advice needed....

[Kraeoss]

ok guys i summon the collective and ask a question. upgrades are due for the end of the mth and i have 2 options, what i ask is which is more sensible ?

1.) AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ and a Sapphire hd 3850

or

2.) Intel E2180 + Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L


currently this is my rig...

sempron 2800+ @ 2.23 Ghz
Asrock Am2nf6g-vsta
2.5 Gb Markvision value memory 800 MHz stock
GeForce 8400 GS 256 ddr 2
Zerotherm Nirvana 120mm Hsf

 

[Markfw]

Right now if you are changing platforms, there is no reason to get AMD. The Intel is the way to go. If you don't want to OC at all (which is a sin as easy as it is to do), then you might go by price, but even still, it should be a lot cheaper one way or the other before you choose (if NOT OC'ing).

If you OC, then for sure its a no-brainer, the Intel setup.

 

[neosapien]

3) Intel E5200 + Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L. the E5200 is the 45nm successor to the E2180.

 

[Kraeoss]

omg 4 GHz lol where can i get one an how much it costs ?

 

[neosapien]

http://www.google.com/products...ce1=60&price2=&btnP=Go

 

[Markfw]

They may not do 4 ghz...

 

[Tempered81]

yah e5xxx and e7xxx series c2d's take a lot more voltage than e8xxx to reach 4ghz. Like mark said, It may not be possible (within reasonable volts)

 

[Kraeoss]

btw i wanna keep it cheap tho that's like about under $175 what other cpu can i replace in that price slot ? or a cheaper mobo and better processor ?

 

[Falloutboy]

depends on what you want to do with your system. looking at your options its going to a cheap dual core AM2+VC upgrade, or getting a new Board/CPU and keeping your current GPU. if it were me and you wanted to do some gaming as the reason for the upgrade. go with the cheapest AM2 dualcore you can find (right now its the BE-2400 for $35 after coupon) overclock it as well as your board supports. and spend whatever money you have left in your budget on a VC.

8800gt if its around 100 4850 if you can stretch it to 170

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: Kraeoss
btw i wanna keep it cheap tho that's like about under $175 what other cpu can i replace in that price slot ? or a cheaper mobo and better processor ?

The E7200 + mobo deal I just got was $100, and it OC's a little. At that price point, you can still get a decent mobo with a E7200 if you watch for Fry's deals.

 

[DSF]

Regardless what you choose to do with your processor, you'll need to upgrade your graphics card if you're looking to do any real gaming. If not, then don't worry about it.

 

[nyker96]

if you on a budget get a E7200, the E2180 is 65nm chip and getting older, should avoid. if you have more money E8600s are better. If you want quad like under 200, Q6600 isn't bad or the Q9400s. Get a decent heatsink like Xigmatec S1283 and you should be able to clock these chips to 3.5 or so without too much work.

personally, in your budget bracket, I would just get a E7200 and clock it to about 3.5Ghz. A nice chip that's about $120 or so.

 

[Kraeoss]

ok i've decided to wait till next yr to switch platforms... what i ask is that u guys suggest a cheap amd chip that can go with my board the am2nf6g-vsta (on the cpu support list there are the BE-2350 and the BE-2300 ) are those good chips for cheap ? also is a video upgrade of a hd 3850 a good choice ?

ok going with a BE-2400 and if possible a 3850 ati card

 

[perdomot]

That mobo supports the X2 5000+BE which OC's to 3Ghz on default vcore by raising the multiplier and its on sale at Tiger/Compusa for $60 in store until 9/6/08. A 3850 vid card can be had at Newegg for $90 which still leaves money left over. If you don't mind rebates, a 3870 will cost just $10 more which is worth it IMHO.

 

[Kraeoss]

have to wait till mth end due to unforseen circumstances..... bummer i hope that these things are still here when i ready to buy.