AM2, DDR2 - any better?

ronnn

Was looking for a budget set up that would do for my new x1900gt. I was looking at this asrock mb http://www.ncix.com/products/index.p...facture=ASRock
I have an asrock dual 939 that I really like, so am now partial to asrock. Was thinking of the 3800 am2 cpu with 512 cache - as they are a decent price at ncix. I do like a quiet system - so want to go with amd - is the am2 with ddr2 any gain? If I stick with the regular 939, much greater choices in budget motherboards. Which memory bandwidth is best bang for the buck? Any comments?

Cba - Andy

Am2 socket currently does show some performance improvement but not alot 1-5% at best you would be better of sticking with 939 for now as its still a rock soild platform

ronnn

1 to 5 %? Why did they bother?

CDsDontBurn

get an nForce 4 chipset or ATI xPress MoBo. those support PCI-E and will work just fine w/your new gfx card. they support DDR memory, so you wouldn't need to get anything else other than your MoBo, and maybe a new PSU to power that new beast of a gfx card you got

Cba - Andy

in future i believe it will become better over time and see more of an improvement specialy if ddr2 timings get lower as AMD onboard memory controler loves low timings. Current amd cpu are not memory bandwidth starved but intime with quad core they might

soloz2

There is an improvement to be had with AM2, but really only if you are willing to go all out and get the top of the line components. You need good DDR2 800Mhz RAM and an entheusist mobo and have the intention of OC'ing. otherwise... you won't really get much of a gain at all

The_Neon_Cowboy

Na untill they improve the timeing of ddr2, untill then...
they can press the Mhz higher for some benifit

mkk

The main reason for the move is that the memory manufacturers had decided for DDR will be phased out in favor of DDR2 production. AMD held off moving to DDR2 for a good while but resistance would eventually prove futile. Just buy an ample amount of RAM for your socket 939 system if you havent already. X2 CPU prices should soon fall, for those who crave a faster CPU to their existing rig.

Judas

don't know.. i see that memory intensive operations have seriously gotten some major boosts

mkk

In synthetic benchmarks maybe. Games and apps typically benefit by the few percentages.

CDsDontBurn

in the battle of DDR vs. DDR2, wouldn't the increase in the amount of memory be more important than the actual clock speeds of the memory (at stock configurations)?

i'm just saying because when running a non-OCed system, the system bus will still be running at 200Mhz HTT. so AMD chips will take a hit in performance unless the stock HTT bus is upped to say 233Mhz or 266Mhz like some of the newer Intel chips have been.

whereas, having more memory, allows for more system resources for your memory depleting games and apps.

Judas

well in memory intensive tasks... the extra memory bandwidth is quite apparent... i gotta find the am2 adobe photoshop benchmark i saw....

ronnn

So am2 seems like it might be a little more future proof. Problem is a real shortage of budget motherboards - at least in Canada. DDR2 memory is a bit cheaper and easier to find.

Judas

actually, i'm considering waiting for DDR3 support..... but i'm not sure.... my system is currently quite powerful as is.

ronnn

Waiting is always best! I have need for a second machine right now. And now does not seem to be a good time to buy. Actually have been tempted to grab an emachine refurb - as at least I can always use the os (least I hope so) when I upgrade.

CDsDontBurn

but if you're always waiting, you'll always be anticipating new stuff to come out, and you'll never buy! am2 is already out, but in limited supplies ATM, core 2 is just around the corner, so in that case, waiting a month or so more wouldn't be bad, but for things that are pretty far off......why wait?

you can build yourself a budget machine for around $500 (USD) if you need a 2nd machine for whatever else it is you do or would need it for.

Randomletters

yes sir the rig in the sig is going to run me less then $500, And not bad specs for a budget rig if i say so myself

ronnn

Yep, I have decided to go with a cheap sempron set up to put in my old antec sonota case and will get an antec sonota 2 to house my existing set up - the 450w power supply should be enough to run a x1900gt as ati reccomends at least 400 watts. I could be in trouble if anyone ever figures out how to unlock those cards, but what the hell I like the antec sonota case (for the price).


This way if conroe is really that much better, I can enjoy upgrading again.

CDsDontBurn

other than a larger gill in the front, a side fan inside the case (that has the weird looking duct thing to it), the more powerful PSU, and the removal of the holes that spell "antec", the sonata 2 is not any different from the sonata 1. i'd much rather get a sonata 1 w/o a PSU, and use that for my case.

ronnn

I expect that I will not use the cpu duct, as it doesn't look like it works. My Sonota is over 3 years old and still looks good, which is why I don't mind another one. I did have to remove the filter as it impeded air flow, so needs frequent cleaning.