AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual-core processor 4200+ vs. Intel® Core™2 Duo desktop processor E4400?

Question

i'm looking at two desktop computer packages.
1. Hewlett-Packard - Pavilion 4200+ Desktop a6000n
AMD LIVE! Smarter Digital Entertainment; AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual-core processor 4200+; 1GB DDR2 SDRAM; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; LightScribe labeling; 250GB hard drive; Windows Vista Home Premium
$500

2)Hewlett-Packard - Pavilion E4400 Desktop a6120n
Intel® Core™2 Duo desktop processor E4400; Intel® Viiv™ technology; 2GB DDR2 SDRAM; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; LightScribe technology; 320GB hard drive; Windows Vista Home Premium
$760

Both come with 17 inch flat panel monitor and all in one hp printer.
Of course, i know one has more ram and hard drive than the other.
My main question is about the processors. I've been told that the athlon dual core is the best out there right now, but i don't know too much about that.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

The second computer is the better, there is no debate about that. It has more RAM, it has more hard drive space, and yes that processor is the faster of the two. However it is $260 more, and it is debatable whether it is worth that much more. An extra 1GB of RAM is worth about $40, and the difference between a 250GB hard drive and a 320GB is usually about $20. That leaves the remaining $200 price difference being accounted for only by the processors, and the E4400 is definately not $200 better than the 4200+, not even close.

So you have the choice, if you want the fastest one, go with number 2, but if you want the best value, go with number 1.

Answer 2

You were given incorrect information. The Core 2 Duos are the top dogs out at the moment. Comparing those to processors though, they're pretty much on par at stock speeds. HOWEVER. If you get into overclocking, the E4400 will SLAUGHTER the 4200. You're easily looking at 2.8-3ghz on air. That's a lot of headroom to work with and in my opinion is definitely worth the extra $260, considering you get even more ram, a better version of Vista, and a bit more HDD space.

Both are good systems, but I'd go with the HP on this one since you'll get more bang for your buck.

Answer 3

if i were you i would pay the extra money to get an intel processor not an amd, i would also go with a core 2 dou not a core 2 quad because you will probably not need the quad core, i would buy the e8400 processor

Answer 4

you can't overclock manufacturer computers.... they lock them from being overclocked. If you in a budget I would definitely go with the first pc its still pretty fast. Just buy more ram when you need it. for the extra $260 ITS NOT WORTH IT