New Pentium IV with DDR Ram

[sullen]

I saw an ad for one of these machines today. Has anyone read any articles about performance? If it was online can you post a link or direct me, I am interested in comparisons with the newer AMD chips. I wanted an AMD, but want to look at any numbers comparing the two with the same ram. Thanks.

[d4n13l]

Nah... P4 with DDR sucks, if you want a P4 make sure you use RDRAM (RDRAM is not that expensive anymore, in fact it is relatively cheap).
Go to www.tomshardware.com and look at all of their benchmark test's, also try the forum there - it is full of trolls but you can still get decent info.
The only P4 that is able to beat the fastest Athlon XP is the new (just released) P4 using the 'Brookdale' core running at 2.2Ghz. This is bleeding edge technology so dont expect it to be cheap. If you dont have money to burn, I would suggest a mid/high range Athlon XP that uses a 266Mhz FSB and the fastest DDR RAM that you can find. This system will only be beaten performance wise, by a *much* more expensive Brookdale core P4 (currently at 2.2Ghz), but is it worth paying $600 or whatever for a CPU to cut your encoding time by a minute or two? The Athlon system has a much better price/performance ratio compared to the a new cutting edge P4 system.

[acidcrash]

Actually i'm currently using Snazzi DVC II on a Pentium 4 with DDR Ram. It works okay apart from the occasional DVC problems you get. Whether the DDR ram makes it faster, in my opinion not really. Better off to check the Athlon with the card you're gonna use coz if it's DVC II, you'll be having some endless problems like the first PC i had for it.

[d4n13l]

Sullen, if you decide to get an Athlon based system, make ure you get a solid, proven motherboard. Make a bad decision regarding a motherboard for an Athlon and you will be in a world of hurt! Where as Intel based systems the decision isnt so crucial.

[sullen]

Thanks for the input so far. I have been an AMD convert for sometime now and was really just wondering how this new setup was working. I want a good all round system and will be getting an AMD if the time ever comes. I have been getting a new computer for about a year now, but I think the dream may become a reality in the next month or so. I was thinking about an AMD 1.47 with 512RAM and a 60 gig 7200 HD. I will be pulling several upgrades from my current system for the new one like the 24x Lite-On burner and the wireless keyboard. Thanks for the input.