Power Draw
So far we've determined a couple things. First of all, the Pentium D 805 offers better performance overall in the value segment -- in general application performance it's especially difficult to argue with the second processor core. We've also found that an X2 3800+ is still going to be faster than the best that the Pentium D 805 can muster, especially once you throw in overclocking. In another month, the price disparity will drop from $200 to only $50, so if you're not in any hurry to upgrade you'll be able to get better performance for about the same price. (The cheapest Core 2 Duo chip should also be pretty interesting, though it will be priced slightly higher than the X2 3800+ once it is launched. We'll have to wait to see how that chip overclocks.)
Of course, NetBurst processors have a history of running very hot and requiring a lot of power. They've earned that reputation, but just how big of a difference is there between the various platforms? We measured system power draw with the computer sitting idle at the Windows desktop for 15 minutes or more, and we also tested them under a full load. Full load was achieved by running one or two instances of Folding@Home (depending on whether or not a dual core processor was installed) and then we ran the Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory lighthouse demo.
While we didn't provide specific results here, temperatures and noise levels are also impacted by power consumption. Higher temperatures are a given, as most of the power that goes into a computer turns into heat. That in turn requires fans to remove the heat, which leads to higher noise levels. If you're using fans that are always running at full speed, you might not notice the difference, but with most motherboards now sporting temperature controlled fan speeds, lower noise levels are easier to achieve with cooler running components. It is still possible to build a generally quiet computer using a hotter processor, but it ends up costing more.
Not surprisingly, the dual core chips require more power than the single core chips. If you've ever doubted the claims that Pentium D processors make for great space heaters, we have once again confirmed NetBurst's place as one of the toastiest architectures on the planet. The extra 20-80 Watts of power (depending on load and overclocking) that the Pentium 805 consumes relative to the X2 3800+ means that an upgrade to Athlon X2 will pay for itself in a couple years once we get $150 X2 chips -- assuming you run the system 24/7 under a heavy load, which may or may not be likely. Again, we will have to wait for Core 2 Duo to officially launch before we can make any more comparisons to that platform, unfortunately.
Long-term, you are better off buying a more power efficient processor. If you're more interested in short-term savings, however, or if you happen to live in a colder climate where the added heat would be welcomed, the Pentium D 805 is still very attractive. Many of the other Pentium D chips also have great prices, and you also get support for faster bus speeds with chips like the 820 and 930. Most people are going to be concerned with performance first and power requirements second, which makes sense when you consider how many people spend $40 or more per month on high-speed Internet connections. If you're looking to save money but still get a lot of performance, and especially if you run applications that can take advantage of multiple processor cores, the power requirements of the Pentium D are high, but not enough to dissuade us from purchasing the chips. That leads us to our concluding remarks.
So far we've determined a couple things. First of all, the Pentium D 805 offers better performance overall in the value segment -- in general application performance it's especially difficult to argue with the second processor core. We've also found that an X2 3800+ is still going to be faster than the best that the Pentium D 805 can muster, especially once you throw in overclocking. In another month, the price disparity will drop from $200 to only $50, so if you're not in any hurry to upgrade you'll be able to get better performance for about the same price. (The cheapest Core 2 Duo chip should also be pretty interesting, though it will be priced slightly higher than the X2 3800+ once it is launched. We'll have to wait to see how that chip overclocks.)
Of course, NetBurst processors have a history of running very hot and requiring a lot of power. They've earned that reputation, but just how big of a difference is there between the various platforms? We measured system power draw with the computer sitting idle at the Windows desktop for 15 minutes or more, and we also tested them under a full load. Full load was achieved by running one or two instances of Folding@Home (depending on whether or not a dual core processor was installed) and then we ran the Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory lighthouse demo.
While we didn't provide specific results here, temperatures and noise levels are also impacted by power consumption. Higher temperatures are a given, as most of the power that goes into a computer turns into heat. That in turn requires fans to remove the heat, which leads to higher noise levels. If you're using fans that are always running at full speed, you might not notice the difference, but with most motherboards now sporting temperature controlled fan speeds, lower noise levels are easier to achieve with cooler running components. It is still possible to build a generally quiet computer using a hotter processor, but it ends up costing more.
Not surprisingly, the dual core chips require more power than the single core chips. If you've ever doubted the claims that Pentium D processors make for great space heaters, we have once again confirmed NetBurst's place as one of the toastiest architectures on the planet. The extra 20-80 Watts of power (depending on load and overclocking) that the Pentium 805 consumes relative to the X2 3800+ means that an upgrade to Athlon X2 will pay for itself in a couple years once we get $150 X2 chips -- assuming you run the system 24/7 under a heavy load, which may or may not be likely. Again, we will have to wait for Core 2 Duo to officially launch before we can make any more comparisons to that platform, unfortunately.
Long-term, you are better off buying a more power efficient processor. If you're more interested in short-term savings, however, or if you happen to live in a colder climate where the added heat would be welcomed, the Pentium D 805 is still very attractive. Many of the other Pentium D chips also have great prices, and you also get support for faster bus speeds with chips like the 820 and 930. Most people are going to be concerned with performance first and power requirements second, which makes sense when you consider how many people spend $40 or more per month on high-speed Internet connections. If you're looking to save money but still get a lot of performance, and especially if you run applications that can take advantage of multiple processor cores, the power requirements of the Pentium D are high, but not enough to dissuade us from purchasing the chips. That leads us to our concluding remarks.
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JarredWalton - Monday, July 10, 2006 - link
I'd be more inclined to drop to a 3200+ and spend the money for a 7900 GT if you're looking for gaming performance. Get that with one of the 570SLI boards (yeah, there goes the budget) and maybe 2x1024MB of DDR2-667. That'd be a nice mid-range config.Avalon - Monday, July 10, 2006 - link
I've also had good luck with Apex/Allied case/PSU combos. Bought several a couple years ago for some AXP systems, and they're still going strong. Generic isn't always bad. Just powmax ;)DrMrLordX - Tuesday, July 11, 2006 - link
Sadly, the Apex case + PSU combo I got for my current system didn't work out well at all PSU-wise. I got the Apex TU-124 and it came with a dinky little 350W PSU that I immediately removed from the case and replaced with my old Antec Smartpower 400W PSU. The Antec had previously been in my 1 ghz Tbird rig and is still running, while the PSU from the Apex case went into my Tbird rig when I upgraded. I later gave away the Tbird, only for the system to die after about 6-8 months of operation in new hands. The Tbird was put together in early 2001, and can you guess what component died after I gave it away? The PSU.I'm not sure what it was about that Tbird rig, but it killed two generic PSUs (the original that came with the case I bought for it and the one from the Apex case I bought in March 2005). The Antec PSU, however, worked just fine. I got that one back in 2004 or so when Antec was still putting out PSUs with high marks for reliability.
Operandi - Monday, July 10, 2006 - link
"Generic case with iCute 400W PSU (Purchased Locally)"Generic PSUs and cases should never be recommended, particularly PSUs. Reliability is not something you can benchmark with one sample in six months time. If you can't afford a $50 InWin, Evercase, or entry level Antec case along with a $30-50 Forton-Source PSU you should probably be shopping at Dell or HP which will almost certainly get you more reliable machine.
I believe AOpen cases are still shipping with Fortons built in, so that would be a very good choice. Antec case PSU/bundles while not the best are fairly decent and that really should be the entry level even for a low budget machine, not generic garbage.
johnsonx - Monday, July 10, 2006 - link
I do grow tired of the Power Supply snobs. Yes, yes, we all know that there are some really lousy power supplies out there bundled with cheap cases. There are also many perfectly good power supplies bundled with cheap cases. For the purpose herein, *most* generic power supplies will work just fine.Anyone looking for a low-cost case that comes bundled with a reasonably good power supply, check out Athenatech:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Subm...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...rchInDes...
I've used several of these cases, including quite a number of the MicroATX cases which include Sparkle power supplies.
mindless1 - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
There are snobs and then there are SNOBS.Fact is, we dont' actually have sufficient data about longevity of generic PSU with modern, higher wattage system configs. That your 4 year old box has now 4 years running off a different generic is no evidence that another generic will run a modern system pulling 50% more current.
DrMrLordX - Tuesday, July 11, 2006 - link
Sparkle is hardly generic, though. Those are rebranded Fortrons.mesyn191 - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 - link
Yup, FSP/Sparkle are quality PSU's that are cheap. Inwin aint' bad either.OP is really a PSU snob he just doesn't know it!!
JarredWalton - Monday, July 10, 2006 - link
Cases are something you can go out and grab whatever you really want; I bought this locally because that was convenient 6 months ago. Sorry if this isn't clear, but the case/PSU was listed for disclosure purposes. Yes, there are better choices, but that's what was used for these benchmarks. Fotron Source would be a great choice for a 400W-500W PSU that would certainly be better than the iCute I used. I hoped people would understand that the configurations were a look at some available parts and not a specific recommendation, i.e. get a different GPU than the XFX, possibly different RAM, the Tforce 550 has some performance issues right now....Basically, I built three budget platforms that more or less were priced similarly, and looked at how they compare in terms of performance. Out of the three, I'd take the PD805 for my purposes. Makes a nice addition to a folding farm. :)
CSMR - Monday, July 10, 2006 - link
The title says budget PC, but the article makes clear it is a "budget gaming system" that is being talked about. So the title should be changed to budget gaming system or budget gaming PC.