is amd 64 3200 enough?

[1457]

there is a big price difference between 3200 and 3500. would i be able to play games decently with 3200 or should i get 3500? what does 3200 correspond to in intel? what does 3500 correspond to?

 

[quakefiend420]

stick with the 3200 and put more money in your video card...thats where you need the power

 

[amol]

i agree with quakefiend420

if you need extra money for a video card, its not a big loss going down from a 3200+ to a 3000+

and when corresponding to intel . . . well, you cant when you're saying that you're going to game, because AMD > Intel at gaming

 

[jabronidan89]

I have the 3200, its awesome.

 

[Acert93]

Originally posted by: quakefiend420
stick with the 3200 and put more money in your video card...thats where you need the power

I agree. And if I understand correctly, the 90nm 3200+ chips come from the same bins as the 3500+ (just different multiplier), so they should OC about the same. A lot of people are able to OC their 3200+ to 2.4GHz or higher (~ equal to a 3800+).

Save the extra couple hundred bucks and get a nice video card if gaming is a concern.

 

[1457]

would it bottleneck say x800xt?

 

[quakefiend420]

doubtful

 

[amol]

Originally posted by: 1457
would it bottleneck say x800xt?

X800XT is a great card (i have it) and shouldn't be a bottleneck

any A64 will be good with that card

if you havn't bought it yet, i suggest the X800XL (though it is PCI-Express . . . i heard of AGP plans, but it wont be in stores for a while)

 

[ribbon13]

I assked mysself that very question and I underclocked one down to 1.6Ghz and only lost 5 frames out of 155+. So I'd say no.

 

[Schneider879]

Yeah, the 3200+ is an awesome cpu.

 

[Insomniak]

Get a .09 AMD CPU and OC it if you really want more juice. Be aware this does void your warranty however.

 

[KoolDrew]

The 3200 is fine. It is even better if you are overclocking as the 3500 and 3200 overclock to about the same so spending an extra $100 on the 3500 seems silly to me if you are overclocking.

 

[amol]

If you are a MASSIVE overclocker . . .


REVISION E

 

[imported_Computer MAn]

Originally posted by: quakefiend420
stick with the 3200 and put more money in your video card...thats where you need the power

 

[flexy]

definitly a 3200 over 3500 and use the saved money for GOOD memory. like OCZ el 3200 plat rev2.

I wasted some money on my 3500, but run a low multiplier (9x) but put HIGH overclock on the memory.
I could run the same low multiplier on a cheaper 3200 and it would overclock about the same. The "advantage" of the higher multiplier (eg. 11x) for the 3500 is useless since with the high multi AND high mem/HTT overclock ii would far exceed what my CPU can handle.

3200/3500 can handle 2600 mhz on air w/ good cooling (like xp-90/xp-120) if you get a good week (41-45)....higher (2700) if you get *exceptional* good stepping and maybe water cooling etc. But 2600 should be doable with an average/moderate good setup.

 

[flexy]

>>>
what does 3200 correspond to in intel? what does 3500 correspond to?
>>>

welcome in the wonderful world of "PR ratings"

anyone correct me but the "inofficial" explanation is of course that the PR number is compared to a Pentium 4 running at those said mhz.

AMD will of course deny....nevertheless...

HOWEVER..all you have to know is that the current AMD CPUs, A64 3200 and 3500 are super fast and (as benchmarks show) are faster than the currently fastest Intel CPUs. NOT ALWAYS....but in some areas, like gaming.

The 3200 is not really a bottleneck since the real difference in speed to the 3500 is negelctible. Especially if you ever gonna overclock it doesnt matter whether you get 3200 or 3500...the CPUs itself can hit anything from 2500 to 2700 mhz thus far exceeding their original/rated speeds. (For the 3200 that is 2ghz, for the 3500 2.2Ghz)

Edit: And yes, if you do NOT chose the overclocking route and expensive overclocker's memory...still get the 3200 and put the saved money toward a good video card. The advantage in real "life" is much higher than a BIT faster CPU but a crappy video card.

 

[AFB]

In short, Yes IMO

 

[REMF]

Originally posted by: 1457
would it bottleneck say x800xt?

not if you are running the XT at sensible resolutions like 1680x1050 or higher. if you are running at 1280x1024 or lower then yes, you vid-card may spend time sitting around cooling its heels while the CPU plays catchup.

 

[ShadowBlade]

if youre gonna be overclocking, go with the 3000+ and save approx. $50 more for a graphics card

 

[Trente]

Originally posted by: jabronidan89
I have the 3200, its awesome.

 

[imported_Hi]

get a 3200+
get along the lines of 6800gt or X800XT
and 1gb of ram and your system will kick ass