Ok, all you 3d computer geeks, nerds or whatever you get called i need some help on things.

My computer is going to have a few things replaced on monday(things going right)

What i need to know is i'm looking at getting the the new AMD 3200 cpu that is out and the 934(think thats its number) motherboard, now price wise for what i have to spend this is the best i can get. Will the cpu be ok for 3d rendering or would i be better going for one bigger and hope my wife will allow me to buy it.

What i'm getting will be, new motherboard, cpu, psu, hdd and more fans for case..total price for all this will be around $600AUD

I usually get called Tom. Should work fine,.........certainly fast enough.

I have a 3500 (939) with 1Gb ram and it definately does the job. BUT if you are expecting a big improvements in your Bryce rendering times you may be disappointed. For some reason it doesn't matter how fast your CPU is, the times only decrease marginally. I rendered out a pic on an Athlon 1800 that took 32 minutes, put the same file through the 3500 and the time was 28 minutes. Go figure.

what speed is the cpu? I think you're describing  one in the 2.0-24ghz range, not so?

If I were going new I'd go at least 2.8 ghz and 2g memory - not for Bryce so much (as I'm backing down to a 900mhz for Bryce to free up the main computer) but there is more to compter usage than Bryce as heretetical as that might seem - Thomas Covenant and TheBryster seem to be poping into my mind for some reason.

A couple years from now you'll be glad you didn't skimp.

FYI: the tests I've done on hal2 :hal1 (1.6g:0.9g)indicate that there is a direct 1:1 relationship between raw cpu speed and  Bryce rendering speed. Of course for you that's not conclusive and I imagine the faster your computer is the less reliable my observations will be. They're using all types of 'tricks' to improve clock speeds now days.   

Also I'd hold onto the old computer or give it to a friend - it just might need some TLC.

-TJ    

My experience was different than Cyba_Storm's.

I went from an;

AMD Athlon XP 1800+ (1533 Mhz), (I believe it was Socket A) With older SD memory, 768mb.

To a;

AMD Athlon XP 64-bit 3200+ (2080 Mhz), (939 socket) With DDR memory, 1gb.

I stuck with my same OS, Windows 2000 Pro

Bryce rendered about 50% faster.

Cyba - you've probably hit a bottleneck somewhere else in the system. The bottleneck on my current system seems to be ram speed rather than cpu speed.

What you have to take into account that a good motherboard is also important. Epox NPA9+Ultra, the one I have, would be a good choice, cause it supports the higher speed AMDs, like the X2 4400, should I go that way. And it's not expensive, at least not here. I have no idea what prices are in Australia, but you might expect to spend more, cause you might need new memory. Will your old sticks work (or work well) with your new motherboard?

makes no difference now guys, its Monday aned the money i was hoping to use on the gear wont be there..so it looks like it wont be fixed for a few weeks now..

no renders for this boy.

CrazyDawg,

Sorry to hear it - well could you  get an older 900mhz or so used in good shape (windows 98 or better ) eithernet it in with a crossover C5/rj45 cable and render that way? Renders would take longer  but it would be better than nothing 'til the money for a new computer comes your way.

-TJ