4b or faster. I really do not see any reasons to stay with AMD in this range. The only thing I can come up with is to support the company. I am not really a fan enough of either to support one over the other. I just buy what is the best deal.