Intel P4 vs AMD

Triock
We're not trying to cause discord between you and your father. Remember the parents are the one's who will be paying for this and putting it toghether. Unless you have the bucks and the "know how", you'd best stay on working terms with dad.

If the barebones from Tigerdirect is his idea, I prefer your order list from Newegg. Newegg and Tigerdirect have a decent rep, so purchasing from either is a decent alternative. For a lot of things I go with Newegg. If TigerDirect has them beat on the same item, I just check to see if there's a difference in shipping cost. When it comes to the same product, I'd just go with the lowest price.

You'll find the things that make a basic PC listed in the last several posts. So, just make sure you compile the complete list and be sure you know what's available from the PC you're going to pirate. Go over the list with someone to make sure it is complete. The little things can stop a build fast if they're not there. The thermal compound has to be present. So having some on hand is imperative. Powersupply, if from the old PC, make sure it will fit the new case and have the plugins to plug everything up. Hopefully all the cables are salvageable.

So, here's a little checklist:
Thermal Compound (Arctic Silver)
Processor (should have heatsink and fan)
Motherboard
optical drive (preferrably at least a burner)
Hard Drive
Case with fan(s)
Power Supply (comes with some cases)
Graphics Card
Speakers (sound card if not integrated into motherboard)
Mouse
Keyboard
Monitor
Cables (internal and external)
Printer
Mounting hardware and screws (most should be with parts order or from pirated PC)
tools
soldering iron and solder (just in case it's needed)
Operating System
Software

Make sure you know exactly what will work from the PC being pirated and then order accordingly. Go over it closely with your dad. That way if something goes wrong, you can blame it on him. LOL

 

edited by ddp

 

Sophocles
BigO just recently upgraded his system to 1GB from 512MB. He said he noticed a marked improvement all around. I guess some systems can benefit from more RAM better than others. I'd suspect a quicker system would better utilize it, such as your OCed AMD.

 

not now, Remember?? I have a 1.473 amd Xp.. Until X-mas.. I have bo clue what to do.. all that i changed was adding some artic silver...
what do i do know??

 

Triock
What in the world are you talking about now? You're not making sense. One post you're talking about ordering parts for a custom build, then you put all those question marks up and mess up the page so it's hard to read and then you come back with something about thermal compound and an old PC till Christmas. What does adding Arctic Silver and your old PC have to do with the one you want to order?

 

brobear

Please read this article and note the differences in performance from 512-1024-2048. Every system benefits from more RAM, it's always been consdered to be the best and cheapest of performance upgrades.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/13how_much_ram_do_you_really_need/

 

ddp

The problem is that triock is only 14 years old and on a fishing expedition without a plan or a map. LOL

Triock take some time and get your thoughts together and then post but this here and there and everywhere is getting to be a waste of time.

 

Triock,

Go back to Tiger Direct, to the address you posted and go to the last computer on the list. This would be an excellent starter computer for someone that wants to do some serious computing. The MB has both SATA and PCI express. It has a 80 Gb. hard drive, a cd-Rom drive and a keyboard and mouse. It's expandable up to an Athlon 64 Dual Core 4800+. I'm not certain whether it comes with a 3000+ or a 3500+ as it says both in different places. The memory is a little short at 256 Megs but you can add more later. this system would give you some bang rather than pop for your buck. I think you would have a winner at $599 (USD). Most of all you would have something you could use right away and add to as your finances improve.

Sincerely,

theonejrs

 

ddp

I do agree with that and I hope he's listening.


Hear that Triock?

 

ddp
Good call with Triock. No one wants to see one of our Jr members get his feelings hurt. However, we do need to keep things coherent. Triock just needs to put some thought into what he's doing before pushing the reply button. No one seems to have a problem with helping him and answering questions. Maybe we're seeing why "dad" is becoming a bit agitated.

Soph
No need to post threads showing the importance of more RAM for my benefit. That's one of my favorite lines in a lot of threads. "More RAM." Most people don't have enough and it's the cheapest means to upgrade a PC's performance. I'm just wondering if there's a point at which it balances out before a system reachs its limit. I suspect I may not need 4GB of RAM, though my system will support that much. It would be an expensive experiment to find out. Four 1GB RAM chips don't come cheap.

The first part of the article was a good read though. It confirms what I was already thinking, 2GB of RAM with XP couldn't hurt, especially with the RAM hog apps I have. I've been bouncing around the idea and mentioned to BigO that I might be upping my system to 2GB from the 1GB I have now. That'll max my 4 mobo slots with 512MB cards using matching RAM cards with what I have now. Hopefully, if I need to upgrade for more RAM after that, I'll have the new PC by then.

Like a lot of people I have to be hit in the head with a hammer to learn some lessons. Next time the good memory comes first and in the largest configuration that makes sense. I thought I was ahead of the game with 1GB of RAM at the startup of this PC (at the time it may have been). Now I see it is just a good working threshhold. I was only ahead of the game in that I had ample memory to set up the system and not run into trouble. Even with one GB of RAM, I sometimes hit a key and learn the system needs to reallocate some memory. It is cheaper to buy the better RAM the first time round than replacing RAM already in the system. Luckily I didn't start out with 256 MB RAM cards or they would have to go.

It is hard to foresee the future and I've been lucky. How many people have a computer that isn't pushing obsolescence after a couple of years. When I first got this PC, the 1GB was more than enough, but as software was added and updates to that software required more memory, it became apparent the reserve was dwindling. I'm lucky that I have enough memory to work this system without problems, but it would be nicer to upgrade. Looks like it's about time I follow my own advice. Guess it's time to call in Santa. It's that time of the year. LOL

Just a point of interest: 2GB of RAM sounds high and often just something for a custom PC. The major PC mags are saying the newer systems that will run Vista will be needing 2 GB to run properly. I think they're saying 512MB is the bare minimum where bad things tend to happen. With newer software and hardware not being supported with XP, a person is going to need a lot more RAM if they're going to stay up to date. So, anyone thinking of an OS upgrade to Vista had best seriously think about their RAM needs.

 

brobear

I only sent you the link because of this reply.

All system would benefit from more ram, expecially if they're using a Windows NT operating system.

 

The statement didn't say anything about all systems not benefiting, just wondering if some might not benefit more than others. A user gets into system requirements, which vary according to the PC and software onboard. Then there's capacity supported and the like.

The article was a good read and had an interesting perspective on the topic.

 

I agree that Triock is young, and his dad will almost certainly know more about the matter than him, but socket 939 just makes sense. I'd personally avoid that prebuilt system with 256MB, since performance with 256MB is very poor usually, especially with integrated graphics. Better to keep as much on your dad's side as possible, but DO go 939 and go 512MB RAM or more.

 

Hey guys, I appologise for my immaturity, I am very stressed. My dad is imposible to talk to. My thoughts are, The 754 is a 2.4 but has 800 fsb and i don't know about the cache, and is not duel channel. And if i get that computer i will have 200.00 or so to pour into it.
But the 939 is a duel channel type and the setup on newegg is 600.00 theirfor i would have no money to put into it.. Although i can change the case. So i am cought in the middle. I want the 939 but my dad is stubborn and said that the 2 sockets are the same.
PS: will the 512 cache make a big difference in game play compared to the 1 mg cache??
All i know is that i need info on places to buy computer related stuff... And this hassle is stressing out everyone in the family.

Thanks, And i am sincerly sorry for my imaturity. Triock

 

Don't worry, at 17 I'm a junior here too.
Are you sure you mean Dual Channel?
Dual channel is where you have two identical sticks of RAM together so they work faster. If you mean dual core then yes, you're right you can only, and only EVER WILL get it on 939 or newer boards (i add the or newer because next year socket 940 will be used as well, but you don't need to worry about that now). The cache differences aren't that great, but the more the merrier. I appreciate the situation must be difficult for you but I seriously recommend trying to squeeze a 939 CPU. As for what one it is, frankly any CPU that fits in SKT939 has more than enough grunt for anything. For 754 i'd again say that you're pretty safe with any Athlon64 (i.e. not a sempron) but you have to bear in mind the board won't support any new fancy things that come into play later, PCIe16x Graphics cards (single, double, or quadruple of course), PhySX PPU cards, advanced sound cards, and whatever the Hardware industry dream up next. You'd be missing out with 754, and as you might have guessed, I cannot stress that enough. It's not 100% absolutely critical, but if you would want to upgrade the system later, you're stood in much better stead with modern technology.

 

Triock

If you look at my setup you'll notice that I'm using a Venice core which has 512 L2 cache. I could have sprung for the San Diego core which has 1 Meg of L2 cache but the performance difference is almost immeasurable so I decided to save a few bucks. Other than the cache difference they're essentially the same CPU.

 

Triock
Set back, have a soda, and don't get so stressed or stress out the folks. Tis the season to be jolly. LOL Okay, commercial is over. LOL

Did you run down your shopping list according to the checklist I provided? With your parts order from Newegg, will you come up short on the custom build? BTW, Newegg is as good and better than most for getting your PC parts. Plus, if you get things in one spot, you usually save on shipping.

I think the big thing everyone has been pointing out is that with a 754 Socket setup, you're building on an obsolete platform. AMD has moved on. With the 939 you have support for newer peripherals and upgrading is less of an issue. It sounds like it may come down to whether you go the older cheaper route or come up short. So, open notepad and copy over that checklist and then go down it to see if your NewEgg parts plan is viable. If you come up short and you know there's no more in the budget, stop hassling the folks. Your options then may be build an incomplete PC and hope to finish it later, take the system offered and put what you can on it, or see if you can start a savings account for a system to be built later.

Getting stressed out and aggravating the folks accomplishes little and ruins the holiday mood. Do what you can to resolve the issue. You may not be able to get all you want now, but a gift of several hundred dollars isn't bad news for most of us. Enjoy what you have and be glad you have folks that think of you at Christmas. I know it sounds corny, but remember Christmas is the time of giving, not taking. To be realistic though, it is nice to do a little receiving. LOL

 

Heehee, beggars can't be choosers as they say.