Athlon 64 X2 or Core 2 Duo?

[AzBat]

Guys I've finally made the jump to a 360, but now I'm ready to pair it up with a Media Center PC. I've looked online to compare the deals I've seen at Best Buy and I've about decided that they can't be beat, but I'm at a crossroads. Can't decide if the Core 2 Duo is worth the premium over a Athlon 64 X2. I'm looking at the following systems from HP:

eMachines T6544 - AMD Athlon 64 3700+ with 1GB PC3200 DDR and a NVIDIA GeForce 6100
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8163827&st=T6544&type=product&id=1162592946527

HP Pavilion A1600N - AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ with 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2 SRAM and a NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat73200050029&id=1156607398211

HP Pavilion A1610N - AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ with 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2 SRAM and a NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat73200050029&id=1156607398277

HP Pavilion A1646X - Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 with 1GB 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2 SRAM and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...ategoryId=pcmcat103700050072&id=1162592946593

I'm not purchasing these online or by themselves. I'm going to my local Best Buy to pick them up with a 17" LCD monitor and a HP Deskjet D4160 printer. I looking at these systems for a variety reasons. Price being the biggest one, but also the Media Center OS and free upgrade to Vista Premium. Eventually I may upgrade the videocard, but at this time it's not a priority. It will mainly be used for Internet, media streaming to a 360 and non-graphics intensive gaming. Right now I'm kind of leaning to the A1600N, but it's even a little more than I wanted to spend. I originally only wanted an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Never bought an AMD processor before and was unsure of how they would compare to the Core 2 Duo or even a Pentium D 805.

I'm hoping to pick a system up Wednesday, so thanks in advance for the quick replies.

Tommy McClain

 

[Skrying]

Any X2 would destroy a PD 805.... In your case go with the cheapest.

 

[AzBat]

Any X2 would destroy a PD 805....

Yeah, but how about a Core 2 Duo E6300?

In your case go with the cheapest.

Saying I'm not going to be able to tell the difference because of my apps? What about the effect on Vista Home Premium?

Tommy McClain

 

[BRiT]

Strictly from a CPU performance perspective:

Core 2 Quad >> Core 2 Duo >> AMD X2 >> PD 805

Where each CPU on the left "absolutely destroys" the one to its right.

The Core 2 Duo system should also give you more of an upgrade path down the line. The Core 2 Duo also runs cooler with less power draw than the AMD X2s.

Not sure how Vista will run on any of those integrated video chips though...

 

[Fruitfrenzy]

Also check that they have PCI Express x16 slots that can take graphics cards because a lot of cheap PCs don't.

 

[Skrying]

A C2D doesn't exactly destory a X2, its decently faster but destroy is a harsh world in this instance. The fact that these systems are very low end and there main issues will not be the processors should be your concern. A X2 will do Vista extremely well, as would the rest of them.

I'd also shy away from the C2D system because its coming with Intel's integrated crap. That'll be a much larger issue of concern (yes, even just normal tasks in Vista), plus the fact that they'll be taking even more memory away, and that'll be a area of concern in Vista as well.

So overall to me the X2 system is clearly the superior, yet not so great, buy in this case.

 

[Snyder]

I'd also shy away from the C2D system because its coming with Intel's integrated crap. That'll be a much larger issue of concern (yes, even just normal tasks in Vista), plus the fact that they'll be taking even more memory away, and that'll be a area of concern in Vista as well.

So overall to me the X2 system is clearly the superior, yet not so great, buy in this case.

Erm - I wouldn't call the X2 systems superior, considering they all have integrated video as well. Yes, it's from nVidia, but that doesn't mean it's automatically better...
(a quick google for benchmarks found this: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/chipsets/display/ig965-gf6150_12.html
)

Regarding the present machines - I personally would rule out the single core system, it's just not that much cheaper. Other than that - all three have a very similar configuration (assuming that the "not expandable" RAM entry from the X2 4200+ is a typo, otherwise I would rule it out) and will offer more than decent desktop performance, with the intel system being the fastest but most expensive. The question is - is a moderate performance gain at a relatively high level worth the price premium for you?

As mentioned before - for serious gaming, none of the graphics solutions will make you happy.
And as according to the specs all of the machines have a free PCIe 16x slot, an upgrade to a dedicated graphics card shouldn't be a problem and would be advisable in that case (or simply get a system with dedicated graphics).

 

[AzBat]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I think I have a better understanding of how well the CPUs compare to each other. I'm starting to think that although it would be nice to have the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, I'm not so sure it's worth the premium cost. The nice thing about the HP systems was that they all have a free PCI-Express 16 slot. I agree the integrated graphics are not great for gaming, but heavy gaming will be done on my 360. I'm not ready to get back into hardcore PC gaming after a 6 year absence.

BTW, I've found some mail-in rebates on the HP systems. Looks like I can get a $50 back on the desktop, $50 back on the monitor and maybe $50 back on the printer. Nice.

Tommy McClain

 

[jamesnmandy]

surprised nobody has suggested this, but are you totally opposed to building a system yourself, or at least ordering a barebones system and loading the operating system and software you want yourself?

since price is a factor, i think you may get more for your money this way.....then again, with aggressive OEM pricing, it may be a wash, with the OEM system providing a warranty.....just a thought

 

[AzBat]

surprised nobody has suggested this, but are you totally opposed to building a system yourself, or at least ordering a barebones system and loading the operating system and software you want yourself?

since price is a factor, i think you may get more for your money this way.....then again, with aggressive OEM pricing, it may be a wash, with the OEM system providing a warranty.....just a thought

I've thought about it, but it's been so long since I've done it that I'm way behind the times. Last time I did it was when Win98 was hot. LOL. Having one company and one warranty has it advantages. Plus, I don't have to wait to get all the components in. Being able to walk into a store, buy it and take it home is really nice, especially this close to Christmas. Anyway, finding these mail-in rebates was pretty much the icing on the cake. I won't get the money right away, but it will be nice when it does come in.

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

Thanks guys for all the help. I decided to go the cheaper route and bought the HP Pavilion A1600N system for $689+tax. I'm posting this message using it right now. I love the 17" LCD monitor. A lot more than my 19" CRT at work. I'm sure it will last me for years to come. Now I just need to hook up my Xbox 360 and I'll be set!

Tommy McClain