dual zeon 2's or p4 3?

T

towert7

2[H]4U
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Dec 18, 2003
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One quick question.

Now, i know there are multiple answers here. (like, one for gaming, one for multitasking).

But "in general", with a blend of 50% gaming, 50% multi tasking everyday stuff.... like 15 instances of IE 6, aol, winamp, and heck, a little MS word and photoshop to boot, What would be the better choice?

I know the dual zeon is a lot more money, but like i said above, what would be the better choice.

A dual zeon with 2 (2.8s), or P4 3.2EE

Now, the dual zeon's, and motherboard are about the same price of the 3.2EE itself(about 900$).

Oh well, any information you have about the diffrences between these two would be nice.

p.s., im not into "pure" hardcore OC'ing, i just like to play games without them being slow (hehe, my good old 0.8ghz).
 
Well the facts are you dont need ither one of those for sure.

You aren't doing enough hardocore data crunching to need dual xeons and the slight gain in performance definately does not warrant the purchase of a P4EE or FX-51.

A normal P4 3.0c will do multitasking and gaming effortlessly. I would even suggest waiting and buying one of the new Prescott core processors once they are released in a few weeks. Also will be new chipsets coming soon with PCI Express.

I wouldn't even consider dual xeons unless i was setting up a server or in a business area where time equals money.

I think you've just been used to the PIII for a while and need to check out some of the faster Pentium 4 processors before you think you need dual xeons or a P4EE lol.
 
personally i wouldnt go for the extreme edition p4 unless you really need to spend the cash, but if you wont oc alot or not at all look at the 3.0c as a good cpu to start yourself off with.
 
Hehe, yea, i kninda agree. But i think once the prescott comes out the old p4's will drop in price quite a bit.

Also, i mean, heck, if you got the money, why not get a computer that will last a long time.

But yea, as of right now, the P4EE is too much money for me. I was just thinking of having a dual zeon 2.4's (almost like having 4 processors i hear).

It's probably gonna come down to a dual zeon or a p4 3.0 (as of right now). If i wait a few months, who knows what ill get.

Just wondering if the added frequency of the p4 will outweigh the ability to multi task with a dual zeon 2.4 HT.
 
The EE is truely a performance chip and I can't say you need a SLAP because they are just plain awesome.

Yeah while they are mega expensive I'd still would not kick one out of bed. Weather I'm playing games or surfing the net, I'd be proud that I got a nasty stupidly expensive chip under the hood.

As for the 3.2EE I'd just wait till FEB 2nd as the 3.4EE will be released.

Basically the 3.2EE is 1000 dollars now. When the 3.4 comes out it's going to lower the 3.2EE to 950 and the 3.4EE itself will become 1000 dollars.

Now spending a grand on a processor is ludacris but you know what... You will be the first kid on your block with one.

Psyko M.
 
If you need speed get the 3.2 or wait for the prescotts. I can't recommend EE or Xeon's. You would have to have a special need for a Xeon. I run my [email protected] and multitask like crazy, even encoding divx while surfing the net and watching tv.

If you would like you can PM me and I'd be willing to help pick your components.
 
I think the best buy would be a 3.0c for right now. You could easily overclock it to 3.5GHz and that will be plenty fast till some new chips get out on the market that are more appealing.

I see you said that your not into "pure" hardcore OCing but the overclocks on Pentium 4's are really simple. Just find a guide or ask your questions here. Despite what newcomers think, overclocking is a real no brainer and requires absolutely no skill at all. Just look at all the noobs out there that do it. You just need to obtain a little common knowledge for a few settings and learn what your processor is capable of before you start out to overclock it.

With Pentium 4's you just lock the AGP/PCI slots and then raise the FSB in small increments. Its best to learn the proper vcore and vdimm to apply and what voltages are safe to run at.
 
But "in general", with a blend of 50% gaming, 50% multi tasking everyday stuff.... like 15 instances of IE 6, aol, winamp, and heck, a little MS word and photoshop to boot, What would be the better choice?
Click to expand...

Hell my 1.6A can do all that, memory and a good video card would be more of an issue then processor speed when it comes to gaming and running all those processes at once. Buying a duel Xeon machine for these tasks would be a waste, get something like the P4 3.0 (which also has hyperthreading) and save your money and use it for the other components in your machine.
 
mjones73, i will. Ive decided that as of right now, dual zeon's are more moeny, and in cases, are slower then the regular P4 (as i read in the mac vs pc article [H] had).

The zeon's are still at 533FSB, and because they Requirer ECC ram, only up to DDR 266, they still lag behind the P4 (so ive heard).

As of right now, if i were to get a comp, it would probably be with a 2.8P4c with 800FSB (about 200$). And who knows what the future will hold for processor prices.

Now all i have to do is convince my parents to allow me to make a computer by hand. (they can't get over that fact that i will have 2000$ in parts just lie'ing on the kitchen table).
 
towert7 if you didn't detect the sarcasm in ExtremeFragFest's post, the CPU's you're talking about are actually called Xeons (though its pronounced how you spelled them). Not trying to thread crap, just want to correct a simple and understandable mistake.
 
Pentium 4 2.8C HT $215
Abit IC-7 Max2 $155
Geil 1GB(512MBx2) PC3500 - $200
GeForce FX 5900SE $188
WD 8MB HardDrive $90
DVD burner (liteon) $110
windowXP oem $90
onboard sound $0
onboard network $0
aspire turbo case $50 **
Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu $43 **
estimated shipping $20

assume you have keyboard, mouse, etc

total $1163.00

And you could go cheaper or with different parts, but thats what parts I would use if I was building a computer right now.

Prices from newegg.com

**edit** added case & HSF... had forgotten them somehow
 
What are you running that NEEDS a true dual processor platform? Unless you have the money and are wanting to spend it on a dual Xeon board and two chips, you'd most likely be pleased with a 2.8-3.2C, some nice RAM, and two raptors in RAID 0 for the price of two high-end xenos.
 
Well, i usually can get where i have a few programs going at the same time, but nothing that would Demand 2 """ Xeon""" processors (hehe, sometimes i type what i say).

Yea, as of right now ide go for a 2.8c

Now i just need to convince my dad that if i make a computer from scratch, i won't "screw up". (he's afraid that i will have 2000$ worth of parts on the kitchen table.)

Also, yea, i am making a computer that will last about 4 years without much upgrading (maybe just ram if needed). SO my dad will pay for a 2000$ comp.

Ill get the specs on that when i get home.

also, im not going to be getting raptors..... i think ill suffer for a 200gb SATA seagate (i hear they are very reliable).

I just wish the Western digital had SATA's
 
Originally posted by towert7
mjones73, i will. Ive decided that as of right now, dual zeon's are more moeny, and in cases, are slower then the regular P4 (as i read in the mac vs pc article [H] had).

The zeon's are still at 533FSB, and because they Requirer ECC ram, only up to DDR 266, they still lag behind the P4 (so ive heard).
Click to expand...
There's a Xeon board made by Asus that doesn't require Registered/ECC ram. The PC-DL Deluxe. It uses the 875 chipset. <edit> Also, this board runs DDR 333 dual-channel. </edit>

One caveat. If you choose to go with dual Xeons, make sure to get a compatible PSU.
 
Dual Xeon's on the ASUS PC-DL is the best bet for SMP. If you have the cash, go for it! It's worth it.

-Robert
 
A couple months ago an FX51 wasnt a bad buy...assuming you had the money for it. A heck of alot better purchase than that EE if you ask me. Buying one now is pointless as its slower than its much cheaper younger brother...the 3400. I suggest waiting to see how the prescotts do. Dont go jumping the gun and grabbing one right from launch. Who knows you might be better off with a 3.0c or a 3400. Wait and see how they do with the price vs. performance if money is an issue.
 
Yea, this new computer will be for college. So i want one that will last 4 years without needing to replace it.

Gonna be a workstation mostly, and also for games. Yea, when i say im not gonna do any hardcore overcloacking, i mean that im not gonna be getting into water colling.

This comp will be more stability over performance, but still needs to last!

If i were to get the comp now, (which im not, im gonna wait a few more months), it would be something along these lines

P4 3.0 800mhz
DFI 875B LanParty
1GB corsair DDR 400 XMS PRO
2x 120gb seagate's, 8mb 7200rpm SATA (RAID 0)
ATI AIW 9800
Creative labs audigy 2 ZS 7.1
WIN XP PRO
DVD burner
floppy
and a case, with about 500 watt power supply.

As of right now, this config is about 2000$, which my parents would spend.

See, im thinking of JUST brining a comp to college, no tv or DVD player......... so the comp will take the place of the TV and DVD player.

But, within 4 months, who knows what ill be getting.

__________________

p.s., one quick question

With SATA RAID 0, lets say i have 2 drives.
Drive "a" has the OS, software, and other stuff, and drive "b" has some Private files. If Drive "b" craps out, will i still be able to use drive a? or will it look like the single drive is faulty.

~Thanks
 
with Raid 0 half the information is on each drive, so if one drive (completely) fails you have to reinstall OS and you lose your information. That is one of the downfalls of Raid 0.

Afterwards, you could just use the remaining single one drive after you reformat it as non Raid.

A good combination is Raid 0+1 takes 4 drives though.

Or some of the new Raid formats where they take and create backups with fewer drives. They use part of each drive for back up, etc.
 
I'd go with 2 smaller SATA drives in a RAID 0 config and a larger one for storage.

Possibly faster memory and a PSU with slightly less wattage.
 
P4 3.0 800mhz
DFI 875B LanParty
1GB corsair DDR 400 XMS PRO
2x 120gb seagate's, 8mb 7200rpm SATA (RAID 0)
ATI AIW 9800
Creative labs audigy 2 ZS 7.1
WIN XP PRO
DVD burner
floppy
and a case, with about 500 watt power supply.

As of right now, this config is about 2000$, which my parents would spend.
Click to expand...

1/15/04 newegg.com prices
cpu - 280
mobo - 180
ram - 285
Hdrives - 202
vid - 339
sound - 89
DVD burner - 125
floppy - 8
Antec PSU - 70
Xaser III case - 100


total: 1678

Looks like you are saving big bucks by waiting :D

- Win XP Pro left out because it can be downloaded for free (cracked serials) with SP1 etc.


I suggest getting the IC-7Max3 since it's slightly cheaper, with more OC functions, and has better cpu + ram optimized performance; but if you're one of thems that like pretty neon lights.. :rolleyes:
 
Get an Asus or Abit = better quality boards, more bios revisions, more control on overclocking options.

In the past, (with non-Intel mobos) Asus and Abit seem to get the BIOS's more stable and performing well also. Its not as important with Intel mobos as almost all mobos based on them are perfectly stable.

But with VIA & Sis chipsets, ASUS usually does the best job and ABit is right there with them.
 
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