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Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/1378
Price Guides July 2004: CPU and Motherboards
by Cara Hamm on July 6, 2004 12:04 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Introduction
Welcome back to this week's Price Guide. In this guide, we will cover what's happening in the CPU and motherboard worlds. As usual, be sure to visit our Realtime Pricing Engine to get the latest prices on everything that you see here and more.With new sockets and chipsets rolling off the assembly lines faster than free donuts at Krispy Kreme, it's hard to keep up with everything. In this guide, we will focus primarily on existing hardware vs. some of the newer bleeding edge products, such as Socket 939, since the newer products would not yield much in the way of a cost/benefit ratio. That aside, currently available products and technologies are just getting better and better when it comes to being affordable and bringing what was once far too pricey for even enthusiasts, let alone average consumers, into reach. Price drops in the last month on Intel and AMD chips have helped to bring things back into alignment and make it possible to build a great system or upgrade an existing one with very little pain or headache.
AMD CPU's
AMD has been pretty busy lately and their current socket lineup stands as evidence to this. Right now there are three sockets from which to choose and it can get a little overwhelming, since we're all so used to having nothing but socket A to deal with.Firstly, socket A is still here for a little bit longer, so you can still stick to the tried and true Athlon XP chips. Since AMD is trying to push their A64 products, there isn't anything new to report here. The Athlon XP 2500+ still holds the crown for giving the most bang for the buck. For an extremely overclockable chip at a very reasonable price point, the 2500+ Barton is a lot of power for its cost. Right next to this chip is the Athlon XP Mobile series, which gives even more room for overclocking and only costs a few dollars more than the standard chips. Both the Athlon XP 2400 and 2500 Mobile processors are priced within the reach of most users and should prove to be a reliable and well-performing upgrade or inclusion for your system.
If 64-bit computing has caught your attention as it has ours, the Athlon 64 3000+ is a solid choice. This chip performs very well against Intel's 3.2 GHz P4 for $80-$100 less. Of course, as an added bonus, you also get the luxury of running 64-bit applications natively (assuming you either have a pre-release version of Windows XP 64, or possibly a Linux distribution that is compiled for the A64 platform). The future-proofing that the A64 3000+ gives earns it a place as the top recommendation for AMD-built 64-bit computing.
Since AMD has started its socket blitz, two other sockets have hit the market aside from the initial 754 that you can find on chips such as the above A64 3000+. Currently available from numerous online retailers are chips based on the new socket 939 and 940. While both of these sockets will eventually overshadow the old, they are still much too pricey for us to recommend in this guide.
Intel CPU's
Intel has been seemingly just as active as AMD when it comes to socket development and rollout. Intel has taken things one step further with their LGA-775 socket design, which places the pins on the motherboard instead of the CPU itself. While some say that this design is necessary, it does present one possible drawback in that the pins are extremely small (even compared to the pins currently found on processors), which makes them susceptible to damage. With insertion lifespan estimates hovering around 15 times, it may be an issue for those who change their processors somewhat frequently, but still keep the same motherboard. The good side, however, is that the motherboard is almost definitely less expensive to replace than a CPU.In any case, these models are not yet available for purchase, and when they are, they are sure to be pricey. So, they do not affect our recommendations for Intel processors this week. The Pentium 4 2.8GHz (800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 cache, Prescott core) catches our attention this week with its low price. For just a few bucks more than the same chip using the Northwood core, this is a pretty good deal. Of course, some may still shy away from Prescott, based on its heat output and less-than-amazing performance, in which case the Northwood version of this same processor is also priced very well.
AMD NVIDIA Motherboards
Motherboards still haven't changed much since the first nForce2 chipsets rolled out, but NVIDIA did do something nice for those of us not making the plunge into 64-bit computing. The new nForce boards for Socket A will be basically the same, but will also have onboard gigabit LAN as well as NVIDIA's new hardware firewall built right in. These new features in addition to the already standard Dual DDR, abnormally high sound quality and top performance will be just what the doctor ordered to breathe new life into socket A systems.Until we see the goods from NVIDIA, there are still the same choices that we've had in the past. The Abit NF7-S still provides top-end overclocking and stability while staying in the sub-$100 market. If you have a little more to spend and enjoy boards that come with tons of accessories, the DFI nForce2 LanParty Ultra is what you're looking for. It's definitely pricier than the NF7-S, but depending on your situation, it may be well worth the cash.
As for systems using Athlon 64's, right now may not be the best time to buy a new motherboard. With PCI Express finally showing enough face to be taken seriously, you can rest assured that it won't be very long until you can get this technology in your own home or office. While PCI Express itself doesn't do much for the average user, the possibilities are there for expansion. The added bandwidth of the PCIe bus is more than enough for activities such as real-time video encoding of multiple streams, which is something to consider if you are into video editing or just want to build a really high-end DVR box of your own.
In any case, Chaintech's VNF3-250 is an amazing board for a very reasonable price. Fully loaded with accessories such as plenty of audio inputs and outputs, firewire, SATA, and lots more, you can't go wrong if Socket 754 is your cup of tea.
If you want to upgrade, the MSI K8N Neo Platinum gives you additions like onboard diagnostic LED's, onboard gigabit LAN, PCI lock, and NVIDIA's hardware firewall solution.
AMD VIA Motherboards
VIA is not to be forgotten in a time when NVIDIA and Intel are the most frequently heard names in motherboards (and technology, in general, it would seem.) AOpen shows that they haven't forgotten Via with their AK86-L board. Its Spartan and dark appearance shouldn't fool you as this board shows us what can be done with little more than an Athlon 64 and a hunger for performance. With the latest BIOS flash, the AK86-L can tweak nearly any and every option known to enthusiasts while giving everything it's got at stock speeds for the average consumer. After earning Editor's Choice status only a couple of months ago, we are hard-pressed to find a better board when it comes down to value, quality and performance.Intel Motherboards
Intel users have a plethora of boards and chipsets to choose from these days and this can make it difficult to figure out which one is worth its price. This week, we recommend the DFI LANPARTY PRO875. The price is a bit higher than this guide would normally cover, but the value on this product, we felt was worth it. This socket 478 board will work well for most any desktop or gaming application. Gigabit LAN, SATA RAID, and a great accessories bundle ("PC Transpo" carrying strap, FrontX panel, etc.) all work together to make this UV-reactive board a solid choice for upgrading your machine or building a new one.While there are other chipsets available for Intel right now, most are at a price-point that pushes them out of the running for a price-oriented guide such as this.