Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 35348 2003-07-09 13:18:00 Stupid Question About Which CPU I Should Buy ComputerWalrus (3973) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
158553 2003-07-09 13:18:00 Ok after spending weeks learning about the intricate task of upgrading a Socket 370 Presario with a 700mhz Celeron, no AGP slot and a insanely small case, I've decided to replace the entire thing as it will probably be cheaper. So Mr C Walrus heads into the world of computer building......

Now I'm chosen most of my components and don't really need anything fancy since I'm a student and don't need anymore debt, but I'm stuck on the motherboard-processor combo. Pentium 4's seem overpriced for what I actually need so I was going to stick with the Celerons that I am used to but the more I've read about Athlons the better they sound compared to a Celeron in terms of value. So basically am I better off going with a 2.0/2.4 Celeron or a Athlon XP 2.2/2.4. I assume its the latter but could any confirm this as its hard to know whether some online reviews are biased.

Thanks.
ComputerWalrus (3973)
158554 2003-07-09 13:25:00 How do you know our/my opinion isn't biased?

Anyway,the atholon spanks the celeron and the p4,so ya cant go wrong.(although when it comes to a mobo,avoid the via chipset,get nforce2 if you find something in the right pricebraket,or sis)
metla (154)
158555 2003-07-09 13:40:00 i agree with mela keep away from Via
look at the new Soltek boards (the best AMD boards at good prices)
they have been leading the way in AMD in the last few months
some have onboard graphics that is faster thhan a 64MB GeForce 4MX, witch would mean you'd save money and not have to buy a graphics card or you could buy a good graphics down the track
sc0ut (2899)
158556 2003-07-10 00:13:00 Go with the Athlon XP (Barton) 2800Mhz, This will kick Celeron to touch and give the latest P4 a run for it's money.

If you compared price/performance you can not go past an Athlon XP. Be sure you get a good mobo that fully supports the Barton. Either 333 or 400 Mhz FSB and the RAM to match.
KiwiTT (4082)
158557 2003-07-10 00:38:00 Hmmm... bit biased on the AMD side of things aren't we?? Well, I've got 3 P4's and 2 AMD's... Either computer is fine, although I prefer my P4's, but that's just me.

Price wise, the AMD is a bit cheaper, but with the new P4 C's having the HT technology in them, things are looking pretty good for Intel.

Either is fine, but for cost, you should look at an AMD system. If you don't mind spending a bit more, then go for a P4. While the AMD chip maybe faster in some benchmarks, you should remember that the majority of software nowadays is undoubtedly optimised for the Intel (Pentium) chips as opposed to AMD.

Lo.
Lohsing (219)
158558 2003-07-10 01:43:00 Biased is probably right. I don't mean to be. I probably always like to support the underdog. Similar to my support of Linux.

However, in the original comparison of Celeron to Athlon XP, the Athlon XP is better.

P4 2.4 Ghz+ versions are better than the Athlon XP in most benchmarks at similar prices. Never actually looked at a full AMD to Intel comparison, i.e. AMD CPU, mobo and RAM vs Intel CPU, mobo and RAM. I wonder how the Intel would stack up here. When comparing CPUs you really need to look at all the costs.
KiwiTT (4082)
158559 2003-07-10 01:47:00 Pentium Celeron's (celeries I call 'em) suck big time... I'm crippled at work by having a 2.0Ghz Celeron with no AGP slot... :(

No FPS for me at lunch!! :p
Lohsing (219)
158560 2003-07-10 01:53:00 If you want value for money go for the older Duron cpu its very cheap look on trademe.co.nz also get a older motherboard with a AGP slot and DDR ram ,lots of people are upgrading so prices are very cheap .
Its sometimes easier and cheaper to buy a whole system rather than parts and you can test it as well to ensure that it goes well before buying it. download Performance Tester off the net
http://www.passmark.com/
kiwibeat (304)
158561 2003-07-10 01:59:00 NB there are no stupid Questions , only stupid people refuse to ask questions and are more worried about their image rather than than learning something new every day kiwibeat (304)
158562 2003-07-10 02:27:00 About buying built up as opposed to building self .

I totalled up all the components of a $4,000 PC and this compared to about $3,700 as individual components . With the $4,000 PC I got 3 years warranty and ensurance that all components would work together as the system was a runner when delivered .

I have seen PCs as low a $700 now . Duron's or Celeron's, I think tho .

However, If you want the challenge of building yourself, do your homework and select the right components for you want the PC to do .
KiwiTT (4082)
1 2