Scythe Ninja or New CPU?

Bodhi

Bodhi

Bodhi

Associate
Joined
8 Sep 2003
Posts
15
Hi guys,

I have an Athlon XP 3200 that is currently on the stock AMD heat sink and fan. Now, the question is, do I spend £38 on a Scythe Ninja and clock the puppy up or do I simply bite the bullet and spend £85 on an Athlon 64 4000 from here?
 
Its all about removing bottlenecks to allow you do what you want to do with your PC.

You would need a complete refit to move over. If your doing that then an Intel 6300 & DS3/4 would be your best option for the money.

What do you want the speed for?
 
Purely for gaming. I have just installed an ATI 1900XT, but am pretty sure that my PC is being bottlecked by the 3200 that I have running on my Asrock 939DUAL SATA board.

However, I don't want to outlay too much money at this point, and may well go the Intel CPU/MB route in a few months time when the cost of the Duo comes down and I have a little more free cash. For now i'm looking for the best bang for my buck.
 
Bodhi said:
Purely for gaming. I have just installed an ATI 1900XT, but am pretty sure that my PC is being bottlecked by the 3200 that I have running on my Asrock 939DUAL SATA board.

However, I don't want to outlay too much money at this point, and may well go the Intel CPU/MB route in a few months time when the cost of the Duo comes down and I have a little more free cash. For now i'm looking for the best bang for my buck.
Click to expand...
If i was you i'd stick with your current system for a few months until you can buy the Core 2 Duo system. If you shell out for an A64 you'll just lose money when you come to sell it for the Core Duo system.
 
Bodhi said:
Purely for gaming. I have just installed an ATI 1900XT, but am pretty sure that my PC is being bottlecked by the 3200 that I have running on my Asrock 939DUAL SATA board.

However, I don't want to outlay too much money at this point, and may well go the Intel CPU/MB route in a few months time when the cost of the Duo comes down and I have a little more free cash. For now i'm looking for the best bang for my buck.
Click to expand...

Well bottlenecked m8 but a good investment on your part. Wait and buy a CD2
 
Do you think it's worth getting the Ninja and clocking up my 3200 then? Will I notice any appreciable performance gains?
 
Bodhi said:
Do you think it's worth getting the Ninja and clocking up my 3200 then? Will I notice any appreciable performance gains?
Click to expand...
You might as well clock it up and get the most out of it whilst you still have it. Also, the Scythe can be used with the Core 2 Duo :)
 
Cripes, it actually works out at £46 when you add on shipping and VAT! Will this CPU clock safely on the stock cooler or do I really need to upgrade to something like the Ninja?
 
Bodhi said:
Cripes, it actually works out at £46 when you add on shipping and VAT! Will this CPU clock safely on the stock cooler or do I really need to upgrade to something like the Ninja?
Click to expand...
The XP's are hot chips. If the stock cooler is anything like the stock cooler on my XP 2400 then it might struggle with an overclock. Mind you, the pc with the XP 2400 had barely any airflow through it. Have you got good airflow? If so then it should be alright for a mild overclock, just keep an eye on temps and find out from the AMD site the max temp for your CPU.
 
Bodhi said:
Purely for gaming. I have just installed an ATI 1900XT, but am pretty sure that my PC is being bottlecked by the 3200 that I have running on my Asrock 939DUAL SATA board.
Click to expand...
Guys, he's not running a Socket A Athlon XP, he's on an A64!

(Unless I've misunderstood something?)

In which case you WOULDN'T need a complete refit to upgrade - you could buy one of the 4000s that people have been getting 3GHz+ with! Yes, it's a dead platform, and he'll be better off upgrading to C2D or AM2 eventually, but he's got a LONG WAY TO GO before he runs out of upgrade potential! The top-of-the-line X2 chips can give you performance severalfold better than your 3200! Why chuck the mobo and RAM away when you can get away with a simple CPU upgrade (especially at current 939 prices!)?
 
Yes, sorry, it is a 64. I should have been more clear about that. I have to admit i'm tempted by the 4000, especially considering the figures that people have been touting. For £85 plus shipping, it is a good deal, but whack the cooler on top and you're still looking at a good £140 or so.

I guess what I really need to ask myself is if I really will notice any real world performance increase in games by going from a clocked 3200 to a clocked 4000, and if this gain is worth the outlay. I recently played the Prey demo at 1280x1024 with all settings maxed and it seemed to fly along with no performance issues that I could notice at all.

Would I simply be doing it for the 3DMark score? ;)
 
I couldn't tell you since I don't own either:p I'd imagine you'd see a real-world difference, but if you can run all your current games at max, why upgrade in the first place? Perhaps hang on until you come across a game that your system struggles with, by which time the 4000s (and the even faster X2s) will have gotten even cheaper?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom