Pentium D 950 3.4ghz or AMD X2 4200+

[weskurtz81]

First of all, don't come on here attacking me..... there was a better way you could have started out your statement. Second of all, I was referring to the B1, the C1 is much cooler. Third.... I was also refering to an overclocked 950..... if I remember correctly. And yes, if you do OC them, they do get very hot and consume alot of energy in comparison to an AMD counterpart.... or any AMD cpu for that matter.

 

[49ers540]

Cool.

 

[endyen]

The current 4200s are getting to 2.8ghz without problem. How do the PDs fare above 4ghz? That is what it would take, to keep up with an X2 @ 2.8.

 

[liquidpaper007]

I'm assuming the pentium D would run hotter than the AMD X2?

thats not a problem. thats why theres water cooling. my 805 stays under 45*C while dual priming, with my gigabyte water cooling system its also running at 3.4 stock voltage.

 

[weskurtz81]

49ers, sounds like you probably know the answer to this..... can I OC a 920 to mid 4ghz.... say 4.5.... on an SI-120? Thermalright I think is who makes it. I know the C1's are cooler running, but will I be able to OC the hell out of it like I would do with the CCBBE Opty if I were to buy it. Problem here is, I am either going to get the 920 and OC it to as high as I can, but I have been spoiled with AMD cpu's and have never needed water cooling, don't want to use it either. So, if I can get the 920, and if I can hit 4.5 Ghz on air and have it be faster than the Opty would be @ 2.8-3.1Ghz, then I will go that way for Conroe upgrade in the future..... any thoughts?

 

[MU_Engineer]

The two chips are indeed very close in the benchmarks. The AMD chip will run cooler and quieter for the following reasons:

1. It can reduce its frequency from 2.2 to 2.0, 1.8 and 1.0 GHz at varying states of load. The Pentium D 950 can only do 3.4 to 3.2, 3.0, and 2.8 with no very low multiplier like the 4200+ does.

2. The PD 950 has a 75% load TDP of 95W. The X2 4200+ has a 100% load TDP of 89W.

3. Intel stock fans are louder than AMD units are- that's my observations. One thing I am certain of and can prove is that Intel HSFs run much faster- 3000-4000 rpm while my X2's fan is 1800rpm. RPM == noise.

Also, AMD boards are much less expensive than the 975 "Bad Axe" Intel board. That thing is $300 or more, while my ABIT board was $110. DDR2-800 for Conroe is about $125-150/GB while DDR400 is $70/GB or so. The PD 950 "Conroe-ready" rig would be several hundred more expensive than the X2 4200+ setup.

What I would recommend that you decide on is when you plan to upgrade again. If you're like me, you upgrade in a few years and get a CPU that is several generations newer. That means a new board and RAM will be in order, so I buy the CPU, board, and RAM for today because I'll need to replace it all anyway when I do upgrade. In that case, DDR2-667 on a 945/955 LGA775 board with that PD 950 would be much more comparable in price to a 939 4200+ setup. So my suggestion to you is to either wait for Intel to ship the Core 2 (which is probably what you really want, by your posts) or you buy a rig with today's parts for today and ignore any future compatibility issues.

 

[49ers540]

Wait for the Conroe, it's only a couple of months away. It will run much cooler than the AMD and you will be able to overclock like crazy. You will be able to afford the Conroe.

 

[weskurtz81]

49'ers, are there any mobo's that support Conroe now? I know many people have speculated.... but are there any that do for sure? And if there are, is it a hit or miss type thing, as in I can order the board.... but might not get the correct revision?

Edit.... the reason I ask about the mobo's, is because I am selling my system to my friend, and don't really feel like using a single core system , but I am not willing to buy anything that will not support next gen.... I have a spare Venice 3000, and 939 board.... just would rather sell it also.... rather than transplant it into my current main case..... althought.... it is 2.8Ghz stable...
that is why I am basically asking if I can get a mobo that will support Conroe and just buy a cheap 920 to wait Conroe out with.... and hopefully hit 4.5 on air.... if that is even possible with a good 120 mm cooler.

 

[49ers540]

The mobo might be 479 or 775 and the chipset have not been determine yet. Speculation is 775 with 945 and 975 chipset. I'm just waiting all together so I don't waste my money buying the wrong mobo.