Intel CPU selection Help!

[cscuster]

OK

I know a lot of you prefer AMD . . . this is not the place for that discussion.

Due to family members who work for Intel, I will have an intel!

I have chosen the 955X chipset and need to know how to choose the processor.

I want it for mainly gaming but an investment in an extreme edition is not possible financially.

I have narrowed it down to the 840 vs 660 vs 570j

Anyone have any meaningful input?

 

[coomar]

you could always get the discounted stuff and sell them and pick up an amd chip

if you want it mainly for gaming, intel is not the way to go

probably the 660 (thought the 840 probably will have the higher resale value) if you want to stick with it

 

[cscuster]

LOL I thought I said no AMD?

I wish I could get an fx-55 or a 4200 x2, but when my cousin shows at the house I better have Intel under the hood!

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: cscuster
LOL I thought I said no AMD?

I wish I could get an fx-55 or a 4200 x2, but when my cousin shows at the house I better have Intel under the hood!

Tell him you do... and when he's like "yeah... look how fast it is... aren't you glad I hooked you up?" You can say, "I sure am, those Pentium 4's hold their value, I was able to sell it and get an X2 3800+!"

Seriously though... I'd have to say the newer the revision the better. With each new revision they keep solving more heat/power issues.

 

[stevty2889]

If you do video encoding, or photoshop, the dual core is the way to go, but be prepared to have to get a very good heatsink, because the stock cooler typcialy doesn't cut it for the dual cores. I would aviod the 5xx series as well, they tend to run hotter than the 6xx series. So of those 3 choices, since you primarily looking at gaming, I would go with the 660.

 

[cscuster]

Great! A straight answer!

LOL I knew this was gonna be tough for all you AMD heads!

So, any word on 660 overclocking?

 

[DarkKnight69]

i would go with the 570j, i liked the older gen prescotts, and 3.8 out of the box is gonna play games just fine. My 3.0 at 3.8 did just as well as my amd's in gaming.

however if you want 64-bit, go with the 660.

 

[H0witzer]

I just finished setting up a new system with the 830 dual core. It overclocks pretty well. I was able to get 10-15% overclock.

But as mentioned be prepared for the HEAT!!! I am watercooling, even with that I was getting a temp of around 45C at Idle and 52C at load. (Overclocked) These temps are after the system has been running for a few hours and the load tests were Prime95 and running 3Dmark03 and 3Dmark05.

I am turning it back down to stock speeds while I devise a plan to cool better. But at stock speeds it still kicks butt. You video card will be the real limiter on your system.

 

[IeraseU]

I'd pick the 840D. I'm a big dual core advocate.

 

[Shenkoa]

I bet you get killer discounts, they are probally as cheap and AMD processors by that time. Hmm, I would opt for the rushed hot monster 830 dual core.

 

[Elcs]

Buy an Intel off him. Sell said Intel. Buy AMD. Buy an 'Intel P4' or 'Intel Inside' sticker and pop it on your case.

Failing that, buy the fastest dual core Intel you can afford and cool best. Remember to save cash for cooling. Alternatively, make a dish-like heatsink and cook food for the family (I remember someone frying an egg on an Athlon XP).

 

[Lonyo]

I would wait until Presler/Cedar Mill and get one of those instead.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Hmm.

I'd go with the 660. The 840 would beat it at stock speed, but you can't overclock the Pentium Ds more than 200-300 MHz without throttling. The 570 has a higher stock speed than the 660, but its overclocking potential is about the same. And of course the 660 has a bigger cache.

But my real advice is to go with a Venice 3000+ or X2 3800+, depending on your budget. Honestly, they can't be beat.

 

[AkumaX]

i'm a big dualcore advocate, too, but there are too many issues with intel's 8xx series...

 

[Markbnj]

I'd get a new cousin.

 

[Leper Messiah]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
I'd get a new cousin.

or tell your cousin to get a new job.

Meh. I wouldn't pick any of those, but out of the 3 the 840D is the best choice. It'll be a mediocore gamer, but dual core is a must if you're spending over $350 or so.

 

[carlosd]

Get a not so expensive one like a 630 or 640, buy a good HSF like big typhoon and try to OC a little, don spend a lot of money in a 660, 840 or 570.

 

[carlosd]

Get a not so expensive one like a 630 or 640, buy a good HSF like big typhoon and try to OC a little, don spend a lot of money in a 660, 840 or 570. Those are not worth it.

 

[cscuster]

OK I have always been a hesitant overclocker . . . .

Should I buy the faster and stay set, or get better memory and try to overclock?

 

[coldpower27]

If it's primarily for gaming I would chose the Pentium 4 570J if heat isn't an issue, if it is your better served by the Pentium 4 660. Also you get EM64T with it as well. However if you don't mind heat and want multi tasking performance Pentium D 840 is the way to go, but that wouldn't help much for gaming.

 

[Hacp]

You don't need to buy better memory with intel. They use DDR2, so 533 FSB will give you ALOT of headroom. I would suggest either the 6XX series, lowest speed possible and overclock, or wait until the preslers come out and overclock that baby.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Definitely wait for Presler and/or Cedar Mill. They're already shipping to OEMs. Bug your cousin to hook you up with one of these!

 

[carlosd]

I woul say that a 630 or 640 could OC with no problems to 3.6GHz with good air cooling and would be much cheaper than a 660 which anyway will be hot. Or wait for the cedar mill and presler

 

[Capt Caveman]

My Intel 640 oc'd to 4ghz on stock voltage. If you don't think you'll multitask, a 6xx series chip is the way to go. If you go for a 840, buy a really nice hsf. Good luck.