New compy time! Can't decide on CPU

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OBSESSION

Weaksauce
Joined
Jun 10, 2004
Messages
78
Well, I built my current gaming rig 2 1/2 years ago, and I was planning on doing a full upgrade after Christmas. However, my recent compy meltdown ( http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1131209 ) has accelerated my plans a bit. (Current system specs in that thread.)

I'm planning on upgrading the CPU, mobo, memory, vid card, power supply, and hard drives. I'll reuse the case, optical drives and other stuff. The first thing I need to choose is the CPU, as that will drive what mobo and memory to get.

I've been an AMD guy for the past several years. But now the Core 2 Duo seems to be kicking much arse. But from what I understand, a C2D doesn't really help much on games. So... what to do, what to do?

The rig is primarily used for games. In all the forum surfing I've done, dual core procs don't really add much to gaming performance. But it would seem foolish to buy something other than an Intel C2D or Athlon 64 X2. I plan to get 2-3 years out of each rig, so I want to plan for the future including Windows Vista, and the possibility of some minor video editing if my wife and I have a kid and get a vid camera. Other than that, the PC is used for 95% gaming, and the rest is web, email and occasional other software.

I'm a "bang for the buck" builder, so I don't want bleeding edge, nor old tech. I want to hit where the price/performance curves intersect.

Edit: As a note, I do not intend to overclock.
 
Well, an E6300 outpeforms an AX2 4200+ (both at stock speeds), so I'd go with that. Though, since you're not OC'ing, I'd try to convince you to OC, since thats where the value in these chips are; when I say "these chips," I mean ALL CPUs, lol, both AMD and Intel. Any reason you don't plan on OC'ing? Even a mild OC would improve performance (and doesnt require extra voltage or aftermarket cooling). An E6300 could easily reach 2.4Ghz on stock voltage/cooling, and an E6400 could go even higher. Anyhow, if you don't OC, I'd go for the E6400. The higher multiplier will keep any (if at all) future OC'ing mild, so no worries about stability. Then again, the E6300 is probably all you need.

So... what's your budget?

$181 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz
$100 - Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express (review)
$207 - Corsair ValueSelect 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-667 VS2GBKIT667D2
$200 - XFX PVT71GUQL3 GeForce 7900GT 256MB ($240 - $40MIR)
$95 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB 7200RPM SATA300 16MB Cache
$40 - XClio 450BL ATX 450W
=========
$825 + tax and shipping

If you need anything better than those listed above, here are some possible upgrades:
$217 - Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz
$135 - Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express
$210 - G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ
$245 - eVGA 512-P2-N635-AR Geforce 7950GT KO 512MB ($265 - $20MIR)
$430 - eVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 ($450 - $20MIR)
$120 - Corsair HX520w 520W PSU
$110 - Samsung SpinPoint T HD400LJ 400GB 7200RPM SATA300 8MB Cache
$195 - WD Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000RPM SATA150 16MB Cache ($225 - $30MIR)
 
On overclocking: To be honest, I just don't know enough about it to feel comfortable in doing it. I was turned off to overclocking years ago when the practice first began, and remember all the horor stories of unstable systems, voided warranties, added cooling and power requirements, and more time working on the computer than playing on it. Since then, I've just never given it much thought.

Based on your reply, and other posts I've read, it seems Intel is the chip to buy "at the moment". In the world of computers, who knows what will be best tomorrow, let alone in a few months. But since my computer is down, I need this upgrade now.

I'm still confused on the usefullness of dual cores in games. But I'm fairly certain I'd be a fool not to buy a dual core processor at this point in time. Yes?
 
OBSESSION said:
On overclocking: To be honest, I just don't know enough about it to feel comfortable in doing it. I was turned off to overclocking years ago when the practice first began, and remember all the horor stories of unstable systems, voided warranties, added cooling and power requirements, and more time working on the computer than playing on it. Since then, I've just never given it much thought.

Based on your reply, and other posts I've read, it seems Intel is the chip to buy "at the moment". In the world of computers, who knows what will be best tomorrow, let alone in a few months. But since my computer is down, I need this upgrade now.

I'm still confused on the usefullness of dual cores in games. But I'm fairly certain I'd be a fool not to buy a dual core processor at this point in time. Yes?
Click to expand...
OC'ing is much easier now, and stability isn't much of an issue as it was before. You don't need exotic cooling or power to OC. Like I said, the E6300 could go pretty high on stock voltage and cooling.

Although most current and older games don't benefit from dual core, all the new games will. I think the only current game taking advantage of dual core CPUs is the source engine for HL2/CS/etc, but I may be wrong. Anyhow, other games may get patched similarly, and newer games will definately be multi-threaded. So yes, you'd be a fool to not get one unless your budget doesnt permit such a config (sub $400 range).

What's your budget?
 
I'm hoping for a $1000 or less upgrade, using my existing case, optical drives, sound other minor bits.

I worked up a set of components and posted them here: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1131568 But I'm over budget there, and looking for ways to still have a decent system while cutting some costs.

In my workday of doing research (instead of working!) it seems that Intel is the most favored cpu at the moment. Determining the best mobo and memory for my needs is now giving me a headache!
 
hehe, k, posted there... I didnt notice you were the same guy, lol.
 
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