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Well I've got a couple grand laying around and I was thinking about upgrading my system. Before I start. No I will not buy an AMD processor. It's nothing against AMD specifically more the motherboards and chipsets for them.
I want PCI-Express which rules out AMD for the moment anyway. I know theres no real bennifit to DDR 2 and PCI-Express right now. But I am future proofing the system for a little while at least.
Heres my choices.
Xeon (Nocona) 3.0GHz 800MHz FSB CPU=$373
Supermicro X6DAE-G2 Dual Nocona Xeon Board=$531
1024MB ECC (Registered) DDR2 533=$400ish
Total=$1304 (Single CPU)
Total=$1677 (Dual CPU)
Other Choice
Pentium 4 550 3.4GHz LGA775 Prescott 1MB L2 Cache, Hyperthreading Retail=$425
ASUS P5AD2 Premium=$300
1024MB DDR2 533=$400
Total=$1125
The prices are only approximate. I didn't necessarily pick the lowest prices I could find. But I just wanted rough figures to work with. Now I am leaning twords the Xeon rig because I want to PCI-Express 16x slots for the Geforce 6800 Ultra SLI setup. Also the Nocona Xeon system has the potential to have a second CPU if I choose or I could get them both. Next the Xeon also has EMT64 technology. Not a big deal yet, but might be at some point. Theres some future proofing there as EMT64 will be used one day.
Although I may not use EMT64 ever it's a possibility since when I upgrade again I'll likely use this rig as a server or something.
I also do some video encoding as well as gaming. So the Xeon fits the bill there. Plus I don't have to deal with crappy LGA775 pin breakage.
So anyway dispite the high cost I am leaning twords the Xeon. Unless anyone knows of a LGA775 board on the horizon with dual PCI-Express 16x slots. In which case the Pentium 4 would make the better choice for a gaming PC with some video encoding use.
Xeon Pros:
SMP Capable
Dual PCI-Express 16X sockets for future use of Dual Geforce 6800's.
EMT64
As an alternative I could spend the money I was going to spend on the second CPU on getting a higher speed single Xeon.
Xeon Cons:
Higher cost
Needs registered ram
EMT64 may never really take hold but it's likely it will someday.
Pentium 4 LGA775 Pros:
Faster CPU speed than single Uni-processor 3.0GHz Xeon Nacona
Cheaper motherboard and overall solution.
Cheaper upgrade path
Doesn't need registered ram
Pentium 4 LGA775 Cons:
Crappy socket design (possible breakage)
No option currently for Dual PCI-Express sockets, so getting a dual 6800 SLI setup will require a new motherboard again.
Thoughts are always appreciated. My system is decent and I may decide to do something else with the cash. But I thought I'd see. Maybe theres some Pro's and Con's I missed.
I want PCI-Express which rules out AMD for the moment anyway. I know theres no real bennifit to DDR 2 and PCI-Express right now. But I am future proofing the system for a little while at least.
Heres my choices.
Xeon (Nocona) 3.0GHz 800MHz FSB CPU=$373
Supermicro X6DAE-G2 Dual Nocona Xeon Board=$531
1024MB ECC (Registered) DDR2 533=$400ish
Total=$1304 (Single CPU)
Total=$1677 (Dual CPU)
Other Choice
Pentium 4 550 3.4GHz LGA775 Prescott 1MB L2 Cache, Hyperthreading Retail=$425
ASUS P5AD2 Premium=$300
1024MB DDR2 533=$400
Total=$1125
The prices are only approximate. I didn't necessarily pick the lowest prices I could find. But I just wanted rough figures to work with. Now I am leaning twords the Xeon rig because I want to PCI-Express 16x slots for the Geforce 6800 Ultra SLI setup. Also the Nocona Xeon system has the potential to have a second CPU if I choose or I could get them both. Next the Xeon also has EMT64 technology. Not a big deal yet, but might be at some point. Theres some future proofing there as EMT64 will be used one day.
Although I may not use EMT64 ever it's a possibility since when I upgrade again I'll likely use this rig as a server or something.
I also do some video encoding as well as gaming. So the Xeon fits the bill there. Plus I don't have to deal with crappy LGA775 pin breakage.
So anyway dispite the high cost I am leaning twords the Xeon. Unless anyone knows of a LGA775 board on the horizon with dual PCI-Express 16x slots. In which case the Pentium 4 would make the better choice for a gaming PC with some video encoding use.
Xeon Pros:
SMP Capable
Dual PCI-Express 16X sockets for future use of Dual Geforce 6800's.
EMT64
As an alternative I could spend the money I was going to spend on the second CPU on getting a higher speed single Xeon.
Xeon Cons:
Higher cost
Needs registered ram
EMT64 may never really take hold but it's likely it will someday.
Pentium 4 LGA775 Pros:
Faster CPU speed than single Uni-processor 3.0GHz Xeon Nacona
Cheaper motherboard and overall solution.
Cheaper upgrade path
Doesn't need registered ram
Pentium 4 LGA775 Cons:
Crappy socket design (possible breakage)
No option currently for Dual PCI-Express sockets, so getting a dual 6800 SLI setup will require a new motherboard again.
Thoughts are always appreciated. My system is decent and I may decide to do something else with the cash. But I thought I'd see. Maybe theres some Pro's and Con's I missed.