Which CPU?

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persianxballer

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Hi,

I am about to make my first computer, for around $800-$900.

I was wondering which of these CPU's is better and for what?

I will be not gaming that much, but I will be using the Internet and many programs at the same time.

CPUs:

1. Pentium 4 Soctet T/ LGA
2. Pentium 4 Prescott
3. Pentium 4 Northwood
4. AMD Athlon XP
5. AMD Athlon 64

I appreciate your time and opinions.
 
You're probably gonna get a bunch of different opinions on this one, but here's mine: The P4 Northwood or Prescott is good for multitasking (with HT) and is somewhat inexpensive.
 
Thanks for your opinions, but I've been hearing that the Prescotts run really hot and being a first time builder, I don't really want to deal with too much heat.

How about the Soctet T's?

Also, how much of a difference does 1 mb of cache make over 512 kb cache.
 
If I were to go with a hotter CPU, is a MGE Ninja with 450 PSU alright?

I need as much help as I can get; I really don't know much about this stuff.
 
I was also thinking Northwood, but they don't make Northwood with 1 mb of system cache.

Some of the AMD 64 CPUs have 1 mb cache, but are about the same price as P4s. If the price was exactly the same, which is better.

Does that make a big difference when it comes to performance?
 
Halo said:
Ok, I was about to say AMD, but seeing as that your not gonna be gaming all that much, then go with the P4 Northwood. I have a Prescott; don't get a Prescott. They run hotter than the Northwood. Basically: get the Northwood.

Hotter... and faster. If your looking for speed man, get the Prescott. Heat can be controlled. The Prescott has 125 million transistors and a 0.09-micron process, where the Northwood only has 55 million transistors, and a 0.13-micron process. The Prescott also has SSE3, which includes 13 new instructions for graphics and sound.

"Basically": if your looking for speed... go for the Prescott!
 
I know that AMDs beat out Intels when it comes to gaming, but how about using applications.

Do AMDs compare to Intels when it comes to everyday usage, like Internet use, downloading and applications?
 
If you are choosing between the Prescott and Northwood, get the Northwood. As stated b4 they run cooler and you can overclock the heck out of them. My bud has the Prescott, it runs the same as mine, except at a hotter temp.
 
Get the AMD64. Its future proof. As soon as they will release 64bit software and WindowsXP64 it will outperform the others.

Or get the P4 Prescott HT if you aren't interested in using 64 bit software in the future.

"Basically": if your looking for speed in 64bit programs+OS... go for the AMD64!

else, go for P4.
 
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