In terms of Dual cores..

[fatdragondzc]

I'm planning to build a new computer with a dual core. But i'm not sure which one to stick with as im not so well aquainted with the dual cores. From what i know i have 3 choices.
I can go with the Athlon 64 X2, Opties or the new Pentium Conroe cores. So TIA for your opinions and inputs.

 

[Pabster]

Starting from scratch, no question about it. Conroe.

 

[Xpage]

In terms of speed and bang for the buck a new conroe is a bit better than aMD atm.

Though I do like AMD, especially their opterons since they are a bit more energy efficient than the X2's, imo. Though if you can get a DC x2 3800EE than that would be very energy efficient and probably good at overclocking. Those are important to me in that order as I OC but I like a cool and quiet computer at the same time, especially when I am not using it intensly such as websurfing or when i am asleep


Recommendation:

Conroe or an AMD EE processor

 

[fatdragondzc]

yea i was considering a AMD cpu until the conroe came out. so now im absolutely confused.

 

[DrMrLordX]

AMD's EE processors have not been shown to be good overclockers. I'd recommend a Conroe chip, preferably the E6300 or E6400.

 

[harpoon84]

Conroe for performance, low end X2 for budget. Simple as that, really.

 

[OcHungry]

Go w/ an AM2 system and save money. It is also upgradable to K8L.
The 3800 x2 65watts is only $156. a good overclocking 570 mobo is around $90 and can do SLI if it comes down to that. Overclock the 3800 x2 to 2.8 GHz and couple it w/ 2- 7600GT vid cards, and have the level of performance of FX62 or Core 2's E6700.
Be careful w/ core 2's. Just look around and see how many are complaining about core 2's temp and unable to overclock as these conroe pushers advertize.
With Am2 mobo and 3800 x2 (65nm) your money well spent and systeem future ready.

 

[Kromis]

So...

Since when did the Allendales become Conroes?

 

[harpoon84]

Originally posted by: OcHungry
Go w/ an AM2 system and save money. It is also upgradable to K8L.
The 3800 x2 65watts is only $156. a good overclocking 570 mobo is around $90 and can do SLI if it comes down to that. Overclock the 3800 x2 to 2.8 GHz and couple it w/ 2- 7600GT vid cards, and have the level of performance of FX62 or Core 2's E6700.
Be careful w/ core 2's. Just look around and see how many are complaining about core 2's temp and unable to overclock as these conroe pushers advertize.
With Am2 mobo and 3800 x2 (65nm) your money well spent and systeem future ready.

Right, now a 2.8GHz X2 w/512KB L2 is equivalent to an E6700? When a 2.8GHz FX-62 w/1MB L2 is still slower than an E6600. You do the maths.

Core2 overclocks to 3GHz+ guaranteed provided you have the right mobo and RAM for the job.

All AM2 is good for are budget overclockers who can't afford $350 for a C2D platform.

And who in the right mind would SLI 2 x 7600GTs when a single 7900GS is much cheaper and overclocks >25% out of the box?

 

[harpoon84]

Originally posted by: Kromis
So...

Since when did the Allendales become Conroes?

LOL - people just assume Conroe covers the entire C2D range.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: Kromis
So...

Since when did the Allendales become Conroes?

Since everyone used the term to cover all of the new Core 2 Duos. It doesn't really bother me, because when someone says "I want a conroe" odds are they just mean "I want a new Core 2 Duo". Nothing to get up in arms about, just a common misnomer.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: harpoon84

Originally posted by: OcHungry
Go w/ an AM2 system and save money. It is also upgradable to K8L.
The 3800 x2 65watts is only $156. a good overclocking 570 mobo is around $90 and can do SLI if it comes down to that. Overclock the 3800 x2 to 2.8 GHz and couple it w/ 2- 7600GT vid cards, and have the level of performance of FX62 or Core 2's E6700.
Be careful w/ core 2's. Just look around and see how many are complaining about core 2's temp and unable to overclock as these conroe pushers advertize.
With Am2 mobo and 3800 x2 (65nm) your money well spent and systeem future ready.

Right, now a 2.8GHz X2 w/512KB L2 is equivalent to an E6700? When a 2.8GHz FX-62 w/1MB L2 is still slower than an E6600. You do the maths.

Core2 overclocks to 3GHz+ guaranteed provided you have the right mobo and RAM for the job.

All AM2 is good for are budget overclockers who can't afford $350 for a C2D platform.

And who in the right mind would SLI 2 x 7600GTs when a single 7900GS is much cheaper and overclocks >25% out of the box?

Rather a x1950xtx :thumbsup:

 

[fatdragondzc]

Upgradeable to K8L? I'm sorry if i sound like im missing something and sorry for asking but what is that?

 

[harpoon84]

AM3 CPUs will apparently be backwards compatible with AM2, so K8L *should* work on current AM2 mobos.

About the only piece of truth OcHungry has ever spoken on these forums.

 

[F1shF4t]

No overclocks are guranteed, u could get a total dud, like my 3200+ is a total dud, 2.2ghz max lol... in the end both systems are plenty fast for games and everyday tasks.

If you wanna save a few bucks go the amd x2 route (3800+) otherwise u could get a conroe for a bit moore with more performance. In the end you get what u pay for.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Originally posted by: Kromis
So...

Since when did the Allendales become Conroes?

I don't bother calling the E6300 or E6400 Allendale because I feel that core name is misleading. The E4xxx series Allendales will be missing several features (such as EIST and VT) present on E6xxx series Allendale and Conroe chips. The E6300 and E6400 are identical to the E6600 and E6700 except when it comes to l2 cache size. In my opinion, Intel never should have given the E6300 or E6400 the Allendale monicker in the first place since they have more in common with Conroe than the upcoming E4xxx chips.

 

[fatdragondzc]

I don't think i might OC because i dont know enough to start OCing.

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: fatdragondzc
I'm planning to build a new computer with a dual core. But i'm not sure which one to stick with as im not so well aquainted with the dual cores. From what i know i have 3 choices.
I can go with the Athlon 64 X2, Opties or the new Pentium Conroe cores. So TIA for your opinions and inputs.

You must first let us know:
1. What's your budget?
2. What applications do you use?
3. How often do you upgrade?
4. Will you be overclocking?

 

[fatdragondzc]

Originally posted by: Viditor

Originally posted by: fatdragondzc
I'm planning to build a new computer with a dual core. But i'm not sure which one to stick with as im not so well aquainted with the dual cores. From what i know i have 3 choices.
I can go with the Athlon 64 X2, Opties or the new Pentium Conroe cores. So TIA for your opinions and inputs.

You must first let us know:
1. What's your budget?
2. What applications do you use?
3. How often do you upgrade?
4. Will you be overclocking?

1. I dont think my budget is a problem because im still on planning stage.
2. I run random prgrams due to playing around with things. Mostly AIM, Mozilla, a few games here and there, BT and spyware and anti viruses.
3. Once about a year to a year and a half.
4. I don't know if i will because from all i read about it, it seems quite risky.

 

[harpoon84]

Originally posted by: fatdragondzc
I don't think i might OC because i dont know enough to start OCing.

You can always start now, and Conroes are about the easiest chips to overclock atm.

 

[fatdragondzc]

Maybe. But I've heard more risks than anything else. Any one have any website that can teach me how to?

 

[myocardia]

This is the only C2D overclocking guide that I'm aware of, at least for the time being: link

 

[DrMrLordX]

Overclocking is only really risky if you start raising vcore/vdimm. Otherwise, it's pretty safe. Usually.

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: fatdragondzc

Originally posted by: Viditor

Originally posted by: fatdragondzc
I'm planning to build a new computer with a dual core. But i'm not sure which one to stick with as im not so well aquainted with the dual cores. From what i know i have 3 choices.
I can go with the Athlon 64 X2, Opties or the new Pentium Conroe cores. So TIA for your opinions and inputs.

You must first let us know:
1. What's your budget?
2. What applications do you use?
3. How often do you upgrade?
4. Will you be overclocking?

1. I dont think my budget is a problem because im still on planning stage.
2. I run random prgrams due to playing around with things. Mostly AIM, Mozilla, a few games here and there, BT and spyware and anti viruses.
3. Once about a year to a year and a half.
4. I don't know if i will because from all i read about it, it seems quite risky.

If you have a good sized budget, then the best chip you can get today is indisputably a Conroe. As Harpoon says, they are also very easy to overclock...
With the apps you're running, a mild overclock shouldn't be an issue at all (I'm sure that many here will help you get a mild overclock going if you need help).

There are only 2 major reasons to go with AMD X2 at the moment...
1. You need to build a low-cost system
2. You already have an AMD system and only need to upgrade.

AMD is also a fairly easy overclock, but the Conroe is currently the King for mid to high end systems...

BTW, unless you are using your system professionally (as I do), there really is no reason not to have at least a mild overclock...

 

[aka1nas]

In addition to Viditor's reasons to choose an X2 over a Conroe, if you already have a good amount of PC3200 DDR(over 1GB) than a socket 939 system is at least worth considering as a budget-friendly choice, though it limits your future upgradability.