$298 for the Intel Wolfdale 2.5Ghz with 4GB of DDR2 800 with the same WD drive and PS, which would probably suit me nicely, but for adding an extra $35, I get faster performance, and HD capable video.. Seems like a no brainer I guess.
Intel or AMD?
- Thread starter MysticGold04
- Start date
- Status
My only suggestion would be to use a better quality power supply (even though it is slightly less efficient than the one you picked). It's even $10 cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703017
Amazing what you can get for $300 these days.
Regards,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703017
Amazing what you can get for $300 these days.
Regards,
Intel Q9400 Quad-Core 2.66ghz, $179.99, free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-L4D-_-19115131
Promo Code: EMCLWMP38
Deal ends 8/19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-L4D-_-19115131
Promo Code: EMCLWMP38
Deal ends 8/19
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
I very rarely build home-user systems; I do servers, workstations and business computers. 99.9% of the systems I build or sell are Intel-based. And by that, I mean with an Intel chipset on the motherboard too.
Why?
Because Intel has proven to be superior in terms of component life and stability in my experience.
Your needs are not typical of the market I cater to, but you cannot go wrong with a Core2Duo or Core2Quad CPU.
Why?
Because Intel has proven to be superior in terms of component life and stability in my experience.
Your needs are not typical of the market I cater to, but you cannot go wrong with a Core2Duo or Core2Quad CPU.
All the machines at our home are AMD but I have an Intel at work. They both are fine. Honestly, you don't even notice performance differences between processors these days as long as they are dual core.
Money can better be spent on a good power supply, ram and hard drive rather than the top of the line processors IMHO.
Money can better be spent on a good power supply, ram and hard drive rather than the top of the line processors IMHO.
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I very rarely build home-user systems; I do servers, workstations and business computers. 99.9% of the systems I build or sell are Intel-based. And by that, I mean with an Intel chipset on the motherboard too.
Why?
Because Intel has proven to be superior in terms of component life and stability in my experience.
Your needs are not typical of the market I cater to, but you cannot go wrong with a Core2Duo or Core2Quad CPU.
That's true - I've never seen a line of intel boards fail due to inferior quality components.
I very rarely build home-user systems; I do servers, workstations and business computers. 99.9% of the systems I build or sell are Intel-based. And by that, I mean with an Intel chipset on the motherboard too.
Why?
Because Intel has proven to be superior in terms of component life and stability in my experience.
Your needs are not typical of the market I cater to, but you cannot go wrong with a Core2Duo or Core2Quad CPU.
That's true - I've never seen a line of intel boards fail due to inferior quality components.
Curve ball of an idea for an on the cheap build. 1.6GHz dual core and the Power supply is included.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500028
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500028
Originally Posted By: rick9009
Curve ball of an idea for an on the cheap build. 1.6GHz dual core and the Power supply is included.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500028
The Atom N230 is a SINGLE core processor and a VERY slow one, at that. That would be a painful solution for a typical desktop unless the owner's idea of "power usage" was watching the occasional youtube video.
Curve ball of an idea for an on the cheap build. 1.6GHz dual core and the Power supply is included.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500028
The Atom N230 is a SINGLE core processor and a VERY slow one, at that. That would be a painful solution for a typical desktop unless the owner's idea of "power usage" was watching the occasional youtube video.
Back to the OP, I think at this point, I would buy what's cheapest at your desired performance point. That is usually an AMD. I've rolled systems with both processors over the decades, and both are equally reliable in my experience if not overclocking.
What you get with an Intel processor at the same performance point is usually less power consumption, a cooler running CPU, and better overclocking headroom. Although the race may change from time to time (as in the early A64 era), most of the time, Intel will offer better performance at the flagship price point (and will cost quite a bit more than the competing AMD offering). If those are factors to you, then that may justify the Intel price premium.
As I get older, I do value power consumption and thermal management more (it translates into a quieter system), so lean towards the cooler running Intels. But AMD is usually the better value, and their supporting chipsets have greatly evolved in the past few years.
I do think it interesting that folks now tout Intel as a server market force. "Back in the day" Intel was considered minor league at that strata compared to major players such as IBM. But perhaps one man's mainframe is another's server.
What you get with an Intel processor at the same performance point is usually less power consumption, a cooler running CPU, and better overclocking headroom. Although the race may change from time to time (as in the early A64 era), most of the time, Intel will offer better performance at the flagship price point (and will cost quite a bit more than the competing AMD offering). If those are factors to you, then that may justify the Intel price premium.
As I get older, I do value power consumption and thermal management more (it translates into a quieter system), so lean towards the cooler running Intels. But AMD is usually the better value, and their supporting chipsets have greatly evolved in the past few years.
I do think it interesting that folks now tout Intel as a server market force. "Back in the day" Intel was considered minor league at that strata compared to major players such as IBM. But perhaps one man's mainframe is another's server.
Originally Posted By: rick9009
The Atom N230 has two logical processors. The finished desktop will pull less then 50 watts at the wall. MysticGold04 currently has an old 1.1ghz so I don't think he is a power user. That's why I put the idea out.
It's basically a warmed over hyperthreading scenario.
They are not at all the same and for most workloads it will actually behave like a single processor.
A hyperthreaded processor, or "two logical processors," has the same number of function units as an older, non-hyperthreaded processor. It just has two execution contexts, so it can maybe achieve better function unit utilization by letting more than one program execute concurrently IFF the programs running are properly threaded and not competing for the same function units. On the other hand, if you're running two programs which compete for the same function units, there is no advantage at all to having both running "concurrently." When one is running, the other is necessarily waiting on the same function units.
A dual core processor literally has two times as many function units as a single-core processor, and can really run two programs concurrently, with no competition for function units.
The end result is that for any kind of desktop scenario, the Atom is ungodly slow, even with an extra "logical processor." The Atom 330, on the other hand, has an actual dual core design. So then you'd have two glacial cores able to do quite a bit more work than one glacial core "faking it." An Atom 330 when integrated with something a bit more speedy than Intel's GMA video processor could potentially be usable for a typical home machine that doesn't do gaming. Intel is fighting that tooth and nail though and would rather "upsell" those folks to something a bit more power hungry (and profitable) for them.
The Atom N230 has two logical processors. The finished desktop will pull less then 50 watts at the wall. MysticGold04 currently has an old 1.1ghz so I don't think he is a power user. That's why I put the idea out.
It's basically a warmed over hyperthreading scenario.
They are not at all the same and for most workloads it will actually behave like a single processor.
A hyperthreaded processor, or "two logical processors," has the same number of function units as an older, non-hyperthreaded processor. It just has two execution contexts, so it can maybe achieve better function unit utilization by letting more than one program execute concurrently IFF the programs running are properly threaded and not competing for the same function units. On the other hand, if you're running two programs which compete for the same function units, there is no advantage at all to having both running "concurrently." When one is running, the other is necessarily waiting on the same function units.
A dual core processor literally has two times as many function units as a single-core processor, and can really run two programs concurrently, with no competition for function units.
The end result is that for any kind of desktop scenario, the Atom is ungodly slow, even with an extra "logical processor." The Atom 330, on the other hand, has an actual dual core design. So then you'd have two glacial cores able to do quite a bit more work than one glacial core "faking it."
An Atom 330 when integrated with something a bit more speedy than Intel's GMA video processor could potentially be usable for a typical home machine that doesn't do gaming. Intel is fighting that tooth and nail though and would rather "upsell" those folks to something a bit more power hungry (and profitable) for them.
Last edited:
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
The N230 is essentially a 1.6Ghz Yonah laptop CPU.
While definitely a far-cry from Core2Duo performance, it will run Windows XP, surf the web, play videos and do all the other junk that a laptop with a 1.6Ghz Yonah would do quite readily.
Portraying it as "slow as dirt" needs to be put into the context of its intended use.
This CPU would work just fine for my mom for example, who shops E-bay and watches videos, does e-mail...etc.
While definitely a far-cry from Core2Duo performance, it will run Windows XP, surf the web, play videos and do all the other junk that a laptop with a 1.6Ghz Yonah would do quite readily.
Portraying it as "slow as dirt" needs to be put into the context of its intended use.
This CPU would work just fine for my mom for example, who shops E-bay and watches videos, does e-mail...etc.
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
The N230 is essentially a 1.6Ghz Yonah laptop CPU.
While definitely a far-cry from Core2Duo performance, it will run Windows XP, surf the web, play videos and do all the other junk that a laptop with a 1.6Ghz Yonah would do quite readily.
Portraying it as "slow as dirt" needs to be put into the context of its intended use.
This CPU would work just fine for my mom for example, who shops E-bay and watches videos, does e-mail...etc.
But in real life, it performs about the same as a 1.3ghz Celeron M processor if you dig around the various benchmark rags. I suspect that's a bit lower than even a bargain hunter is willing to go when they're talking about a new DESKTOP machine. Heck, you could order a faster machine from Walmart that includes a 20" LCD, hard disk, DVD burner, keyboard, and mouse for $300. It's also a single core processor, but it's quite a bit snappier than the Atom if the benchmarks are to be believed.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11007926#ProductDetail
Again, it's amazing what you can get for a couple hundred bucks these days. For a portable device where you need extended battery life in exchange for performance, I'd agree that an Atom would be a nice fit.
Best,
The N230 is essentially a 1.6Ghz Yonah laptop CPU.
While definitely a far-cry from Core2Duo performance, it will run Windows XP, surf the web, play videos and do all the other junk that a laptop with a 1.6Ghz Yonah would do quite readily.
Portraying it as "slow as dirt" needs to be put into the context of its intended use.
This CPU would work just fine for my mom for example, who shops E-bay and watches videos, does e-mail...etc.
But in real life, it performs about the same as a 1.3ghz Celeron M processor if you dig around the various benchmark rags. I suspect that's a bit lower than even a bargain hunter is willing to go when they're talking about a new DESKTOP machine. Heck, you could order a faster machine from Walmart that includes a 20" LCD, hard disk, DVD burner, keyboard, and mouse for $300. It's also a single core processor, but it's quite a bit snappier than the Atom if the benchmarks are to be believed.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11007926#ProductDetail
Again, it's amazing what you can get for a couple hundred bucks these days. For a portable device where you need extended battery life in exchange for performance, I'd agree that an Atom would be a nice fit.
Best,
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Originally Posted By: Familyguy
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
The N230 is essentially a 1.6Ghz Yonah laptop CPU.
While definitely a far-cry from Core2Duo performance, it will run Windows XP, surf the web, play videos and do all the other junk that a laptop with a 1.6Ghz Yonah would do quite readily.
Portraying it as "slow as dirt" needs to be put into the context of its intended use.
This CPU would work just fine for my mom for example, who shops E-bay and watches videos, does e-mail...etc.
But in real life, it performs about the same as a 1.3ghz Celeron M processor if you dig around the various benchmark rags. I suspect that's a bit lower than even a bargain hunter is willing to go when they're talking about a new DESKTOP machine. Heck, you could order a faster machine from Walmart that includes a 20" LCD, hard disk, DVD burner, keyboard, and mouse for $300. It's also a single core processor, but it's quite a bit snappier than the Atom if the benchmarks are to be believed.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11007926#ProductDetail
Again, it's amazing what you can get for a couple hundred bucks these days. For a portable device where you need extended battery life in exchange for performance, I'd agree that an Atom would be a nice fit.
Best,
It truly is.
That being said, I can currently get an N230 SYSTEM (sans-monitor) for $160.00CDN (that's probably ~$100.00 south of the border).
Deals like that, based on the intended usage I mentioned earlier would make it a decent choice for some.
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
The N230 is essentially a 1.6Ghz Yonah laptop CPU.
While definitely a far-cry from Core2Duo performance, it will run Windows XP, surf the web, play videos and do all the other junk that a laptop with a 1.6Ghz Yonah would do quite readily.
Portraying it as "slow as dirt" needs to be put into the context of its intended use.
This CPU would work just fine for my mom for example, who shops E-bay and watches videos, does e-mail...etc.
But in real life, it performs about the same as a 1.3ghz Celeron M processor if you dig around the various benchmark rags. I suspect that's a bit lower than even a bargain hunter is willing to go when they're talking about a new DESKTOP machine. Heck, you could order a faster machine from Walmart that includes a 20" LCD, hard disk, DVD burner, keyboard, and mouse for $300. It's also a single core processor, but it's quite a bit snappier than the Atom if the benchmarks are to be believed.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11007926#ProductDetail
Again, it's amazing what you can get for a couple hundred bucks these days. For a portable device where you need extended battery life in exchange for performance, I'd agree that an Atom would be a nice fit.
Best,
It truly is.
That being said, I can currently get an N230 SYSTEM (sans-monitor) for $160.00CDN (that's probably ~$100.00 south of the border).
Deals like that, based on the intended usage I mentioned earlier would make it a decent choice for some.
Well, this is what I ended up ordering last night:
AMD Phenom II X2 545 Callisto 3.0GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core CPU
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Motherboard
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
total was $340 and change shipped. Not too bad of a deal.
The reason I went with the OCZ power supply was because it is modular, and also has a $20 rebate, putting it at $39.99, plus it is more efficient than other 80+ power supplies and has a good size fan as well.
AMD Phenom II X2 545 Callisto 3.0GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core CPU
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Motherboard
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
total was $340 and change shipped. Not too bad of a deal.
The reason I went with the OCZ power supply was because it is modular, and also has a $20 rebate, putting it at $39.99, plus it is more efficient than other 80+ power supplies and has a good size fan as well.
I'm anti-OCZ with the number of issues I've had with them.
With any electronics, keep your receipts/boxes and fill out any warranty cards or online registration. Newegg is phenomenal to deal with if you have any issues.
Modular PS is a little too gimmicky for me. I've never had an issue keeping case PS wire runs nice and clean, zip-tied and tucked well. But, the rebate and sale price of the OCZ PS was impossible to beat. I might have to grab 1 for testing.
I've built a bunch of systems with Gigabyte boards and have yet to replace one. They also seem to have regular 'bios' updates addressing issues. And, you have an upgrade route if you decide to 'ebay' hunt for a faster processor(955), a graphics card if the onboard graphics bore you along with more memory, and more harddrives.......
The ddr2 G.Skill memory in my desktop is awesome. I prefer name brand Crucial, Corsair, and G.Skill memory. For me, they've always lived up to their spec's and some.
AMD vs Intel..... I usually shop on price and keep an eye for sales/rebates....I'm about 50:50 with builds. No pros/cons with either. Just quirks!!!
I also tend build with striped drives. Usually a couple smaller 7200rpm SATA drives striped is noticeable compared to a single bigger drive. $40 for one WD drive is an easy choice. I have a couple 160gb and 320gb WD drives running for a few years without any issues. I went with seagate with my last build.
With any electronics, keep your receipts/boxes and fill out any warranty cards or online registration. Newegg is phenomenal to deal with if you have any issues.
Modular PS is a little too gimmicky for me. I've never had an issue keeping case PS wire runs nice and clean, zip-tied and tucked well. But, the rebate and sale price of the OCZ PS was impossible to beat. I might have to grab 1 for testing.
I've built a bunch of systems with Gigabyte boards and have yet to replace one. They also seem to have regular 'bios' updates addressing issues. And, you have an upgrade route if you decide to 'ebay' hunt for a faster processor(955), a graphics card if the onboard graphics bore you along with more memory, and more harddrives.......
The ddr2 G.Skill memory in my desktop is awesome. I prefer name brand Crucial, Corsair, and G.Skill memory. For me, they've always lived up to their spec's and some.
AMD vs Intel..... I usually shop on price and keep an eye for sales/rebates....I'm about 50:50 with builds. No pros/cons with either. Just quirks!!!
I also tend build with striped drives. Usually a couple smaller 7200rpm SATA drives striped is noticeable compared to a single bigger drive. $40 for one WD drive is an easy choice. I have a couple 160gb and 320gb WD drives running for a few years without any issues. I went with seagate with my last build.
Originally Posted By: MysticGold04
I've pieced together two wishlists at Newegg (I LOVE Newegg) and an Intel 2.5Ghz Wolfdale will run me just under $300 with the CPU, board, RAM, 160gb HDD and a new PFC/80+ Bronze 330w power supply shipped to my door.
I recently built a computer using the E5200 Wolfdale 2.5Ghz. When overclocked, it rendered a very good bang for the dollar *assuming* a motherboard is used with good OC potential. And I liked the fact it was a low power consumer. I found Xbit labs had excellent reviews.
EDIT: Just noticed you bought a machine. Looks good.
I've pieced together two wishlists at Newegg (I LOVE Newegg) and an Intel 2.5Ghz Wolfdale will run me just under $300 with the CPU, board, RAM, 160gb HDD and a new PFC/80+ Bronze 330w power supply shipped to my door.
I recently built a computer using the E5200 Wolfdale 2.5Ghz. When overclocked, it rendered a very good bang for the dollar *assuming* a motherboard is used with good OC potential. And I liked the fact it was a low power consumer. I found Xbit labs had excellent reviews.
EDIT: Just noticed you bought a machine. Looks good.
- Status
