A couple of questions...

RAW · 07-22-2005, 06:58 PM

I've read the 101s and they were very helpful, kudos to the author!

But I still have some questions.

1) Since I am a gamer (not hardcore, but more than casual) I believe an AMD processor would suit me best. However, when people say that AMD is better for gaming, HOW MUCH better are we talking, assuming you were comparing similarly specced computers - one with an Intel and one with an AMD. Is there a significant difference, or is it hardly noticeable?

2) One concern I have is about the stability of these processors. I was wondering, what is the general consensus about which brand tends to run more stable, cool and consume less power - AMD or Intel? Or does it depend on the PARTICULAR chip?

Basically I'm looking at the following processors:

AMD A64 (939) 3200/3500
Pentium 4(630) 3.0GHz
Pentium D 820 2.8GHz

Out of these, I believe the AMD performs the best with gaming while the Pentium D will perform the worst at gaming. How much of a performance gap are we talking here? If the AMD only holds a slight edge in gaming, I would prefer the chip that runs stable, cool, and consumes less power (and quiet would be a bonus too). Which of these chips would that be?

Thanks.

**The_Other_One** · 07-22-2005, 07:20 PM

There is not a huge gap between AMD and intel processors, probably hardly noticeable. The main difference is the price. AMD tends to be a good bit cheaper for the same speed.

I don't know so much about the current processors, but AMD has always been very warm. Sooo... Intel might have this one. Now, as long as you have decent cooling, I bet both will be fine.

**dragon2309** · 07-22-2005, 07:33 PM

Just dont get a pentium 4 prescott core, they run bloody hot. If your getting something like water cooling then it doesnt matter at all about heat (obviously)

**apj101** · 07-22-2005, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Just dont get a pentium 4 prescott core, they run bloody hot.

its only on the 478 socket that they run hot. They sorted out the issues with the 775socket

**apj101** · 07-22-2005, 10:14 PM

Quote:

2) One concern I have is about the stability of these processors. I was wondering, what is the general consensus about which brand tends to run more stable, cool and consume less power - AMD or Intel? Or does it depend on the PARTICULAR chip?

There are no stablility differences, but amd64s run cooler and on less power than p4s

**The_Other_One** · 07-22-2005, 10:37 PM

Oh really? Hehe, I figured AMDs still ran hotter than P4s

Well, all in all, wouldn't you think Athlons would be more stable seeing as they would be less likely to overheat?

RAW · 07-23-2005, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apj101

There are no stablility differences, but amd64s run cooler and on less power than p4s

Yeah I was reading a few reviews of the AMD64 939 3200 and all of them liked the performance and also praised its ability to draw less power and run cool. So it looks like I'll be going with the AMD. Thanks for the help.

XHotxEx791 · 07-23-2005, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apj101

its only on the 478 socket that they run hot. They sorted out the issues with the 775socket

Its just as hot at 50 celcius idle around there 40-50 idle.

**Praetor** · 07-24-2005, 02:08 PM

Quote:

I've read the 101s and they were very helpful, kudos to the author!

Yay

Quote:

Since I am a gamer (not hardcore, but more than casual) I believe an AMD processor would suit me best. However, when people say that AMD is better for gaming, HOW MUCH better are we talking, assuming you were comparing similarly specced computers - one with an Intel and one with an AMD. Is there a significant difference, or is it hardly noticeable?

Hands down better.

Quote:

AMD A64 (939) 3200/3500
Pentium 4(630) 3.0GHz
Pentium D 820 2.8GHz

For gaming, the Athlon64 3200/3500 are the chips to get.

Quote:

Out of these, I believe the AMD performs the best with gaming while the Pentium D will perform the worst at gaming.

Well that's contestable

(yes, always with the obscure counterexamples heehee) ... you could be trying to play say Jedi Knight2 (moderately CPU intensive) and also trying to output a scene from Adobe Premier ... in that case, i'd argue the 820 is the proc to get

Quote:

I would prefer the chip that runs stable, cool, and consumes less power (and quiet would be a bonus too).

For the most part, you dont have to worry about that stuff anymore

Quote:

Just dont get a pentium 4 prescott core,

(cough) misinformed fanboysim (cough)

Ive commented on Prescotts a bazillion times so I wont repeat myself here.

Quote:

There are no stablility differences, but amd64s run cooler and on less power than p4s

Although realistically this still isnt an issue as you'll save a whopping $50/year on your electricity bill or soemthing

Quote:

Well, all in all, wouldn't you think Athlons would be more stable seeing as they would be less likely to overheat?

Overheating implies lack of stability. Not overheating doesnt imply stability.

Quote:

Its just as hot at 50 celcius idle around there 40-50 idle.

Well if it's idling that hot then it's a case of "user installation error" ... got a Pentium4 540 now with 44C [burn] on stock cooling and a Pentium4 550 at 39C [burn] on aftermarket cooling.

07-22-2005, 06:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
RAW New Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 19	A couple of questions... I've read the 101s and they were very helpful, kudos to the author! But I still have some questions. 1) Since I am a gamer (not hardcore, but more than casual) I believe an AMD processor would suit me best. However, when people say that AMD is better for gaming, HOW MUCH better are we talking, assuming you were comparing similarly specced computers - one with an Intel and one with an AMD. Is there a significant difference, or is it hardly noticeable? 2) One concern I have is about the stability of these processors. I was wondering, what is the general consensus about which brand tends to run more stable, cool and consume less power - AMD or Intel? Or does it depend on the PARTICULAR chip? Basically I'm looking at the following processors: AMD A64 (939) 3200/3500 Pentium 4(630) 3.0GHz Pentium D 820 2.8GHz Out of these, I believe the AMD performs the best with gaming while the Pentium D will perform the worst at gaming. How much of a performance gap are we talking here? If the AMD only holds a slight edge in gaming, I would prefer the chip that runs stable, cool, and consumes less power (and quiet would be a bonus too). Which of these chips would that be? Thanks.

07-22-2005, 07:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 23 Posts: 12,368	There is not a huge gap between AMD and intel processors, probably hardly noticeable. The main difference is the price. AMD tends to be a good bit cheaper for the same speed. I don't know so much about the current processors, but AMD has always been very warm. Sooo... Intel might have this one. Now, as long as you have decent cooling, I bet both will be fine. __________________ Desktop * Athlon X2 4200 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| 7600GT Laptop1 * C2D T5550 \| 3G RAM \| 120G HD \| Intel x3100 Laptop2 * C2D T5250 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| Intel x3100

07-22-2005, 07:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
dragon2309 P.I Dragon Join Date: May 2005 Location: KENT, UK Age: 20 Posts: 8,430	Just dont get a pentium 4 prescott core, they run bloody hot. If your getting something like water cooling then it doesnt matter at all about heat (obviously) __________________ Intel Core2Duo E6600 @ 3.1Ghz - (__CPU__) eVGA 680i SLi - (__MOB__) 4Gb Corsair Dominator DDR2-800 (4x1024Mb) - (__RAM__) 250Gb Western Digital SATAII 7200rpm - (__HDD__) nVidia BFG 8800GTS OC 320Mb - (__GFX__) LG DVD+/-RW 18x DVD-RAM - (__OPT__) Triple Boot - [XP Pro] + [Vista Ultimate] + [Ubuntu 7.10] - (__OS__) [3DMARK'03 :: 25,587] --- [3DMARK'05 :: 13,989] --- [3DMARK'06 :: 8791] - (__BENCHMARKS__) dragon2309.co.uk - a little slice of geek

07-22-2005, 10:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 23 Posts: 12,368	Oh really? Hehe, I figured AMDs still ran hotter than P4s Well, all in all, wouldn't you think Athlons would be more stable seeing as they would be less likely to overheat? __________________ Desktop * Athlon X2 4200 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| 7600GT Laptop1 * C2D T5550 \| 3G RAM \| 120G HD \| Intel x3100 Laptop2 * C2D T5250 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| Intel x3100

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