Price differentials in AMd processors are out of control

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cyde Weys
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Cyde Weys

I'm speccing a possible new system I might be buying and I'm noticing
some incredible price discrepancies on NewEgg following AMD's recent
price drop. I'm looking at Socket AM2 processors, which seem like the
best thing to get (and if I'm judging this right, it replaces 754, 939,
and 940). The prices are quite insane. On the low end the processors
are anywhere between $80 and $150 (quite reasonable for the newest
socket type), but on the high end the prices go from $700 to $1100!
There's nothing in-between! There's this huge $600 gap dividing the
low end from the high end. It's quite strange. Obviously if I do end
up making this system I'll go for the highest thing on the low end -
I'm not spending $700 for a processor.
 
I'm speccing a possible new system I might be buying and I'm noticing
some incredible price discrepancies on NewEgg following AMD's recent
price drop.
Click to expand...

There is speculation that they're simply lagging a little
behind, you'd have to wait to buy from them. How long I
can't say.
I'm looking at Socket AM2 processors, which seem like the
best thing to get (and if I'm judging this right, it replaces 754, 939,
and 940). The prices are quite insane. On the low end the processors
are anywhere between $80 and $150 (quite reasonable for the newest
socket type), but on the high end the prices go from $700 to $1100!
There's nothing in-between! There's this huge $600 gap dividing the
low end from the high end. It's quite strange. Obviously if I do end
up making this system I'll go for the highest thing on the low end -
I'm not spending $700 for a processor.
Click to expand...

Just give it a few days, then you'll probably be able to get
a X2 4200+ for a little under $200.
 
Wait it out anonther week or two and give the prices a chance to settle
in. The prices are all out of whack today as the new prices are just coming
in and AMD is discontinueing some proccesors and adding others. In the end
there will be a large gap at the very top end as the most expensive standard
X2 will be the X2 5000 and it will be about $300 and the next and only step
up will be the FX62 which will end up about $850. The only people that will
be buying the FX62 will be those that have more money than brains and just
want to be able to say they have the fastest AMD CPU as the FX 62 is only
about 10-15% faster than the X2 5000 and cost about 275% more money. All the
rest of the Current CPUs will fall into a nice price verses performance
curve that makes sense.
What I am curious to see is what is going to become of the discontinued
CPUs priceing there is no price cut on those as AMD is not selling them
anymore. Examples X2 4000, X2 4400, X2 4800, 64 SD core 3700 and 4000, FX
55,57, and 60. The prices on these on a price verses performance curve are
totaly out of whack
 
Wait few weeks and buy Intel dual core 2. It will be best ratio price
performance.

Boba Vankufer
 
I'm speccing a possible new system I might be buying and I'm noticing
some incredible price discrepancies on NewEgg following AMD's recent
price drop. I'm looking at Socket AM2 processors, which seem like the
best thing to get (and if I'm judging this right, it replaces 754, 939,
and 940). The prices are quite insane. On the low end the processors
are anywhere between $80 and $150 (quite reasonable for the newest
socket type), but on the high end the prices go from $700 to $1100!
There's nothing in-between! There's this huge $600 gap dividing the
low end from the high end. It's quite strange. Obviously if I do end
up making this system I'll go for the highest thing on the low end -
I'm not spending $700 for a processor.
Click to expand...

Yeah its one of those times everyones probably thinking I should have
waited until now to buy.

Some people have posted some insane price drops for some AMDs already
at other stores.

Theres some interesting stuff going on now like AMD buying ATI today.
Thats like a dramatic shift in the PC world.
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3468

Anandtech has some thoughts about match ups with the new price drops.
http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/default.aspx?bid=282
Im really surprised at his assessments on how well AMD matches up with
the new price cuts because of all the talk as if every Conroe would
wipe out any AMD I was wondering how low AMD would have to go.


Besides that AMD is talking about the 4x4
Initially people said it was a motherboard solution meaning two
sockets for two dual cores. Now they say by the years end theyll also
show a true quad core --- 4 cores in a chip. They also are coming out
with 65 nm processors with a new architecture which will hopefully be
better than the super hyped Conroes

http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=190900525&subSection=Processors
 
Cyde said:
So this is the one you'd suggest getting? Seems reasonable enough to
me, I'm willing to spend $200 for a dual core CPU. Or should I wait at
least until the new Intel dual cores come out and see what that
precipitates?
Click to expand...


The prices look great right now. But I wouldn't buy a CPU for a few
weeks just to let th eprices settle a little bit and to see what gives
me the best bang for the buck. If its an Intel rather than an AMD, then
that's the route I'd go.

But I admit its tempting to look at the price reductions of some of
those dual core AMDs.
 
So this is the one you'd suggest getting?
Click to expand...

It was only a random suggestion, I dont' know your primary
use of the system, the total system budget, or what parts
you'd reuse, whether you'd overclock, etc, etc.

It does seem a nice price break though, but some of the
others on newegg's site haven't been price-adjusted yet so
it was only a suggestion for yesterday... today you'll have
to look at the prices again and so on. Since the X2 4600 is
still $315, it does still look like one of the best choices
at newegg. I haven't yet had the time to see who else
has/hasn't adjusted prices yet and which reputible 'sites
have the best.
Seems reasonable enough to
me, I'm willing to spend $200 for a dual core CPU. Or should I wait at
least until the new Intel dual cores come out and see what that
precipitates?
Click to expand...

I think you'll have to pay more for same performance level,
but either will do well. The generic answer is to seek
benchmarks of your most demanding apps, same versions of
those apps to pick the best CPU architecture.
 
altcomphardware said:
Good link, although it is a bit unbalanced considering that the budget
Intel line of Celerons is missing :-/

It would be interesting to know if the price:performance index favours
a Celeron or Sempron.
Click to expand...


Bit hard to say you might be able to work it out by comparing with this
chart:-
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html?modelx=33&model1=238&chart=118&model2=212

Then you might want to adjust for CPU power consumption which was the maiin
reason I went AMD (rightly or wrongly). I just thought that the lower clock
speed
would give AMD the edge in that respect.
 
Bazzer said:
Bit hard to say you might be able to work it out by comparing with this
chart:-
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html?modelx=33&model1=238&chart=118&model2=212
Click to expand...

Eh? It is the same link...
Then you might want to adjust for CPU power consumption which was the maiin
reason I went AMD (rightly or wrongly). I just thought that the lower clock
speed
would give AMD the edge in that respect.
Click to expand...

Any bets on whether for the same total cost, a few Sempron 2600+
systems at stock speeds (apparently the best price:performance
excluding Celerons) will beat a Pentium D 805 Dual Core 2.66GHz
overclocked to 4.1GHz?

http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/05/10/dual_41_ghz_cores_uk/

The problem with overclocking the Pentium D 805 to obscene speeds is
that you need water cooling, a quality 500W PSU and a decent mobo, THG
recommended the Asus P5WD2-E Premium 975 which costs about £150 or
probably the price of one full Sempron system (excluding monitors).

IMVHO I reckon 3 Sempron 2600+ systems (without monitor) can be had for
the price of getting one Pentium D 805 overclocked to 4.1GHz, BICBW.
 
Yeah its one of those times everyones probably thinking I should have
waited until now to buy.

Some people have posted some insane price drops for some AMDs already
at other stores.
Click to expand...

I know VERY little about processors, but I believe I read somewhere -- Tom's
Hardware, I suppose -- that AMD was reshaping its processors with less cache
to meet Intel's prices. Isn't this the cause of the price drop? Still,
according to Bazzy Smith's link -- Thanks Bazzy! I've bookmarked this link --
AMD scores best for the first 11 processors.

I believe an AMD 64 3500+ should suit me fine... the day I upgrade. I now run
a Celeron 850 with 256 MB ram. On Slackware Linux, it's a real mighty! :)
OTOH, until then, I might find something interesting in the garbage...

Who cares for processing speed nowadays, except gamers and database users,
which I'm not? It's so good not feeling that urge to upgrade like in the bad
old days. Man, that was costly!
 
I know VERY little about processors, but I believe I read somewhere -- Tom's
Hardware, I suppose -- that AMD was reshaping its processors with less cache
to meet Intel's prices. Isn't this the cause of the price drop? Still,
according to Bazzy Smith's link -- Thanks Bazzy! I've bookmarked this link --
AMD scores best for the first 11 processors.

I believe an AMD 64 3500+ should suit me fine... the day I upgrade. I now run
a Celeron 850 with 256 MB ram. On Slackware Linux, it's a real mighty! :)
OTOH, until then, I might find something interesting in the garbage...

Who cares for processing speed nowadays, except gamers and database users,
which I'm not? It's so good not feeling that urge to upgrade like in the bad
old days. Man, that was costly!
Click to expand...

Dont go by that chart for a future upgrade unless by future you dont
mean too far off. They havent integrated all the new CPUs coming out
and prices are all changing. They change throughout the year usually
of course but this month was the big one --- big cuts in old Pents and
AMDs because the new AM2s and more importantly the Conroes came out.
Intel is being really aggressive in their pricing of these new Conroes
which are supposed to be very fast and use less power and AMD is
furiously cutting old AMD and new CPU prices to stay competitive.

If you live in the US people have posted I think it was a $39 3400 AMD
754 socket and $19 after rebate OEM, $59-69 3100 sempron with cheapo
Nforce motherboard etc. Bottom of the barrel pricing to clear out
lots of the older stuff. Who knows this might be the very bottom as
they clear out the 754s and eventually the 939s . The Conroe E6300 is
surprisingly affordable in the 200 range for a new hot processor.
Ive heard some pretty cheap prices for some X2 AM2s which make the
initial AMD 4x4 idea not as crazy as I once thought --- two dual cores
on one board.

Im sure theyll be slashing the Pent D805s too to clear them out and
thats the one TH and others have been hyping. They claim it can often
hit 4 gigs beating the top super expensive AMD chips in stock settings
but you generally need water cooling with that though they show a
cheapo water cooler they made for a $750 system. The attraction there
is possibly OCing it to 3.5 or so hopefully easily with hopefully
stock air cooling or maybe a cheap after mkt cooler whcih will get you
great performance at a dirst cheap price and dual core features too.
The problem is the older Pents tend to use tons of power and use even
more when OCed. Thats my turn off. I was thinking of a Pent 805D for
my second PC as an upgrade for my AMD 3200 754 which I got dirt cheap
and am using as a back up PC. Right now DIRT cheap hardware tons of
selection --- good cheap graphics cards , etc One of the best times
ever for upgraders.

The 754 though with very limited upgrade path is still a decent
performer if you get it cheap enough, 939 single and dual cores, Pent
805D if its cheap enough gets you into dual core and DDR2, etc Like
everyone says everything is changing now so its hard to say but any of
these may be a great deal if its low enough.
 
Dont go by that chart for a future upgrade unless by future you dont
mean too far off.
Click to expand...

I thought «that chart» was updated regularly. So, my final choice might not be
an AMD 64 3500+. Just before I buy a new computer, I read reviews, listen to
what "some" salesmen say, and make a decison on a 100$ processor mainly for
word processing and cropping a few pictures to use as backgrounds. If I was
using databases, editing film... or playing games, it would be a whole
different story.

Ten years ago, I was more aware of the hardware scene. It was easier because
there weren't that many different processors and I had to keep an interest in
the matter since a new processor + more faster memory was always a blessing.
But today... I couldn't care less if Vista required 1 G of RAM, I'll never use
that crap! I wouldn't use it if they paid me!

Still, sometimes, I'd like to understand better what's going on on the
processor scene. I know 64 bit processors have arrived on the popular market a
few years ago and that, nowadays, it's better to buy a 64 bit processor. I
know some basics: what a register is, what cache is, what a dual core
processor is, what 65 nanometer means vs 90 nm. Still because I don't read
much on the subject, I'm quite confused.

For instance, AMD used to offer only Athlons, then Semprons, CPUs. Now they
have an FX, an AM2 and what, an X series? Trying to sort out the processors of
only one manufacturer is really a pain. They seem much more interested in
serving you a big publicity hoopla than the bare basics.

So, before following your exposé on 754s, 939s, Conroes E6300, D805s, X2s,
AM2s, I would need to know a little bit about the different lines of
processors. You know, what's the conceptual scheme behind them. Is there any
place I can find this information or can you give a *short* description of the
different lines of processors. Don't insist too much on OC capabilities, I'm
really not much into this.
 
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