Advice on upgrade, please (E6750vsQ6600 + mobo + ram)

[antych]

Hi all,

I need to upgrade my box. I'm currently running A64X2 @ 2.5
I got a new 1900x1200 monitor and upgraded video card from 1900XT to 8800GTX
but it looks like CPU is holding it back in some games. I mean titles like UT3 and Crysis.
So I decided to go for Core 2 Duo.

I'm looking for best possible performance without burning money

I'm aiming at good, lower clocked CPU to overclock it, good motherboard and decent ram.
I'm a bit torn between E6750 and Q6600, I see some gains from 4 cores in UT3 and Crysis is suppose to use them, but so far performance gain is very small and I could gain more from higher overclock speed, right? E6750 is also cheaper and less power hungry. So I'm inclining towards E6750, especially if I could replace it after a year with penryn or smth.

So these are my picks:

Asus STRIKER EXTREME 680I
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz 1333FSB
2x Corsair 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz PC2 6400 XMS2 CL4(4 4 4 12) E.P.P. Heat Spreader

What do you thnik?
The motherboard is the most expensive, it's not a big deal but I don't want to just buy the most expensive one if there are better alternatives.
I'm also clueless about memory, will this Corsair do for overclocking?
Will the stock Intel retail cooler be enough, is it worth buying something extra?

I would be ordering stuff from http://www.ebuyer.com so if anyone have spare time and would be kind enough to suggest better parts from their stock that would be great.

Thanks

 

[wittangamo]

Go with the Q6600 for future proofing. UT3 will use the extra cores. The OC potential is almost as good and overall performance likely better.

I'd suggest a P35 motherboard, and the Abit IP35 Pro is one of the best, IMHO.

There are lots of memory choices. For a quad, any good DDR2 800 will do. Crucial Ballistix, Patriot Extreme LLK, Corsair, all are good. I went with Patriot because they have great rebates. ClubIT and Newegg both have 2 gigs for about $50.

You will need an aftermarket cooler. The Thermaltake Ultra 120 Extreme is good, but also huge and pricey. The Artic Cooling Freeezer 7 Pro is decent and a bargain if you don't plan to shoot for the moon. There are lots of options in between, just make sure what you pick will fit your board and case as well as handle the heat from an overclocked quad.

The other thing many people forget is the PSU. The level of gear you're putting in the box will suck a lot of juice and you'd be wise to invest in a quality 500-700 watt unit if you haven't already.

 

[antych]

They actually have a bundle: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Energy Efficient 95W edition G0 Stepping OEM + Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
for £160 so this might be a good pick based on your advice.
I currently have Antec P180 case and Seasonic S12 600W PSU - I assume it will do the trick

 

[Sled]

Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6 iP35 Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0

the rest is good.

 

[antych]

I see you guys recommending P35 chipset, is it better than nvidia offering? So what about X38 then?

 

[wittangamo]

The newer P35 is a very competent overclocker and a good all-round chipset. There are reviews of these various boards suggested that do performance comparisons. I think it'll be a while before X38 boards have a chance to prove themselves. With any new chipset it takes a few bios updates and maybe a hardware revision before they get all the bugs sorted.

 

[dflynchimp]

look for the cheapest P35 board you can find. The performance should still be excellent.

I'm extremely happy with my GA-P35-DS3L (sub $100 on newegg the last time I checked). OCs quite reasonably using the q6600 (which you should definitely opt for).

DDR2-800 will save you a load of money, since there are quality kits going for $50 after rebates. But there are also good 1066 kits out there now for around $100 if you look hard enough.

 

[antych]

@wittangamo good point, but what about upgrade path, will P35 support upcoming Intel CPUs? It's a bit pain to change your mobo and ram every year.

@dflynchimp I'm not a big fan of cheapest anything, especially the motherboard, it's usually the most important component for me

 

[wittangamo]

P35 is an Intel chipset and certified for next-gen Penryn cpus. There are some that also work with DDR3 ram in addition to DDR2, but neither the boards nor the memory are worth the price difference as of now, IMHO.

I did a fair amount of homework before spending my own hard-earned cash on a P35, quad, DDR2 800 combo. For a system to be built in the near future, I think that's still the best bet. I think it's be a while before you can get substantially more performance for the same investment.

Your money, your call.