Athlon 64 vs. P4 /w HT
 

I'm designing a new computer and I'm at a standstill right now because I'm not sure whether to base it around a P4-HT or an AMD 64bit.

Why am I stuck? Well, you get PCI-Express with both types. But Pentium doesn't make 64-bit processors. And AMD doesn't have an Athlon 64 MOBO out that supports DDR2!

(As you can tell, I'm a gamer.) I just don't want to sink $2500+ into a system that ends up shortchanging me in a major area.

I want a 64-bit cpu, DDR, and PCI-express all at the same time but I can't have it! :cry: What do I do?

DDR2 mobo's for AMD 64 will be out soon enough, and you can always get a new mobo for like $100 and sell the one you buy on ebay. With the P4-HT you are going to need new mobo + proc when you switch to 64.

I am correct that there are AMD-based mobos that support PCI-Express, right?

But are there some that include both x16 and x1 slots, and not JUST the x16 slot for your video card?

So far I haven't been able to find any... :/

Think about when a 64-bit OS will come out.. not this year for sure.. next year? maybe.. irreguardless, 64-bit won't be for real until longhorn... Why do you think Intel doesn't have one yet? Because it doesn't matter yet... DDR2 is the future. Just take the best price/performance/futureproofness and then make a decision

Well, supposedly the AMD FX-53 is the fastest processor available for gaming BAR-NONE. And it's about $200 cheaper than the Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 3.4 GHz Extreme Edition.

So based on what you've said...

go with the 64-bit FX-53 and hold out for a good DDR2 mobo with PCI-X?

Don't consider the extreme edition.. and with any of those top chips.. there is NO price/performance/value ratio.. they are so overinflated in price that it's silly.. if you have that much money to spend on a top fx, you don't even need to be here. Just go to Alienware and buy the $4k comp and you don't need to worry about it...

4k will not get a super pc from alienware more like 6-7k

Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Chassis: Alienware® Full-Tower Case (480-Watt PS) - Conspiracy Blue
Cable Management: Alienware® Cable Management System
Power Supply: 650 Watt Power Supply Upgrade
Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-53 Processor with HyperTransport Technology
Motherboard: ASUS® A8V Deluxe - VIA K8T800 Pro Motherboard
Memory: 2GB Extreme Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 SDRAM at 400MHz - 4 x 512MB
Video Card: ATI RADEON™ X800 XT Platinum Edition 256MB DDR3 w/Digital and TV Out
Video Optimizer: AlienAdrenaline: Video Performance Optimizer
Video Cooling: AlienIce™ Video Cooling System - Terra Green
System Drive: Extreme Performance - Serial ATA RAID 0 - 148GB (74GB x 2) Western Digital® Raptor™ 10,000 RPM w/16MB Cache
Optical Drive One: Plextor® PX-712A 12x DVD±R/W Drive
Optical Drive Two: Plextor® PX-712A 12x DVD±R/W Drive
Floppy Drive: 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS Platinum Pro High Definition 7.1 Surround
Network Connection: High Speed Gigabit Ethernet
Display One: NEC 19" LCD 1960NXi-BK MultiSync - Black
Display Two: NEC 19" LCD 1960NXi-BK MultiSync - Black
Speakers: Creative GigaWorks™ THX® S750 - 7.1 700-Watt Speakers
Keyboard: Microsoft® Multimedia Keyboard - Conspiracy Blue
Mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 - USB - Conspiracy Blue
Alienware Exclusive Offers: Gamespot Complete - Free 90-day Trial (a $20.85 value)
Alienware Exclusive Offers: 10% off your next EB Games online purchase
Benchmark Software: 3DMark®03 Standard Edition
Free Alienware T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black (a $10.00 value)
Free Alienware Mousepad: Free Alienware® Mousepad (a $14.99 value)
AlienInspection: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - $99.99 Value - FREE!
AlienWiring: AlienWiring - Exclusive Internal Wire Management - $99.99 Value - FREE!
Automated Support: AlienAutopsy: Automated Technical Support Request System


For only $6,266.00 :shake:

that's with anything and everything.. but that's one nice comp...

I'm jelous of my own desires.