Topic: Anyone go Dual-Core yet?

[FPF-DieHard]

My Desktop is getting old (built is during Attack of the Kitties) and it is clearly time for an upgrade. 

Looking for some feedbacl on the new Intel and AMD Dual-core chips.   Anyone try these out yet?

[E_Look]

Nah.

I'm going to wait until either my current Athlon 64 dies of old age and/or the dual cores are old tech (a.k.a. much cheaper).

[Sirgod]

Nah.

I'm going to wait until either my current Athlon 64 dies of old age and/or the dual cores are old tech (a.k.a. much cheaper).

Same here. Shoot my PC will be one year old next month, yeah Ancient by Standards today. I am kinda Getting interested in Longhorn though.

Stephen

[E_Look]

Ha ha!

I thought my Athlon 64 3000+ was the cat's meow... and it was, for about a year or so- they came out with an improved Athlon 64 recently!!

Bah.  What are you going to do??  (Get rich, maybe??)

[Sirgod]

Ha ha!

I thought my Athlon 64 3000+ was the cat's meow... and it was, for about a year or so- they came out with an improved Athlon 64 recently!!

Bah.  What are you going to do??  (Get rich, maybe??)

I guess I could sell about 3 cows, and Buy a Dual Core MB / Procc.

stephen

[Mr_Tricorder]

I don't even have the money to upgrade to a 64 bit processor.  I currently have an AMD Athalon Thunderbird 1.4 GHz processor, one of the few remaining original pieces of my computer from when I built it almost four years ago.  I currently have two summer jobs and am paying for my summer school, but if I have enough money to spare by the end of the summber, I'm planning to get a more advanced socket A chip.

[Sirgod]

I don't even have the money to upgrade to a 64 bit processor.  I currently have an AMD Athalon Thunderbird 1.4 GHz processor, one of the few remaining original pieces of my computer from when I built it almost four years ago.  I currently have two summer jobs and am paying for my summer school, but if I have enough money to spare by the end of the summber, I'm planning to get a more advanced socket A chip.

I forgot you where still in College. Hows that going by the way?

Stephen

[Mr_Tricorder]

It's going fairly well.  I'm majoring in American Studies with an (unofficial) minor in 3d computer graphics.  The program for 3d graphics that I'm doing here isn't fully developed yet, but their very close to being able to offer a minor.  I started out in Aerospace Engineering (I wanted to design spacecraft ), but after three semesters I found out that the only part of engineering that I really liked was the computer graphics.
I'm starting my senior year at Texas A&M (although it will take me at least one more year to graduate), and I am a member of the Corps of Cadets and Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (websites for both organizations for anyone who has no idea what I'm talking about www.aggiecorps.org www.aggieband.org)

[Sirgod]

It's going fairly well.  I'm majoring in American Studies with an (unofficial) minor in 3d computer graphics.  The program for 3d graphics that I'm doing here isn't fully developed yet, but their very close to being able to offer a minor.  I started out in Aerospace Engineering (I wanted to design spacecraft ), but after three semesters I found out that the only part of engineering that I really liked was the computer graphics.
I'm starting my senior year at Texas A&M (although it will take me at least one more year to graduate), and I am a member of the Corps of Cadets and Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (websites for both organizations for anyone who has no idea what I'm talking about www.aggiecorps.org www.aggieband.org)

Out Freaking standing. You know I played Semi-Proffesional Trumpet for years. I can still hit a Triple C and warble like a Blue Bird. I'm proud of you Man, It's so nice to see someone living life, and Following through with It. Don't give up on that Engineering job though, Follow your dreams, and You'll make It some day.

Stephen

[FPF-DieHard]

There is not point in buying a 64 Bit CPU until the OS's and applications are ready to use it.

My Desktop is 2 1/2 years old.   2.53 GHz P-IV.   Radeon 8500 All-in-wonder.   Thought it was okay until I got a new Laptop with a 2 GHz Centrino

BLOWS it out of the water.

Maybe I'll just replace the Video card until I get more feedback. . .

[IndyShark]

I am feeling really old now. My computer is five years old! (Someone call the Henry Ford museum!)

I have some things going on at work right now that I need to resolve, but I hope to have a new computer later this year.

I got my first computer when I was 14 and I have never owned a five year old computer before. I blame SFC! Why upgrade when you can still play SFC?? LOL

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

We got to upgrade these things?  Crap.  My wife is using our three year old E-Machine, I've only stuck an extra stick of RAM in it, and I am on my 8 month old system.  I am adding to it to get it to play SHIII, but five is old?  Criminy.,..

[Javora]

There is not point in buying a 64 Bit CPU until the OS's and applications are ready to use it.

My Desktop is 2 1/2 years old.   2.53 GHz P-IV.   Radeon 8500 All-in-wonder.   Thought it was okay until I got a new Laptop with a 2 GHz Centrino

BLOWS it out of the water.

Maybe I'll just replace the Video card until I get more feedback. . .

I guessing that you have a 478 pin Intel based motherboard.  If this is the case I wouldn't spring for a new system just yet.  I would focus on buying another processor, new Video card, and maybe some more Ram (if Ram is less than 1Gig).  If your motherboard can handle a 3.4Ghz processor and has an 8x AGP, then for about $600~$800USD you should have an upgrade path that will allow your system to last for a couple more years.

This will also allow you to make the upgrades at your pace, a processor one month, a video card the next etc.  One thing though, keep an eye on your system's power usage.  Depending on what you have you may need to replace the power supply as well.  This path will allow the current duel-core platform time it needs (really needs IMHO) to mature and will allow you to ease into Microsoft Longhorn easily.  Plus this will give your kids a really nice computer when you buy that new system.  Hope this helps.

[FPF-DieHard]

I have kids? 

Swapping a motherboard is no sweat, the last PC I bought whole was in 1997 (except fo this Laptop, but thatdon't count).

[E_Look]

The reason why I sprung for an Athlon 64 was in anticipation of 64 bit OS's and 64 bit apps.  But as you said, I won't buy a 64 OS until Microsoft gets it fully beta tested (that is, after all my richer or overeager friends all try it out for a year or two and I get the lowdown).

But boy, I do wish I could have a socket 939 rather than my socket 754; the newer 939s run MUCH cooler.

[Iceman]

There is not point in buying a 64 Bit CPU until the OS's and applications are ready to use it.

My Desktop is 2 1/2 years old.   2.53 GHz P-IV.   Radeon 8500 All-in-wonder.   Thought it was okay until I got a new Laptop with a 2 GHz Centrino

BLOWS it out of the water.

Maybe I'll just replace the Video card until I get more feedback. . .

You're being bottlenecked somewhere. That shoudln't be happeneing, Centrino's are not built for power, but longevity.

My guess is that the 8500 is causing some issues, try a 9600xt or something similiar. And get some more ram, as it seems you might not have enough. Get at least 512, if not 1024. That should breathe a LOT of new life into your desktop. 2.5 ghz is nothing to scoff at, you just have to know what you're doing while you use CPU intensive programs.

[FPF-DieHard]

There is not point in buying a 64 Bit CPU until the OS's and applications are ready to use it.

My Desktop is 2 1/2 years old.   2.53 GHz P-IV.   Radeon 8500 All-in-wonder.   Thought it was okay until I got a new Laptop with a 2 GHz Centrino

BLOWS it out of the water.

Maybe I'll just replace the Video card until I get more feedback. . .

You're being bottlenecked somewhere. That shoudln't be happeneing, Centrino's are not built for power, but longevity.

My guess is that the 8500 is causing some issues, try a 9600xt or something similiar. And get some more ram, as it seems you might not have enough. Get at least 512, if not 1024. That should breathe a LOT of new life into your desktop. 2.5 ghz is nothing to scoff at, you just have to know what you're doing while you use CPU intensive programs.

Check the Benchmarks, the 2 GHz Centrino beats a 3 GHz P-IV in most benchmarks, even without hyperthreading.

The 8500 has got to go, think I',ll just replace theat for now and wait for the AMD/INTEL dual-cores to get more affordable.

[Iceman]

Something very fishy is going on with those benchmarks.

I would agree, replace the video card and wait on the processor.

[Nemesis]

Something very fishy is going on with those benchmarks.

Not fishy at all. 

The Pentium IV is a notoriously inefficient chip.  When it was first introduced the 1.3ghz P-IV was slightly outperformed by the 1.0ghz P-III.  The Pentium M is developed from the P-III and is even more efficient.  Likely if the P-M was not hobbled by slow laptop memory and hard drives it would perform even better. 

The P-IV is now a dead end and the P-M will be the chip developed into the Intel dual core chip of the future both for the desktop and laptop.

You can thank AMD for this as they drove Intel forward to higher performance years ahead of Intels plans. 

[FPF-DieHard]

  Likely if the P-M was not hobbled by slow laptop memory and hard drives it would perform even better. 

I think that's a misunderstanding too.  The Sager 3880 I bought has 1 GB of 533 MHz DDR ram and a 7200 RPM drive.  It absolutely smokes.  If I didn't need a Desktop for other reasons, I don't think i'd even bother.   Thiis isn't even a "Dektop Replacement" laptop.

I've read the review of the modkits that let you put a Pentium M in a Desktop PC.   I'm seriously condiering this and if it goes dualcore with a Clock speed of 2.5-3 GHz it would OWN everything else out there.

Funny thing about the Pentium M.   To conserver power, it lowers the clock speed when it doesn't need to be any higher.   Right now just surfing the net she's running at 433 MHz.  When I play SFC:OP it barely goes above 1 GHz.

Makes me feel kinda silly about spending an extra $250 to get the 2 GHz over the 1.7