AMD64 3000 Vs. P4 2.8C

Hi folks,

Okay, I know that this topic is probably going to get a few peoples'
undergarments twisting fitfully, but please bear with me here. ;p

I'm on the cusp of ordering a new build for myself with the following
base components:

Antec PlusView1000AMG
Lite-On DVD-RW
3x Antec 80mm Case Fans
Logitech MX Duo Cordless KB/Mouse
Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 8T - OEM
Antec 430W Power Supply, Model "TRUE430"
2x Maxtor 80GB 8MB Cache HD's (1 for XP, 1 for FreeBSD)
ATI Radeon 9600

I understand that with only one stick of RAM, I'll be negating the
dual-channel benefits, but I'm sort of on a budget and it's something
that can be added later. Anyway.

My original plan was to get an Intel D865PERLL mainboard coupled with
a P4 2.8C processor. I'm not at all interested in overclocking and the
like and being that Intel mainboards are generally noted for their
stability and -very- clean mainboard design. One other aspect that really
grabbed my attention in regard to this mainboard was the quality of the
onboard sound. From what I've read in regard to this, it's incredibly
good.

However (as there always is one), I've been reading a lot about the AMD64's
and their superior performance. As the CPU/Mainboard price is about the
same for AMD Vs. Intel, cost is not really a consideration here.

One thing that bothers me a little, and a point in which I'm sure I'll be
called names for, is that the current crop of AMD64, socket 754, mainboards
is daunting. It's difficult to compare these boards considering the
choices that are available:

- Via or NVidia? Again, it's difficult to find detailed comparisons
between these chipsets.

- I do understand that most folks enjoy overclocking their systems, of which,
I have no desire to do. Perhaps this is also the reason that I tend to read
a lot about people having stability issues with their AMD64 boxen. It's
difficult to make a decision when it seems that there are quite a lot
of folks with stability issues, but again, it may just be the issue of
these folks overclocking their systems.

- This also ties in with the above in regard to stability; it's also
difficult to find people who are happy with any specific mainboard due
to the above.

With all of the above said, one of the mainboards that I was looking at
in regard to pairing with an AMD64 3000 is the Asus K8N-E Deluxe. Yes,
it's quite a bit more, in this case, than the Intel D865PERLL. If anyone
could provide their personal experiences with this board, I'd be appreciative,
as I would with any other suggestions or recommendations in regard to other
boards.

Thank you for your time,
John.

I'm currently going through similar choices. I'm no looking at Celerons.

As to sound aspect, maybe AMD mobo+ decent sound card is a more economical
solution than Celeron +onboard sound?

http://www.outpost.com/category/Outp...s/Computer+Com
ponents/Controller+Cards

where this product shows example of spec info correlated with price.

unfortunately their search doesn't reliably find *everything* onsite

i think i searched for some words, but results missed many products. i
think
socket a
is a serach that failed.

the price bracketing feature works.

I believe that most of the stability problems you refer to with the AMD64
has more to do with memory than with the mainboard itself. The AMD64 is
quite demanding of memory, and a lot of what's out there doesn't live up to
it's rating when in a AMD64 system. For this reason, it's important to use
quality memory. On the plus side (for you), the 754 pin AMD64 doesn't have
dual channel capability, so the number of sticks isn't going to affect
performance. The amount obviously will, and I've seen my system using over
800 MB of the 1GB installed.

The MSI board seems to be highly regarded. I've got a Gigabyte (1st
generation) K8NNXP, and it's stable, but it took some work. I had to replace
the Kingston HyperX PC3200 with Mushkin Level 1 PC3500. This resolved all of
the stability issues I was having (reboots and crashes to desktop).

Another thing to keep in mind- it's reported that the AMD64 likes 20AMPs on
the 12V rail, so a good power supply is a requirement. I'm running the Antec
430W with no problems, which is what you have listed in your wish list.

Take a look at the AMD forum website ( http://forums.amd.com/index.php? )
and you can look at some of the issues people have and how many seem to be
related to memory.

By the way, I'm quite pleased with the 64 system I have, even though I built
it when it was still "new". The NForce boards all have at least 1 revision
(from the 150 chipset to the 250), and I think some of the memory problems
may have been resolved. I know the 250 improves the performance of the
hypertransport link.

Fitz