Building a new computer!

[TheHunterIcemann]

I would still stick with a single core intel Pentium 4 processor. I have had a little experince with AMD processors, but what I have seen I did not like. However, many people swear by AMD, so who knows..... The Intel processors are just very stable, and very fast -- not to mention the preferred chip of Microsoft based computers.

There are few, if any, games out there that actually use 2 cores at once --and a single core processor will still run these games. Since 99.9% of games use only 1 core (or 1 thread at a time) why settle for a 2.66Ghz pentium dual core chip when you can get up to a 3.8Ghz Pentium 4? And to make things better, P4's are much cheaper nowadays!

I would get a 3.0Ghz - 3.6Ghz Pentium 4 (LGA775 socket) chip, with Hyperthreading. (the 3.8Ghz P4 just gives you more expense, much more heat, and hardly any more performance....)
To put it simply, the Hyperthreading processors are set up to function as 2 separate processors, aka, 2 CORES -- so you will be getting that functionality as well even with the 'older' P4's.

My 2 year old 3.2Ghz P4 chip still beats the new 2.66Ghz -3Ghz range intel dual core chips anyway on benchmark tests, so there is definitely something to be said about those 'older' chips.

As long as you get a decent LGA775 socket motherboard to run your P4, (like say one made by intel) and load it up with at least 2GB of RAM (with a speed of 400MHz or higher -- it will tell you on the spec page wherever you buy from), your computer will be very fast, even by todays dual/quad core standards.

As for parts, try NEWEGG.com They are probably the best. I have had quite a few parts fail or come damaged from the manufacturer, and Newegg takes care of it every time. They have a huge selection there, but if for some reason you can't find a part there, then try http://www.outpost.com which is FRY's online store.

[DW_Hornet]

Um, you do realize that AMD had the performance edge over those chips for 3+ years, and you also do realize that their current mainstream chips are called the 5600+ which would be a semi equivalent to a 5.6ghz p4.

Also Hyperthreading is in no means a comparison to dual/quad cores. Hyperthreading gives a boost when the 20 (presscot was like 40+?) stage pipleline needs to be flushed because of an error. There fore you're only getting a small fractional boost, compared to the possible power of an entire new core, and forget 3 additional. The reason why it feels significant is because the core can run more simultaneous threads at one time giving you the feeling of being able to multitasking well.

Furthermore, the whole reason intel ditched the p4 architecture's was because of throttling itself at default clock speed (big issue on the 3.8ghz model).

[zeus]

Curious what benchmarks those are? The P4 has been gasping for air for years. AMD was kicking intel's butt in the gaming arena till the C2D came out.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/sh ... =2795&p=14

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/sh ... =2795&p=15

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/sh ... =2795&p=16

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/14/ ... html#games

Plus, a lot more..

[DW_Tsanger]

WOOHOO! My E6600 went down $10 CND in a week. haha.

[zeus]

WOOHOO! My E6600 went down $10 CND in a week. haha.

That is like 10 cents in american, right?

[DW_Tsanger]

hahaha, hey don't laugh. we still cool up here. :geek:

[DW_ToxicWaste]

Obviously you cellar dwellers do not keep up on exchange rates :cherry:

http://www.x-rates.com/

USD and CAD are nearly one for one.

Single core is dead. UT3 will use as many cores as you have. Games are being written for multi cores now. Single core gamers will hit their heads soon regardless of what video card they have.

Right at this moment, Intel is the way to go. AMD supposedly will kick Intel's ass when they get around to releasing Barcelona (which is now scheduled for a month or two after the end of time.)

E6600 is a nice choice. But In July, the Quad core Kentsfield Q6600 will drop to $266! How many cores you want?

Rich (TW)

[joeblow]

"Right at this moment, Intel is the way to go. AMD supposedly will kick Intel's ass when they get around to releasing Barcelona (which is now scheduled for a month or two after the end of time"

shhh i got puts on AMD if it goes under 14$.



wp

[DW_Tsanger]

Damn i can't wait that long! haha also i have no use for a quad core at this moment. if i do want one later on i can always just buy it whenever. so for the time being i think ill stick with the E6600 and go from there.

[DW_Tsanger]

well i priced everything out. its going to cost me about $1600 CND for everything. that includes a monitor as well. damn thats pricey. here is what i am getting though.

1. Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio

2. OCZ GameXStream 700W ATX12V 24PIN SLI Ready Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black

3. Gigabyte N650SLI-DS4 Nforce 650I LGA775 ATX 2PCI-E16 3PCI SATA2 RAID Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard

4. Samsung SyncMaster 931BW 19IN Widescreen Glossy LCD Monitor 2000:1 1440X900 2MS HDCP VGA DVI-D

5. Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 4MB Retail

6. Samsung SH-S183L Black SATA DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 DL 8X Lightscribe DVD Writer OEM W/ SW

7. OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit

8. EVGA E-GEFORCE 8600GTS Superclocked 720MHZ 256MB 2.1GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card

9. Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive

Tell me what you guys think of this setup. any suggestions will always be taken into consideration as well. thanks guys

Tsanger