Re: AMD64/PCI-Express debacle

From: Nathan McNulty (nospam_at_msn.com)
Date: 09/13/04 

Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 00:07:19 -0700

I am going to reference a couple of articles you may want to read:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/64bit.html
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/doom3-cpu.html

Here is what I would seriously suggest. Dual Core CPU's will be
shipping shortly. PCI Express IS the wave of the future. Almost all
add-on cards will be made in PCI Express from this point on. If you buy
a system now, at least you can still have SATA300 by purchasing a PCI
Express SATA Card. One downside to the newer boards with PCI Express is
the use of DDR2 RAM as it is expensive, has poor performance, and just
isn't mature yet. As for the fight between AMD and Intel and which
chipset to choose, you do some research on the internet.

Intel and AMD are scheduled to release dual cored CPU's and Intel's will
have 64bit capabilities. They both are also working on virtualization
techniques. Search Google for AMD Pacifica and Intel Vanderpool.

Now for gaming, the processor and chipset will have some impact, but the
most crucial peice of hardware is going to be the video card.
Unfortunately, ATI has kind of flopped with their X800 XT. I love ATI
products (own a 9800XT), but if I were to buy a card right now, it would
be a nVidia Geforce 6800 series card. If you choose to wait for the
dual core CPU's to be released, you may find ATI releasing their new VPU
built off a brand new core instead of stretching the limits of their old
R3XX architecture. Have to wait for all the benchmarking and such, but
you will see many hardware review sites and tweaking/overclocking sites
running quite a few tests coming up here in the next couple of months.
There is currently a huge push to release this new technology before
Christmas season (which really starts late November). This is when I
would look into buying your hardware ;) 

----
Nathan McNulty
jonnyd wrote:
> I was hoping some of the experts might be able to clarify things for me. I am 
> looking to buy a new, powerful system for high-end gaming purposes, watching 
> movies, Photoshop, etc. And hopeing to keep the price under $1500. I was told 
> that AMD 64 is the best processor with potential now, and that PCI-Express is 
> the wave of the future for video cards. However, my normal internet shop 
> doesn't carry these together, and I heard that its because of a delay in mobo 
> production. 
> 
> Is my info correct? Is this system the best i can do? Is it worth waiting 
> for these to come out together before purchasing a new system (how long?)? 
> 
> Thx so much!
> 
> #an aquaintance gave me the following advice- does it sound on target?#
> 
> Building and fixing computers is my hobby so maybe I can give some info. 
> 
> Athlon 64 are the best for gaming right now. Pentiums are better for video 
> encoding work. You sound like a gamer so I reccomend Athlon 64. 
> Here is a link comparing pentiums and Athlon 64s in Doom3. 
> http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2149&p=7 
> (Pay no attention to the Athlon FXs or the Pentium EEs. They are hideously 
> expensive and mainly used for servers.) As you can see Athlon 64s dominate. 
> 
> There are no PCI-express motherboards for Athlon 64 right now. They won't be 
> coming out until after Christmas. Pentiums do have PCI-express motherboards 
> and DDR-II, but they are slower than Athlon 64s using DDR. 
> 
> DDR-II is faster in terms of how much info it can transfer, but DDR is 
> faster in terms of how quickly this info can be shuffled back and forth 
> (latency). Basically, there is no advantage to DDR-II right now. Athlon 64s 
> have no plan (or need) to use DDR-II until DDR-II gets a lot faster (late 
> 2005 or 2006). 
> 
> Also in 2005 dual core CPUs are coming out for Pentiums and Athlons. These 
> will probably require new motherboards and faster RAM. 
> 
> Ok now the big question: Wait or build now? It's easy to get caught in the 
> idea that you need to upgrade down the line. On the CPU side, you should only 
> upgrade if the processor is twice as fast. As you can see from the CPU 
> comparison chart, that wont happen any time soon. So lets not worry about 
> ever upgrading the CPU. It's not worth the money and it's just a pain in the 
> but to change it out. Just buy a good chip now ($250~) and be down with it. 
> 
> On the graphics side, it's a little more complicated. I recommend that you 
> buy the fastest graphics card easily available (Geforce 6800 GT w/ 256MB 
> RAM). It will cost about $400 dollars and its a good mach for any chip you 
> buy now. You can buy a gamer cards for $200 dollars now, but you will 
> probably want to upgrade later. S0 that means you will spend another $200 for 
> a new graphics card later that would just equal the Geforce 6800 GT you can 
> buy now. You dont really save yourself any money not getting the fastest card 
> now. 
> 
> Even if you could buy another $400 video card in two years time, the rest of 
> your system would slow it down. So again no point in upgrading. 
> 
> Until after Xmas AGP graphics cards are the most popular and the easiest to 
> find. By spring all graphics cards and motherboards will be moving to 
> PCI-express. There will always be graphics cards coming out that support AGP, 
> but they might not be the top of the line after spring. PCI-express isnt 
> faster than AGP. It has some benefits in terms of how motherboard power is 
> used, but other than that there is nothing. 
> 
> You can'T buy modems, ethenet cards, TV cards, sound cards or anything else 
> for PCI-express yet accept graphics cards. 
> 
> I reccommend building now, and dont go cheap. You will have a computer that 
> will last you for a solid 3-4 years of gaming, DVD-ripping, and whatever else 
> gets your rocks off. 
> 
> Here is my suggestion for a new computer: 
> Athlon 64 (754 pin socket) 300+, 3200+ or 3400+ 
> Mother board: DFI LANParty UT nF3-250Gb 
> Review: http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2198 
> RAM: 1 gig DDR (but you are fine if you choose 512MB) 
> Graphics card: any Geforce 6800 GT 
> Hard drive: Hitachi deskstar (200gb and up) 
> DVD-burner: Pioneer 108 
> Case and power supply: Something good and from a namebrand. Get a GOOD and 
> SILENT power supply! It drives me nuts if my computer is noisy. 
> 
> Ethernet, sound card, usb, ethernet are all built into the motherboard. 
> 
> I also recommend getting a good monitor. I use a 19" LCD. If you can afford 
> it I reccommend an LCD. Let me know what your budget is and what you are 
> looking for (LCD or CRT). Again, dont go cheap! The monitor is the most 
> important part of the comoputer! Your eyes will thank you and it makes movies 
> and games much more enjoyable. You can also use for a new computer down the 
> line (something you cant do with the other computer parts). 
> 
> IN america you can get most of this about $1500. BUT IN JAPN IT'S ABOUT $2000.
>

Relevant Pages

  • AMD64/PCI-Express debacle
    ... You sound like a gamer so I reccomend Athlon 64. ... There are no PCI-express motherboards for Athlon 64 right now. ... You can buy a gamer cards for $200 dollars now, ... Until after Xmas AGP graphics cards are the most popular and the easiest to ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: AMD64/PCI-Express debacle
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