Pentium 4 or AthlonXP?

[Gr0und_Zer0]

Hi there people!

What should I get for my Digi001 setup? AthlonXP or P4? And which motherboard?

I know Intel makes the fastest cpu nowadays, thought they're allways a bit more expensive. But money is no problem [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] . I just want a fast DAW. So a P4 seems to be the way to go, or are there compatibility problems?

[Joz]

No compatibility problems that I've heard with pentiums (I use one myself). So If money is no problem, I'd get a pentium 4. But Im sure someone has a better excuse why to use a AthlonXP [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Joz

[IntelDoc]

I use AMD and have had no probs. I am using a 1800+ Athlon XP with 1.5 ggs of ram. Too much Harddrive space and some other bells. I also have a dual P3 1 gig machine with 2 gigs. That is primarily my render box for Maya, but no probs either. As far as rendering graphics it is faster, but the AMD works well. I am doing a session now that has 28 tracks with effects on about 10 of those tracks. And I also have 5 buses. No probs. Only one time have I locked it when I added two instances of Amplitube after the fact and then True Verb! "A.k.a. MEMORY HOG!"

Other than that I would buy an AMD still after owning multiple systems.

[J FRANK]

Check out www.AMD.com & you will find out all you need to know.


Personally I just bought a AMD Athlon XP 2600+ & it's running beautifully.

If money is not an issue then do a couple of weeks research into this matter

, peace

[Terrorbeat]

Make sure you check Digidesign's compatibility statements. While many have success with AMD, ProTools is notorious for being a little picky about what chipset you're using on an AMD mobo.

And, by the way, the difference between buying an AMD system and an Intel system shouldn't be more than $100 unless you're comparing the latest and greatest processor from both Intel and AMD. It's never a good idea anyway to buy the NEWEST processor in their line, you're paying a large premium for a small performance increase.

[mr2mkii]

While Intel is always the best for compatibility across the board, the AMD is just as good for PT. Just be sure to purchase a motherboard with an all VIA chipset with AMD XP processors. PT is picky about the motherboard's chipset and recommends VIA. I use the AMD XP 1600+ with a soyo VIA chipset MB with NO issues.

[Gr0und_Zer0]

Isn't the overall performance of a P4 system better, because of the higher bus clock speeds? I saw figures like 533, even 800...?

[Chris Cavell]

800?...where?

There are now amd's at 400. P4's last I heard were at 400 and 533.the only way the p4 has got a chance at smoking the amd is if you get the 3.06ghz, and can afford a gig of pc1066 rambus. We're talking a pretty penny. The intel chipsets for DDR have similar performance to the amd's at the same clock speeds (barton cores), but the bartons are ahead by a nose. At the upper speeds you probably won't ever be lacking with either. Do price/performance comparisons and pick the best within your budget.

-All this coming from a P4 user.

[_Dova_]

So I am looking at pricewatch.com right now, and they list two processors.

AMDXP 2600 333FSB...............138.00
&
AMDXP 2600 .....................141.00

Anyone know which is ProTools Worthy?

[Chris Cavell]

I'm not much of a pricewatch fan, been scammed a few times (i've got a pair of xeon's that I can't find a board for now).

I prefer to compare newegg and computergate instead. They tend to have a great deal more detail on their products.