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Sharky Extreme : Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
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Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
June Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 2By Vince Freeman June 11, 2004
Current Cost: $146 This month we worked the budget left and right, but could not find a way to upgrade to the Athlon 64 2800+ level, which is really where we wanted to be. Prices are still a bit too high, but we did manage to snag the Athlon XP 3000+ for a slight performance boost. We're still going the retail route in order to shave a few dollars off the system price, and receive the side benefit of a standard heatsink-fan and extended warranty included in the deal. AMD prices actually moved down a bit over the last month, but we really can't get into AMD64 territory and the Athlon XP 3000+ is about as high as we can go right now. The Athlon XP 3000+ is more than powerful enough for our value system, and we had some extra cash left over on the AMD side and put it to good use improving an important performance area. The Athlon XP 3000+ is also a pretty good overclocking option, as the core still has some headroom left. But for those who intend on keeping to default clock speed, 2.16 GHz will ensure smooth framerates, and high performance right out of the box. The Athlon XP 3000+ is a super performer at default speeds, and it should be no problem to get some extra speed when overclocked. The Athlon XP 3000+ has a very good price-to-performance ratio, and although the Athlon XP 2800+ might be a bit better value, the Athlon XP 3000+ is right CPU for the budget. The choice of going with the Retail model is a judgment call based on our budget, but if you have a killer 3rd-party HSF unit in mind, then hitting the OEM route is always an option.
The Athlon 64 2800+ continues to be a very attractive choice for the mid-range CPU market, and although we could not slide it in this month, we'll be keeping an eye on it in the future. Compared to the cutbacks we'd need to make in terms of other performance components, the Athlon 64 2800+ just doesn't make sense for a $1K budget, but if you've got some extra cash, moving to a Socket 754/Athlon 64 2800+ platform is a worthwhile upgrade to consider.
Current Cost: $154
Intel continues to have a logjam at the Pentium 4-2.4 to 2.8 GHz (533 MHz) range, with prices nearly equivalent through the various speeds. There is also a premium attached to the 800 MHz variants, which actually make the higher-clocked 533 MHz models a better overall value for this guide. At the $150+ range, the 533 MHz CPUs are the best option for a value system, where we can get a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 for approximately the same price as a Pentium 4-2.4 GHz (800). There's no question the extra 400 MHz pays off, as the 800 MHz versions can only compete from 150 to 200 MHz higher than the comparable 533 MHz Pentium 4 model. That means we'd have to go to the Pentium 4-2.6C GHz before we started inching up on our 2.8 GHz choice. We'd still like to make use of the 800 MHz FSB in the future, but Intel will need to lower prices before that happens. The retail price also dropped again this month, but it's still pretty tight throughout the 2.8 GHz and lower Pentium 4 speeds, and there's really not a lot of room to save any significant money. The Pentium 4-2.4E GHz Prescott continues to receive price cuts, and now sits nicely below the price of the Pentium 4-2.4C GHz Northwood. This is still a bit low on the GHz scale for our purposes, but it is too bad there is no Pentium 4-2.6 GHz Prescott available, as that might have been a good alternative. In terms of the Retail vs. OEM models, the Intel Retail package makes the most sense, as not only do you get a nearly-free heatsink-fan and full 3-year Intel warranty, but also a sealed, totally untested CPU. The entry-level Pentium 4 models are priced higher than corresponding AMD CPUs, so any related cost savings are definitely a good thing.
Current Cost: $0 The Retail Athlon XP 3000+ includes a bundled heatsink-fan, and for both budgetary and ease-of-use considerations, this is the best way to go. The retail model is a bit more expensive than OEM, but it ensures that we have a standard, user-friendly heatsink-fan option. Of course, this is simply a recommendation, and those with a particular 3rd-party HSF unit in mind should certainly go that route, even though it may go a bit over our $1K budget.
Current Cost: $0 The street price of the Pentium 4-2.4 to 2.8 GHz processors means that buying a Retail model is a requirement for our guide. The price difference between the Pentium 4 OEM and Retail CPU models is almost nonexistent, and with the included Intel heatsink-fan, this amounts to a cost savings compared to a P4 OEM + 3rd-party heatsink-fan combo. The bundled HSF provides excellent cooling for our Pentium 2.8 GHz, and the retail package allows us to stay within budget. The retail Pentium 4 coolers have passed our tests even at 3.4 GHz, and we have no problem at all recommending these for our value gaming system. These retail coolers provide rock solid stability at base clock speeds, and even have a bit extra left over for moderate overclocking.
Overall value is the best reason to spend a bit more for an Intel retail processor, but a nice side-benefit to the Intel retail cooler is its incredibly quiet operation, and inside a sealed case, the ambient noise levels of the Intel cooling fan can be close to unnoticeable. These Intel heatsink-fan units are also very easy to install and do not require any motherboard modifications or CPU socket adjustments.
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