best budget processor + mobo?

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bazookaworm

Limp Gawd
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Jan 30, 2008
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Hey, my friend is upgrading his computers processor to a dual core. What is the best budget processor + mobo? He probably wont use it for much other than gaming. I was thinking either buying a E2140 and ocing it(but how far can you get with just stock??) Or a 3800+ X2 or maybe even a 3600+ X2 but I don't know if those amd processors can even decently oc at all. From what i've heard the 3800 does better at stock, while the e2140 OC'd will beat either amd cpu oc'd, but at stock cooling which one is better?

Then theres the motherboard, he will only need a mobo that will allow him to OC decently and have PCIE, there are so many to choose from and by the looks of it the AMD ones are cheaper.

thanks
 
how much is the budget?
$74.99 Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180
$82.99 GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L rev. 2.0

if your friend wants to overclock which he should, then he should buy a heatsink/fan. stock fans are not recommended if your planning to overclock.
Some HSF recommendations from Danny Bui:
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro HSF - $22
Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja HSF - $36
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm HSF - $50
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
 
Oh sorry forgot to mention, budget is $150 so thats exceeding it a bit, I don't think he will need a e2180, best get a
e2140? Or maybe even an AMD build? I have never used AMD but it can't be that bad can it?
 
bazookaworm said:
Oh sorry forgot to mention, budget is $150 so thats exceeding it a bit, I don't think he will need a e2180, best get a
e2140? Or maybe even an AMD build? I have never used AMD but it can't be that bad can it?
Click to expand...

if the $12 difference is an issue then get the e2140. i would advise you to get a heatsink fan for overclocking. at the very least the arctic cooling freezer 7 pro.
 
We are in Canada, I don't think Clubit ships to Canada. We are just looking for the best cost-effective setup.

Do you think I can get a better price to performance with a E2140 or a 3800+ x2

thank you
 
to save money you could also buy from buy.com a have a temporary email account for google checkout to save $10 on first purchase. as you already know the p35 mobo are great for overclocking processors like the e21xx.
 
I see. Well if your friend can squeeze out a little more money then intel would definately be more bang for the buck because of the overclocking.
 
Damn, $150 CAD budget is a bit tight.

Since you're in Canada, best go with an Intel build. In the online Canadian stores I checked (www.ncix.com, www.memoryexpress.com, www.directcanada.com) the X2 3600+ and X2 3800+ are sold out and that the next AMD CPUs up the ladder, the X2 4000+ and X2 4200+ are within $5 of the price of the E2160, ~$80 CAD, let alone the E2140, ~70 CAD.

So since the pricing for the CPUs are about the same, I recommend going with an Intel build. Even if the stock HSF is now smaller than it use to be, even a small OC will put that E2140/E2160 over the X2 4000+ and X2 4200+. However, at stock speeds, the X2 4000+ and X2 4200+ will beat the E2140/E2160, slightly.
 
Alright, Intel it is then...since the pc is basically only used for gaming, will a E2140 bottleneck and is the E2180 show a significant performance boost from the E2140? If it is I think I can convince him to up the budget. Do you think I can get a good price on a processor + mobo combo here on this forum? Maybe if I can get a good deal here for him then he can get an artic cooling freezer 7.
 
bazookaworm said:
Alright, Intel it is then...since the pc is basically only used for gaming, will a E2140 bottleneck and is the E2180 show a significant performance boost from the E2140? If it is I think I can convince him to up the budget.
Click to expand...

E2180 will not show a significant performance increase. The E2140 will not bottleneck anything, especially if you OC it.
 
Ok, just updated previous post...So E2140 + Artic Cooling 7 Pro beats a E2180 stock right? Do you need a rather expensive mobo to get good oc out of it? I'll post a WTB thread later and maybe check ebay.
 
yes that would be good, you could probably hit between 2.6-2.8ghz, maybe 3.0 if you get a good chip..... with a good aftermarket cooler like an ultra 120 or tuniq you could probably hit 3.0-3.2ghz........

It is hard to find a cheap board that overclocks well, but the gigabyte ds3's are goood...
 
bazookaworm said:
Ok, just updated previous post...So E2140 + Artic Cooling 7 Pro beats a E2180 stock right? Do you need a rather expensive mobo to get good oc out of it? I'll post a WTB thread later.
Click to expand...

If you're talking overclocking wise, yes. From what I've been told, the E2xx0 series of CPUs now come with a much smaller HSF than before. The smaller HSF isn't too good for overclocking from what I've been told. And since you could hit 3.0Ghz with the old stock HSF, the AC7 Pro should let you hit a little bit higher OR have lower temperatures.

As for expensive mobos, not really. Well depends on your definition of expensive. the DS3L that you have will be perfect for the E2140. And it can be found for ~$90 CAD. However, I'm not too familiar with the performance and overclocking power of sub ~$90 CAD mobos (If $80 CAD is too much) so can't really help you there.
 
hey there fellow canucks! Try Canada Computers. They have about 10 locations in Ontario

www.canadacomputers.com


Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 $79.99
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=014197&cid=CPU.84

Gigabyte GA-73VM-S2 Socket 775 nVidia nForce 610i Chipset + GeForce 7050 $63.99
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=017030&cid=MB.157
Total: $143.98

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro for Intel Socket 775 $27.99
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=013470&cid=FN.349

GL! :D
 
bazookaworm said:
Oh sorry forgot to mention, budget is $150 so thats exceeding it a bit, I don't think he will need a e2180, best get a
e2140? Or maybe even an AMD build? I have never used AMD but it can't be that bad can it?
Click to expand...

You can't seriously build a overclocking pc on that budget. On that note you'll have to stick with AMD and biostar. That combo should get you good performance @ dual core. Plus you can get some ocz plat xtc's for $30...2gb will make things quick.
 
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