AM2 vs 939 build

Impr3ssiv3

Impr3ssiv3

New Member
i am getting a new computer for my bday but im torn between AM2 or 939 processor.


i already have a 939 build set up and its probably borderlining my budget.

i know the benefits for upgrading with AM2 but the price of RAM will take my budget over board

any suggestions because all the DDR2 RAM is different from waht i look for.

i.e. i look for low cas latency but im not exactly sure of good stats for RAM
 
If you could, try to go with AM2. For the RAM, the CL depends on the speed of the memory that your getting. Since your on a budget, i would look at DDR2-667 RAM which isnt much more than DDR400. A good CL for DDR2-667 would be around 3-4.
 
well my board supports DDR2 800 which is what i want becuase i need this fast for Photoshop and gaming.


wat would be good for that speed
 
Well if you want DDR2-800, then the lowest price for a 1GB stick is around $110. A good CL for that would be 4-5.
 
I went with AM2 and I am happy with my decision. I got OCZ 2 x 512 DDR2 800 for like $117 on newegg
 
APM98 said:
I went with AM2 and I am happy with my decision. I got OCZ 2 x 512 DDR2 800 for like $117 on newegg
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Looks like a nice rig.

I just want to point out that the name for those AM2 CPU's is "Orleans", not "New Orleans" :P.
 
Rumors are spreading about the new "reverse HT" that AMD has been talking about, and how the new AM2 CPU's are coming shipped with those built-in, however there just not enabled yet.

If this is true, it would be a similar story to the Intel Pentium 4 Northwoods, and how they were sold for many months with Hyper Threading built-in, but Intel never enabled them until several months later.
 
question about compatible memory ? what numbers does one need to look for ? i know DDR2 but what about the next numbers ?
 
Arctic388 said:
question about compatible memory ? what numbers does one need to look for ? i know DDR2 but what about the next numbers ?
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it would depend on the motherboard. most am2 boards use DDR2-800 standard memory, but there are a few DDR2-667 standard boards.
 
Arctic388 said:
question about compatible memory ? what numbers does one need to look for ? i know DDR2 but what about the next numbers ?
Click to expand...
Really any 240Pin DDR2 memory will work, but the most common would most likely be DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 (DDR2-800 being the fastest at stock). Anything higher than DDR2-800 (or what the motherboard supports), will be downclocked to the max rated speed. However say you get DDR2-1000 memory, it will run at DDR2-800 (given the correct motherboard), however when you overclock you dont need to set a memory divider, so you may get it to run at around DDR2-1000 speeds.
 
thanks i am getting the lsit togethetr to compare builds and i had a DDR2 557 i think picked out so the minimum has to be 800. that raised the price quite a bit.

should i even worry about AM2 or just build a good 939 ? it would just be for home use. i plan to use it for years. the one i have now is from 1999 and i have never done any mods to it. i just need a new one to replace it cause its starting to give me problems.

my 939 build is almost $900.00 (with 200 for 19"lcd) and my AM2 build is at $1000.00 without monitor.
 
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Arctic388 said:
thanks i am getting the lsit togethetr to compare builds and i had a DDR2 557 i think picked out so the minimum has to be 800. that raised the price quite a bit.

should i even worry about AM2 or just build a good 939 ? it would just be for home use. i plan to use it for years. the one i have now is from 1999 and i have never done any mods to it. i just need a new one to replace it cause its starting to give me problems.

my 939 build is almost $900.00 (with 200 for 19"lcd) and my AM2 build is at $1000.00 without monitor.
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i think that the decision is totally up to you, a good 939 build will last a while, if i were in your shoes i would go with the 939. its cheaper and your can get some extras (monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, controller, ect.) and still be under the price of the AM2 build.
 
monkeysims said:
i think that the decision is totally up to you, a good 939 build will last a while, if i were in your shoes i would go with the 939. its cheaper and your can get some extras (monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, controller, ect.) and still be under the price of the AM2 build.
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The only cheaper thing for s939 is the RAM. The CPUs are the same price, and the motherboards are pretty much the same.
 
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