the Best AMD CPU to pair with the nVidia 6600GT?

[Frugal1ty]

First of all, I'm new here, and actually new to the Hardward forum scene period.

This post starts out with a little bit of a sad story. . . for me anyway (if you don't want to read this part, I understand, just skip down to the *asteriked part about the 6600GT). I was trucking along with my good ol' Duron 1.3, PC133, Radeon 9700 Pro (CPU bottleneck, I know), setup, when one day I decided to check on the CPU running temp (it had been a while). The CPU, idling, from a cold boot, was at 67°c ! Yes. WAY too hot for that processor. So I commenced to purge it of its dust problem (also had been a while). The good news is, I got the CPU temp down to 40°c, the bad is I shorted out the motherboard in the process.

A good reason to upgrade right?

So I sold what I could out of the old hardware on eBay, and began researching the changes that hardware had undergone in the three or four years since I had built my last computer. My main goal was to buid a 'futureproof' system, since I don't have but. . . oh about 500 hundred right now to rebuid this thing. I want to be able to upgrade. . . whenever. . . maybe never, but at least just to know that I could upgrade if I only had the money.

So this is what I decided on:
GIGABYTE's PRO-SLi board (add another card later) (upgrade to A64 X2)
PC3200. . . of course
and a GeForce 6600GT (props to the folks at nVidia for making a good showing on the 6 series after that junk they threw out in the 5 (yeah, I had a 5700 for a short while. . . a very short while))

* Now we get to the stuff about which CPU to pair with a 6600GT. My old Radeon 9700 Pro was way too much GPU for my processor, and that's what I want to avoid now. So what AMD processor would be good to match up with a 6600GT? Spiciffically, would an Athlon 64 3000 or 3200 do well with the 6600GT?

I don't need or even want (to spend the money on) a Super Ultra Xtreme FX GTX graphics, since I am. . . I guess what you would call a 'social gamer.' Usually playing something like Battlefield (2 when I get this new system up and going) with the fella on the floor in my dorm. And esspecially avoiding paying top dollar seeing as how the Playstation 3 is around the corner (frick x box), and most likey costing less than a 7800 alone.

Long I know, but it's good to get it all out. . . so to speek. And thanks, in advance for the advice.

antonio anthony

 

[suicidalpigeon]

you dont need sli/its pointless/waste of money. sell old card and buy new one when you need to. a 3000+ paired with an epox 9npa or dfi ultra-d with ocz ram will do you good for overclocking in the future. and there is no such thing as a future proofed computer unless its bluegene itself.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

The 3000+ or 3200+ would be a very nice match for the 6600gt. Personally I don't buy into the theory that a CPU can be too powerful for the GPU, so any A64 CPU would be a good match for the 6600gt. I started out with a 3200+ and a 6600gt, and have since upgraded the CPU to a SD 3700+ overclocked to 2.8ghz. I am also a casual gamer and only have a 17" monitor (1280x1024) so I don't see the need yet to upgrade the GPU

 

[jpcording]

I have a 6600gt paired with a 3000+ and I'm very pleased. Not even close to the bleeding edge, but fantastic price/performance ratio. I don't know if you've already bought the parts, but I've heard shaky things about Gigabyte mainboards. Not their video cards, but their mobos. I'd suggest the best Asus you can afford.

 

[TankGuys]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
The 3000+ or 3200+ would be a very nice match for the 6600gt. Personally I don't buy into the theory that a CPU can be too powerful for the GPU, so any A64 CPU would be a good match for the 6600gt. I started out with a 3200+ and a 6600gt, and have since upgraded the CPU to a SD 3700+ overclocked to 2.8ghz. I am also a casual gamer and only have a 17" monitor (1280x1024) so I don't see the need yet to upgrade the GPU

The CPU can be "too powerful" for the gpu only in-so-far-as the GPU can become the system bottle neck if everything else is faster. However, it's not as though having a fast CPU hurts your gaming, so I'd agree with you.

Ultimately, just look for the CPU that fits your budget best. I would also agree that SLI isn't a particularly good use of your money, so I wouldn't use that to determine your motherboard choice.

You can build a great system around a nice DFI/MSI/Asus/Epox/Chaintech motherboard and a Venice 3000 or 3200+. Those are favorites around here, as they offer a great price/performance ratio, and they are generally very good over-clocking processors. Even if you dont plan to OC much, they are still a great value and will make upgrading less painful later, as you'll only be replacing a $180 CPU rather than a $250-$300 one

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Don't get an SLI board. 2 6600GT's in SLI get outperformed by a single 6800GT. I'm running a 3200+/6600GT combo right now, and I'm really happy with it. My 3200+ overclocked very easily from 2.0ghz to 2.5ghz on stock cooling.

 

[Concillian]

3000+ should be plenty of processor for your needs.

There is not as much of a processor / GPU 'balance' as many make it seem like. The CPU limits you in different ways than the GPU. You need enough CPU for the games you're playing regardless of your video card. But having 'too much' GPU still allows you to crank up the resolution and video settings.

Currently games are not terribly sensitive to the CPU, so a 3000+ will allow you to play most any modern game and allow you to dabble in overclocking if you so desire. There are no current games that are really 'limited' on a 3000+. For example, I cannot tell the difference in the games I play between using my 3000+ at stock or overclocked to 3800+ speeds (2.4GHz). I play BF2, WoW and Rome: Total War... and that is playing with a 7800GT that I can't tell the difference in CPU speeds (well, I can if I run benchmarks, but I care more about my actual gaming experience than getting big numbers from benchmarking programs.)

 

[Crescent13]

Welcome to the Anandtech Forums!

I would get a 3000+ venice, and a 6600GT, and 6800GT outperforms two 6600GT's, so it's better to get a single card.

 

[Frugal1ty]

i understand that the 6800gt is a better buy than two 6600GT's, but the thing is i don't have three hundred to spend on the 6800gt right now.

i intend to buy another 6600gt maybe in a year or so, and boost my performance.

also, what is this about GIGABYTE not being quality? i searched for GIBABYTE motherboards in some forums and did't find any complaints. dose anyone any links about GIGABYTE motherboards i can look into?