939 or AM2

I

Incinerator

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 31, 2005
Messages
252
ok, so I was about to buy a new mobo, processor and psu this morning, that I had picked out on Tuesday, and now the processor is gone from newegg. I was planning on getting the AMD 3800+ Manchester which was a socket939 proc, but its gone, and now newegg has two new processors. Both are 3800+'s but they're Windsors and they are socket AM2.

So my main question is, which socket is better? 939 or AM2, is 939 getting phased out? I havn't built a new computer in about 4 years so I havn't really been keeping up on all the new stuff.

Thanks
 
Socket 939 is pretty much done.

However you could probably build a MUCH cheaper pc with it than am2.

If you search the forums you can probably build a super fast and quality pc 4 cheap.

What's in ur wallet?
 
would I be better off getting the FX-55 San Diego(s939) for $139 or is the 3800+ Windsor(AM2) better?

I'm thinking the FX-55 just because I've heard awesome things about it and at that price, I dont think you can beat it.
 
yeah the 3800 is dualcore and no I dont really OC, I've always thought about it but I havn't done it.
 
you can build a cheap powerhous on 939

Opteron 146 new is under 90 and u might be able to get it much cheaper if you look around.

DFI ultra d is under 100 as well and it is a tremendous mobo... same, u can probably get it cheaper if u searh here.

memory? how much ya need? If you're getting this cheap you might be able to get 2gb... i reco G.Skill ddr 500. I think patriot also has a pair.

PSU well... this is open. There a re a few good ones.

Do you play video games? 7900gto BB4B!!!
 
Incinerator said:
yeah the 3800 is dualcore and no I dont really OC, I've always thought about it but I havn't done it.
Click to expand...


I don't remmeber where but Eclipse has a great tuturiol on how to OC. He also has a website and is a great guy (eclipsoc.com I believe)
 
The FX has an unlocked multiplier. What will you be using the system for? I think the FX-55 is a good upgrade to an existing single core budget s939 CPU (sempron/athlon64), but only if you're strictly gaming on the machine. If you're doin other things (multitasking, phot/video editing, etc), I'd suggest goin with the X2 3800+ and OC'ing it to 4800+ specs. If you really want some tremendous performance, go with a Core2Duo setup. It'll knock the pants off any current comparable AMD system. These are the most important questions:
What's your budget?
What will you be doing with the system?
 
Well, Dual core vs single core...

I would no doubt take the dual. 4get the fx. I mentioned the opteron 146 = 2.0 becasue its super cheap and usually reach 2.6-2.8 = fx.

Most important is what do you want to use it for? budget? How long you plan on keeping? Must be new?
 
my budget is 300 for a mobo proc and psu. I mainly just game on it and rip DVDs, those are the 2 most intensive things I do on my comp. So any better options for me? I plan on keeping it for probably 3 years or so. And I would really like to be able to buy it from newegg or zipzoomfly, so yes, I would like the parts to be new.
 
Memory? Video Card? 939 DDR. Am2 DDR2

After that it would be easier to put soemthign (something, lol) together.

I wouldn't discount some offers here on H. I've bought some good stuff and sold as well. Of course you have to do your research and ymmv.
 
I already have a gig of RAM, case, lcd, dvd burner, hdds, keyboard/mouse. I want a mobo with onboard video because I dont want to put the money up for a good vid card yet, probably in a couple months.
 
So u have ddr already. What kind? Place as much info as you can. Place what u have so we can help you best.

What was the last thing you had? Performance jump, that's why.

So you need a MATX.

These two are the best OCers and are pretty much the same price as the others. Oc is not as complicated and can be done with ease with a bit of time.

Biostar Tforce 939
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138264

Epox 6100 (my personal favorite in MATX 939)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123262

CPU -

Opteron 146 - these usually hit 2.6-2.8 @ 1.4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103598

3700 Higher multi helps
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103622

PSU is a bit trickier
brb...

Under 300 but waiting till u post wat i asked. important.
 
the RAM I have is 2 512 meg sticks 3200, not name brand though, been a few years since I bout it so I cant remember everything exactly

AMD Athlon XP 2800+
Abit NF7-M mobo

are what I used to have
 
Here are some Dual Core options for you. Though you don't need dual core, your budget allows for it:

Whether you have DDR or DDR2, this setup will work nicely, but you'll need an old AGP or PCI vidcard (this mobo supports both AGP and PCI-E):
$180 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz 2M sharing L2
$55 - ASRock 775Dual-VSTA Socket T (LGA 775) VIA PT880 PRO
$50 - FSP Group AX450-PN 450W PSU
============
$285 + tax and shipping
Or you can pickup a cheap vidcard for around ~$25 ($30-PCI-E or $20-AGP)


If you have DDR, then this option is cheaper. This board can run 9x300 = 2.7Ghz (I've done it with my parts):
$160 - AMD Opteron 165 Denmark 1.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Dual Core (Comes with heatpipe HSF)
$57 - Foxconn 6150K8MA-8EKRS Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX ($67 - $10MIR) (Can OC nicely)
$50 - FSP Group AX450-PN 450W PSU
============
$268 + tax and shipping

If you have DDR2, want AMD, and don't want to deal with a VIA chipset, go for this:
$160 - AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+(65W) Windsor 2.0GHz Socket AM2
$85 - ASUS M2NPV-VM Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX
$50 - FSP Group AX450-PN 450W PSU
============
$295 + tax and shipping


All of these systems will give you great performance for what you need.
 
I just popped out my RAM and I just noticed that they're 2 diff sticks, 1 is pc3200 and the other is pc2100, and pc2100 is old so I'm just wondering, is DDR2 the new standard? since I looked at the prices and a stick of 512 isn't too expensive so if it is I think I'm leaning towards the 3rd option that you laid out.

Thanks a lot for all this information, its really helping me out.
 
Well, the standard right now is dual channel DDR2. If you need RAM, that will, unfortunately, put you over the $300 limit. So you'll either have to raise your budget, or go with a single core CPU solution. However, I think you should read some articles on Intel's new CPU, Core2Duo, and decide from there. You can start here:
http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2771
http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2802

And here are some RAM options...
For Core2Duo, all you need is DDR2-533:
$108 - A-DATA Vitesta 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2-533 ELJKD1908K

If you want some better overclockability, go with DDR2-667 for a few bucks more:
$115 - GeIL 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2-667 GX21GB5300DC <<Go with this

AM2 CPUs run best on DDR2-800, though you could probably OC the aformentioned DDR2-667 sticks to DDR2-800 speeds quite easily. But if you're not into OC'ing, then go with these:
$125 - G.SKILL 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-1GBNQ
 
well, the 300 is only for the mobo proc and psu, as I can sell some things off to pay for the RAM
 
Then your best options are the dual core AM2 or C2D setups. I'd personally go for the conroe setup, and you can read those two articles I posted above to find out why. Intel struck gold with this new CPU, and almost everyone and their mama wants one... as they should.
 
C2d is the best, however it really doesnt have any good matx boards. That is what holds me back. Especially if he wants one to "game" on temporarily.

As for the 939 and am2... matx = Epox. Hands down the best Matx around. Ugly but best.

Epox 6100 am2
x2 3800 (maybe even a x2 3600 if you can get it VERY cheap)
you would have minimum $75 left for a nice PSU.

What video card are you planning to get? Depending you may not want to skimp on a PSU.

I would also try for 1gb stick but they seem to be going for around 100 for so so ones.
 
why do you like matx boards so much, I've had a matx board and regular ATX board and I dont really have a preference, but the ATX board I had was just better, so why do you like the smaller ones better.
 
Incinerator doesnt necessarily want/need mATX. Onboard video comes on regular ATX boards, too.

mATX boards are good for lan pc's and media pc's because they're compact.

The good thing about that Asrock 775Dual conroe board is that it can take AGP AND PCI-E. So basically, if you have an old AGP card, that will work fine in the system until you upgrade your video card in a few months (if you can stand the wait). If you don't have an old AGP 4x/8x card, then the $20 or $30 option I posted above will work fine as well. You just wont be able to play many games within the few months that you're saving for a video card. If you want to be able to game now, the nvidia GF6150 is probably your best bet for onboard video.
 
i just got out of cs so im a little wired... as such im too lazy to read the posts above me.

S939 is not, (yet) getting phased out, however K8L procs will be available on AM2, and the unreleased AM3, however not on S939. so AM2 is encreadably futureproof.

but thats another thing. S939 is officially on clearance now, so you can get some pretty sweet deals, like for example an FX 55/57 for uuuber cheap. this is a core thats on the top 3 single cores ever and its $200? not bad... however they are both single core, as such no one really wants them.

so to the question "is the FX 55 better then AM2 3800+?" yes and no. for pure gaming, nothign else, the FX55 will own. if you plan on listening to Itunes while playing games, the X2 3800+ will be better, however, in future multithreaded games, the X2 3800+ will be a better processer.

so heres he thing. if your like me, and you plan on upgrading in 2 years, id get AM2, because at that time you can get a K8L processer pretty cheap, and you wont have to buy a new mainboard.

however, if you plan on upgrading in 3+ years, i would go with S939. its cheaper, and your gonna need to ditch the mobo anyway.

if i were you, and planning on my next rig being in 2008/2009, id go with S939 and an X2 3800+ i could find @ bargin bin prices. edit: i might add i mentioned nothing about conroe, really, if i was you, id be looking into a conroe/allendale solution
 
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