PC building newblet needs some advice. n_n

[Twistex]

ragados

Peng

ragados

If you are a gamer, I would recommend an Intel (with HyperThreading if you can afford it)
If you do more graphic stuff such as Photoshop work or Animation, I would recommend AMD.

Isn't it, like, the other way around? :\

I may just be an AMD fanboy, but in a comparison of a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 and an Athlon64 2800+, the Athlon64 should definately win in everything.

No not really, AMD have the potential to be more powerful, but you have to be very careful when using them... esp if you build the machine yourself. I am fairly sure that this is the right way round. I also generally just recommend intel for first timers as they are more robust.

More robust? How so? In terms of durability, the athlon-64 series is now pretty well on par with the p4 in terms of durability. The exposed core of the XP made it more fragile then really necessary, but.. it's resolved now.

[Strange_Will]

ragados

Urghhhhh not the whole AMD-Intel conflict again...
It is a matter of personal preferance... as has been said, they are very difficult to compare directly as they measure themselves differently.
If you are a gamer, I would recommend an Intel (with HyperThreading if you can afford it)
If you do more graphic stuff such as Photoshop work or Animation, I would recommend AMD.

It isn't even a conflict, I stated the truths which is Pentium is better for multitasking, AMD math, Pentium heat, AMD cool (unless you get above the 2100+).... each has their goods and bads, I just wouldn't pay the amount there is for a chip that has basically the same goods, but on the opposite spectrum of stuff... =\ (pentiums are always more expensive)

[ChouchoCelia]

Neither are better for multitasking. Only the ability to execute multiple threads simultaneously will have any reasonable CPU based change in multitasking ability. That means you would need either

1) Hyperthreading
2) Multiple cores
3) Multiple CPUs

None of which are in any possible way "budget", which the OP wants.

2.4 GHz P4 and 2800+ Athlon 64 have similar FPU performance. Unless the OP is doing heavy transcoding or something similar, I doubt they'd even be able to tell the difference. Of course if encoding is your game, get anything with a G5. PowerPC's AltiVec unit does fourier functions like those child geniuses we all wish we could be. Then again, that's certainly not budget either...

You know, I'm not entirely sure why I even bothered to suggest an Athlon 64. Get a Socket 754 Sempron 2600+ for 80$. Semprons and Celerons are budget processors, not Pentiums and Athlons. The important thing when going budget is not spending a lot of money right? Not just up front, but over time. Getting a socket 754 based system will allow you room for future growth at lower cost.

Seriously, what is the OP going to do that would call for anything better than a Sempron?