Pentium III or AMD Athlon?

[Zippatuh]

All right gents I’m fed up and have finally talked the better half into letting go of some cash for a new system.  I’ve decided based on cost that the best I can do is the 1Ghz system with 128K of RAM.

So the question is, do you go with the PIII 1Ghz or the AMD 1.1Ghz?  The AMD system Is a little cheaper, has a higher bus speed, comes with a better hard drive and video card.  The Pentium only has the 4MB 815 chipset for graphics.  The AMD system has a 32MB NVIDIA RIVA TNT-2 M64 graphics card.

I really don’t know that much about desktop systems.  About the only thing I’m used to is brand recognition.  The Intel chip has been market dominant in the past; does that actually make it better?  I’m thinking maybe not.

What do you think?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Zippatuh

[214thCavalier]

Go with the AMD system but dump that vid card, insist on anything but that vid card.
Well not quite anything cos that 4MB 815 chipset for graphics is even worse.

This "32MB NVIDIA RIVA TNT-2 graphics card"
 is about the lowest viable choice, note the M64 bit is missing.
But this "32MB NVIDIA RIVA TNT-2 M64 graphics card" with the M64 is a totally different thing and is absolute crap.


[This message has been edited by 214thCavalier (edited 05-29-2001).]

[Fishu]

Yup.. TNT2 M64 is total crap.
If possible, I suggest you build up your own computer through the web or have a visit to computer store where they know over the computers.

Comes cheaper & faster.
You could probably get with same amount of cash better computer from such store.

[Zippatuh]

Wow, thanks for the responses thus far!

Ok, yes I’m looking at two different DELL systems and comparing both, price wise, to a Gateway.  Here’s the dilemma.  I have an extremely crappy HP 533Mhz system.  The damn thing locks up on me every chance it gets.  Long story short, I have replaced multiple components to include power supply’s and even added an UPS.  None of the replacements I did had any affect.  None of the statistic gathering I did yielded any specific component as the problem.  The wife being on the downward stretch of a Bachelors degree needs a stable and available computer.  I have given up on it and have deemed it “lemon”.

I intend to claim it as part of her school debt and apply it to taxes next year.  I was also going to reformat, again, my HP and give it to charity also for tax purposes.  Gateway however, will take the damn thing from me and give me $250 for it.

What this adds up to is getting the Gateway system for $800, taxes and S/H included.

I have gone to some of the web sites suggested and have not been able to reach the same dollar amount.  On average after I got through gathering everything I was still around 950.  Not to mention that, on a good day, desktops and me do not get along.

It appears from the responses, definitely get the AMD, ditch the video card, and buy RAM and install it myself.

Zippatuh

[hazed-]

intel and AMD need different motherboards so if yu do go the build it yourself route be aware of the different m/bs out there.

If you have a decent HD already and a decent video card,Monitor 17"+ and say DVD i would upgrade yourself,
however if you dont have all these i would go for a generic (shop built) computer as often you will get it for about the same cost and it will have extras like printer etc thrown in (+the garentee) although each component you buy has usually 3 yr warrenty.

I had a P2 350 with 64mb and voodoo3 and i bought a Abit Ka7a raid mobo a 900Mhz tbird AMD and a geforce 2 MX.
But this meant i had to buy a new towercase £30, new memory because it now supported  133mhz.
It all adds up and sometimes for that little extra you can get decent systems.

My advice? you have an old computer with med-small hardrive with a 15" monitor and you want to upgrade?

BUY new branded system (not necessarily DELL,HP etc,these guys are a ripoff! find a decent local computer store and buy theirs)

Got a big hard drive (17Gig+) good monitor(17-19") lots of other components(dvd,vid card) and just need a boost in speed?
Buy a m/b processor and towercase and gut your old one to make a new system.

My jump from 350 to 900 was fantastic and cost me arounf £400 with the vid card and other bits.
theres no way i could get an equivalent system for that price from Dell etc.

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Hazed
9./JG54

[Defiance]

Hiya's
      I used to go by the Titanium nick, While in the mskts (yo mullets how ya diddling ?? !!) i had gone from asus mobo amd400 k6/2 to asus a7v 750 t-bird, I then went on an overclocking cooling spree..... hmm volt modded a7v too   made watercooling system i got tb750@1.1gig 2.4v then down to 2.1v (no fsb too !!! stock 100*11
I have just got a new asus mobo a7a266 and for a few more weeks still have my tb750@750 (my mentor aka Bfalcon4 refuses to allow me to oc this new setup  lmao) (1 confession..750@900 then had her voltage 1.85v to test here at 1gig   )

My 2c worth as you guys say  Go For AMD as i will do next cpu and maybe the new amd4 and if you do go for amd try for the 266 fsb version as 266 will run on a 200 mobo thus giving you ability to go the ddr upgrade way without having to spend on a new 266 tb  
Cost is same for 200/266 upto approx 1.2g in uk  no diff in usa as far as i can find
LOL saw this on several overclocking bb sites and it amuses me and also kinda relates to what i sometimes feel.....

Int#l Inside is a Warning  

Please no pro-int#l whines  he he  j/k

Just go with what you feel safe with best advice in the world

Have Fun

Def

[bloom25]

No system built by HP or Compaq that I've worked on/messed with is what I consider a quality or stable system.  Gateway is not a lot better anymore.  (They used to be good.   )  Dell is OK, but pricy.

My suggestion, go AMD (go faster   ), and have a computer store build it for you.  (If you don't do it yourself.)  If you do it yourself you can posibly reuse your case, power supply, floppy, cd drive, modem, soundcard, harddrive, and *maybe* video card.  I'd buy new ram (PC 133 or DDR 2100 ram depending on MB type).  Also reuse monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse, mousepad   , and cords.  If you can reuse most of these components really all you are looking at is a new MB, new ram, and new processor and the heatsink and fan for processor.  You can do this MUCH cheaper than buying a new system.

When I went from my 466 celeron to my 700 Tbird last September I reused all but the modem.  Total cost: $400 US.  (Remember, this was MANY months ago, but you can do the same.)



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bloom25
-MAW-
(Formerly of the)
THUNDERBIRDS