Quote:
Originally posted by dhamsaic
You also don't need to have such a fast processor. 2.26GHz is great for the gamer but unnecessary for the casual user (or gamer). A 1.8GHz Socket478 Pentium 4 is more than adequate and will cost approximately $100 less ($162 at NewEgg.com).
Comments? Suggestions?
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This is the first time in a few years that Intel has really pulled away from AMD in terms of performance alone (forget price/performance). And they've only pulled away a little. So while you might be able to justify a P4 for raw power, I couldn't recommend to <B>anyone</B> that they spend $162 on a 1.8GHz processor!
The XP 2000+ model is in the "sweet spot" for Athlons right now (just under $100 at NewEgg), and boards using the excellent nVidia nForce chipset (like Abit's nV7m, ~$100) have dual memory channels for very fast performance when you use two DDR DIMM's. Or if integrated video isn't your style (it uses GeForce2, which is starting to show its age if you were to do any more than casual gaming) you can still get many excellent mobo's for under $100.