# AMD 64 vs Intel P4?

## bjorntj

I am planning to upgrade my workstation and I was wondering which CPU to go for? 

Is AMD 64 the right choice (or some other AMD proc.) or is Intel the answer? (I have a P4 now and I haven't used AMD in a long time...)

Regards,

BTJ

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## Orky

After a lot of reading I made the choice to go for an AMD64 recently...a socket 939 gives you the option to upgrade to a dual core AMD without a new motherboard etc (most of the time!).

The onboard memory controller suited my dual channel RAM as well.

This review highlights the  top of the range chips in each class:

http://www.digital-daily.com/cpu/athlon64fx-p4ee/

Thats my 1p...

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## c4

The benchmarks I have read show that the P4 is generally a bit faster for video encoding and graphics rendering compaired to the amd64, though the AMD is better when it comes to games and simular "heavy-weight" apps.

Last time I upgraded I went for the amd64, because it was cheaper and performed better than the P4. Also, the amd64 uses less effect, so you will not need the same cooling and power suply as for the p4. Actually, the new amd64s require less effect when operating at full load than the p4 does when idle!

Check other tests and benchmarks at Anandtech or simular tech sites.

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## Apopatos

Afterall with and Athlon64 you are going to run a full 64bit system and that rocks  :Very Happy: 

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## Apopatos

Afterall with an Athlon64 you are going to run a full 64bit system and that rocks  :Very Happy: 

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## Corona688

AMD64's a longer-term computing solution as far as I'm concerned.  Neither the P4 nor the AMD64 has any gargantuan advantage against each other running the same benchmarks and the same software, but the P4's essentially yet another enhanced 80386, while the AMD64 is something new and interesting -- it can do stuff that P4's simply can't.  Native 64-bit execution with 32-bit backwards compatibility in a 64-bit OS, built-in memory controllers, easy multiprocessing, dual core, can access gargantuan amounts of memory, etc.  Opterons seem to have the best combination of expandability, cost, and features in the amd64 line.

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## k1ll1nt1m3

Even against the P4 D's?  Im trying to figure out which to go with too.  The athlon 64 X2 is pretty pricy.  How do the P4 D's deal with 64bit?

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## Apopatos

An Athlon64@3.0 or 3.2 GHz is cheap enough. Now, about P4, they have nothing to do with 64bit!

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## k1ll1nt1m3

The P4 D's are suppost to support 64bit.  With approved software, haha.  Whats that mean?

 *Quote:*   

> Processors with Intel EM64T allow platforms to access larger amounts of memory and will support 64-bit extended operating systems.

 

 *Quote:*   

>  Intel® Extended Memory 64 TechnologyΦ (Intel® EM64T) enables
> 
> 64-bit computing on the server/workstation and desktop platforms when combined with supporting software. Intel EM64T improves performance by allowing the system to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory. Intel EM64T provides support for:
> 
> 	64-bit flat virtual address space
> ...

 

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## Apopatos

Oh you mean EM64T...

Yeah they are similar with Athlon64 but they are ofcourse slower and I have read that they have many problems especially with 32bit applications.

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## k1ll1nt1m3

A 2.8 P4 D with 2x1M cache is slower?  Its about half the price.  How much slower is it?  Is there Gentoo support for them yet?  Sorry about all the questions.  Im a n00b.

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## Apopatos

Have a look here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20050509/index.html

you will get some ideas.

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## k1ll1nt1m3

Thanks.   :Very Happy:   I would like to read some other reviews too.  Im not worried about heat or power consumption.  Im mostly worried about support.

Edit:  Here is another test...

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1820755,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532

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## Corona688

 *k1ll1nt1m3 wrote:*   

> Thanks.    I would like to read some other reviews too.  Im not worried about heat or power consumption.  Im mostly worried about support.

  Well, I'm running a dual opteron on gentoo right now.  On the other hand I've never even heard of a P4-D before, but with the naming games Intel plays it might be something else that gentoo's apparently just beginning to support.  Similar architecture to AMD64, apparently  a reverse-engineered AMD64.

As for the amd64 X2 costing twice as much, well... duh.  That's a dual core chip.   :Smile: 

I also prefer opterons for their clearer scheme -- they're all amd64's, no bloody amd64 FX, no bloody athlon64, no bloody athlon mp...  the numbers tell you exactly what they are.

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## k1ll1nt1m3

 *Corona688 wrote:*   

> 
> 
> As for the amd64 X2 costing twice as much, well... duh.  That's a dual core chip.  
> 
> 

 

Isnt the P4-D or "820 or 840" a dual core?  

Yeh, I agree.  Intels naming scheme for the new processors is a joke.  :Rolling Eyes: 

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## Apopatos

P4-D and AthlonX2 are opposite and dual core.

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## k1ll1nt1m3

I guess the multiplier is locked on the 820 and the 830 but not on the 840?  

I dont have a AMD board, so I would have to do a new system basically.  I could do a 820, DDR2 and a board for the price of the AMD processor.  Tough call.  I wish there were more reviews out.

Edit:  I do a lot of video so maybe Ill wait to see more tests...  Seems the 840 overclocks pretty well... I like that.

http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20050603/stresstest-05.html

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