Need help in selecting a new computer

[Ronald_B]

I need to upgrade from a k6-2 366. I was thinking about getting a new computer with the new Intel Pentium (Northwood) with the 845 DDR chipset. This Pentium is faster than the older ones because it's increased l2 cache size.

But I would also consider an Athlon XP.

I need to do lots of mp3 encoding (using Lame) and mpeg2 and mpeg4 encoding. I would be using Adobe Premiere for editing (if that makes any difference).

Here's my question, does any of the software specifically use SSE2 instructions? Does the Athlon use SSE2? What is a good video editing software out there? (I'm currently using Premiere 6.0)

Thanks in advance!

[xzarkad]

P-4 does use SSE2 instructions, Athlon XP uses also the SSE instructions, although it's called "enhanced 3D now"

Stability for both systems is the same. The Athlon XP is not producing that much heat anymore, so they are almost equal at that part too. In benchmarks the XP 1800 and the P4 2.0 are very close. They both use DDR chipsets. There are two differences: Athlon CPU and boards are cheaper. Athlon is expected to be more compatible for future upgrades. I currently have an Athlon 1.4. As the XP CPU's also use socket A, I only have to change the processor and heatsink for an upgrade. Intell changed for the P4 the socket type, and memory Type. Someone who bought an Intell a few months ago, and wants to upgrade, has to buy a new processor, heatsink, board and memory. And (in my opinion) AMD's introduction of fast CPU's cause intell to lower their prices, and making computers cheaper. This made my choise easy. But to get back to your question; they are equal. This month AMD is faster, next month Intell is etc. etc.

[aileronzz]

check http://www.forumoc.com out. We're Athlon biased, but with good reason. Both Intel and AMD have good and bad points. To myself (and most at the above site) the Athlon is an all-around better processor. Drop by and ask for some opinions. There's tons of great people there willing to help out, and if ya' got the need for speed and a good athlon, you can do some mad overclocking to get even more bang for your buck. Can't say that for an Intel based system. Ohh yeah. Help humanity. Take a look at the distributed computing section there and join us in the search for a cure for cancer among other nasty diseases.

Laterzz

[Ronald_B]

Ok, thanks for the reply guys,
I'm leaning towards the new P4. I don't think I'll wait for the 133Mhz bus though.