Wich CPU?

Well in about 3 weeks I will be buying a new cpu and the like. Now I want to get quite high end parts so this last me a little while. I am looking to spend around 1,300 for motherboard, cpu, and gpu. Now I was looking on new egg and see the Sandy 3700 for something like 375$ and the Sandy 4000 for almost 100$ more. I then look at X2 and the prices are crazy but I har nothing but good from them(so far) and was looking at the 4200+ and the 4400+. The 4200 is about 550 with 2x512 Kb L2 Manchester, and the 4400 is right above 700$ for 2x1 Mb L2 and Toledo. Well Is this Manchester going to out perform a Sandiego in single threaded apps? I ask because I think well is it worth over 100$ for an extra 1 Mb cache on the 4400 can't I overclock. But then I think well is the Manchester worth it to buy it over the San Diego wich is single core and 1 Mb L2. I would guess the dc would be better because I get 2 cores that are similar to Sandy speeds but I loose cache. I would dish out the 700 and go 4400 Toldedo but with a 7800GTX I want to attacch to it it pushes the budget..

Do you do anything that takes advantage of dual cores? if not, get an FX55 or a 3700+/4000+ San Diego

You know duel cores would come in handy when you download and play games(multitask).

unusualfire said:

You know duel cores would come in handy when you download and play games(multitask).

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downloading + playing a game isn't exactly stenuous 'multitasking' nothing that a San Diego wouldn't be able to own...maybe if you where doing a bunch of things while playing a game....dual core is still young and theres not many apps that support multithreading.

If you're buying for the long haul, the X2 is probably the better bet. Even if you are a dedicated single-tasker, the popularity of double-core CPU's will prompt software vendors to multi-thread their applications wherever possible, and that will mean better single ap performance with the dual core CPU, once multithreaded software is more common. But that won't be long. Nvidia is already working on a multithreaded graphics driver.
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Forum/tm.asp?m=112685

I think the extra cache in the Toledo is definitely worth $50, and hopefully in three weeks the price for the 4400 won't be inflated by supply problems.

I'm not sure if this matters to you, but rumor has it that AMD will "launch" a low-end, $345 X2 Aug. 1rst. There are no specs on the new chip yet, however, and I wouldn't count on buying one of these in August. If the rumor is true, mid to late September seems more likely.

Well the 3500 I saw some specs on = 2.0Ghzx2, 512L2x2. If the prices go down on the 4400 I will def go that way. I am not a crazy multitasker but I will def buy DC if it outperforms Sandy at single thread. Thanks for the input.

The X2 4400 is $59 cheaper than Newegg at ZZF.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80726-R
If you are looking for something to last I would get the X2.

Newegg is currently asking $730 for the 4400+, but that price will crash once this CPU becomes commonly available. I've heard so many bad things about ZZF, I wouldn't order from them, especially considering the inventory troubles they tend to have when they list a part that is in high demand and short supply.

Mwave $650 http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA21464
A trustworthy vendor by nearly all accounts.

Tankguys $598 http://www.tankguys.com/processors-athlon64-c-29_138.html
This company is new to the retail scene, but their rep over on the Anandtech forum says all the right things. I pre-orederd a 4400+ from them and when AMD didn't ship as promised, TankGuys actually went as far as to email me when other vendors had the CPU in stock.

Everyone is out of stock right now, but in a month or so, the CPU's should become more available and cuthroat price competition should begin.

For stuff that's been around for a little while, check out
http://chiefvalue.com/app/index.asp?linkid=1&store=7
This company is owned by the same corp that owns Newegg. I've never ordered from them, but I checked them out and they have a great repuation for customer service.

I've used zzf for years without a problem. Monarch's price is a bit less but they charge to ship so it ends up a tad more. You are right the price will fall once the initial demand lessons and and there is a regular supply.

Well I have almost set in stone going down to a 3700 Sandy, 325 tag compared to 600-700 dollar cpus. I would go 4000 route but that cpu is 475, worth 150 more? in my book probably not. Ive decided I don't need to spend money on a dual core, I hardly multitask anyways, IE+Winamp+ lowgrade photochop. I think I can wait a bit longer for a dc

Sounds like a good choice, GunnerMan. Sometimes discretion is the better part of oveclocking.

rseven said:

I've used zzf for years without a problem.

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Yeah, a lot of people have. They're not out and out evil, but on reseller ratings there are quite a few people who had trouble straightening things out when ZZF goofed. Too many for me. And as I recall, overselling a high demand product was one of their most common snafus.

Having been burned a couple times, I've become very cautious about which companies I'll order from, especially when it comes to computer parts. The main thing I look for is how they handle things when they don't get it right the first time. I know mistakes will be made now and then, and I accept that. What concerns me is that with some companies, a simple error can be compounded into a retail nightmare, usually through indifference. If I see several posts about how a vendor screwed up and then cheerfully and professionally corrected the error, that gives me some confidence in them. If there are many posts from customers who were blown off, given the runaround, or left hanging, I'll pay a few more bucks to get the part from a company with better customer service. To me, it's just not worth the risk anymore.