What's up everybody. I've got a question about the types of CPU's. Right now I'm trying to build a good computer for online gaming(Battlefield 2, etc.). Now I'm trying to decide what CPU to use. At first I wanted to get a P4, but now My eyes have wondered over to the Athlon 64. My question is, which one is better? For the price of a P4 running at nearly 3.0ghz, I can get an Athlon running at 2.0ghz for the same price. Doesn't that mean that the Athlon is worse than the P4? Or is the quality of the CPU determined another way? Here is an example: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 800MHz HT Socket 754 E6 Processor Model ADA3000BXBOX - Retail 64 bit Support: Yes Hyper-Transport Support: Yes L1 Cache: 64KB+64KB L2 Cache: 512KB Multi-Core: Single-Core Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, 3DNOW! Professional Operating Frequency: 2.0GHz Process Type: 90 nm Series: Athlon 64 Voltage: 1.4V $120.00 ---------- Intel Pentium 4 506 Prescott 533MHz FSB LGA 775 EM64T Processor Model BX80547PE2667EN - Retail 64 bit Support: Yes Hyper-Threading Support: No L1 Cache: 12KB+16KB L2 Cache: 1MB Multi-Core: Single-Core Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3 Operating Frequency: 2.66GHz Process Type: 90 nm Series: Pentium 4 Voltage: 1.25-1.4V $107.98 ------------------ Notice that the P4 runs at 2.66ghz and the A64 only runs at 2.0ghz, and the P4 is cheaper! So does that mean the P4 is the better deal? Someone please help me out.

When choosing an AMD CPU & comparing it to a P4, look at the model number, not the clock speed. A 3000+ is roughly equivalent to a 3.0GHz P4. And since you're building a new system, you should be looking at the socket 939 Athlon64, not the socket 754. When it comes to gaming, the video card you choose is probably more important than the CPU. A decent video card can make up for a lower end CPU, but if you have a weak video card, it wouldn't matter how fast the CPU is. Notice which CPUs come out on top in this BF2 benchtest comparison: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/28cpu-games_3.html From that site: "it will hardly be a smart move to go for an Intel processor if you are a Battlefield 2 fan"

At the present time, if you are contemplating getting a budget gaming rig, go with AMD and specifically the single core 64-bit processors, eradicate the 754 from your plans unless you are getting the 754 motherboard for free. Otherwise set your sights on the 939 platform. First let's know your budget is ? When Google isn't your best pal

I would agree on the 939 mb, but get one that is SLI and will take the athlon 64, fx and X2 processor's for future upgrades. This way you could start with a AMD 64 3000 or 3200 for around 150.00 then upgrade later on when the more expensive cpu come down in price.

SLI, much like Bush's Space Launch Initiative is an exercise with an abysmal return. You'd be a lot smarter getting the fastest card matching your CPU that you can afford. When Google isn't your best pal