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Subject: Athlon 64... really good for computer chess?

Author: Jasmine Baer

Date: 14:28:06 03/16/04


I own Fritz 8, Hiarcs 9, Junior 8, Chess Tiger 15, Shredder 7, and Shredder 8,
and I run them on a Pentium 4 2.8c GHz with Hyper-Threading.  I am pretty happy
with the performance, as I can work in many apps while having the PC analyze a
game or even play online.

I am thinking of building a "chess only" machine since the aforementioned P4 is
also used for other important work-related and household management tasks.  I am
amazed at how much performance one can get for a little over $1,000!

Should I...

(a) Build a dual Athlon MP system (2600s)
(b) Build a dual Xeon system (2.66 GHz)
(c) Build an Athlon XP 3200+ system
(d) Build an Athlon 64 3200 or Athlon 64 3400 system

Where can I get the biggest bang for my buck?  I could put together a very good
XP 3200 system for about $800, and the dual Xeon system would set me back around
$1,400 or so.  The dual MP and the Athlon 64 3400 would cost about the same,
somewhere in the $1,000 to $1,200 range.  I'm willing to spend the $$ for the
system that is "best" (i.e. - can go deepest quickest).

I truly enjoy reading the responses.  When it comes to chess+computers, there is
no other group that knows more - except for the poster that told me I shouldn't
waste so much electricity...  LOL!  And, hey.  I'll admit it.  I want to have a
kick-butt PC so that the engines I own can perform well at www.playchess.com.
So yes, there is a bit of ego involved - why spend hours optimizing a book for
an engine, only to be let down by your hardware?

Thanks, folks.

-Erik




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