Upgrade from Tbird 1.4 GHz to XP 2 GHz

My mainboard supports up to an AMD Athlon 2000+. Would I notice any gain in speed if I swapped out my current CPU for the faster 1? I read that Athlon XPs aren't really as fast as it says they are, like the 1800 actually runs at 1.53 GHz. Would I gain anything if I switched?

 

The numbering scheme for the Athlon chips is so they can be compared to Pentiums. Its true that the XP 1800 runs at 1.53 Ghz, but it is comparable (i.e. meets or exceeds the same benchmark numbers) to the 1.8 Ghz Pentium. You would see an increase in speed, and most likely a decrease in CPU temperature if you upgraded to the 1800.

But I would wait a while to upgrade if you already have a 1.4 Ghz T-Bird. Drop the XP 2000 in there when the prices fall a bit more.

It comes down to this: Clock speed is not the only measure of performance. The pentium4 is like a car spinning its tires. The speedometer (tire speed) says its going 80, but the car is only going 60.

Hex92

 

I was always told a good rule of thumb is to only upgrade when you can get twice your current speed. So I might wait until they bring out a 2.8 GHz Athlon.

One thing that concerns me about AMD chips is I know they're great chips, but since AMD won't make their own chipsets anymore and will outsource it to Via, won't that be a hinderance to their CPU market, as VIA is, to put it nicely, ****.

I think if AMD wants to be taken seriously in the market they need to make their own chipsets like Intel does. That's why you don't hear about all these stability problems with Intel CPUs, cause they make their own chipsets.

AMD's CPUs are hamstrung because they're made to use the Via KT--whatever chipsets that diminish a good chip's quality. So my concern for the future would be, if I wanted another AMD chip (which I do), would there be another chipset besides Via and Ali Magik that would support this chip and let it run a quality performance?

 

chipset & amd

Really? Via ****? I don't think so..... Ya know Ford motor company? Well look under the hood, some models those engines are not made by ford. So guess what the greatest P4 chipset is rite now?? Huh? Intel you say? Nope it's a SIS chipset.
I'm running a Sis 735 chipset on an ECS K7S5A mobo. AMD T-bird 1.4, also an Epox w/via chipset k6-3/450, last and newest is my IWILL XP333 w/AliMagic1 chipset 1900+ AMD XP core.....awesome

Ah,,,,me thinks the Athlon is to be replaced with thoroughbred

 

Really? Well that goes against everything I read about Via. So you've never had major problems with your SiS and Via mainboards? They work good? But don't you think it'd be better if the CPU makers made their own chipsets?

 

chipsets

shadowhawk via has a bad rep for sure, but not so much for bum chipsets tho there are some such as mvp2, via apollo, & mvp4 integrated w/sound. Their rap is they seem to get out the gate to fast before the glue is dry & have to service the chipset with updates such as via 4-n-1 drivers. Look how the via kx133 (another bummer) went to kt133 then to kt133A! Key word is "A "! Now look at the kt266 (bummer) then the kt266A! The 266a is a killer!! Latest is kt333 (a tad bummer) & is sweeping the hottest revues out their for amd xp cpu's. My friends please wait for the key word "A" it will surly be the "killer" for the 333 ram & beyond.
? 1=no problems with the ECS sis chipset except memory slot 1 then fill slot 2
? 2=Yes problems with mobo's running via kx133 unstable hi-density ram.
? 3=No, imo cpu makers are a different science & fab plant, lotsa bucks to toolup for chipsets. As long as their is three or more chipset makers we benifit from the competition

 

All major companies outsource much of their work. I doubt if Intel actually makes their own chipsets. They may lay out the specs; but, I doubt they make them, themselves.

As for stability, I have never bought a new Intel chip and I have been building and repairing computers, as well as doing on-site service since 1994. I cannot imagine an Intel processor being more stable than an AMD--maybe just as stable, but not more stable. SiS is some of the best on the market. At least, that is my own experience. Via gives me no problem, either.

My experience has been that the stability of the computer is more affected by the main board as a whole than anything else.

Recently, a doctor's office needed a computer, stat. I had just built and used my new AMD 1800 XP for only a month. I sold him mine because of his need for a fast replacement. At about that same time, I bought an HP machine for $100 that had been crushed with a fork-lift. All there was that was left that was any good was the P4 processor and the DDR ram. I built it with a DFI board. I have now been using that P4 for about a month.

The P4 1800 is no better or stable than the AMD 1800. Both perform about the same, which is just great. Now, would I buy a new P4 just so I can say I own a Pentium, when I could get an AMD of $70 less that will perform equally as well? I think not!

One would do better to stop argueing the finer points of how fast or stable a P4 1800 is over an AMD 1800 and visa versa. Rather, look at the amount one would spend on a P4 1800 and then compare that to what one could get with the same money in an AMD. Hmmm... Much faster for the same money! Or maybe you would rather spend that extra money on more memory, a faster or larger hard disk, or a better video card.

 

I've been using VIA boards for years and have found them to be just fine. I recently bought a SIS 735 chipset board and found it to be the fastest and most stable board I've ever used. Rancher's right - the more competition the better. And yeah, VIA and SIS are putting out and probably will continue to put out kick-a$$ chipsets.

Back to your original question, I've always been disappointed with the results from cpu upgrades. Take Hex92's advice and wait for the XP2000+ to come much further down in price.

By far the best upgrade I've ever done was swapping out an older Quantum 7200rpm HDD for a 7200rpm IBM 60GXP HDD - it was like someone stuck a rocket up my serial port!

 

I'm with Chiles4 on the upgrade. Sometimes a faster hard disk can do more for speed than a CPU upgrade, especially if the CPU upgrade is less than double speed. Even in cases where CPU speed is doubled, sometimes the difference is certainly not anything to write home about.

 

Hey guys,

What about the AMD 761 northbridge chip. Although it is used (in most cases) with the VIA southbridge chip. I think the bad rap for VIA has come from the hobbyist/overclocking community. I've seen numerous warnings not to buy a VIA chipset board unless the chipset ends with an "A" designation. It is believed that the initial release of a VIA chipset is too often unreliable and that the "A" revision has the bugs worked out. Of course, these users are asking the motherboard to do more than your average user. But, if the mobo mfgrs spec it to be capable of above default settings then it should do so.

Just a few thoughts,
Tin

 

Good for you guys ........ sure ain't nothing wrong with VIA. Guess ShadowHawk never heard about an Intel recall ...... hehehe.

 

No I've never heard of an Intel recall. If I were to buy a new mainboard that would support a 2.8 GHz chip when the time comes, what would be a good brand and chipset?

 

ebnews May12, 2000

"There have been a number of technology screwups, and the 820 chipset issue's just been another one," said Terry Ragsdale, an analyst at J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., New York.

"But Ragsdale and other analysts also said that, handled correctly, the impact of the MTH bug is likely to be minimal. Because MTH-equipped boards are a subset -- albeit a large one -- of the motherboard line that includes the 820 chipset, the bug should be less serious than the infamous Pentium bug Intel discovered in 1994, which affected all PCs regardless of chipset or memory type. "