[Carlton Bale]

I'm trying to figure out which CPU to choose for my HTPC. The most important features for me, in order, are: 1) heat output, 2) performance, and 3) cost. I found some general information included in the links below comparing Intel Pentium 4 and AMD CPUs. However, I haven't found any information directly comparing the newest Pentium 3 CPUs in terms of performance and heat output. Does anyone have any advice?

Anandtech Athlon XP vs. Pentium 4 - Thermal Comparison Page 1

Anandtech Athlon XP vs. Pentium 4 - Thermal Comparison Page 2

Spreadsheet from Sandpile.org listing thermal specs for Intel CPUs



General Assumptions:

-The heat output of the newer 0.13 micron AMD CPUs is no higher than that of a Pentium 4 of equivalent performance.


-In general, a Pentium 4 with a clock speed of 2.4 GHz or higher and a 533 MHz bus will be the fastest CPU but most expensive CPU.


-Intel chipset motherboards are considered to be the most stable but the new N-force (and maybe VIA) chipsets for AMD have received very favorable reviews and are also considered to be quite stable.


-An AMD 1800+ offers a lot of performance, lower heat output, and low cost. Is this the best CPU for my requirements?


-The new Pentium 3 based CPUs offer the lowest heat output? How does performance and price compare to an AMD 1800+?



Thanks for any opinions/feedback!

 

[tji]

Good info, thanks for the links.


They only list one Tualatin processor - the 1.2GHz PIII.


There are also a few Celeron / Tualatin 0.13u processors. I have a 1.4GHz Celeron that I am happy with. I think it's rated in the low to mid 30 Watt range, much less than the P4 / Athlons.


If high performance is not a requirement, the Via C3's use ~ 6Watts. I use one in my Linux server, with no fans.

 

[Carlton Bale]

How does preformance of the Tualtin processor compare to an AMD 1800+? I can't find any direct comparisons.


I read about the Via C3. What type of motherboard does it use? Is it based on an older Intel socket and via chipset? Obviously too low-power for an HTPC, but an interesting option for a linux box.

 

[NickB]

The new thoroughbred Athalon's run as cool as my old Tualatin CPU, but are much faster in general.


Right now I have a 1700+ and an ECS K7S5A running (overclocked a tad) at 11x143 for an equivalent of a 1900+ ~ 2000+. All of this is at stock voltage of 1.5v, drawing approx 45 watts and running at 37degrees celcius. It's cooled with an 80mm $5.99 heatsink/fan combo that runs at around 2400rpm and is totaly silent. BTW, I got this MB/CPU combo at Fry's for only $79.00. I use my old SDRAM memory (1 gig worth) and it's been totaly stable.


All of this means that the newest Tbred XP's can run cooler (and draw less watts) than a comparable P4 at a much lower cost. However, you list cost as the last requirement and so if you are going for performance you might look at the 2.4 gig P4 on an Intel chipset motherboard. It will run a little warmer but the performance and stability is Probably greater with the Intel solution.


An overclocked tualatin cpu running at around 1600mhz is comparable to an AMD 1600+ and a P4 1.6. This is where they top out and you can't get anything more out of them. The AMD 1800+ will outrun the tualatin and P4 in most every case and for less $$$. Compatibility goes to the P4 however.


NickB