Need help deciding..

[peonyu]

Hello, Im going to be upgrading my computer system from what is listed in my sig soon [this week sometime], and I am on somewhat of a budget.

I've been out of the computer hardware loop since the single A64s first came out, and I want to jump on the Core2Duo bandwagon now.

Heres my question -

I know the C2D's are extremely overclockable, so with that in mind..technically if I bought the cheaper E2180 cpu and OC'd it to the same speed and FSB as the E6400 it would be just as fast. Now heres what im wondering...I know alot of Cpu's overtime have been released with a 'dud' type series, those that are good for office work but little else..

I was wondering if the E2180 is that type of chip. I looked up as much info as I could on it in comparison to the E6400 and couldnt find much on it, all I know is its a C2D and Allendale.

So is this a good buy if its overclocked to atleast 3Ghz or will something else in the chip hold its speed back like what happens with the Celerons?

Thanks

 

[cubeless]

most people are able to get a 2180 to 3.0 at least...

if u want to enhance your potential, get an oem chip and an aftermarket cooler like the xigma in the hot deals forum... that way u can up the voltage if u have to ...

get a nice p35 or 45 board and go wild...

i vote for the 2180 so that u can get a 4850 vid... don't skimp on the vid card or u won't be able to face yourself in the morning...

a p35 mobo; a 2810 @ 3.0ish; a 4850 @ 680/1100; 4gb of ddr2 800 and u, too, can get 34 frames /sec in crysis on very high @ 1680x1050...

it's a very happy time to be building a pc...

 

[aigomorla]

is the E7200 or E7300 not an option?

as those two would spank silly the two chips you listed. Expecially overclocked.

 

[Denithor]

Well, for starters don't bother with the e6400, it's a badly outdated chip.

The comparison you should be making is e2180 (2GHz, 1MB cache, $70) versus e7200 (2.53Ghz, 3MB cache, $125).

The e2180 will hit 3GHz on average.
The e7200 will typically hit about 4GHz.
(Note: both assuming adequate cooling.)

What do you use your system for? If surfing/office type work, the e2180 is a great value and well suited. At 3GHz it's also faster for most games than anything AMD can offer. But if you're mostly into gaming and/or video work, go with the e7200 as the extra cache will help lots in those applications.

Pair either of these chips up with a P43 or P45 motherboard (just find one with the features you need) and some DDR2-800 memory and you're ready to go. Toss in a Radeon HD 4850 if you're into games and prepare to be blown away.

 

[Drsignguy]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
is the E7200 or E7300 not an option?

as those two would spank silly the two chips you listed. Expecially overclocked.

+1 :thumbsup:

Originally posted by: Denithor
Well, for starters don't bother with the e6400, it's a badly outdated chip.

The comparison you should be making is e2180 (2GHz, 1MB cache, $70) versus e7200 (2.53Ghz, 3MB cache, $125).

The e2180 will hit 3GHz on average.
The e7200 will typically hit about 4GHz.
(Note: both assuming adequate cooling.)

What do you use your system for? If surfing/office type work, the e2180 is a great value and well suited. At 3GHz it's also faster for most games than anything AMD can offer. But if you're mostly into gaming and/or video work, go with the e7200 as the extra cache will help lots in those applications.

Pair either of these chips up with a P43 or P45 motherboard (just find one with the features you need) and some DDR2-800 memory and you're ready to go. Toss in a Radeon HD 4850 if you're into games and prepare to be blown away.

+1:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[RallyMaster]

All I can say is...get the E7200 and a HD4850. And like stated earlier, prepare to be blown away.

 

[peonyu]

The system will be used mainly for gaming, and [right now] Age of conan in particular..this is my main reason for seeking a CPU upgrade. My game runs ok on low graghic settings [though I am upgrading the vid card aswell!] in small groups, but the one raid I have done so far left me freezing for 3 minute intervals. And I noticed that turning anti-aliasing to 6x had 0 impact on my framerate..obviously, the ol'single core which lasted me 4-5 years overclocked has met its fate and its holding me back.

Office work etc this system can handle fine as is.

As for the replies, thats what I was wanting to hear, turns out the E6400 aint to great then ? Well thats the way I was leaning but not anymore.

Question though...I have a XP120 Heatsink which is supposed to still be pretty good..if i cranked the voltage on the E2180 is there a good chance of it reaching 4Ghz, or is it just architecture difference that makes the E7200 so much better?


system i have now is the same as sig, cept I have a X1950 pro agp instead of the 6800gt.

As for motherboard, im leaning towards the P5B deluxe at the moment, and either a 8800 GT video card..or wait an extra week and go for the HD4850.

Thanks for the replies

 

[scruffypup]

If you are overclocking the 2180 can be reasonably expected to hit about 3.0 - 3.2,...
3.6 would be max and not a reasonable assumption for everyone to hit.

If you are overclocking the 7200 be reasonably expected to hit about 3.4- 3.6,...
4.2 would be max and not a reasonable assumption for everyone to hit.

The 7200 is 45nm compared to the 2180 at 65nm and typically gives you about 600 mhz more max headroom.

The 7200 has 3mb cache vs 2180 1 mb cache which will help gaming more than other areas by about 5% across the "gaming board" if they were both similarly clocked.

The 7200 also has SSE4 instructions which will help certain applications like media encoding and such by 5-10%.

Recap:
1) the 7200 will clock higher.
2) the 7200 has more cache
3) the 7200 has SSE 4 instructions

I am a true believer in buying for value when it comes to a price/performance ratio and the ~$50 for jumping from the 2180 to the 7200 is one of the best in my opinion.

 

[Gikaseixas]

yep the E7200 would be a great choice, you can't go wrong.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I would go for the E2180, and take the money saved by that, to go into a video card. Then again, if you can wait for the price drops to take place, then the E7200 looks better than ever. Gaming FPS should be better at 4GHz rather than 3.2Ghz.

 

[scruffypup]

It also depends,... if you want a very low price but high gaming system,... then the money might be better served on the video card.

However, if you stick with stock cooling on the 7200 you would be getting the same clocks as the 2180 and aftermarket cooling at about the same price. Also keep in mind the 7200 with the extra cache will help some in gaming already (not as much as putting $50 towards a video card).