Pentium vs Athlon

[Daniel Lindahl]

I am looking at building a new desktop (after years of working exclusively on laptops).

Could those in the know please advise me on the benefits/drawbacks of going for an Athlon processor instead of a P4?

Also, what speeds are comparable between the two?

TIA

[aahatimo]

daniel,
tomshardware.com is a good ste for reviews.

[Anonymous]

I use the Athlon but have also used Pentium 3gHz. I prefer the Athlon because it seems to handle high graphic content faster. But oh the noise!!! If it can be hidden under a desk or better still in another room the noise is reduced.
The Athlon requires a large fan to keep cool. The pentium is much quieter.
But for over all smooth feel I think the Athlon is better.
Unfortunately I think all the hardware is lacking for AC use. The hardware needs to catch up to the program IMHO.
I would like a computer that can keep up with design process. The stops and starts hinder creative thought.
Perhaps the MAC's are better?

[Daniel Lindahl]

Graeme wrote:
.... I prefer the Athlon because it seems to handle high graphic content faster. But oh the noise!!! ....Perhaps the MAC's are better?

Hmmm... interesting.

I hadn't heard about the noise factor before. That might sway me towards the P4.

As far as I am aware for AC8.x the Macs are slower than Windows platforms, especially with OpenGL.
And I would miss the customisable toolbar. And the $$$, which is the reason I was going to build my own in the first place.

[aahatimo]

daniel,
building your own you should be able to have good control of noise between case and cooling fan selections. some newer video cards have built on fans also. not sure how much they add to the 'noise' factor.

[Anonymous]

I was building recently two new computers for our office. I choosed AMD Athlon 64 (not FX). It is quiet system. We have Pentium 4 systems in our Office and the noise is the same. I was making some benchmarks. P4 2000 (win2000) vs. Athlon64 3200+ (also 2000 Mhz)(winXP). in normal daily work, the difference is rather unnoticable (eccept creating/opening sections/elevations), but... it cames to render AMD was almost twice as fast - especially when it was big complicated renderings. With small previews (less than 10s.) you see also difference, but because most of that time is the work of HD and other components, you don't see the benefits. But imagine the animations or complicated VR Scene creation ? Difference is Huge. And this is still 32 Bit enviroment.