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Sharky Extreme : Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
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Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
November 2004 Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 2By Vince Freeman November 12, 2004
Current Cost: $188 In our last edition, we upgraded from the Athlon 64 2800+ to the Athlon 64 3000+, and this month we're taking advantage of AMD price cuts and upgrading the CPU again. This time we're moving up the chart to the Athlon 64 3200+, which sports the 2.2 GHz clock and the Newcastle core (not the 2.0 GHz/1-MB model). Basically, our sweet spot for a value CPU rests at between $170 and $200, making the Athlon 64 3200+ a perfect match in terms of both price and performance. Our move to Socket 754 and the Athlon 64 processor gave us the benefits of an integrated DDR controller, an enhanced core, and 64-bit capabilities, and the newer AMD64 motherboards offer a higher-end platform base than the older Socket A. The Athlon 64 3200+ upgrade is just as significant as last' month's Athlon 64 2800+ to 3000+ transition; overall performance is higher and the extra 200 MHz does pay off in high-end game and multimedia performance. There is also overclocking headroom built right into these Athlon 64 models, and as the Athlon 64 3700+ runs 200 MHz higher than the 3200+, there still should be a buffer zone for the enthusiast crowd. Due to our budget, we've had to choose the Retail model and its nearly-free heatsink-fan, but if you have a killer 3rd-party HSF unit in mind, then going the OEM route is always an option.
The Athlon 64 3400+ is still priced out of our budget, but we did try and "work the numbers" to nab one of the new Socket 939 Athlon 64 processors, These are now available in Athlon 64 3000+ (1.8 GHz/512K) and 3200+ (2.0 GHz/512K) models, and while the individual CPU cost is not that much higher between Socket 754 and 939, the motherboard price certainly is. These 939-pin boards start at over $110, and coupled with the higher CPU price, there would be no way of affording even the 939-pin Athlon 64 3000+ retail. We are hoping that by next month, prices are low enough to take a stab at the Socket 939 platform, but keep in mind that Athlon 64 ratings take the platform into consideration, and the 2.2 GHz Athlon 64 3200+ offers the best performance for the price.
Current Cost: $188 The last two editions of our guide brought a couple of much needed Intel processor upgrades, starting with the bump to an 800 MHz front-side bus and Prescott core, and then moving from 2.8 to 3.0 GHz. Unfortunately, we've used every trick in the book, but there's no way we can move any higher this month. The Pentium 4-3.0E GHz is still a serious processor for a value gaming PC, and offers a pretty good value for Intel buyers. The Pentium 4-3.0E GHz gives us the standard Prescott enhancements, such as an 800 MHz front-side bus, Hyper-Threading, and dual-channel DDR400 memory speeds.
The higher-speed Prescott core models continue to be the most affordable options, and in addition to the 1-MB of L2 cache and SSE3 instructions, the 3.0 GHz in core speed is nothing to sneeze at. Even though the higher-speed Prescott models can run hot, 3.0 GHz is certainly not pushing the core, and overclocking is still a definite option. The high core speed also insures that even at default settings, the Pentium 4-3.0E GHz (800) Prescott will provide serious power for our value gaming system, while allowing at least some overclocking headroom for the enthusiasts. Like the AMD processor choice, the newer Intel LGA775 models are really starting to catch our eye. These processors use a new platform, but are many times priced lower than the equivalent Socket 478 version. Add to that the presence of PCI Express, and the emergence of the GeForce 6600GT and Radeon X700XT, and things start to get interesting. A quick check at the DDR2 price list halted any further movement, but this is definitely an area we'll be keeping a close eye on, especially as additional mainstream PCIe graphics cards are released. The Retail vs. OEM argument also comes down to price, just as it did with the AMD processor. 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. Most Pentium 4 models are still priced higher than corresponding AMD CPUs, so any method of cost savings is a good thing.
Current Cost: $0 The Retail Athlon 64 3200+ includes a bundled heatsink-fan, and for both budgetary and ease-of-use considerations, this is the best path to take. The retail model is slightly more expensive than the OEM processor, but you receive a nearly-free HSF and an extended product warranty to boot. Of course, this is simply a recommendation, and those with a particular 3rd-party HSF unit in mind should certainly go the OEM route, even though it may go a bit over our $1K budget.
Current Cost: $0 The street price of the Pentium 4 800 MHz processors means that choosing a Retail model is the best way to maximize our system budget. 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 an OEM CPU + 3rd-party heatsink-fan combo. The bundled HSF provides nice cooling for our Pentium 3.0E GHz, and the retail package allows us to stay within budget. The retail Pentium 4 coolers have passed our tests even using a 3.4 GHz model, 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 model, but a nice side-benefit to the Intel Socket 478 retail cooler is its quiet operation, and inside a sealed case, the ambient noise levels of the Intel cooling fan are very low compared to 3rd-party HSF models. 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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