Amd 64/ Intel

[Gigabyte]

Ok,maybe somebody can give me a straight answer. I have been looking at getting an Athlon 64,but I have had friends tell me that since I don't really do any gaming that getting one would be a waste,and that I should go with an Intel because I mainly listen to music,watch videos,surf the net,burn dvd/cd,etc. Here's what I ask them back,if I don't get a pc capable of 64 bit,won't I be out of luck when windows xp goes 64 bit and possibly other apps other than games. I don't get an answer,I get a lot of mumbling. So,what am I to do? Thanks

[TheMattrix]

32-bit will be around longer than you'll ever have a new computer. If I were...and all I did was listen to music, watch videos, surf the net, and burn DVD/CDs, you'd be fine with an Athlon XP. Save some money. If you want better than that though...I would go with Athlon 64, just because it's sooo much awesomer (new word!) than Pentium 4. A similar priced Athlon 64 will outperform a P4 anyday.

[Gigabyte]

32-bit will be around longer than you'll ever have a new computer. If I were...and all I did was listen to music, watch videos, surf the net, and burn DVD/CDs, you'd be fine with an Athlon XP. Save some money. If you want better than that though...I would go with Athlon 64, just because it's sooo much awesomer (new word!) than Pentium 4. A similar priced Athlon 64 will outperform a P4 anyday.

My bad TheMattrix,I should of been a little more in depth with the question. I know that 32 bit will be around,but what I meant to say is,will I not be missing out when other 64 bit apps are released? I really think that we may be able to get Awesomer in the dictionary. :rofl :thumbsup

[MaxMercury]

Gigabyte,
Software seems to always lag considerably behind hardware, so I suspect you wouldn't be missing out on much (if anything) by getting an Athlon XP or P4 system. By the time we see a lot of 64-bit apps, you'll probably be ready for a new rig, and then you could get an Athlon 64.

On the other hand, it kind of sounds like you have your heart set on an Athlon 64 system? Or am I reading too much into your posts? In any case, I think what matters most is what YOU want, not what your friends think. An Athlon64 may be too much for your needs now, but if that's what you want and it fits your budget, go fot it. :-)

-- Max

[Gigabyte]

Gigabyte,
Software seems to always lag considerably behind hardware, so I suspect you wouldn't be missing out on much (if anything) by getting an Athlon XP or P4 system. By the time we see a lot of 64-bit apps, you'll probably be ready for a new rig, and then you could get an Athlon 64.

On the other hand, it kind of sounds like you have your heart set on an Athlon 64 system? Or am I reading too much into your posts? In any case, I think what matters most is what YOU want, not what your friends think. An Athlon64 may be too much for your needs now, but if that's what you want and it fits your budget, go fot it. :-)

-- Max

That's what I wanted to hear. ;-) I do want an Athlon 64,so no, you are not reading too much into it. I can get a really nice system for around $1800.00 w/ a 17" lcd. I figure why wait to get a 64 later,when I have the funds to get one now. Besides,if I settled for an Athlon xp,it would make me feel that i didn't get what I initially wanted,and I don't think that I would be happy. You know what I mean?? I see all the reviews form this company and I figure that they are who I will do business with,I just wish that tey had more case options. :-D [/b]

[TheMattrix]

Well, I prefer Athlon 64 over P4 anyday, so go for it. You won't be dissapointed. :thumbsup

[MaxMercury]

Gigabyte,
I just wish that tey had more case options.
Well, as Richard can tell you, I'm very fussy about cases. Or, another way to put it would be to say I'm a case conoisseur. :-D Anyway, PCC is flexible, and they'll let you use a case that they don't stock for your system. Just talk to Richard or one of the other great PCC people about it. Also, you might want to take a look at a thread in the Gaming forum about the Kingwin KT-424 case. For an aluminum case, (I'm more of a steel person), I'm very impressed with it. Nice and sturdy, not flimsy feeling like some other aluminum ones. Maybe something like it would suit your needs, or perhaps you have something else in mind? If so, please post what you're looking at, as I always like to see what people like in terms of cases. :)

-- Max

[Gigabyte]

Gigabyte,
I just wish that tey had more case options.
Well, as Richard can tell you, I'm very fussy about cases. Or, another way to put it would be to say I'm a case conoisseur. :-D Anyway, PCC is flexible, and they'll let you use a case that they don't stock for your system. Just talk to Richard or one of the other great PCC people about it. Also, you might want to take a look at a thread in the Gaming forum about the Kingwin KT-424 case. For an aluminum case, (I'm more of a steel person), I'm very impressed with it. Nice and sturdy, not flimsy feeling like some other aluminum ones. Maybe something like it would suit your needs, or perhaps you have something else in mind? If so, please post what you're looking at, as I always like to see what people like in terms of cases. :)

-- Max
I'll have to check thatcase out. Here's what I have been looking at>>>Either silver or black.
http://directron.com/tact01.html

[MaxMercury]

Ahhh, the Coolermaster Wavemaster. I've never seen it in person, but I'm familiar with it from Web reviews. I like the wave styling and the door covering the external drive bays. (For me, that's a drawback to the Kingwin case -- no door.) I've seen the wave styling on some other cases, including a new Silverstone model, and of course on the Thermaltake Tsunami.

Have you seen Tom's Hardware review of the Coolermaster case? If not, I think it's a good, thorough review. You can find it here: http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20040607/miditower-17.html
It's one of the few reviews that didn't give the Wavemaster stellar marks.
Still, I think it's worth reading.

In terms of the Thermaltake Tsunami, my pal Jim Hanson of www.coolcases.com is now doing mods for this case and is impressed with it. He says that despite it being made of .8 mm aluminum alloy, it has good tensile strength, so would resist getting bent out of shape. (Although if you yell at it, it might get bent out of shape anyway. ;-) ) Even an unmodded version looks pretty good with the 120mm fans, as opposed to the 80mm fans in the Wavemaster.

Hey, PCC staffers -- have you had any Coolermaster Wavemaster demo versions here that you checked out? If so, what did you think of them?

-- Max

[wlmorgan]

:thumbsup Good call with the CPU. While it certainly isn't the worst thing in the world to upgrade you could end up losing money over the long haul. Lets say you did order the XP, and were going to upgrade later.

XP 3200+ is 257, 3000+ 190. If you figure you're going to end up upgrading to a chip that is around the same price sometime within the next year(anything beyond a year and you're better off choosing cheaper now) that will cost you 514, or 380. Looking at the prices just here at Puget that'll get you anywhere from the AMD Athlon 64 3500+(939 pin, and likely to be better for upgrades in the future) to the AMD Athlon 64 3200+(754 pin).

So unless you're looking at going with something that is bleeding edge, and thus insanely more costly because it's so new, if you have the money and are going to upgrade sooner than later. You might as well do it now.

[PCC-Richard]

Don't let Max's pretty words fool you. His demands for a case are so lofty, I can only imagine it's being used for 1 of 2 things:

1) The case can transform into a giant robot, used to fight the Autobots, and destroy the planet Earth.

2) Max is building a giant drill-ship to tunnel to the center of the earth, and through the manipulations of all seismic activity, control all of mankind.

Either way, I'd keep my eye on that guy! :wig

---

Annnnnnnnnnyway:

Actually, we can get our hands on the Coolermaster case, so you could order that through us. I just spoke with Matthew, who's built a few Wavemaster cases. He didn't seem to have any major objections, and seemed to like it more than the Thermaltake Lanfire.

Send me an email, and I can dig up the price on that case for you.

[Gigabyte]

Don't let Max's pretty words fool you. His demands for a case are so lofty, I can only imagine it's being used for 1 of 2 things:

1) The case can transform into a giant robot, used to fight the Autobots, and destroy the planet Earth.

2) Max is building a giant drill-ship to tunnel to the center of the earth, and through the manipulations of all seismic activity, control all of mankind.

Either way, I'd keep my eye on that guy! :wig

---

Annnnnnnnnnyway:

Actually, we can get our hands on the Coolermaster case, so you could order that through us. I just spoke with Matthew, who's built a few Wavemaster cases. He didn't seem to have any major objections, and seemed to like it more than the Thermaltake Lanfire.

Send me an email, and I can dig up the price on that case for you.

Thanks

[MaxMercury]

The case can transform into a giant robot ...
Ha ha! Good guess. But my robot is benevolent and eminently practical, more like Rosie on "The Jetsons." :-D

Thermaltake Lanfire
Do you mean the Thermaltake Tsunami? That's the case I mentioned as a possible (and perhaps less costly) alternative for Gigabyte. The Tsunami is basically an aluminum alloy version of the Compucase LX-6A19 (D8000), which has been a favorite of Ars Technica for their "Hot Rod" and "God Box" configurations.

His demands for a case are so lofty, ...
Heh, heh. I think Mattrix is similar, yes? :-)

On a more serious note, I know Gigabyte wants a Coolermaster Wavemaster, but the 120mm fans in the Tsunami should be quieter, and that might make a difference to him since he's getting an Athlon-64 system. Just a thought.

-- Max

[TheMattrix]

Heh, heh. I think Mattrix is similar, yes? :-)

Yes :-)

[Gigabyte]

:wig Ok,after discussing the options with my wife,she agrees that just getting an xp instead of a 64 right now made more sense. So,my next question is>>>will I be able to upgrade any xp system in the future,when the 64 bit apps are starting to come out? Thanks. :thumbsup :thumbsdown

[TheMattrix]

You could always get a sempr0n. It's an Athlon XP, but you can get it the socket 754 pin layout, so you can upgrade in the future to an Athlon 64 if ya likes.

[Gigabyte]

You could always get a sempr0n. It's an Athlon XP, but you can get it the socket 754 pin layout, so you can upgrade in the future to an Athlon 64 if ya likes.

That's what I wanted to hear.Thanks :thumbsup