amd64 3200+ vs amd 64 x2 4200+ vs p4 820

BudBud Chesterfield, Va
edited January 2006 in Hardware
right now my current specs are:
asus a8n deluxe sli
amd64 3200+ (90nm)
1gb pny pc3200
pny 6600gt

if i step up to a x2 4200+ and i really gonna see a difference or am i wasting my time. Oh yea also, I have a p4 820, intel board, 2gb pny dd2-533, 6600gt. Would there me much diff between them too

Comments

  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited January 2006
    Depends on what you do. If you never have more than 5 programs running at the same time, you don't need X2. X2 doesn't give you 10fps extra in games even if it supports it but for serious multitasking, X2 and 2GB ram really makes a difference.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited January 2006
    Bud, you will see a decided difference in multitasking ability with upgrading to an X2 proc over your present A64 single core proc. If you do more than 1 intesive task it is very noticable, but you won't see any real gains in games except for maybe 1 or 2 that have recently been patched to take advantage of both cores. And instead of buying the X2 4200, save some bucks and buy the X2 3800, then overclock it to X2 4200/X2 4600 speeds. The only difference between the X2 3800 and X2 4200 is in clock speed (2.0 compared to 2.2 GHz). Both have the same amount of cache, but the X2 3800 will save you some "cash".:D

    As far as comaring the X2 series to the Pentium D series, I'm pretty sure you would see some performance advatages for the X2 over the 820 you have, but not a glaringly high difference. With proper cooling and a big enough psu, you can get some pretty serious speed out of an 820 (just read Leo's threads on the subject). The biggest drawback to the Pentium D is it's high heat output and power draw, which means you have to have a beefy psu with lots of amps on the 12v rail and also you need to go with ultra high end air cooling like the Thermaltake Big Typhoon.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited January 2006
    Did I hear my name? :p

    Slight correction: you don't really need high end cooling for a D820 unless you are overclocking. I actually ran my 820 system at default and low overclock with a Zalman 7000. But yes, a heavier overclock does require some serious cooling - minimum Zalman 7700.

    Bud, one other great usage for dual core, AMD or Intel, is Folding@Home. Two cores versus one core is nearly twice the points production. If Intel dual core, try two QMDs folding simultaneously. Serious points.

    If you are primarily gaming and don't have multiple, resource intensive applications open simultaneously, dual core really won't provide much benefit.
  • BudBud Chesterfield, Va
    edited January 2006
    mostly what i do on my computer now is game some, internet a lot, listen to music, do some light video editing
  • Omega65Omega65 Philadelphia, Pa
    edited January 2006
    muddocktor wrote:
    Bud, you will see a decided difference in multitasking ability with upgrading to an X2 proc over your present A64 single core proc. If you do more than 1 intesive task it is very noticable, but you won't see any real gains in games except for maybe 1 or 2 that have recently been patched to take advantage of both cores. And instead of buying the X2 4200, save some bucks and buy the X2 3800, then overclock it to X2 4200/X2 4600 speeds.
    Leonardo wrote:
    Bud, one other great usage for dual core, AMD or Intel, is Folding@Home. Two cores versus one core is nearly twice the points production. If Intel dual core, try two QMDs folding simultaneously. Serious points.
    .
    I agree with Mudd & Leo.

    Also consider the Opteron 165 (Dual 1MB 1.8ghz) ~$325 or 170 (Dual 1MB 2.0ghz) ~$400. Each will OC to the X2 4800+ (2.4ghz) range or higher easily and run cooler than the standard X2 CPUs
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited January 2006
    Bud wrote:
    mostly what i do on my computer now is game some, internet a lot, listen to music, do some light video editing
    That usage pattern will not benefit much from a dual core CPU, AMD or Intel. In that case, I'm not sure you need an CPU upgrade at all.

    With your present system(s), you can handle very well what you described as normal usage. In your case, I would only upgrade if:

    1) you are a mad Folding@Home addict (like me:hair: )
    2) you move from light gaming to intense gaming (go for fastest AMD you can afford, or best AMD64 overclocker you can afford; but would upgrade video card before the CPU)
    3) you do a lot of multitasking with resource-intensive applications

    Your 820 and 3200 systems ought to be plenty fast.
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