dual p3 700 or p3 1000?,,,,,dual 2.1ghz AMD or 3.2ghz p4?

[dustybyrd]

an interesting question to ponder:

if you could have a dual p3 700 right now versus a single p3-1000...which would you choose? (let's say neither can be o/c'd)

on single cpu tasks the 1000 should be about 50% faster...but on SMP enabled progams or multitasking...the dual 700 will be faster and much much more stable...

if you chose the dual p3-700....then, by the same logic, why would you get a single 3.2ghz p4 right now---when you could have a 2.1ghz DUAL AMD...that will only be about 30% slower than the p4 3.2ghz on single cpu tasks....but with SMP enabled programs or heavy multitasking the DUAL AMD will be faster and much more stable...

so i guess the question is: how much stability and multitasking smoothness are you willing to sacrifice for 30% speed gains on single CPU tasks?

also, note that a 2.4ghz o/c'd to 3.2ghz system will cost 50-100 more bucks than a dual 2.1ghz AMD system...

just a thought...

i do believe that hyperthreading has helped the 3.2ghz p4 on SMP enabled programs and on multitasking...so that the 3.2ghz p4 is more tempting...

what are your thoughts?

p.s. i am putting this in the general section and the SMP section to compare the responses i get...

[cmcquistion]

My personal preference is for the AMD duallie, for two reasons.

1. It costs less.

2. The performance, especially when multitasking, is quite a bit higher.

[IFMU]

As I said in the other thread, multi tasking is much more important to me. I can say I never sit in front of a computer doing a single thing. Just doesnt happen... even when I am gaming I am doing something else as well. Just the way I am.... :rolleyes:

So, without a doubt, the dual. No question about it for me.

I am also not much of a gamer, I do some, but not alot really....

[Henry Rollins II]

There is not much benefit in using a dual for desktop/gaming. The multitasking of a modern single cpu system is good enough for most users. You will also loose some performance in applications that cannot benefit from multiple cpu´s(compared to the same cpu running single).

[dustybyrd]

There is not much benefit in using a dual for desktop/gaming. The multitasking of a modern single cpu system is good enough for most users. You will also loose some performance in applications that cannot benefit from multiple cpu´s(compared to the same cpu running single).


and you will lose stability when multitasking with a single cpu...

i'm sure you've experienced single programs "geting stuck" and hogging up cpu cycles and bogging down the whole machine until the program is ended...

with a duallie the worst that can happen is a program can take 50% of cpu resources...but actually this rarely happens because of the added stability during multitasking...

[Henry Rollins II]

I´ve had combo in my sig just about as long as I had the dual XP1700 before that(8-9 months). Both come with the same stability record = 0 crashes :) :p

[Foxie3a]

I have a dual P2, the motherboard P3c-d supports upto a P3 1ghz..

I am thinking of getting two P3 800 or so and OCing their FSB up a bit for fun..

I can play Project IGI, Blue Shift,Unreal Tournament...all without lag on my P2..and it only has a TNT2 in it.. :)

The OS is win98, and that doesn't even support my dual proccessing..

so I am telling you if you are new to computers that you DO NOT need a P4 just to have fun..as long as you make them well..you can have a nice system for very little money at all..

[bulk88]

Dual athlon if you get a mb second hand. Dual p3-700 if you don't want to take the risk of getting a FUBARed mb, dual p3 boards are plentiful new. Athlons mps aren't. In day to day web browsing and downloading p2p a dual is more responsive than a single. Aslong as the 2 cpus mhz add up higher than a single cpu system, take the dual, if they don't it isn't price/performance worth it.