Should I pick up a 2.6C at newegg right now?

[JCase]

I've been trying to wait as long as possible to buy my cpu, but it's hard to resist the one day sale going on right now - $175 for retail 2.6C, with free shipping. Anyone think it will go any lower in price in the next two weeks or so? I'm so tempted right now, but don't have the funds for the mobo and ram that I need to complete my system, so it won't be finished for another two weeks.

On a side note...how loud are the stock coolers on these P4 C's? I know the performance should be good enough to run the cpu at 3.25(at least ), but if they're real loud I might opt for a zalman or slk + panaflo...

 

[Overkast]

Buy it now. CPU prices always go down... You'll be waiting forever if you're always waiting for it to "drop in price a little more".

Just buy it and don't look back.

I picked up a 2.4c in September and I don't regret it at all.

 

[Slogun]

Lower in the next two weeks? I doubt it.

This is a great deal for someone looking to build/buy now.

The retail HSF does a fine job even for overclocking.

I went for something else for a little more quiet.

 

[Sunny129]

what's funny is that the sale is no longer showing up, even though it was supposed to be until 11:30pm tonight, and the price went back to $176.50...a whopping $1.50 more than the sale price. it must have been much higher before the sale went up. anyways i'm considering getting one as well...it's so tempting. as far as the stock cooler goes, it does an excellent job on the P4 i have now, and to me it seems silent (the north bridge fan is the noise maker in my box). slogun said, the stock hsf is good for OCing, but if you're going to take the chip up to 3.2GHz+ , i would invest in a zalman or slk as well.


EDIT: i couldn't control myself anymore...i just ordered the 2.6C from newegg. how's that for spontaneity?

 

[joe2004]

You might see a couple of bucks up or down but the price is here to stay at least until January. 2.6C is THE processor of the moment and probably the best choice for a performance overclocking now. In other words -- go ahead.

 

[SuperStrokey]

How is the 2.6 "the processor" WHile the 2.4 will still oc as much? Is there a new stepping that starts with the 2.6?

 

[stardust]

x-bit labs just posted new price drops, NOW is the BEST time to buy...

What are you waiting for?

 

[Sunny129]

Originally posted by: SuperStrokey
How is the 2.6 "the processor" WHile the 2.4 will still oc as much? Is there a new stepping that starts with the 2.6?

beacause even though the 2.4C and 2.6C OC roughly the same amount, that puts a 2.6C system 200mhz ahead of a 2.4C system OCed the same amount. i think calling the 2.6C "the processor" is a bit misleading. it is in that most people are more obsessed w/ overall system speed than % OC, and thus go w/ the 2.6C over the 2.4C. also, since the price cuts, you can get the 2.6C for the same price as the 2.4C. but yes, the 2.4C is just as good an OCer, in fact maybe a bit better. at overclockers.com, their CPU database shows that the average OC's for the 2.4C and 2.6C are 3323mhz and 3474mhz respectively, which is only a difference of 151mhz. this is obviously less than the 200mhz difference between their default clocks, which makes the 2.4C a slightly better OCer in mhz, but not by any significant amount. still, b/c of the fact that a 2.6 is already 200mhz faster than a 2.4, its average OC puts the overall system clock ahead of that which uses a 2.4C. so why not get the 2.6C if you can have it for the same price?

 

[orion7144]

Originally posted by: Sunny129

Originally posted by: SuperStrokey
How is the 2.6 "the processor" WHile the 2.4 will still oc as much? Is there a new stepping that starts with the 2.6?

beacause even though the 2.4C and 2.6C OC roughly the same amount, that puts a 2.6C system 200mhz ahead of a 2.4C system OCed the same amount. i think calling the 2.6C "the processor" is a bit misleading. it is in that most people are more obsessed w/ overall system speed than % OC, and thus go w/ the 2.6C over the 2.4C. also, since the price cuts, you can get the 2.6C for the same price as the 2.4C. but yes, the 2.4C is just as good an OCer, in fact maybe a bit better. at overclockers.com, their CPU database shows that the average OC's for the 2.4C and 2.6C are 3323mhz and 3474mhz respectively, which is only a difference of 151mhz. this is obviously less than the 200mhz difference between their default clocks, which makes the 2.4C a slightly better OCer in mhz, but not by any significant amount. still, b/c of the fact that a 2.6 is already 200mhz faster than a 2.4, its average OC puts the overall system clock ahead of that which uses a 2.4C. so why not get the 2.6C if you can have it for the same price?

However, with the higher FSB that the 2.4C can reach, even if it is the same overall speed, it will be faster than the 2.6

 

[eBauer]

2.6c is the way to go if you overclock and have 3200 RAM. If you have 3500 or faster, go for the 2.4c.

 

[joe2004]

How is the 2.6 "the processor" WHile the 2.4 will still oc as much?

To get to 3.25 GHz you need 250 FSB in case of 2.6C and 271 FSB in case of 2.4C.
Which one is easier to get, what do you think? 2.6C is as expensive as 2.4C as well and that makes 2.6C a better deal in my view.