Good AMD CPU?

[Grrbob25]

Is the Athlon 64 3700 a good cpu??? because In my building of a new pc, its probably gonna be that, coupled with 1gb of RAM, and a ATi Radeon x1600 PRO, the athlons specs are, 2.20ghtz, 2000mhtz FSB, 1mb cache. Theres also a slim chance I can get a Athlon 64 X2 4200, but as I said SLIM

[shegeek72]

Originally Posted by Grrbob25

Is the Athlon 64 3700 a good cpu??? because In my building of a new pc, its probably gonna be that, coupled with 1gb of RAM, and a ATi Radeon x1600 PRO, the athlons specs are, 2.20ghtz, 2000mhtz FSB, 1mb cache. Theres also a slim chance I can get a Athlon 64 X2 4200, but as I said SLIM

It generally received high praise from extremetech.com:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1606615,00.asp

Looks like it would make a solid system with your other HW. And I totally agree with this quote: "The Athlon 64 line of CPUs is hands down the best choice for gamers who are looking for top performance."
--

[Gizzmoe]

The 3700+ is a decent CPU, but you should really wait until you can afford to buy the X2. It´s much more future-proof.

[Phantom II]

I've had a my 3700+ since March this year and it hasn't given me any problems, and has given a really good, solid performance so far.

-Phantom

[enaceo]

I have a 2500+ running at 2 ghz(a wee bit modified) and it runs pretty good ,but I'm probably going to have to update my CPU some time soon ,but I'm surely going to use AMD because I have been using them since forever.I'll also have to change my MB sadly , because they don't make any better slot A cpu's
The 3700+ is a good CPU and will probably be so for some time ,so you should buy it if you want .As long as you have a good card to back it up+some good RAM ,you have no real problems!My suggestion for you would be ,if possible,to get one more Gig or RAM ,just to save some money later.
There aren't too many games that run on 2gig RAM ,but having a good amount of run helps your game run a lot smoother than you think.
Having double the RAM I previously had did miracles for me with TESIV:OBLIVION .

[stabiz]

The 3700 should do fine, I have the 3000+ and no problems with SH3 and GW.

[Wulfmann]

The order of priorites or importance for AMD CPUs are: CPU Speed, L1 and then L2 Cache.
So, the 3800 at $112.00 Newegg compare to $102 for the 3700 would actually be a much better buy if this is your price range.
The 4000 is $135.00 and would be worth the few extra buck IMO

The slower 3800X2 would be better for the future but it may be obsolete anyway when that future arrives.
Now the $295.00 4800X2 would be a better bet, cheap froma few months ago
We just gamble on these projections.

Wulfmann

I'd go with the new Intel line of CPUs. They are affordable and much more powerful than any AMD out on the market. Just compare the benchmarks located on several websites. Most of them show a bottom line Intel Core 2 Duo outperforming some of the higher end AMD cpus.

Matter of fact I can confirm this because I just received my new PC last week.

I have the mid range E6600 2.4 Core 2 Duo processor(s) and 2GB of DDR2 RAM @ 800Mhz and this system rocks!!! It boots up fast and games boot even faster. It takes just a few seconds (maybe 10 seconds) for me to load a new patrol compared to my old 3.2HT Intel Pentium 4 with 1GB of PC3200 RAM @ 433Mhz used to take me almost 2-3 minutes to load a new patrol. Not only that the new processors used a lot less power consumption and aren't nearly as hot inside the case which keeps your PC from heat damage and sluggish game performance.

I haven't seen a slow down in SHIII since getting this baby and even with the GW mod and zooming in on heavily burning ships in a large convoy I am still getting solid 60FPS or more. I have it sync'd so it tends to lock at 60FPS which is fast enough and totally smooth. The only time the FPS drops is when I used Time Compression at x4096 it drops down to 10FPS. At x2048 it runs at 20FPS. <---That's what I used to get in heavy ports in x1 normal compression.

There are some cheap motherboards that support PCI-E graphics and the new Core Duo 2 processors and the new DDR2 RAM @ 800Mhz. Your are looking at spending maybe $100 American dollars just for the Motherboard.

The processor I am using is roughly $400-$700 depending on where you buy it from. Some companies are ripping people off out there unfortunately.

There are other processors below mine that are still faster than most AMD chips out right now and those Intel chips are roughly $150 - $399.

The RAM I am using is roughly $150 per every 1GB module. I am using 2 modules so therefore my cost for RAM was $300 roughly

I am using the Nvidia 7900GT 512MB GPU. It is a nice card with fast GDDR3 RAM. It cost me about $350 for this card. The 7900GTX version was nearly double that and I found that to be a bit high for an extra 5FPS in some shooter games.

Honestly I would stay away from AMD for awhile and go with Intel. Until AMD comes out with a new design again that puts Intel to shame. Which won't probably be for another 2 years or so.

[Grrbob25]

2gb's of RAM is diffinetly coming in the future, as is a new sound card, speakers, keyboard and mouse and such. Sooner or later I'm getting another Radeon x1600 PRO, and a Zalman Liquid cooling unit. Theres a SUPER! slim chance of this, but If I get enough money ,I could get a Athlon 64 4400 X2, but as I said super slim ( i now know what it is to be on a budget )

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by SubSerpent

I'd go with the new Intel line of CPUs. They are affordable and much more powerful than any AMD out on the market. Just compare the benchmarks located on several websites. Most of them show a bottom line Intel Core 2 Duo outperforming some of the higher end AMD cpus.

Matter of fact I can confirm this because I just received my new PC last week.

I have the mid range E6600 2.4 Core 2 Duo processor(s) and 2GB of DDR2 RAM @ 800Mhz and this system rocks!!! It boots up fast and games boot even faster. It takes just a few seconds (maybe 10 seconds) for me to load a new patrol compared to my old 3.2HT Intel Pentium 4 with 1GB of PC3200 RAM @ 433Mhz used to take me almost 2-3 minutes to load a new patrol. Not only that the new processors used a lot less power consumption and aren't nearly as hot inside the case which keeps your PC from heat damage and sluggish game performance.

I haven't seen a slow down in SHIII since getting this baby and even with the GW mod and zooming in on heavily burning ships in a large convoy I am still getting solid 60FPS or more. I have it sync'd so it tends to lock at 60FPS which is fast enough and totally smooth. The only time the FPS drops is when I used Time Compression at x4096 it drops down to 10FPS. At x2048 it runs at 20FPS. <---That's what I used to get in heavy ports in x1 normal compression.

There are some cheap motherboards that support PCI-E graphics and the new Core Duo 2 processors and the new DDR2 RAM @ 800Mhz. Your are looking at spending maybe $100 American dollars just for the Motherboard.

The processor I am using is roughly $400-$700 depending on where you buy it from. Some companies are ripping people off out there unfortunately.

There are other processors below mine that are still faster than most AMD chips out right now and those Intel chips are roughly $150 - $399.

The RAM I am using is roughly $150 per every 1GB module. I am using 2 modules so therefore my cost for RAM was $300 roughly

I am using the Nvidia 7900GT 512MB GPU. It is a nice card with fast GDDR3 RAM. It cost me about $350 for this card. The 7900GTX version was nearly double that and I found that to be a bit high for an extra 5FPS in some shooter games.

Honestly I would stay away from AMD for awhile and go with Intel. Until AMD comes out with a new design again that puts Intel to shame. Which won't probably be for another 2 years or so.

You don't work for intel do you?

No, I don't. I used to be an AMD fanatic. But they let me down by allowing Intel to stomp them in the mud with this new technology. It truely is the better processor and the future. It works smarter, not harder and that is a good thing!

[Wulfmann]

SS as much as I agree with you my present AMD64 3500, 2GB DDR400 and x850XT runs everything at max including CoD2 (on 1280X1024) so while I might get a 4000 or a 4600/4800DC because they are so cheap I can't see doing a rebuild when we do not actually know what 2008 will bring in gaming.
Everything we buy, everything may be obsolete then.
However, if I was on 32 bit and upping now I would say you are correct and would jump the AMD ship.
Intel just lapped AMD IMO but I am sure there is something brewing in the AMD pits and expect this race will change leaders again.
But, when?
Wulfmann

[catar M]

Originally Posted by SubSerpent

No, I don't. I used to be an AMD fanatic. But they let me down by allowing Intel to stomp them in the mud with this new technology. It truely is the better processor and the future. It works smarter, not harder and that is a good thing!

http://www.nintek.com.au/x/scripts/p...idproduct=6413

AMD all the way
http://www.amd.com/us-en/0,,3715_133...l?redir=CPSW51
http://http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7-6389077-1.html?tag=lnav

[tycho102]

Originally Posted by Grrbob25

Is the Athlon 64 3700 a good cpu??? because In my building of a new pc, its probably gonna be that, coupled with 1gb of RAM, and a ATi Radeon x1600 PRO, the athlons specs are, 2.20ghtz, 2000mhtz FSB, 1mb cache. Theres also a slim chance I can get a Athlon 64 X2 4200, but as I said SLIM

For SH3, you don't need a dual-core. Get the fastest single core that you can. The 2.4ghz "3800" isn't much more expensive (pricewatch actually shows it being cheaper).

The 2.2ghz chip will do ok, but for the money, you're better off getting the 2.4ghz. Get a decent aircooler and overclock it 200mhz -- SH3 gets choppy around convoys.

[Grrbob25]

hmmm..... right now I'm looking at the Athlon 64 X2 4400, its seems really good, and the Toledo core is probably the best AFFORDABLE thing AMD is pushin out. I would totally go with conroe, but as of now my budget isnt allowing, and i cant afford a 500+ CPU. Now to find a good mobo with a Ati chipset!!!

Edit: changed whole top part cuz AM2 is uber expensive and didnt wanna post 2 times in a row because i have a pet peve about that


also, anyone know what ATI chipset i would need to run a x300 and, to crossfire a pair of x1600's???