Building the right PC - AMD v Intel?

Hi guys, been a while seen i've last posted - extremely busy in the world of Corporate Banking. Anyway, Im now looking to upgrade my P4 2.53GHz, 1 GB DDR system.

Im virtually decided on what i want, but i would like thoughts and opinions on it as well. Also, I was going to get Windows XP Pro 64Bit operating system, but now im finding out that a lot of my programs wont work with it. Is this true? Should i stick to either XP Pro or Windows Media Centre operating systems and if so which is better?

Ok, have been looking at the various different processors, P4's in single and dual core and AMD in single and dual core. All the processors i've been looking at are 64bit. If i dont get a 64bit system, will i not gain some of the benefits of these chips? Can anyone point me in a comparison chart of the Intel P4 Duals and Singles versus the Amd Dual and single 64bits?

Right this is what i think i have decided on. If you see something that you think is probably not a good choice or not compatible, let me know. The PC will be used for DVD authoring, Internet Browsing, the odd game here and there, and iTunes etc... Multitasking will probably be fairly extensive (as i write this i have DVD Shrink, Mozzila and iTunes running). Anyway, here's what i choosing. Give me your opinions.

Processor:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+
Motherboard:
Asus A8N-SLi nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard

Hard Disk Drive:
Maxtor MaxLine III 300GB 7L300R0 ATA-133 16MB Cache

Floppy Disk:
Mitsumi FA 404M 7in1 USB 2.0 Floppy & Media Drive - Black

Graphics:
BFG GeForce 7800 GT OC 256MB GDDR3 VIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)

Memory:
Crucial 2GB (2x1GB) DDR PC4000 Ballistix Dual Channel Kit

DVD Drive:
Pioneer DVR-110DBK 16 x 16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter

Keyboard/Mouse:
Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop v2.1 - OEM

Case:
Antec Sonata II Piano Black Quiet Case - 450W Smart Power PSU

Monitor:
Hyundai ImageQuest L90D+ 19" LCD Monitor - Silver/Black


Thanks folks
Chris

 

No one able to give any input?

 

Every thing that you have listed is top notch even down to the motherboard.I have an amd it's my first one no complaints.Ive read that intel's hyperthreading can be hacked easily.I would go with AMD but that's my preference because most of the P4's were all the same and even intel claim to saying that.I really think that AMD put the smack down on intel when they came out with there new proccessors.But it depends on what you like.Intel is good also.

 

that pc will be sweet.if you have enough money, get the evga 7800gtx ko, one card is good enough,2 will blow away anything on the market today.plus that video card comes in 5 colors...sweet looking in case.also sata 2 is a faster interface,even sata 1.5.so if you looking for fast transfer data speeds on a hard drive look at sata.also make sure your mobo can utilize sata or you can get a pci card that does.amd vs intel,depends on what you want to do.amd is much faster for the money.intel is expensive.amd is better at gaming and the dual core you listed,i only read good things about.supposably lightning fast at mutitasking

 

Cheers for the replies. Just hoped that everything works when its put together. There isnt really any limit on money, but i dont want to start spending loads and loads. I only really do authoring and video encoding as well as browse and play the odd game, mostly USArmy.

Im not sure i would pay all the extra for the grapbics. Was quite happy with my ATI 9800 graphics card thats in this at 128MB, so im guessing that this 256MB new 7800GT will do the bizz...

Cheers again
Chris

 

then why not upgrade the motherboard check this out

asrock 939-sata 2 mobo,939 pin cpu whill accept all amd64,x2,and i think opterons

check out at www.asrock.com save alot of money.use old agp graphics and when you feel like going pci-e express it has that slot too.also it has 2 sata1.5 slots and 1 sata 2 slot.this board will do it all for you.the mobo costs $69 usa cheap.also look at reviews at annandtech.com.this board will support the new m2 cpu coming out next year.there a daughter board you can buy for it and it plugs into the mobo.you will see when you look.the only thing bad about the board is the overclocking in the bios,but there are some mods to fix it.peace

 

Oriphus, Everything looks good and current. Power supply 450 watt, 256 mb video card....

The only weak link and NOT current and up to date feature is your choice of hard drives. Strong PS, fast CPU, fast burner 16X. Last year or even 4 year old HD technology. I would go with a Serial drive ,{a SATA 150 } even a Raid 0 setup. Everything is going to be zipping around at maximum tranfer rates except your hard drive.

 

Check out this link :

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/perf/raid/levels/singleLevel0-c.html

In particular these 2 statements :

Giving up redundancy allows this RAID level the best overall performance characteristics of the single RAID levels, especially for its cost. For this reason, it is becoming increasingly popular by performance-seekers,

and :

Recommended Uses: Non-critical data (or data that changes infrequently and is backed up regularly) requiring high speed, particularly write speed, and low cost of implementation. Audio and video streaming and editing; web servers; graphic design; high-end gaming or hobbyist systems;

 

Hi guys, again thanks for the replies. Ok, I've taken on board the comments made, and i've made a few changes. Im also getting the computer from somewhere else, so this means the only memory option i can get is the one i have listed. I hope people dont think its much of a lesser performer than my orignal choice. I have also changed the HDD to a SATA II drive. Here's the details:

Let me know what you all think about the Case, the Power Supply, I've gone for the better Motherboard, the Memory, the HDD, the DVD Writer (wouldnt be my favourite) and the monitor. On the monitor, is this a particularly good one in your opinion.

Thanks
Chris



- Case:
Cooler Master Cavalier 3 Black

- Power Supply:
NorthQ Powersupply 4775 ATX 400W Silent, 140mm Fan, 12-17dBA

- Motherboard:
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe, nForce4 SLI, Socket 939,S-ATA,Dual-GbLAN,Firewire,PCIE

- Processor:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ 2.2GHz Socket 939, 2MB, BOXED w/fan

- Memory:
Corsair TWINX2048-3200C2 DDR-DIMM 2048MB Kit 2x 1GB

- Graphics:
Gigabyte GeForce 7800GT 256MB DVI PCI-Express, Vivo, Retail

- HDD:
Samsung SpinPoint P120S 250GB SATA2 8MB 7200RPM

- Floppy:
Sony Floppy Drive, 3,5" 1,44MB Black

- DVD Writer:
NEC DVD±RW burner, ND-3550A, 16x, Dual, Black OEM

- Keyboard & Mouse:
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX3000, Keyboard/Laser-mouse, Retail UK

-Monitor:
Samsung 19" LCD Syncmaster 930BF TCO-99 Monitor, DVI-D, D-sub, 4ms

Total: £1485

Delivery £6

 

i dont think the power supply is strong enough .sould at least 500 watts.mines, 580watts.4oo watts is cutting it to close because of the pci express card needs 350 watts of that juice.nothing left to power rest of pc.dont buy cheap ps,real important,cheap ones can blow up.i know for a fact,happened to me.also sam had a prob recently with a cheap power supply....peace...look for sli ready ps for you need a special adaptor to power up cards[7800 gtx pci-e]other then that looks sweet especially the 4ms monitor

 

If you only play the odd game why invest in a (more expensive) SLI board and a top notch graphics card?? You say you don't want to spend money unnecessary so why not choose like a GeForce 6600 card for example? That way you'll still have decent gaming performance for the odd game, you'll save a lot of money on the graphics card AND you'll save money on the PSU, since you won't need a huge power supply then.

Btw if you DO want a powerful NorthQpower supply, there's also a 500W version of the NorthQ 4775 available, the NorthQ 4775-500BU.
http://www.northq.com/products/powersupply/nq4775-500bu.html

 

i think evga is giving you a free mobo if you buy the evga7800 gt pci-e graphics card.you might want to look on there site for info.also hitachi 250 t7k something or other sata 2 is the fastest around and has ncq

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822145087


and this mobo and graphic card,good offer:

http://www.evga.com/articles/public.asp?AID=258


peace bro,we will make you crazy[lol]

 

Oriphus,

Not familiar with the NorthQ brand, I agree 400 watts is not enough.

Your hard drive choice with the Mobo is making me jealous, I would still go with a Raid 0 , for the ultimate HD setup.

I have a Samsung 19" too, very nice choice.

I have the NEC 3500, very nice drive. It burns good 8X media from Sony and Fuji at 16X. Saves you some money, you do not have to buy 16X media to burn at 16X.

2 GB memory is also very nice. I have 2 Gb`s also . I used to be careful when burning a DVD, and would shut everything down. With my setup and you should with this one too that you are building, be able to leave on the anti-virus , firewall , surf and burn at the same time and make perfect copies too!!!

All in all , it`s coming along very well....

 

One last item. If I was building a new machine for myself , I would definitely consider a different burner. I really like the NEC I have now. But and it is a big but, since the technology is going towards SATA, I would look for a SATA DVD burner like this Plextor :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827131351#DetailSpecs

 

Cheers for the comments again folks. I've taken on board the suggestions and come up with the following. Its worth noting that im getting it from Komplett and they build it for you, saves me a lot of hassle. Thats the reason that i cant change the DVD writer. I could get the Plextor one you recommend, however, it only comes in Beige so im not sure i would:

- Seasonic S12 Powersupply 500W, 120mm
- Corsair TWINX2048-3200C2 DDR-DIMM 2048MB
- Norman IC, 1 year license Virus Control
- PC box
- SoftThinks Installation/Recovery
- Gigabyte GeForce 7800GT 256MB DVI
- Cooler Master Cavalier 3 Black
- Samsung 19" LCD Syncmaster 930BF TCO-99
- Sony Floppy Drive, 3,5" 1,44MB Black
- Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe, nForce4 SLI, Socket
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ 2.2GHz Socket
- Samsung SpinPoint P120S 250GB SATA2
- Logitech Cordless Desktop MX3000,
- PC with no operating system
- NEC DVD±RW burner, ND-3550A, 16x,

Hows it looking?
Anyone any criticsm of any of the components?

Chris

 

The setup looks good. The Corsair memory was a nice change. My personal preference is the Seagate barracuda 250g sata.
Raid 0 would be very nice. 10 minute XP install. Extremely quick bootup.

 

hey.
love that lava lamp brings back alot of good memories...peace

back to your pc;have a look at the thermaltake tsunami dream all aluminium case with a side window with fan.

i will tell you cous this case is beautiful and very light with everything in it.the case is tool less,also has firewire,headphone jack and usb port on the top as well as the back.the case is lockable and comes with 2x120mm fans front and back[has filter in front]and a 90mm fan on the side.the case fans glow blue and the front of the case door,has one light in each compartment.look here:


http://www.3dgameman.com/vr/thermaltake/tsunami_case/video_review_02.html

plus i think its onsale at newegg.com,this case is so easy to put components in,you might want to rethink doing it yourself.thats the fun part.we will help you build it.have faith bro....peace...the wire that come out of the top inside the case,they changed from silver to black i cant even see them in my case

 

I second the motion on the Tsunami case. I got one on sale at Compusa. It is solid, beautiful and cool. But not really light.
The Antec Super Lanboy is very light an cool if weight is a concern.

 

hi lava lamp,,love that lava lamp!!!!!
they make two different kinds.one that is all aluminium and one steel and aluminium[older model]way cheaper.the one i am talking about,the original price 135 usa dollars on sale @newegg.com for 105 usa dollars.this case i think weighed less then 5 lbs with nothing in it.like the same weight as a notebook with everything in it.i think it about 20 lbs now with all this s--t i bought to put in it[lol]look at my sign.this case is so nice and big inside.go watch the video in other post i sent you...peace lava lamp

 

Mine is the VA3000BWA. All aluminum. I wasn't aware of a steel version. Mine cost 150 before the instant rebate of $60. Newegg just listed my case in black and silver,with or witout powersupply. No steel or cheaper versions.
It is just thick aluminum. Like I said. Very solid.
It might have been 5 pounds without a powersupply, I didn't check.
The Superlan boy is about a pound without PS. obviously designed to carry around but a lot more flimsy as a result. Don't drop it.

Unless you are actually carrying this thing to lan parties then get the Tsunami. It is that much nicer.