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Sharky Extreme : Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
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Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
March Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 2By Vince Freeman March 17, 2005
Current Cost: $220 Our last few value guides have contained upgrades to the AMD processor component, ranging from the Athlon 64 3000+ to the Athlon 64 3200+, and then last month, the jump to the Athlon 64 3400+. Due to the processor's high-end performance we don't imagine this changing anytime soon, at least until we move to the Socket 939 platform. Of course, due to the higher platform costs of Socket 939, we're sticking with the 754-pin line, especially with the value-priced Athlon 64 3400+, which is a 512K Newcastle and runs at a blazing 2.4 GHz clock speed. The Athlon 64 3400+ is clocked on par with the 2.4 GHz Athlon 3700+ (1-MB) and 3800+ (939-pin) CPUs, and it is fair to assume that the performance of the Athlon 64 3400+ far exceeds its model number. This processor is an exceptional deal right now, and is barely $10 more expensive than the 2.2 GHz Athlon 64 3200+. To help fit this into our budget, we've gone with the Retail model and its nearly-free heatsink-fan, but if you have a killer 3rd-party HSF unit in mind, then buying an OEM CPU is certainly an option.
The Athlon 64 3400+ positions us very high on the CPU performance scale, and it's amazing this CPU has such a low relative price. In terms of overall gaming performance, this model is more in line with a hypothetical Athlon 64 3600+ processor. The only issue with this move is that is severely undercuts our future upgrade opportunities, as the Athlon 64 3700+ is virtually equivalent, and for a viable upgrade, we'll need to move to Socket 939, and at least the Athlon 64 3800+ level. Then again, with high-end Athlon 64 939-pin prices the way they are, that upgrade will likely be some time off.
Current Cost: $218 Last month we solidified our platform migration with the selection of a new LGA 775 processor. The 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 540 represents a total shift away from Socket 478, and also provides a more current platform base. There are a few different reasons for going with a 775-pin CPU, with the most obvious being CPU prices. These LGA 775 Pentium 4 models are priced lower than the same-speed Socket 478 version, and this allows us to save a few dollars by going this route. The native PCI Express support is also important, as there are some great deals on mainstream PCIe video cards. This dual-pronged savings gives us more hardware for the dollar than the Socket 478/AGP platform, and allows Intel to catch up to the AMD side in terms of price-performance.
The Pentium 4 540 includes the basic Prescott architecture, with a 1-MB L2 cache, an 800 MHz front-side bus, Hyper-Threading, and support for dual-channel DDR400 (or DDR2-533) memory speeds. The higher-speed Prescott models can run hot, but the LGA 775 design allows more real estate for CPU coolers and a better cooling design overall. At 3.2 GHz and dual-channel DDR4, the Pentium 4 provides serious power for our value gaming system, while allowing at least some overclocking and tweaking headroom for the hardcore enthusiasts. 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 3400+ includes a bundled heatsink-fan, and for both budgetary and ease-of-use considerations, we chose to go in this direction. 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 processors means that choosing a Retail model is the best way to maximize our system budget. In fact when it comes to Pentium 4 LGA 775 models, the price difference between the OEM and Retail CPU models is nonexistent, and with the bundled Intel heatsink-fan, this amounts to a savings compared to an OEM CPU + 3rd-party heatsink-fan combo. The retail HSF provides more than adequate cooling for our Pentium 4 540, and the retail package allows us to stay within budget. These Intel heatsink-fan units are also very easy to install and do not require any motherboard modifications or CPU socket adjustments.
The retail Pentium 4 coolers have passed our tests even using a 3.6 GHz model, and we have no problem at all recommending these for our value gaming system. These Intel retail coolers may not qualify as hardcore, but still provide rock solid stability at base clock speeds, and have a bit extra left over for moderate overclocking.
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