how good is this Intel P4 3.2 HT LGA 775 processor?

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819116197

it's an intel p4 HT 3.2 ghz LGA 775.

I want a processor that will let me make/record music and play some games (I'm not a gaming freak that plays half life 2 at full graphics/speed for 24 hours). I wouldn't mind playing games like Morrowind, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (when it comes out), sims 2, rollercoaster tycoon 3, sim city 4, and sometimes half-life 2, haha. I am not worried about full graphics support and I run stuff at 1024x768 resolution on my current pc anyways (maybe one resolution higher wouldn't hurt). I would want good enough graphics and good speeds of course.

I do not know a whole lot about processors yet since I am still researching about it.

I have some questions thought:

- I have heard people talking about how their processors heat up. What is the ideal temperature? What is the avg. temp when people play games and run music software like Cubase SX or Pro Tools?
- since the processors heat up, what is the ideal number of fans, and what type of fans are needed?
- How loud does this processor get and how do I reduce the sound it creates and/or what is the ideal loudness preferred by you guys?
- what type of motherboard would go perfectly with this cpu?
- anything else I should know?

Go with AMD. Get a socket 939 Athlon 64 processor (3000+ would be good) with an nForce4 Ultra board and you'll be all set.

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Originally Posted by Micro_Pirate

Go with AMD. Get a socket 939 Athlon 64 processor (3000+ would be good) with an nForce4 Ultra board and you'll be all set.

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can I ask why? How are the specifics compared to the intel cpu I showed?

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

I have some questions thought:

- I have heard people talking about how their processors heat up. What is the ideal temperature? What is the avg. temp when people play games and run music software like Cubase SX or Pro Tools?
- since the processors heat up, what is the ideal number of fans, and what type of fans are needed?
- How loud does this processor get and how do I reduce the sound it creates and/or what is the ideal loudness preferred by you guys?
- what type of motherboard would go perfectly with this cpu?
- anything else I should know?

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This is the exact CPU I have in my system.

CPUs do run warm, Especially the Prescott core Intels. (Which this one is).
Comparing 3 identical systems recently the 640 averages low 40's idle temp & near 60C load with 26C ambient temps. This is with the Intel stock heatsink.

Using a better heatsink like a Zalman you will get a little better temps. Ideally 1 120MM fan lower front of case and 1 120MM exhaust in rear would give the best airflow with lowest noise.

Processors don't get "Loud"! The fans that cool them do and the Intel stock fan is silent at idle but under a load like intensive gaming it gets pretty loud. Again, Use a Zalman or another decent heatsink/fan and eliminate the Intel fan assembly.

The Motherboard I would recommend would be the Asus P5WD2 Premium. It's solid, Has every feature you could want and is 100% stable.

If Gaming is your primary use of the system an AMD system would give you slightly better performance.

It is a proven fact that an Intel system is better for Audio/Video and not a slouch at gaming either.

This is also a 64bit CPU so moving to Windows XP x64 in the future won't be any problem for you either.

I say, Go for it!

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Originally Posted by KeriTechPC

This is the exact CPU I have in my system.

CPUs do run warm, Especially the Prescott core Intels. (Which this one is).
Comparing 3 identical systems recently the 640 averages low 40's idle temp & near 60C load with 26C ambient temps. This is with the Intel stock heatsink.

Using a better heatsink like a Zalman you will get a little better temps. Ideally 1 120MM fan lower front of case and 1 120MM exhaust in rear would give the best airflow with lowest noise.

Processors don't get "Loud"! The fans that cool them do and the Intel stock fan is silent at idle but under a load like intensive gaming it gets pretty loud. Again, Use a Zalman or another decent heatsink/fan and eliminate the Intel fan assembly.

The Motherboard I would recommend would be the Asus P5WD2 Premium. It's solid, Has every feature you could want and is 100% stable.

If Gaming is your primary use of the system an AMD system would give you slightly better performance.

It is a proven fact that an Intel system is better for Audio/Video and not a slouch at gaming either.

This is also a 64bit CPU so moving to Windows XP x64 in the future won't be any problem for you either.

I say, Go for it!

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thanks for the input, it's very helpful for what I want to know about the cpu I chose.

I am not a hardcore gamer so that's why I'm not choosing AMD. I am more wanting to record music and playing guitar through the cpu.

by the way, do you have any sources that I can read where it clarifies what you say that it's a proven fact that intel is better for audio/video?

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

by the way, do you have any sources that I can read where it clarifies what you say that it's a proven fact that intel is better for audio/video?

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Just google search the web for Intel vs AMD and look at the benchmarks. All of them will show AMD ahead in 3D apps and Intel in number crunching and A/V or CD ripping.

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Originally Posted by KeriTechPC

Just google search the web for Intel vs AMD and look at the benchmarks. All of them will show AMD ahead in 3D apps and Intel in number crunching and A/V or CD ripping.

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do you know any specific websites by any chance? I tried google, but I can never find the specifics like music application tests. It's always doom III or 3dmark

What they show is AMD way ahead in gaming/3D, but Intel only slightly ahead in multi-media. The only thing that is gonna be able to tell the difference between AMD and Intel when it comes to multimedia is your benchmarking program.

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

do you know any specific websites by any chance? I tried google, but I can never find the specifics like music application tests. It's always doom III or 3dmark

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http://216.92.52.205/index.html?mode...l2=18&chart=20

http://www.anandtech.com/

http://www.tomshardware.com/index.html


Trust me, get the AMD, the only Pentium worth anything is the Pentium M.

Sorry but that is the general AMD rumor mill at work.

check here: http://www.passmark.com/cpureview/

I Always prefer Intel but I can at least face the fact that AMD is "Slightly" better for gaming!

I build systems for a living and I have built both including many designed specifically for A/V work and Intel is more tha just a little ahead of AMD in A/V and number crunching and it shows in more than benchmarks!

My latest build was a $10,000.00 A/V machine so I am not barking up the wrong tree here.

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Originally Posted by Micro_Pirate

http://216.92.52.205/index.html?mode...l2=18&chart=20

http://www.anandtech.com/

http://www.tomshardware.com/index.html


Trust me, get the AMD, the only Pentium worth anything is the Pentium M.

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I still can't find specifically where Intel vs. AMD benchmarks for "music" are located. I don't care about regular apps, I care more about my music programs like Pro tools, cubase, adobe auditon, guitar fx programs, etc.

And for now I just want to hear opinions on the cpu I posted above, nothing more and nothing less.

I don't have time at the moment to dig up links for you. Sorry. But I can tell you from first hand experience that the 640 is a fine chip for Audio or Video and even gaming. As I said, It's in my main rig.

I can also tell you I have over 20 years experience with PC's and that I won't mislead you.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

Keri

If one would put equivalent AMD and Pentium machines together and played Doom 3, I highly doubt if one will see any naked-eye difference. AMD designed their chips mainly with gamers in mind...Pentium went for the number crunching side of the house. As KeriTechPC mentioned, AMD plays the games slightly better, but its only really obvious when benchmarked. Another "advantage" is that they are less expensive; BUT....they run hotter than Pentiums for the most part (solved by getting a good 3rd party cooler). I've seen this go in cycles...first the Pentiums are the best thing since sliced bread, then two months later the same people are touting AMD's latest Uber-Chip and pooh-poohing the Pentiums. Then two months later, Intel announces the super-warp technology and these same people now go back to the Pentium camp and on and on and on....
IMHO bottom line: If you want to save some bucks and lean more toward gaming, go and get your Athlon. But if you want a workhorse...go for Pentium.

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Originally Posted by bistro

If one would put equivalent AMD and Pentium machines together and played Doom 3, I highly doubt if one will see any naked-eye difference. AMD designed their chips mainly with gamers in mind...Pentium went for the number crunching side of the house. As KeriTechPC mentioned, AMD plays the games slightly better, but its only really obvious when benchmarked. Another "advantage" is that they are less expensive; BUT....they run hotter than Pentiums for the most part (solved by getting a good 3rd party cooler). I've seen this go in cycles...first the Pentiums are the best thing since sliced bread, then two months later the same people are touting AMD's latest Uber-Chip and pooh-poohing the Pentiums. Then two months later, Intel announces the super-warp technology and these same people now go back to the Pentium camp and on and on and on....
IMHO bottom line: If you want to save some bucks and lean more toward gaming, go and get your Athlon. But if you want a workhorse...go for Pentium.

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that's I hear from some people, but then others totally disregard what you said. They either jump AMD and say it works for everything and benchmarks prove, but I have yet see any solid proof other than a bunch of words written on a forum. I saw some benchmarks of a variety of applications that were tested for intel vs. amd, but that didn't solve my questions because I am looking benchmark tests for audio recording apps, not 3dmark or doom III.

I'm not a hardcore gamer. The only games I'd probably play are Morrowind, the new Elder scrolls coming soon, Sims 2, and Rollercoaster tycoon 3. Occassionaly I'd like to play HL2/counter-strike. With games I'd like good graphics and great speeds, but I don't are for the smallest of details or those benchmarks on all those websites. I am leaning more towards recording and playing my guitar through the computer and I want a processor that will work extremely good with all the RAM, soundcard, videocard that I have and with the money I have. My budget is around $1000-1500.

Doubtful you will see any benchmarking reviews using recording software. Graphics rendering benchmarking is what really puts a CPU through the paces, so almost all benchmarking utilities used in reviews are based on games or heavy graphics. However (and its a big "however") one has to be careful in basing results on any one benchmark. The coding in the benchmark could possibly be favoring a particular feature of one CPU that is not present in the other....resulting in a unfair benchmark. Other factors involve the motherboards being used, etc.. That's why benchmarks must be considered a guide, not "written-in-stone" proof. Regardless, most "AMD vs Pentium" benchmark reviews I've seen lately, the results were so close it wouldn't make much difference which one you went with.
The AMD vs Pentium debate will rage on for centuries. Currently, it appears that AMD has a slight edge over Pentiums below the 3.0 Ghz level. Go above that and there is no competition, the Pentium wins. Again though...the AMD's run quite hot. Most owners end up getting a 3rd party cooling system and, if they choose wrong, end up with a rather noisy system.
Personally, I think for your purposes you will be very happy with the LGA 775 3.2 Pentium. It is an excellent choice.

I agree with bistro, seems you have made a good choice. But to be realistic, to the old eyeball, AMD and Intel are so close we will never see the difference. Wasn't that long ago we were helping folks do the samething with 750MHZ cpus :D

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Originally Posted by bistro

Doubtful you will see any benchmarking reviews using recording software. Graphics rendering benchmarking is what really puts a CPU through the paces, so almost all benchmarking utilities used in reviews are based on games or heavy graphics. However (and its a big "however") one has to be careful in basing results on any one benchmark. The coding in the benchmark could possibly be favoring a particular feature of one CPU that is not present in the other....resulting in a unfair benchmark. Other factors involve the motherboards being used, etc.. That's why benchmarks must be considered a guide, not "written-in-stone" proof. Regardless, most "AMD vs Pentium" benchmark reviews I've seen lately, the results were so close it wouldn't make much difference which one you went with.
The AMD vs Pentium debate will rage on for centuries. Currently, it appears that AMD has a slight edge over Pentiums below the 3.0 Ghz level. Go above that and there is no competition, the Pentium wins. Again though...the AMD's run quite hot. Most owners end up getting a 3rd party cooling system and, if they choose wrong, end up with a rather noisy system.
Personally, I think for your purposes you will be very happy with the LGA 775 3.2 Pentium. It is an excellent choice.

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ok thanks for answering my concerns.

I have other questions in mind.

How do I know what motherboard, RAM, videocard, soundcard to choose that will work well with this cpu? I know there are specific intel mobos that support certain types of ram. I read in a book that if the mobo has 800 mhz fsb, that 800 mhz of RAM would be ideal if it's DIMM memory, but anything less wouldn't work. On the other hand RIMM memory wouldn't matter. Is this true?

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

ok thanks for answering my concerns.

I have other questions in mind.

How do I know what motherboard, RAM, videocard, soundcard to choose that will work well with this cpu? I know there are specific intel mobos that support certain types of ram. I read in a book that if the mobo has 800 mhz fsb, that 800 mhz of RAM would be ideal if it's DIMM memory, but anything less wouldn't work. On the other hand RIMM memory wouldn't matter. Is this true?

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Most of the current high end boards use DDR2 as does the P5WD2 Premium I suggested to you earlier. RIMM memory (Rambus) is dead and nothing current supports it.

My suggestion is to go with the Asus P5WD2 Premium, OCZ PC5400 Platinum memory, A good ATI X800XL PCI-E video card and A Creative labs Audigy 2 ZS Soundcard. You will then have a fantastic system.

Or you could even use the High Defination Audio on the P5WD2 if you choose.

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Originally Posted by KeriTechPC

Most of the current high end boards use DDR2 as does the P5WD2 Premium I suggested to you earlier. RIMM memory (Rambus) is dead and nothing current supports it.

My suggestion is to go with the Asus P5WD2 Premium, OCZ PC5400 Platinum memory, A good ATI X800XL PCI-E video card and A Creative labs Audigy 2 ZS Soundcard. You will then have a fantastic system.

Or you could even use the High Defination Audio on the P5WD2 if you choose.

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if the mobo is 800 mhz fsb, will ram less than the mhz work?

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

if the mobo is 800 mhz fsb, will ram less than the mhz work?

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The P5WD2 Premium will use DDR2 533MHZ, DDR2 667MHz, DDR2 800MHz and many variations in between. If you can afford it, Get the 800MHz as it will perform the best. Otherwise the 667 performs nicely.

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Originally Posted by KeriTechPC

The P5WD2 Premium will use DDR2 533MHZ, DDR2 667MHz, DDR2 800MHz and many variations in between. If you can afford it, Get the 800MHz as it will perform the best. Otherwise the 667 performs nicely.

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how do those compare with let's say a DDR 400 (PC 3200) 2x512mb? I prefer 1 GB of ram.

That PC-3200 is slower....not naked-eye slower really, but slower all the same than the DDR 533mhz and up. As it stands now, there aren't any apps out there that really take advantage of DDR2 memory....but soon there will be. If you are going to invest in an all new system and its within the budget, you might as well get ahead of the game slightly and go with the 775 board that supports DDR2. There ARE some 775 boards that still take the standard DDR, but most 775 boards are DDR2. If you go with the former, you might as well up the ante and get PC-3700.

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

how do those compare with let's say a DDR 400 (PC 3200) 2x512mb? I prefer 1 GB of ram.

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There is quite a difference and DDR2 is the way of the future right now. Building a new system based on the original DDR is not a smart move these days.

Not enough difference to make you sit back and go $%&* #&%* but definately a big improvement especially with the DDR2 800MHz and tight timings.

Take a look at these: http://www.ocztechnology.com/product...nced_bandwidth

2X512MB of these would scream with the Intel 640 and the P5WD2.

Might I also add that the last 3 640's I built would do 4GHz on air with this RAM. YMMV

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Originally Posted by bistro

That PC-3200 is slower....not naked-eye slower really, but slower all the same than the DDR 533mhz and up. As it stands now, there aren't any apps out there that really take advantage of DDR2 memory....but soon there will be. If you are going to invest in an all new system and its within the budget, you might as well get ahead of the game slightly and go with the 775 board that supports DDR2. There ARE some 775 boards that still take the standard DDR, but most 775 boards are DDR2. If you go with the former, you might as well up the ante and get PC-3700.

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Are there 775 boards that take both ddr and ddr2? Or can I put a ddr ram chip in a DDR 2 slot?

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Originally Posted by KeriTechPC

There is quite a difference and DDR2 is the way of the future right now. Building a new system based on the original DDR is not a smart move these days.

Not enough difference to make you sit back and go $%&* #&%* but definately a big improvement especially with the DDR2 800MHz and tight timings.

Take a look at these: http://www.ocztechnology.com/product...nced_bandwidth

2X512MB of these would scream with the Intel 640 and the P5WD2.

Might I also add that the last 3 640's I built would do 4GHz on air with this RAM. YMMV

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how important is it to have the DDR2 over DDR since you mentioned DDR is the future. Like how much longer till lots of companies, games, software require DDR2 for their products? If it's years ahead, then I'd rather stick with something of lower cost.

Also I don't have a huge budget, only $1000-$1500 for a whole PC including extra soundcard and audio devices.

Well I have the 3.4ghz version with a gig of ram and I have no complaints. Handles whatever I've thrown at it so far without breaking a sweat.

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Originally Posted by JPnyc

Well I have the 3.4ghz version with a gig of ram and I have no complaints. Handles whatever I've thrown at it so far without breaking a sweat.

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if you don't mind, can you give me more technical details of the RAM and cpu you have? Like is the ram PC 3200 or DDR2?

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

Are there 775 boards that take both ddr and ddr2? Or can I put a ddr ram chip in a DDR 2 slot?

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There are boards that take both but not the high end boards. Not the best ones.

DDR will not fit nor work in a DDR2 slot!

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

how important is it to have the DDR2 over DDR since you mentioned DDR is the future. Like how much longer till lots of companies, games, software require DDR2 for their products? If it's years ahead, then I'd rather stick with something of lower cost.

Also I don't have a huge budget, only $1000-$1500 for a whole PC including extra soundcard and audio devices.

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DDR2 will perform better and you won't have to buy new ram on your next upgrade going with DDR2.

Even AMD has annouced they are moving to DDR2. Everyone is getting away from DDR.

Why build something with yesterdays technology.

I built my entire "Main" system for under $1600 and thats with a $300 case! :eek:

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Originally Posted by KeriTechPC

DDR2 will perform better and you won't have to buy new ram on your next upgrade going with DDR2.

Even AMD has annouced they are moving to DDR2. Everyone is getting away from DDR.

Why build something with yesterdays technology.

I built my entire "Main" system for under $1600 and thats with a $300 case! :eek:

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I understand now about DDR2. My problem is still money because a soundcard around 200-300 dollars is gonna be something I'm going to invest in. So a 275 dollar cpu, 225 dollar mobo, and then how much would the ram cost? I want a reliable vendor that makes efficient RAM. I heard crucial was good, but they are expensive. What about corsair?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

I understand now about DDR2. My problem is still money because a soundcard around 200-300 dollars is gonna be something I'm going to invest in. So a 275 dollar cpu, 225 dollar mobo, and then how much would the ram cost? I want a reliable vendor that makes efficient RAM. I heard crucial was good, but they are expensive. What about corsair?

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I have suggested to you OCZ for memory several times for quality!

What the heck sound card costs that much? EDIT: Answered my own question. Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro (Retail Box)

Check out www.monarchcomputer.com for a good reseller with a great reputation.

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Originally Posted by KeriTechPC

I have suggested to you OCZ for memory several times for quality!

What the heck sound card costs that much? EDIT: Answered my own question. Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro (Retail Box)

Check out www.monarchcomputer.com for a good reseller with a great reputation.

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how do I know OCZ is great for memory? Can I find more sources of information on OCZ? I'm not trying to say it isn't good because I have no clue, I just wanna do my research before I dish out my money.

for soundcards, and knowing about audio equipment I've heard that soundblasters are not ideal for recording. I've heard numerous suggestions for different soundcards such as M-audio and Echo Mia, especially for the stuff I wanna do such as recording guitar. That's why I said $200-300. Plus I might add a preamp to plug my guitar in and that might cost $100 extra.

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

for soundcards, and knowing about audio equipment I've heard that soundblasters are not ideal for recording. I've heard numerous suggestions for different soundcards such as M-audio and Echo Mia, especially for the stuff I wanna do such as recording guitar. That's why I said $200-300. Plus I might add a preamp to plug my guitar in and that might cost $100 extra.

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Ok, I' will take your word for that. That type audio is not my area of expertise. ;)

Check the OCZ "Performance" series for lower cost than the Platinums.

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Originally Posted by KeriTechPC

Ok, I' will take your word for that. That type audio is not my area of expertise. ;)

Check the OCZ "Performance" series for lower cost than the Platinums.

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ok, I'm still wondering if you have any information on the reliability of OCZ ram chips. Do they make their own RAM chips?

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

ok, I'm still wondering if you have any information on the reliability of OCZ ram chips. Do they make their own RAM chips?

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Reliability is top notch!! I had PC4200EL DDR in my last system and never had any issues with RAM. In fact, I sold it to a friend and he is still running it without problems.

I would refer you to the OCZ support forums where you could see the quality of the support they have too but I am sure it would be against the forum rules here to post a link to another forum site.

I use OCZ in all my system builds. (Even have an OCZ PSU in my system) and am 110% satisfied with their products!

OCZ even advertises on my website.

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Originally Posted by bball_1523

ok, I'm still wondering if you have any information on the reliability of OCZ ram chips. Do they make their own RAM chips?

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They are one of the original manufactors of overclockable ram. I'd take that brand if someone gets it for me. ;)

what do you guys think about this OCZ ram:

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merch..._Code=OCZ_DDR2

1 GB DDR2 533 PC4200 for $91.00

That's not too bad. Corsair is fairly reliable. One thing though....Asus, as well as some other mobos are often persnickety as to the brands of memory they will take. You will need to check the memory compatibility list at the manufacturer's site.
i.e. A couple of years ago I purchased some PNY memory for my Asus board. Figured PNY was a pretty common "brand" and should have worked. Brzzzzzt! Did not work with the Asus mobo. Returned for some Micron memory sticks and it worked fine. This may have been due to PNY sticks being from a variety of different manufacturers (if I am not mistaken) and the particular ones I had simply were not compatible.