Is AM2 worth it?

[bratton]

Simple question. Going AM2 doesn't seem to up cost or screw with compatibility as far as I can tell (other than ddr2). So, the question, AM2 or 939? (while considering cost and upgradability)

 

[fruscai]

well are you goind from a system that is different from either, can you give some system specs please, then id be happy to help out, ive actually been faced with the same choice, so ive been doing a helllll of a lot of reading up and researching to figure out which direction i should go

 

[Geoff]

If your going to be building a new computer, i would go with an AM2 CPU, since AMD is no longer making newer 939 chips, only AM2. AM2 also performs slightly better than there 939 counterparts, when you use fast DDR2 RAM.

 

[bratton]

The main thing is that i don't feel like spending $xxxxxx on ram. I'd still be spending $80-1gig or $160-2gig
Other than that I'll be using a 3200+ or x23800+ after price cuts on an asus board.

 

[Bobo]

The main thing is that i don't feel like spending $xxxxxx on ram. I'd still be spending $80-1gig or $160-2gig
Other than that I'll be using a 3200+ or x23800+ after price cuts on an asus board.

Well I just bought an AM2 rig, and I spend $115 on 1GB of RAM, because I got DDR2-800. For the lower speeds, you can still spend that price, it just won't be high quality.

There is a rather large price difference between the 3200 and the X2 3800 (like $200)

 

[bratton]

I'll be running a 3200+ or x2 3800+ with 1gb (later 2gb) ram, probably on an asus or msi board.

How necessary is paying for ddr2 800 ram? Is ram backwards compatible? If I went with slower ram, would that make my system noticably slower?

EDIT: bobo: I'll be waiting for the AMD price drop, which will make the 3200+ to x2 3800+ hopefully more like a $70 price difference.

 

[APM98]

i spend $117 on my OCZ DDR2 800 for my AM2

 

[Bobo]

How necessary is paying for ddr2 800 ram? Is ram backwards compatible? If I went with slower ram, would that make my system noticably slower?

I paid for it because I didn't want to have to upgrade in the future, and I wanted the largest performance jump possible because for now I only have an Athlon 64 3500.

EDIT: bobo: I'll be waiting for the AMD price drop, which will make the 3200+ to x2 3800+ hopefully more like a $70 price difference.

Well I just saw a big price drop, the AM2 3500 went from $194 to $112, and that is why I bought it now. I will upgrade to an X2 later.

i spend $117 on my OCZ DDR2 800 for my AM2

That is the same thing that I got. BTW, where is downingtown?