The Core 2 Duo/AMD AM2 'Real World Performance' Fiasco

[athfbum]

I will be getting an E6300. I fiugred out the price it will cost and it fits into my budget.

 

[dexvx]

http://www.steampowered.com/status/survey.html

Judging by this survey, its safe to say that 90%+ of PC Gamers (Steam is a very mainstream game) are 1280x1024 or below.

 

[OatMan]

Originally posted by: athfbum
I will be getting an E6300. I fiugred out the price it will cost and it fits into my budget.

Not a bad call at all. Like I said before, if you need it now - and you said you're planning to build the rig before September, then you get what you can afford. And the E6600 has a MSRP of something like 50% more, so thats not pocket change.

And it also sounds like your OCing, so you'll get plenty of value out of it. It looks like if you get a good stepping all the conroes clock the same. They were all getting about 3GHz at stock voltage and close to 4GHz max, regardless of the model. Personally I can't figure why anyone who plans to OC would get anything but the cheapest chip that has the full cache unless its still too expensive, or price is no object and one wants the unlocked Extreme (rip-off) edition.

My opty 165 cost $280 about six months ago and has been humming along at 2.8 GHz the whole time. So I've had an FX(freakin' Xpensive)-62 since before it was even announced

I hope since AMD isn't going to have a new cpu for at least 6-18 months that they at least start unlocking the ones the have. Also once AMD goes to 65nm process the clocks will keep them competitive with conroe, just at higher clocks. Oh how the tables are turned. Now its AMD that has to "pick up the soap".

None of this would be happening if not for Hammer! Anyone remember the old Athlon XP road show? AMD was going around at crazy hours in the middle of random cities throwing out free Athlon cpus and MBs and talking up their future super "hammer" chip?

Its been a loooong time since I even considered an Intel cpu for a build, but in a year or so I likely will be.

 

[akshayt]

Haven't you check out hardocp.com

they test at 16X10 AA AF on a ginle 7900GTX or OC

 

[mhahnheuser]

I'd be holding onto the cheque book guys. There's every chance we won't see the higher end Conroes for about 6 to 8 months, while Intel cashes in on the extreme proc first. I reckon that's why AMD is waiting to see both the model release and the official price stucture and availability of the release before responding. Smart thing i thinks???? I see snipets around on the net that suggests Conroe's multiplier is locked, and incremental FSB increases may not yeild the desired results. Cunning getting us used to huge OC gains with the throw away 805, as if we wouldn't notice. Everything in its place and a place for everything.
The article pointed to by Pugnate (http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTEwOCwzLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==) suggests that the real world gaming benchmarks aren't wildly different and playability is not CPU limited. You might have some difficulty getting near an FX if that's the case with a slower C2D. Not saying that i'm right, but hey this is all about money, isn't it????

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Originally posted by: yacoub

Oh, so you mean for the vast majority of gamers - people who run single GPU systems - the Core2Duo won't show that 22%-25% improvement?

Hmmm... then maybe the AMD price break IS the way to go since we (read: most gamers) already have all this AMD hardware.

I think this point needs to be stressed on everytime somebody asks about Conroe: For the gaming masses, is Core 2 Duo worth selling a 939 Motherboard/CPU/DDR RAM? The answer is No. I've caught up with some other reviews, including some with 1600x1200 and 4X AA/16X AF with Crossfire: Core 2 Duo does come out on top but the margin is nothing significant. I agree with [Hard]OCP in this matter: don't sell your rigs yet.

However, remember that Core 2 Duo DOES have a 25% or something advantage in audio/video encoding and if you are a DV camera junkie, its definitlely worth it. A two hour encoding project reduced to one-and-a-half hour, IS a great improvement. Dramatic improvements like these haven't been seen in a long time.

For someone looking for a new purchase of core components (CPU+Motherboard+RAM), Core 2 Duo is a no-brainer and every C2D chip outperforms its rival AMD chip.

Also point to remember, 2.7GHz is the max overclock most overclockers can gain out of an Athlon 64. With more serious tweaking and cooling, hitting 3GHz is considered being very lucky by all A64 overclockers. A stock $316 E6600 already outperforms an FX-62 so it's fair to say 2.4GHz C2D > 3.0 GHz A64.

But while 3GHz is where the bulk of A64s stop, the 2.4 GHz C2D still has potential to go as much as 67% higher to 4GHz, or a more conservative 33-50% to 3.2-3.6GHz at the bare minimum, based on early overclocking reports. This is something the [Hard]OCP review didn't mention explicitly.

Availability & Pricing is the key issue here. Unfortunately, it looks like 24th July will only signal the arrival of Core 2 Duo with widespread availability in new PCs from systems integrators like Dell, HP, Lenovo etc. There will be limited quantities with online e-tailers and naturally, price-gouging will be in full force. Even then, it won't be completely unusual to find them appear in stock for an hour or two, then be back on back-order before news spreads. I hope I am wrong on this...but looks like, I may not be.

 

[OatMan]

Originally posted by: theprodigalrebel

Originally posted by: yacoub

Oh, so you mean for the vast majority of gamers - people who run single GPU systems - the Core2Duo won't show that 22%-25% improvement?

Hmmm... then maybe the AMD price break IS the way to go since we (read: most gamers) already have all this AMD hardware.

is Core 2 Duo worth selling a 939 Motherboard/CPU/DDR RAM? The answer is No.

Absolutely. I think anyone seriously considering selling off a current high-end rig (any high end 939 system for ex) to move to an entirely new platform that just came out is either a bleeding edger, which is never bang for the buck position and thats cool, or has more money than sense via ignorance, or stupidity. Usually its people who are weak like me who know they shouldn't but can't help themselves, nor find a 12 step program for tech-dorks.

I have upgraded my A64 system like a million times, but only really swapped one part at a time. Never had to do RAM, GPU, CPU, and MB all at once.

I did that in going from my Barton system to 939. I got over two years out of the Barton system and though the upgrade DID require a new MB and CPU and GPU (PCIe) I was able to salvage the RAM and it was a compelling upgrade necessary to play the latest games.

So if you have a 939 system or a P-D system that isn't conroe compatible its probably not really smart to upgrade. But an older P4 system (probably at least can salvage the RAM) or non x86-64 AMD then Its likely time for a new system anyway so putting the investment into Conroe would make sense, though realistically that system is still likely a few months away unless you get lucky or are willing to eat the gouging prices...

 

[sammyunltd]

Hi!

I'm planning on buying a new computer. I have an old P4 1.7 GHz with a 9800 PRO so, basically, it's time for me to change it.

I was planning on buying a AMD X2 and a SLI-ready MoBo but now that I saw the Conroe... I was amazed, just like everybody here. Now, will SLI be enabled for Core 2 CPUs and Mobos?