Some things I want to note before I start,
1) This is not to start a flame war or a Fanboy thread, so don't turn it into that please.
2) I want the moderators to make this sticky
The purpose of this is to enlighten newbies and/or enthusiasts as to get the best CPU for the money, and to put a stop to all the "What CPU should I get?" threads. If you have anything you wish to add to this, PM me or post it here and I will edit it, I welcome any and all help. I want this to be very informational w/o getting into "AMD sux!" or "Intel Sux!" posts. I will try to be as Un-Biased as possible and I will try not to get extremely technical as newbies to computers will be the ones I am aiming to, so do not criticize me because I do not say how the electron moves in the CPU.
AMD V. Intel Pentium 4 Processors:
The Final Word
Author : Chris Connolly Date : 7/13/2005 (SIX MONTHS LATER)
If you couldn’t tell by the last twelve pages of analysis and benchmarks, we really like the Athlon64 X2. The Athlon64 X2 is indeed, as the title implies, dual-core processing implemented correctly. The X2 gives significantly better performance compared to its single core brethren, gives excellent performance with single-threaded applications, all while consuming roughly as much power / creating as much heat as a single core Athlon64. After seeing the Athlon64 X2’s in action, the inadequacies of Intel’s Pentium-D and Pentium Extreme Edition are much more visible.
Performance wise, we are confident in saying that the Athlon64 X2 4800+ is the fastest overall processor on the market today. The vast majority of multi-threaded applications showed the 4800+ at the top of the benchmark charts, and it only falls behind to the Athlon64 FX series in gaming. Even in games, the 4800+ chip is only a small amount behind the FX. The chip is far more balanced compared to the Intel’s dual-core Pentium-D/EE processors when handling single threaded applications. However, while the 4800+ rules the charts, one should consider that most of our applications did not show much benefit from the 4800+’s 1MB of cache (per core) compared to the 4600+ 512 kB of cache (per core). In the majority of applications, the 4600+ (which is quite a bit less expensive) performs nearly identically to the top of the line 4800+ model.
With this much computing power, it’s amazing to witness how little power these chips consume while running. They consume about 33% less power compared to Intel’s dual core lineup while at the same time delivering better performance most of the time. In addition, the chips are far easier to cool, which will lead to lower noise (more enjoyable) computing environments. AMD is bundling a very good retail cooler with these chips which keeps the chips nice and cool while staying near silent. AMD’s 90nm SOI manufacturing process is producing some amazing products – the engineering teams behind these chips should be proud of their accomplishments.
AMD knows they have a phenomenal chip on their hands, and unfortunately, they are charging out the nose for them. Even the “cheapest” Athlon64 X2 processors are well over $600 ranging in upwards to $1200 for the top of the line models. In addition, chip supplies have been low, so prices are staying high even though these chips have been out for a few weeks. ( Now SIX MONTHS LATER the “cheapest” Athlon64 X2 processors are ONLY $300 still ranging in upwards to $1200 for the top of the line models.) In addition, chip supplies have been low, so prices are staying high even though these chips have been out for a few weeks. While the Athlon64 X2 is a steal in comparison to a dual Opteron processor configuration, it may be tough to convince a casual buyer that AMD’s chips are better compared to Intel’s Pentium-D lineup which runs at higher clock speeds and is about half as expensive. Believe me, the Athlon64 X2 is a far better way to go for a dual-core workstation/server/game rig. Still, if you’re looking for a true budget dual-core solution, Intel’s Pentium-D reaches price points the X2 cannot touch at this time. Rumors have abounded that AMD will release a lower clocked X2 model to address these needs, but we have not seen any concrete evidence of such a processor yet.
Sorry Intel, you’ve been beat once again.
Dual Core Done Right- AMD’s Athlon64 X2 Processors: FINAL ASSESSMENT
Must read:
AMD v. INTEL
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