I'm in the process of either building or buying a new computer (haven't decided yet). I was wondering what the advantages to HT are? Is it worth it to get a single core P4 with HT or would it be better to go with the dual core Pentium D? Also could someone reccomend a good video card... I haven't been keeping up with them since PCI Express came out and I don't know which ones are good. I'm looking for something relatively top end, but not the best... something in the $300ish range. Thanks in advance

i am not sure. if i am gonna build a new PC now, i would go AMD64. its much faster. P4 3.2GHZ kingstone 1GB DDR 3200 ABIT AS8 mobo Nvidia geforce 6800 128mb Soundblaster 24-bit audigy 2 520W PSU

It's even faster than the P4 630's or higher? Those are all 64 bit just like the Athlon 64.... I've been an avid AMD user for a long time (this computer has an athlon XP). All my friends however have P4's and for some reason it just seems like most of them perform better. I am however still considering AMD... especially since it will undoubtedly be at least $200 cheaper than an intel.

I would defintely recommend AMD. Intel is more for applications such as, Photoshop, or Powerpoint. AMD is made for gaming!! So, it really depends on what your intentions are. I have just ordered an AMD 3500+, but the 3000+ and 3200+ supposedly can overclock to 3500+ speeds or higher! I would go with AMD and a 6600gt or higher video card for games...along with at least 1 gig of ram..

Link to some great info on the new generation of pci-e cards and price ranges. Some of the cards are still being made in AGP as well. Windows Xp Home Celeron 2.8 Ghz 768mb Ram Geforce 5700LE PCI Card 128MB 128 bit

there is a difference between HT and non-HT. A CPU with HT can handle twice the loads that the non-HT can. Basicly, HT=dual processors. You cannot overclock HT CPUs. Other problems include: software incompatiblilty, frequent error messages, hardware problems. There could be more, but these are the ones I've seen so far. However, in the BIOS, you could turn off HT, thus making it a single CPU again. That just makes the computer a little slower. I think HT CPUs can only use DD2 memory. Not sure about that. Dell Dimension 4500 Pentium 4, 2.0 GHz Windows XP Home, SP1 512 mb PC2700 nVidia Geforce MX 420 64 Mb 80Gb Hard Drive 24x4x48x CD-RW 8x DVD-ROM

After reading this I looked into an AMD setup and now I remember why I love AMD so much. Here's what I came up with... just posting to see if anyone has any compatability issues with any of this hardware and if anyone has any other reccomendations. DFI Lanparty Nforce 4 Ultra D Athlon 64 3500 OCZ Gold Revision 2 1GB Unbuffered Dual Channel Model - OCZ5001024ELDCGER2-K Western Digital 7200 RPM 250 Gig SATA HP DVD640 w\lightscribe (I like lightscribe) (When I put a HP DVD burner in my current machine with a Nforce 2 chipset the NForce 2 IDE controller couldn't handle it properly... any known issues with this?) ATi All-In-Wonder X600 PRO 256MB PCI-Express (I know probly not the best, but I want PVR) By the way whats the difference between the AIW and the normal X600 pro? Gonna use onboard sound (also probly not the best of ideas but I'm on a budget)... or maybe Ill use a creative sound blaster live 24bit I have in this comp Black aluminum case with 2 80mm fans and 1 120 mm fan and a 500W PSU And of course the 17" LCD Monitor (not sure which one yet) I most certainly plan on OCing this thing... anyone have any reccomendations?