CPU Upgrade?
 

OK so it is time to upgrade my Pentium 3 1.2GHz PC. I was looking at the new available 64 bit Dual Core CPU's available from both AMD and Intel. Obviously Intel is on top right now with their CPU's but I am NOT looking for the latest and greatest CPU available right now. I don't need the Quad Core Extreme chip...

I use only Linux on all my systems as I will on this new machine. My question is which would you think is more bang for your buck in regards to just general operating performance (not gaming):

- AMD64 X2 3800 - 4400
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 - E6700 (Conroe)

Thanks for any info.

Right now, the best bang for the buck that works with out any problems is AMD systems.

I was thinking of buying the following.
ABIT AT8 32X (ATI/ULi is the best combination that I have seen and lowest power consumption)
AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+ (OEM)
Thermaltake Big Typhoon (CL-P0114 or CL-P0310) with thermal pad or thermal tape for long term use
(2) 512 MB DDR-400 ECC
XFX GeForce7 7600GS Fatal1ty Professional Series (passive heatsink)

My present system is as follows.
ABIT TH7II-RAID
Pentium 4 2GHz (Northwood core) with Zalman CNPS7700-CU
(4) 256 MB RAMBUS ECC
GeForceFX 5700 Ultra with Thermaltake Schooner heatsink

I am about 85% on not to buy the fantasy system that I listed because my present system is still has the speed although it would be nice to have a multiple processor system. However, the fantasy system will use a lot less power than my present system, so I could go with the fantasy system and then be in debt for a few months.

The point I am trying to make, your computer is probably good enough or fast enough for you. My present system is fast enough for me. Sure, I can not play HD Video any higher than 480p and in a some UT2004 maps bogs down my computer.

IMHO, Investing in DDR2 memory is a waste. The latency of DDR2 vs DDR is 2:1 which means DDDR2 is slower than DDR even though DDR2 has a higher clock rate. I suggest waiting until GDDR3 which has equal latency as DDR and can be clock as high as DDR2 or higher.