Need advice... an E6300 or X2 3800+?

[ricenoodles]

I need some help in deciding....

I currently got an Athlon 2500+ and have 1GB DDR1-400 RAM. I'm looking to upgrade to either an E6300 or X2 3800+ system. My budget is fairly low, so I don't really want to spend more for an expensive motherboard and DDR2 RAM as well unless you can convince me it's necessary to do so. I do heavy multitasking mainly, and a little bit of gaming sometimes. Overclocking ability is an advantage but I'm not too bothered by that.

I like some recommendations on which CPU and motherboard to get, (and if necessary require DDR2 or not).

I currently have a FSP 350W PSU, do you think that is enough for either of these CPUs?

 

[kenji4life]

Either would be fine for your needs, the amd may save money and some would argue you can upgrade it further (speculation)
the c2d would give better performance at a slightly higher price, but you might not notice the difference unless you use the computer for a lot of encoding, ripping, video editing, cad, etc etc.. even still both will be adequate.

the psu should be fine. fortron source is a good maker and should be fine as long as you dont have crazy sli graphics and insane overclocks. i'll assume you don't have 8 hard drives and 10 fans either?? the 'average' system today is fine on your psu.

in the end personally i'd go with am2/3800x2 but i'd wait for the already announced price drops which should take effect at the end of this month. at that point the opteron 1210 would also be a good value.

 

[dexvx]

If you have a low starting budget (depends on how low), then probably the X2-3800+. If you game, I wouldnt sacrifice to a lower end video card. I personally wouldnt recommend going S939, but I've been noticing the prices for DDR2 recently, and they've literally jumped 50% in a few weeks. With AM2, at least you can opt for future newer CPU's, with S939, its just dead in the water.

 

[Icepick]

For a very low budget a socket 939 X2 3800+ on an nForce4 motherboard is your best option. You will be able to reuse your RAM that way.

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: Icepick
For a very low budget a socket 939 X2 3800+ on an nForce4 motherboard is your best option. You will be able to reuse your RAM that way.

That would be my suggestion as well...

 

[Skyguy]

Good point. An X2 3800 is no slouch. It's not a Ferrari, but it's certainly no pony. It's also very overclock-friendly. You can hit 2.4 ghz no problem, and 2.5 or 2.6 with aftermarket cooling. Using your DDR 400 memory will save some good cash that can be used for whatever, maybe a new hard drive or a better video card.

OC'ing a X2 3800 is a very cost-effective method for good performance on a budget.


BTW, I upgraded from a 2500 XP to a X2 3800 and it was like driving a Porsche That is, until I decided I wanted the Ferrari LMAO

 

[Conky]

A cheap C2D option would be the E6300 and the ASRock 775Dual-VSTA.

This combo will let you use your old RAM and even an AGP card if you still have one. You can save up for DDR2 in the mean time(RAM prices are very high now) and a better motherboard.

I have this 775Dual-VSTA board and an E6400 and it is very good for all of my encoding and video work and is no slouch in the gaming department either. I am using DDR400 RAM and an AGP X850XT right now and will next upgrade my RAM when the prices come back down to earth.

 

[imported_inspire]

How long are you planning to go before your next build / upgrade?

 

[AndrewL]

Originally posted by: kenji4life
Either would be fine for your needs, the amd may save money and some would argue you can upgrade it further (speculation)
the c2d would give better performance at a slightly higher price, but you might not notice the difference unless you use the computer for a lot of encoding, ripping, video editing, cad, etc etc.. even still both will be adequate.

the psu should be fine. fortron source is a good maker and should be fine as long as you dont have crazy sli graphics and insane overclocks. i'll assume you don't have 8 hard drives and 10 fans either?? the 'average' system today is fine on your psu.

in the end personally i'd go with am2/3800x2 but i'd wait for the already announced price drops which should take effect at the end of this month. at that point the opteron 1210 would also be a good value.

Not to intentionally diver the attention of this thread ,but i noticed you mentioned cpu price drops. Do you have a link to the announcement. Also is it amd only or also intel.

 

[harpoon84]

If you plan on overclocking, I'd go with the E6300. No brainer there - it simply has much more headroom to overclock than an X2 3800+. At stock speeds you can go either way - both chips are excellent value for the performance they provide.

Just remember to get decent RAM (DDR2-800 preferably) if you plan to overclock.

Here's a good article from Xbitlabs regarding the E6300 vs X2 3800+ debate. You can see at stock speeds the E6300 generally leads the X2 3800+ by a small to moderate margin, but pulls away significantly once both are overclocked.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2duo-e6300.html

 

[imported_OrSin]

With ram prices I would go 939 X2 for now.
If ASrock board really does both DDR and DDR2 and both agp and PCI-E then that is by far the best way to go. I have to research this board more. ASRock in the past has made some nice baords that does crazy stuff like this.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: OrSin
With ram prices I would go 939 X2 for now.
If ASrock board really does both DDR and DDR2 and both agp and PCI-E then that is by far the best way to go. I have to research this board more. ASRock in the past has made some nice baords that does crazy stuff like this.

The ASRock 775Dual-VSTA indeed lets you use either DDR or DDR2 and also allows you to use either PCI-E or AGP videocards. This makes for a cheap C2D upgrade that lets you save up for the newer parts while still using your older gear.

The downside of this motherboard is that it does not overclock very well. Most people have a hard time getting past 300 FSB(266 is stock FSB for the C2D cpu's). But despite this limitation the board itself is quite stable and benchmarks reasonably close to the Intel chip based motherboards... at stock speeds of course.

 

[nyker96]

I think in your situation, S939 X2 3800+ will do nicely. Reuse the DDR RAM and you can pocket the cash for a better power supply or vid card. In this case I'd say if you save the cash and go for better vid card, you overall system will be much more usable and powerful than the E6300 w/ lower vid card. geeks.com has the Neo-4 939 mb for $45 or so. That should save you bunch cash. It's an excellent board and can OC well. Pair that with a X2 3800+ and you will be all set.

 

[harpoon84]

Originally posted by: nyker96
I think in your situation, S939 X2 3800+ will do nicely. Reuse the DDR RAM and you can pocket the cash for a better power supply or vid card. In this case I'd say if you save the cash and go for better vid card, you overall system will be much more usable and powerful than the E6300 w/ lower vid card. geeks.com has the Neo-4 939 mb for $45 or so. That should save you bunch cash. It's an excellent board and can OC well. Pair that with a X2 3800+ and you will be all set.

The OP stated heavy multitasking (primary use) and a little gaming (secondary use).

E6300 >>> X2 3800+ in multitasking and general CPU performance. Being a light gamer, I doubt the OP has a big need for a beefy video card. Especially not on a tight budget too.

It all comes down to his final budget and what he can afford. S939 is cheap but there is no upgrade path for the future.