I've heard so many different opinions from people in regards to Pentium being the best or AMD.

Is there anyone out there who knows the AMD equivalents of the higher end pentium 4's? Are they faster? Better for gaming if you happen to know?

I thank you all in advance for the help.

It depends entirely on what you want to do (ie which programs you want to run) and how much is in your budget. Neither Intel nor AMD is superior, they are just better at certain things. Yes, AMD is better at gaming, while Intel reigns supreme in content creation. They each have their own pro's and con's. If you ask a more specific question and include a budget, I can tell you precisely which CPU you should get.

As for the equivalents, it varies (as per the above) but AMD's model codes follow Intel's clock speeds pretty closely:

P4 530J = Athlon64 (S 939) 3000+
P4 650 = Athlon64 (S 939) 3400+/3500+
PD 830 = Athlon64 X2 4200+

etc...

:) Alright...that's great. Thanks a lot. As for what I would be doing...I really use my PC for gaming. I'm playing World of Warcraft now and I've been really wanting to increase the visual look and performance of the game AND my pc.

As far as budget is concerned, I think my limit would be 1400. However, I was also thinking about building a pc to perhaps save some money...IF it's even worth it.

But THANK YOU for your knowledge. It's very much appreciated.

If you build it yourself, $1400 would get you a kick-a$$ gaming system!! :cool:

IF you build it yourself... ;)

Ever since I learned how to do it, I've always built my own systems. Or cobbled secondary systems together using old parts. It's quite economical for gaming systems, and it's always useful to be able to fix & upgrade any system thrown your way!

There are a few caveats, however... (isn't there always? :p) For one thing, you don't get the OS for free! :rolleyes: You pay for your own copy of Windows or Linux or whatever you're going to use. It doesn't come bundled with individual parts. Likewise for all the software you want to use. The other major concern is that you will be your own tech support. I don't know if this is an issue for you or not, but some people are a just a bit wary of having no one to turn to for help (other than here on the forums). This isn't always a bad thing considering what passes for "tech support" out there, however. You also have to be careful with all your parts, because if you fry your CPU, it's your own fault and you have to buy a new one. Or if one of your parts comes DOA, it's your responsibility to RMA it. In short, all of the work falls upon you and you alone. It can be a lot to take in at once...

There are also some positives to the whole building your own... First and foremost, IMO, you will get a better quality system! Custom built systems last longer than pre-builts on average (how much longer I'm not sure but I would guess at least 50% longer). If you build your own, it will also be more upgradeable. I've seen many many Compaq's and HP's and Dell's that were so limited you couldn't even upgrade the CPU! No worries if you build your own, because you will be using industry standard parts (and we can help you pick the best parts for your money). Most people who come here and build their own also enjoy the knowledge they gain while doing so. There are so many little quirks and tricks to computers that you're bound to pick up a few of them if you build your own! And of course overcoming the ocassional hiccup also helps us all to learn. Some of our members enjoy the experience of buiding their own so much that they go on a computer upgrading rampage across the whole neighborhood!! :eek: If you can build your own, there's virtually no limit to what you can fix and/or upgrade out there...

If you're interested in building your own, and need some help picking out parts, check out "the list" (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=39018)... It's a good place to start looking for core components. But it is by no means complete - there are several other components not listed (for various reasons). It's just a starter guide.

:D Wow Saphalline, thanks so much for the information. The link you put in doesn't seem to bring me anywhere though. Is there a site name? I don't mind being my own tech support at all and I think it's always great to learn by trial and error anyway. Hopefully though, it wouldn't be through frying my CPU...lol

Hey, since you've done all this before, what kind of system did you build yourself? Also, does "The List" explain the best quality parts to use together, like processors, boards, and power supplies? That's the only thing I do get nervous about actully...is frying something.

I don't really care about the bundle software stuff. I already have the CD's for the programs I do use and World Of Warcraft of course. My brother has a dell system that came with the ATI 9800 XT. Is that a good video card or is there one around the same price that is better?

Sorry to ask so many questions...you just appear to be very helpful and I truly appreciate it. Thanks again and hope all is going well. :D

If you are building a gaming system, I'd tell you to go for the new AMD 3800+ dual core CPU. It is dirt cheap if you compare both price and performance with its Intel competitors and is extremely overclockable (even without water-cooling). They have just gone on sale in the UK and I am mourning the day I bought a P4 system.

Hey Maddad,
I was just reading up on the AMD Chip you were talking about. All the ratings are great saying that for the price, it's a killer. Looks like it's running about 350 to 400 bucks so far. Dont know if that's the prices any of you have seen.
So one of the questions I did have, if anybody knows...If I were to get this
AMD 3800+ dual core CPU, what kind of Mother Board would I need. What I mean is...I think the Pentium/Intel boards have sockets that only fit Intel Pentium chips right? So what kind of board would I need to fit an AMD 3800 dual core? I see AMD has many different boards so I'm not too sure.
Guys, thanks again so much for the help. It's great to be able to just ask a question and get such great answers.

The link works fine for me. I don't know why it won't work for you. Which browser are you using?

What kind of "system" do I have? What makes you think I only have one! :p My main system is a P4 2.6C, i865PE mobo (Abit IS-7), 2 x 512MB Kingston DDR333 in dual-channel, 9700 Pro vid card, 160GB SATA w/NCQ + 120GB SATA + 80GB ATA/133, CD burner, etc. It doesn't do too badly at gaming, but it's sorely in need of some upgrades. Not all the secondary systems are up and running right now (they're in various stages of "experimentation") but they range from an AthlonXP Barton 2500+ file server to a K6-2 500 network system to a couple older PII systems being re-worked as donations. My friend's main system is an Athlon64 Venice 3000+, NForce4 SLI mobo, 2 x 512MB DDR400 dual-channel, 2 x 6600 GT's in SLI, 160GB SATA w/NCQ + 120GB SATA, dual-layer DVD burner, etc. Yes, his system is better at games... :rolleyes: He also has a small Centrino-based laptop, and a few other laptops that aren't working (in various stages of disrepair). Then we have various other parts lying around, like excess CPU's - from PentiumMMX 166's to K6-2's to a couple Socket A CPU's. And several sticks of various RAM lying around, and many older (but still working) hard drives, and cables, converters, hubs/switches, etc. We have a lot of stuff...

My "list" has several of my top hardware picks in categories like CPU's, RAM, mobo's, vid cards, and PSU's. They're arranged by price bracket, and I tried to represent a wide range of the best technologies for each platform (Intel vs AMD, NVidia vs ATI). If you want to take a look at it, it's the sticky in the Buying and Upgrading section of the forums. Lots of good stuff, but it doesn't match things up for you, it's just a big list of parts.

I haven't yet fried a part, even in my early days. And I've never used those antistatic wrist straps or anything! :D But I respect electricity, and static electricity. As long as you exercise common sense, I don't think you'll fry anything. It's when you're not paying attention that things can go wrong...

The 9800's are old news. And if you're building a whole new system, AGP is old news, too. There are better vid cards out now, like the GeForce 6600 GT and the Radeon X800. Vid card performance continues to skyrocket, blasting past CPU improvements as if they were standing still! Dual-core processors are awesome, but vid cards have been stacking on the pipelines for years. In other words, forget the 9800XT! We've got better options now! :cool:

Yep, $400 USD sounds about right for the 3800+ Manchester. Expensive, isn't it? :p You can get by with less power if you need to, and I would definitely suggest putting more money into your vid card! The vid card is the most important for gaming, right behind lots of RAM, with a faster CPU coming in third place. But of course balance is the key, which is why the forums is doing so well lately. ;)

The NForce4 series of chipsets is the one to get for AMD systems these days. Nothing else comes close to the features and raw performance! Always pick your chipset first, then pick a mobo based on it. System design is part stats and part knowledge - and a bit of an art form, too...

Hi Saphalline,
I looked up the GeForce 6600 GT and I see it comes up as 128MB Card. But I'm guessing that although the 9800XT ATI card is 256, that it doesn't necessarily matter? Is that because the PCI express is just that much better in performance?

I currently have a Dell 8200 Desktop. A rather older unit that I've added a few things to. However, it's a pentium 4 2.2GHZ and only uses PC 800 RDRAM. If I were to replace the board and cpu with these:

Athlon64 3000+ Venice
MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket939 AMD Athlon64 Motherboard

Would I be able to use the same HD I have? Would I need to just wipe it out and reinstall the OS again because of the new Mobo and CPU? It's just that the contents in my current HD are extremely important to me and DON'T want to loose it. I know the HD I have is an ATA connected through EIDE. I don't know if that's helpful to you.

If it can't be done...is there a way to transfer over to a new HD that WOULD work on that Mobo and CPU combo?

The RAM doesn't seem to be expensive at all...DDR RAM, is that right? And optical drives aren't a problem. Thanks again...this site has been a blessing to me...lol :D I've been wanting to learn more and more about PC's now to eventually start helping people in my area.

BUT I also love games and am always looking for ways to make World of Warcraft look imaculate.

I looked up the GeForce 6600 GT and I see it comes up as 128MB Card. But I'm guessing that although the 9800XT ATI card is 256, that it doesn't necessarily matter? Is that because the PCI express is just that much better in performance?I answer this one a lot. ;) There are so many misconceptions about vid cards out there, I don't know where to begin. Suffice to say the 6600 GT can pretty much beat out any 9800, due to several confusing factors. :p If you really want me to teach you why, start a separate thread! The explanation will take awhile...

Yes, you can use your current hard drive with the new mobo. And yes, you will need to completely wipe it and start over. That's why many of us here on the forums utilize multiple partitions - that way we can reinstall Windows without touching our data. It's a very handy feature to use once you start doing your own computer work. You'll find yourself constantly experimenting and having to wipe your OS install. :D Acronis TrueImage has already saved me many hours of reloading...

Yep, AMD still uses DDR RAM for the time being. Maybe next year they'll switch over to DDR2, but they really don't need to. It also has the added benefit of making their systems slightly cheaper to build, since DDR is cheaper than DDR2. They're winning that battle with Intel.

World of WarCraft, eh? That one's becoming more and more popular all the time. We've been having quite a few people coming to the forums looking to build their own computer specifically for that game! I'm thinking that maybe all you EverCrackheads are finding out how much power you need for real computer games!! :p

Yeah...you had me cracking up with that "Evercrackheads" name...that was funny. Well, thanks again seriously...for taking out the time to answer in such detail. I will start a new thread because I really do want to learn the differences between PCI-E and the AGP cards and why there is such a difference.

Thanks, and good night.

Hi Saphalline and to all others reading this thread who may have an answer.

Okay, just above Saphalline mentioned that the AMD Equivalent to the P4 530J is the Athlon64 (S 939) 3000+

Now, I went on intel's site and their saying that the 530J is at 3GHZ. AMD says that the Athalon64 3000+ goes from 1.8GHZ to 2.0GHZ. So, after reading that explanation of video cards Saphalline had given me...I was wondering if there is once again something else that I'm missing here?

I've heard so many different opinions from people in regards to Pentium being the best or AMD.

Is there anyone out there who knows the AMD equivalents of the higher end pentium 4's? Are they faster? Better for gaming if you happen to know?

I thank you all in advance for the help.

Here (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2330) is an interesting AMD vs. Intel comparison.

Hey there Cabroker,
I appreciate the help, however for some reason the link isn't working. Maybe it's on my end. Yeah, I've been learning a great deal from the good guys on this site, but the processor thing is really confusing to me...as far as how intel and pentium go up against eachother. I'm sure I'll get an answer though, heh. :D

Puter Padowan - You need to fix your browser or something, 'cause these links are working for everyone else.

For stuff that I've written about Intel vs AMD, check out these threads...

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=34050

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=34538

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=36460

I left them in the expanded address format so you can at least cut & paste them into your browser window.

Yeah...seems to be the pc I use at work. All the pc's here have been acting up. They all work fine on my home pc. Thanks for the links.

Basically-Intel's have more and possibly longer pipelines than amd. Thus they need more cpu speed to push through the pipelines. This also means intel's are hotter and better for creation stuff were-as AMD's are gamers.