Quote:
Originally posted by ChrisJericho
The intels processors are generally better for media/video editing while the AMD'S are usually better for gaming.
The Prescott's do not offer much more of a performance increase over the northwood's and they usually run hotter.
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Jericho's right! If you are gonna go with Intel, getting a Prescott won't get you much more power, but they're not that much more money nowadays. It really depends on what ya wanna do with the processor. There's not much of a reason to spend the extra money with Intel unless you're positively gonna do video editing or media creation. The extra clock speed that comes with Intel's processors will give a big advantage on AMD processors with media applications.
If you're buying this processor for gaming, AMD is the way to go. AMD's processors are cheaper (as in less money) and are basically designed for gaming.
The options after that are simply about upgradeability. Socket 754 might not last much longer with AMD. They're really enjoying supporting socket 939 now. Socket 940 is already dead! Socket A will see a lot more life in the future (AMD is releasing new socket A processors to "combat" Intel's Celeron D series). I'd go with Socket A or Socket 939. Socket 754 wouldn't be a bad decision (if you did buy a socket 754 processors, chances are it won't be outdated for a few years...even if AMD discontinues it, your processor will still kick ass!). Anything but socket 940!
Now, the best bang-for-your-buck is easily the AMD Athlon XP 2500+ and onward. The 2500+ is only $80! Athlon XPs are still great processors and will last for a good while in the gaming industry. As of now, videocards are the major determining factor in how well games run. Another great deal is the Athlon 64 3200+ (socket 754).
If you're hell-bent on spending a ton of money on a processor, I'd choose the Athlon 64 3500+. Even though it's pretty damn expensive (not much more than the processor you listed though), you're getting the power of an Athlon 64 plus a motherboard with socket 939. Socket 939 is AMD's flagship socket, so you're good to go with upgradeability for a few years. Another option would be the 3.4 GHz Prescott you listed. I'd only get that if you're gonna go crazy with media creation though!
-Lasereth