What are your CPU upgrade plans?

[wolfman11]

I was initially going to upgrade to a "cheap" dual core chip later this year, but I'm not so sure now as I've had much better success overclocking my Opteron than I had initially hoped for (was looking for 200mhz-400mhz tops and got 700mhz on stock voltage). I'll probably just keep this and wait for K8-L and see what is the best price performance at that time.

 

[theteamaqua]

Originally posted by: severian64

14.3% (6/42) are AMD users going for an Intel setup (A64/opty going conroe)

These 14.3% people who are switching from A64/opyt need a lesson in Upgrade Economics 101. It doesnt make any sense to upgrade to conroe over the marginal perfomance increases unless you have money to burn.

Its been my experience that AMD "platform" is less expensive in terms of upgrades than Intel. I was able to upgrade twice on Socket A (TBird to Barton 2500 XP), twice on S939 (3500+ to Opty 165). In both upgrades the only thing that change was CPU. I didn't need to buy a new mobo and memory like most Intel upgrade force you too.

I am skipping AM2 for K8L.

exactly, its only marginaly better. but do remember that conroe has really good oc ability, 4ghz conroe e6700 on air has been done b4 ........ tower 120

 

[richardrds]

Current rig A64 Winnie 3000+ @ 2.4Ghz running on AV8 S939 mobo with a AGP 6800 softmodded to 16p/6vs. Happy with current rig, runs all my apps fine and the only game I play is Aces High 2 wich is an online WWII Combat flight sim with up to 750 players dogfigting and tanking (great game).

But with the price drop of Dual core X2's in July I will be upgarding to a X2 3800+ if i can get it for between $140-$160, or i may spring for a X2 4200+ if it is only 10-20 bucks more because of the better Heat sink and 11x multi ( my via chipset S939 Abit mobo is finiky with HTT speeds above 267Mhz so the 11x multi on the 4200+ X2 will quarantee i can get max performance out of my next CPU chip. I am certain my current winnie can do better then 2.4 but the mobo HTT is holding it back.)

Since i am not really into needing the latest and greatest Video cards for the new games coming out I can see this upgrade lasting me another 2-3 years. Not bad at all, bought my current rig for $1000 on 12/1/04 and with just a $150 cpu upgrade (to a X2 3800+) I can see it lasting me through 2008.

Edit- I will probably also upgrade to 2G of ram when i upgrade the cpu so add another $100 to the upgrade.

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: MDme
UPDATED TOTALS

45.4% or 15/33 responders will get a conroe for their next build
45.4% or 15/33 will get an AM2/X2?opty system
9% or 3/33 actually will get either depending on different factors (price, perf, availability...)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30.9% (13/42) are AMD users keeping AMD for their next upgrade most of which are single core to X2 upgrades
14.3% (6/42) are Intel users staying with Intel (usually P4's going conroe)
14.3% (6/42) are AMD users going for an Intel setup (A64/opty going conroe)
9.5% (4/42) are Intel users switching to AMD (P3/4 to X2/opty)
4.7% (2/42) are AMD users who may wind up getting either X2 or Conroe
the remaining 26.2% (11/42) have no plans to upgrade soon (usually X2/Opty users)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Based on these totals, it seems:
62% (13/21) of current AMD users plan to stay with AMD (citing mainly price and somewhat some brand loyalty)
28.6% (6/21) of current AMD users plan to go Intel this time.
the remaining 9.5% (2/21) will go for whatever is better at the time (citing price, perf, avail)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60% (6/10) of intel users will stay with intel
40% (4/10) of intel users will jump to AMD (I would've thought that they would stay with intel esp with conroe)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll try to update the results and see the continuing opinion here at AT especially as the reviews and roadmaps are updated.

Keep your responses flowing. Please include current system and upgrade plans.

Please include CURRENT system.

Thanks for doing the math MDme...

"I would've thought that they would stay with intel esp with conroe"

Actually, it looks like AMD will be a better buy...at least for the next several months.
When the price drops happen, you'll be able to get an AM2 X2 3800+ with an Asus M2NPV-VM board combo for ~$250 or less...
Not great for overclocking more than 300-400 MHz or so...but with NVidia 6500 built in, raid 0/1/5/10, 3 video outputs (VGA, DVI, and HDTV), HD Audio, Firewire, USB2, S/PDIF, etc..., it has every whistle and bell you'll need.
If Conroe is even in slightly tight supply, you're going to pay almost that much for the cheapest CPU (E6300) alone...and the X2 3800+ will probably be faster (1.86 Ghz vs 2 GHz).
I'm not quite as familiar with the Conroe-ready platforms, but I haven't been able to find one that matches the features of the M2NPV-VM in a low price point yet (Intel Fans, please stick your hands up if you know of one...).

 

[MDme]

Viditor,

I agree that the AMD solutions (after the price drop) may be quite economical. That is a great feature set for a mobo though. I wonder if it's possible to use the onboard video + a discrete videocard at the same time.

It does seem like a great stop gap upgrade from what I have until K8L.



I'll update totals as soon as more responses are in.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: MDme
Viditor,

I agree that the AMD solutions (after the price drop) may be quite economical. That is a great feature set for a mobo though. I wonder if it's possible to use the onboard video + a discrete videocard at the same time.

It does seem like a great stop gap upgrade from what I have until K8L.



I'll update totals as soon as more responses are in.

yes you can use IGP and a dedicated video card togather.


i have a opty 165 " stock so i'll OC that when i feel i need more speed. other than for about 3-4 years i'll be upgrading the gpu only. and ram.

 

[imported_Husky55]

Great Job MDme!!!

Presently, Venice 3000@2.9GHz . Long time Intel builder but very happy with AMD 64 Venice.

Following options being considered:

1. Plugin new X2 3800 into socket 939 of existing machine

2. Build new AM2 machine with X2

3. Build new Intel Conroe

I need two machines. May be option 2, then in a few months option 3.

 

[Brianoes]

Right now I'm running a SocketA XP3000+ , and I am upgrading real soon to an Opteron 165 or 1165, or possibly an X2 4200+, depending on my thoughts and mATX mobo avaiability in a month and a half (beofre I'm off to University of Rochester). But I'm definately staying with AMD.

Brian

 

[Fern]

I'm still running a sweet little mobile barton that OC's very well. Even if I had the funds now, I'd be waiting until Conroe come out. My upgrades are driven more by gfx card performance than CPU anyway.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Socket-754 A64 3000+ Venice @ 2.6GHz.
Won't be upgrading for awhile, since I already have PCI-E and the current CPU should be more than enough to drive my current (X1900XT) and future vid cards.

 

[Munky]

I got an OC'd Opteron 165, 2 gigs mem, x1900xt. I dont plan to upgrade the cpu until sometime in late 2007 or 2008. In fact, I'm pretty sure I wont be upgrading anything for the rest of the year.

 

[Jeff7181]

I plan to use my 2.5 GHz Athlon 64 until I have a need for dual core CPU's in my day to day activities, and then I'll chose between an X2 and Conroe.

 

[LittleNemoNES]

selling this rig: AMD 3500+ @ 2.4, DFI Ultra-D, 1 GB Corsair value, 120GB IDE Seagate HDD, Sony DVD+RW, 7900 GT for $750 to someone who's already agreed to purchase. Will give my sig PC (sans crossfire ) to my parents, and get a Intel Badaxe crossfire mobo with an E6600 Core 2 Duo.

 

[Jeff7181]

Why do your parents need a 2.75 GHz Opteron?

 

[Conky]

Here is the upgrade plan from my current Northwood 3.06...

I have decided on the E6600. I will have this because it is the lowest speed rated 4M cache rated Core 2 Duo and when these are commonly available for around $300 I will make my move.

I wanted in on the X2's and other sexy AMD stuff but when I heard about these cpu's I just had to wait because, in all honesty, my old Northy 3.06 still gets the job done pretty decently and has for a while.

I am gonna have to jump to a new videocard along with the mobo and cpu. I have also decided on upgrading my P/S too to a PCP&C 510watt job. I figure the couple hundred I save from getting the E6600 instead of the E6700 will pay for it and insure steady overclocks.

 

[xSeongminx]

My plan is... wait for Conroe to come out, and don't even bother looking at it. I'm going to go straight to the F/S Forum and look around, as there are going to be plenty of X2's at ridiculously low prices thanks to everyone upgrading ...

Really though, I'm going to use my AMD 64 2800+ Newcastle and go along the route that I call life...

 

[mithrandir2001]

I have a 1.4GHz Tualatin.

I am waiting for the price wars after the July 23 Conroe launch. I may actually go to the AM2 platform and get either a Sempron 3400+ or a A64 3500+. I don't care about bleeding-edge performance and am partial to quiet and cool running hardware.

Core 2 Duo may take the performance crown but I am concerned that the thermals and power consumption needs will still be relatively high under full load. With a Sempron (not even an EE variant) you may be able to go with a totally passive cooling solution.

 

[MDme]

UPDATED TOTALS

43.1% or 19/44 responders will get a conroe for their next build
45.4% or 20/44 will get an AM2/X2/opty system
11.4% or 5/44 actually will get either depending on different factors (price, perf, availability...)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31.% (18/58) are AMD users keeping AMD for their next upgrade most of which are single core to X2 upgrades
12.1% (7/58) are Intel users staying with Intel (usually P4's going conroe)
15.5% (9/58) are AMD users going for an Intel setup (A64/opty going conroe)
8.6% (5/58) are Intel users switching to AMD (P3/4 to X2/opty)
5.2% (3/58) are AMD users who may wind up getting either X2 or Conroe
the remaining 27.6% (16/58) have no plans to upgrade soon (usually X2/Opty users)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Based on these totals, it seems:
60% (18/30) of current AMD users plan to stay with AMD (citing mainly price and somewhat some brand loyalty)
30% (9/30) of current AMD users plan to go Intel this time.
the remaining 10% (3/30) will go for whatever is better at the time (citing price, perf, avail)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
58% (7/12) of intel users will stay with intel
42% (5/12) of intel users will jump to AMD (citing price and thermals)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RESULTS WILL CONTINUE TO BE UPDATED SO WE CAN KNOW WHAT THE FLAVOR IS HERE AT ANANDTECH.

Keep your responses flowing. Please include current system and upgrade plans.

Please include CURRENT system.

** based on these current totals AMD seems to be holding it's own on future buys.

 

[sandorski]

It'll be at least 1 year before i even consider Upgrading my X2 3800. I'm gonna try and hold out for a AM2 5800-6000, then buy the AM2 riser for my Dual SATA2. Before that though I really need to replace my 9800Pro.

 

[dderolph]

Originally posted by: Trey22
Current - Celeron M 1.3GHz (stock).

Future - Uncertain. I'd really like an AFFORDABLE AM2 X2 Shuttle, but might build a Micro ATX box to hold me over until then.

If I wait for Conroe, I'd like to see the performance difference between their 2MB / 4MB CPU offerings before I buy. How far they overclock is another factor.

Conroe? City of Conroe? Lake Conroe Convention Bureau?

Edit: Oh, I guess it's an ATI chipset, right? ATI offers Conroe Crossfire incentive

 

[dderolph]

Currently running an Athlon XP 2200. No CPU upgrade plans in near future.

 

[Check]

Current
2.4 northwood @ 2.88 (damn you RAM!)

upgrade
E6600 whenever I can get my hands on it.

 

[pcoffman]

Originally posted by: dderolph
Conroe? City of Conroe? Lake Conroe Convention Bureau? ... ATI chipset, right?

Codename for desktop Core 2 Duo & Core 2 Extreme. Or Core 2 Duo E and X series. Intel microprocessor. Kicks @ss. And runs without generating alot of heat.

 

[jkresh]

x2 4400 at 2.63 right now, conroe (6600 or 6700) at as fast as possilbe on my water setup wthin the next 4-5 weeks. Kentsfield or k8l quad core, early 2nd half 07 along with a dx10 card (or 2).

 

[MDme]

AMD prices: http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/2094_large_amd_pricing_1023.png

Conroe performance speaks for itself.

What will you do now?