P4 vs. Athlon

[amirsan]

Hmmmmmm...

Which is better for the gaming computer, Pentium or Athlon???

 

[CrackedCrystal]

For everyday use, Athlon is better. Much more bang for the buck. If you are looking high end though, P4 edges out.

 

[dannyevilcat]

go AMD!

 

[amirsan]

They are cheaper too huh...

 

[nixon]

AMD is only better because of the price, in my mind. Pentium is quality.

 

[Jeratain]

Considering that most programs are built to run on a Pentium chipset, that gives Intel the boost it needs to get my vote - programs run better on Intel.

 

[Sodapop]

At equal power, an athlon beats a P4 to death. Proof is that AMD's naming scheme compares CPU that are way slower in theory, but that end up giving the same power in the end. However, when you get to the 800 Mhz FSB line, P4 have an advantage over XPs. You need about an XP 2800 to equal a P4 2.4c (both cpus have about the same price too). So if you go with a high end model, the P4 is better, if you are happy with the non top-of-the-line, the athlon's for you.

Oh, and the P4 has another advantage with sse2 instructions, but not a lot of things are compiled to take advantage of that, so it doesn't matter that much in the end. And hyperthreading too...

Conclusion : Different CPUs for different people and different use.

 

[Colonel Kraken]

Definitely if you want a top-of-the-line, rocking gaming system, where price is not a real big issue, Pentium is the way to go.

AMD = more bang for the buck.

Check out http://www.tomshardware.com for CPU comparisons. More directly check out this article.

 

[amirsan]

Ok, I think I'll go for Athlon becuase I dont have enough money for the "top of the line PC" so I gotta save my money now...

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[nihilistic]

Originally posted by amirsan
Ok, I think I'll go for Athlon becuase I dont have enough money for the "top of the line PC" so I gotta save my money now...

Thanks everyone for your input!

If youare building one from scratch, be sure to buy the best cooling system availble if youare buying a athlon. They really do burn.

 

[amirsan]

Yeah, I think your supposed to buy a fan for every component anyways.

 

[Mikoyan]

I prefer Intel's processors, so i'll say Pentium 4, for it's power.

 

[Turner]

I have an Athalon at home. I haven't noticed any problems with it as a processor. Any crash or software not working has yet to be traced to the processor. Guess I'm just lucky.

I don't care, really. My understanding is that the Pentium chips run business software better, and the Athalons are better gamers. I'd buy either one.

 

[Colonel Kraken]

Originally posted by nihilistic


If youare building one from scratch, be sure to buy the best cooling system availble if youare buying a athlon. They really do burn.

This is great advice. Pick something from CoolerMaster or Thermaltake.

 

[JoeP]

Originally posted by Sodapop
Conclusion : Different CPUs for different people and different use.

That's my stance, too.

Since you'll go AMD route, though, get an Athlon 1700+ t-bred "b" or a 2500+ barton. They are the best overclockers out of all the Athlons! They oc nicely at stock voltage, too!

eocf.com <-- I'm there all the time

 

[bobgote]

dunno if you guys saw the video of what happens when the cooling system is removed from different brand processors. The pentiums just slow down the system hugely. the athlons start smoking and burn out - processor and m/b
That said i'm about to buy an athlon.

 

[JonathanValjean]

I think the P4 is an excellent chip, but I prefer the Athlon. I have been putting Athlons in my system since they were released in 1999 and haven't looked back. Their price/performance ratio has a lot to do with it, but I also appreciate their overclockability.

 

[Toasty]

How 'bout 'neither?

Before you ask, I've used both.

 

[Comraddict]

AMD = more heat for the buck. Yea Eskimos and Russians!

 

[HuckFinn]

Back in the days when the 1.2GHz Thunderbirds were AMD's top of the line CPU, AMD actually kicked Intel's butt pretty well, because at the same time early P4s were crippled because of a nonexistent level 2 cache, if I remember correctly. That was when AMD for a brief while was both cheaper and faster.

These days it is true that P4 is faster than the Athlon AMD claims is equivalent. However, the "bang for buck" argument makes me always buy AMD when I'm building a computer, and in practice, I have never regretted... the performance difference is marginal, and you can spend the money you save by buying other good components that make your system more well-rounded... remember, your PC is not merely your CPU.