Hello all!
I've been a long time reader and now I am a first time poster. I've gotten tired of my 3-year-old laptop and decided its time to go back to desktops. Well, after doing some reseach and reading all the articles here on Anandtech, I decided to build my first system!! However, I really don't know which processor to get....
Other than the CPU, here is what I'm planning to build with:
Geil Value 2x512mb PC-3200
Sapphire Radeon 9800PRO 128mb
WD 80GB 7200RPM SATA 8MB HDD
Antech True430 Power Supply
Here's a list of CPUs I'm thinking of getting:
Athlon XP 2500+
Athlon XP 3200+
Athlon 64 2800+
Athlon 64 3000+ (512kb)
(northwood)
P4 2.8
P4 3.0
I'm not much of a gamer (can't play FPS, I'll get a headache) but I will play the occasional MMO/RPG, or other non-FPS games. Since I don't know anything about overclocking, it isn't a factor in my decision.
1) I picked the XP 2500+ because I've heard it gives you the best bang/buck ratio for speed when overclocking, but since I won't OC, should I even consider this?
2) I picked the XP 3200+ because of its 400Mhz FSB, but does this really make a difference compared to the 2500+?
3) I picked the athlon 64 chips because of its high praise and low cost, and I've heard that the 2800+ chip is comparable to the 3000+, so its a better value... is this correct? But now that the 939 sockets are coming in, I'm not sure if I should get a 64 now. Is the dual-channel support on the 939 really worth the $500 pricetag for the 3500+??? Since I was going to get 2 512mb pc-3200 chips, I figured dual-channel is a nice thing to have, but if it doesn't really make a difference, I might just go with a 64 cpu.
4) I just threw Intel into there. Since I'm primarly going to use the computer for the internet, office xp, and gaming, I'm not sure if Intel's higher pricetag will lure me in since I've read that AMD is better for gaming and business apps.
5) Can anyone also maybe rank these CPUs in order from fastest to slowest?
Sorry about the long post, but can anyone shed some light on which is probably the best to get for my situation?
Once I get an idea of which processor to get, I'll probably post again on which motherboard to get!! :shocked:
JYoung
PS - Since I didn't see a forum on memory, is Geil an okay memory brand? I know Corsair is the industry standard with thier XMS, but is there really a BIG difference in speed to justify its higher price? Once again, since I won't OC or I"m not a huge gamer, should I still look into these chips?
I've been a long time reader and now I am a first time poster. I've gotten tired of my 3-year-old laptop and decided its time to go back to desktops. Well, after doing some reseach and reading all the articles here on Anandtech, I decided to build my first system!! However, I really don't know which processor to get....
Other than the CPU, here is what I'm planning to build with:
Geil Value 2x512mb PC-3200
Sapphire Radeon 9800PRO 128mb
WD 80GB 7200RPM SATA 8MB HDD
Antech True430 Power Supply
Here's a list of CPUs I'm thinking of getting:
Athlon XP 2500+
Athlon XP 3200+
Athlon 64 2800+
Athlon 64 3000+ (512kb)
(northwood)
P4 2.8
P4 3.0
I'm not much of a gamer (can't play FPS, I'll get a headache) but I will play the occasional MMO/RPG, or other non-FPS games. Since I don't know anything about overclocking, it isn't a factor in my decision.
1) I picked the XP 2500+ because I've heard it gives you the best bang/buck ratio for speed when overclocking, but since I won't OC, should I even consider this?
2) I picked the XP 3200+ because of its 400Mhz FSB, but does this really make a difference compared to the 2500+?
3) I picked the athlon 64 chips because of its high praise and low cost, and I've heard that the 2800+ chip is comparable to the 3000+, so its a better value... is this correct? But now that the 939 sockets are coming in, I'm not sure if I should get a 64 now. Is the dual-channel support on the 939 really worth the $500 pricetag for the 3500+??? Since I was going to get 2 512mb pc-3200 chips, I figured dual-channel is a nice thing to have, but if it doesn't really make a difference, I might just go with a 64 cpu.
4) I just threw Intel into there. Since I'm primarly going to use the computer for the internet, office xp, and gaming, I'm not sure if Intel's higher pricetag will lure me in since I've read that AMD is better for gaming and business apps.
5) Can anyone also maybe rank these CPUs in order from fastest to slowest?
Sorry about the long post, but can anyone shed some light on which is probably the best to get for my situation?
Once I get an idea of which processor to get, I'll probably post again on which motherboard to get!! :shocked:
JYoung
PS - Since I didn't see a forum on memory, is Geil an okay memory brand? I know Corsair is the industry standard with thier XMS, but is there really a BIG difference in speed to justify its higher price? Once again, since I won't OC or I"m not a huge gamer, should I still look into these chips?