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Old 07-19-2011, 09:57 AM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
25,915 posts, read 24,587,922 times
Reputation: 9708

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After many years of service and because of my new software that is too powerful for my old computer, I have to get a new one. I will build it myself again.

Naturally I am faced with the question AMD or Intel. I love underdogs and wanted to go for AMD again. Seems, they already have or are about to launch a new processor platform called bulldozer. But they don't sell them here yet. Are they already available in the US? Are they worth the wait? Else I would get the Phenom II X6 1100 or X4 980, but I have read that series is kind of outdated by now, so I am wondering how long I would have to wait for the new chips to arrive in Europe.

I was also wondering if Windows XP can handle modern hardware such as a TB hard drive, USB3 etc. Or would I have to get Windows 7? Could I continue to use my old Word XP (parf of an ancient Works suite) with Windows 7? I am forced to use Word for professional reasons, and I don't feel like paying hundreds of dollars for a new Office suite whose functions I don't need anyway. The home edition of Windows 7 will be supported just one year longer than XP, so I am inclined to skip Windows 7 and switch directly to Windows 8 once it is available.

Any tricks and problems I have to watch out for when building my own computer? The last time I did that was 13 years ago
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Old 07-19-2011, 10:20 AM
 
Location: Texas
5,068 posts, read 10,102,363 times
Reputation: 1651
How about Linux vs 98?
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Old 07-19-2011, 10:21 AM
 
2,182 posts, read 5,417,943 times
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I used to be an AMD fanboy, long ago in the days of slot and single core processors. I use Intel nowadays. Some benchmarks say go AMD, others say go Intel. In the end, if you get a cheap processor, you'll get what you pay for. (Basically, don't buy an Atom processor and expect a 6 core i7 lol)

Office XP? Yes, it'll work with win7..... there is a compatibility issue with Outlook 2002, something about not saving passwords or some such.......but here is a link to a fix:
Does Microsoft Outlook work on Vista or Windows 7? | Outlook Daily Tips

I'm surprised you don't run into issues with XML versions of documents (docx, xslx, etc).

Office 2010 home and student is only $150.......not really that bad of a price.
http://www2.buyoffice.microsoft.com/...&culture=en-us

Or try LibreOffice. I use it at work (I'm one of the IT guys) and it works great for me.
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/

I'm almost positive the partition limit for XP is 2tb. As far as USB 3, you would definitely need the drivers for it, so it depends on what mobo manufacturer you use I suppose. There is no baked-in support in XP.

As far as tips and tricks......youtube a few videos on how to apply thermal grease....put the cpu/heatsink/RAM all in the motherboard before dropping it into the case (for simplicity). Remember to ground yourself, wrist straps are not required but if it comes with the mobo, use it anyway.

Post a parts list here before you buy, people might have suggestions/improvements/money saving tips!

BTW I always recommend this to read before people build their PCs if they aren't used to it or have never done it:
http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/
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Old 07-19-2011, 11:14 AM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
25,915 posts, read 24,587,922 times
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Thanks for the explanations and links

As far as the list:

- processor: AMD X6 1100 or X4 980 plus Scythe Rasetsu cooler
- mother board: ASRock 890GX Extreme 4 R2
- hard drive: WD1002FAEX Caviar Black 1TB
- memory: any 8GB DDR3 1333 with C7 latency from the ASRock compatibility list, hard to find exactly those modules, though
- graphics and sound: onboard (I don't play any games etc.)
- a quality case plus silent 500W power source
- standard DVD drive (don't need Blue Ray)
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Old 07-19-2011, 05:59 PM
 
Location: Wicker Park, Chicago
4,789 posts, read 14,704,171 times
Reputation: 1966
I was waiting for Bulldozer to come out, but instead built a i7 2600K computer when I got the cpu for $270 after tax.

Latest news is that Bulldozer will come out in October.
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Old 07-19-2011, 08:14 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
3,683 posts, read 9,827,762 times
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In the USA you'd pay about $189 for either of the AMD processors or $219 for an Intel Core i5-2500k. For $30 the Sandy Bridge Intel CPU is worth the extra money.

I recently built a budget system (~$300 total, got the motherboard for half price at Micro Center) around an AMD Phenom II x4 840 to leave at my vacation house, but if I needed any performance at all I probably would not have gone with AMD. My system at home was built two years ago around a Core i7-920.
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Old 07-19-2011, 10:25 PM
 
24,488 posts, read 41,003,023 times
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I've been impressed with AMDs offerings recently (and upcoming) as well. I loved their k6 line and that led me to making the mistake of investing in their athlons.... I went Intel after that and have ventured back into the AMD territory with their phenom II and their fusion e350. They're okay... good value... but not great performance.

I'm looking forward to the bulldozer though.
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Old 07-19-2011, 11:44 PM
 
8,263 posts, read 12,158,208 times
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I'm intrigued by Bulldozer as well.

Llano laptops are finally starting to appear in numbers, I thought Bulldozer was coming around same time but did read October more recently.
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Old 07-20-2011, 07:35 AM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
25,915 posts, read 24,587,922 times
Reputation: 9708
Yes, I am aware that Intel processors are a bit more powerful, but I am willing to sacrifice speed as I want AMD to remain in the business. Intel has had quite nasty business practices and I am not going to reward that.
I hope AMD manage to avoid further delays. People might suspect technical problems, which doesn't go down well with potential customers. I guess I will not wait till October, probably the first generation of the Bulldozer stuff will have issues anyway, so I guess I will get the 1100T now and get additional 8GB of memory from the money saved.

I wish there were two-processor boards for home users. AMD could sell two processors in a bundle. Two affordable X6 1075T would give you 12 x 3GHz without any overclocking, at the price of one i7 2600K. Even though the Intel chip is better than the AMD chip, two of the letter combined would be far superior.
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Old 07-20-2011, 08:35 AM
 
24,488 posts, read 41,003,023 times
Reputation: 12919
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling View Post
Yes, I am aware that Intel processors are a bit more powerful, but I am willing to sacrifice speed as I want AMD to remain in the business. Intel has had quite nasty business practices and I am not going to reward that.
I hope AMD manage to avoid further delays. People might suspect technical problems, which doesn't go down well with potential customers. I guess I will not wait till October, probably the first generation of the Bulldozer stuff will have issues anyway, so I guess I will get the 1100T now and get additional 8GB of memory from the money saved.

I wish there were two-processor boards for home users. AMD could sell two processors in a bundle. Two affordable X6 1075T would give you 12 x 3GHz without any overclocking, at the price of one i7 2600K. Even though the Intel chip is better than the AMD chip, two of the letter combined would be far superior.
Oh... AMD will remain in business. Bitcoin miners alone are carrying a good chunk of their revenue these days. AMD has nothing to fear unless bitcoins implode.
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