what is the best value x2 core?

[lopri]

Is DS3 now trouble-free?

 

[River Side]

well *fingers crossed* mine's behaving fine.. the latest bios (F6) that I have seems to have fixed a lot of overclocking issues.. It's doing pretty good now.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: harpoon84

Originally posted by: OcHungry

Originally posted by: harpoon84

Originally posted by: ming2000
i didnt read too much about the best combo for conroe, I know conroe might have better performance than AMD X2, but after consider the price of both cpu and mb, is conroe still the winner?

It depends what chips from AMD and Intel you are comparing.

C2D's overclocked will be 30 - 40% faster than X2s overclocked based on average overclocks (C2D @ ~3.5GHz vs X2 @ ~2.8GHz for example).

It also depends what you intend to use your PC for. If it's a lot of multimedia encoding or rendering then C2D will be noticeably faster. If it is mainly for gaming then the difference will vary from game to game - some will see almost no improvement as they will be GPU limited, others that scale with CPU speed will show a substantial improvement. Note that if your budget is tight, it is usually better to spend more on the GPU than the CPU. Keep that in mind if you are a gamer.

I'm aware of the possibility that the poster above me (OcHungry) will try to tell you that C2D doesn't scale with overclocking. He has been proven wrong many times, but if you choose to believe him that is your prorogative.

Misinformation is your habit isnt it?
Show me a conroe that is 30 to 40% better performer than a X2 4400.
are you saying that a e6400 can overclock to 3.5 ghz (a 65% overclock) and give you 30-40% better performance than a A64 x2 @ 2.8ghz (FX62 level)?
prove it.
Show me a $230 core 2 that is 30-40% better performer than a A64 x2 of the same price range.
To OP: thses 2 posters (cmdredd and harpoon) have been roaming around net promoting Intel junks. Probably both work for Intel. Dont beleve a word they say. Do your own search and if any one say 30%-40% know they are misleading you. check around the review sites and dont be fooled by these intel pushers.
Intel spent enormous amount money for conroe ads. I am sure there are plenty intel junkies here and everywhere dressed as ligit members. be careful.
Its funny how much intel has to spend in advertizing and marketing for the junks they sell. You never see an AMD ad on TV do you?

It's not that hard to fathom - unless one is blinded by an undieing loyalty to AMD like yourself.

C2D = 20% faster than X2 clock for clock. That, plus the fact that C2Ds can currently overclock to clockspeeds 20 - 25% faster than the average X2 overclock, and you can see that my 30 - 40% estimate is no exaggeration.

But hey, if you want me to prove myself, I will.

The following is an article that compares the performance of an E6300 @ 3.36GHz against stock X6800, E6700, E6600 and the fastest CPU currently available from AMD - the Athlon FX-62.

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?id=2014&cid=2&pg=1

SYSmark 2004
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 357
Athlon FX-62 - 282
Intel advantage: +26.6%

SYSmark 2004 Internet Content Creation
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 470
Athlon FX-62 - 364
Intel advantage: +29.1%

SYSmark 2004 Office Productivity
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 271
Athlon FX-62 - 219
Intel advantage: +23.7%

PCMark05 CPU Score
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 8624
Athlon FX-62 - 5741
Intel advantage: +50.2%

PCMark05 Memory Score
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 7088
Athlon FX-62 - 5191
Intel advantage: +36.5%

Cinebench 2003
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 1076
Athlon FX-62 - 746
Intel advantage: +44.2%

XMpeg 5.03 (lower is beter)
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 6.33 minutes
Athlon FX-62 - 9.62 minutes
Intel advantage: +52%

3DMark06
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 4771
Athlon FX-62 - 4602
Intel advantage: +3.7% (GPU limited benchmark)

3DMark06 CPU Score
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 2836
Athlon FX-62 - 2165
Intel advantage: +31%

AquaMark 3
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 125.47 fps
Athlon FX-62 - 103.59 fps
Intel advantage: +21.1%

AquaMark 3 CPU Score
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 17651
Athlon FX-62 - 12678
Intel advantage: +39.2%

Quake 4 (single core)
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 94.6 fps
Athlon FX-62 - 74.3 fps
Intel advantage: +27.3%

Quake 4 (SMP)
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 102.2 fps
Athlon FX-62 - 90.3 fps
Intel advantage: +13.2%

UT2004
E6300 @ 3.36GHz - 133.67 fps
Athlon FX-62 - 106.7 fps
Intel advantage: +25.3%

Overall E6300 @ 3.36GHz advantage over Athlon FX-62 - 30.22%

THERE! DONE!

Conclusion: Overclocked E6300 @ 3.36GHz owns Athlon FX-62 (and your X2 4400+ @ 2.8GHz too). Ouch, truth hurts huh?

This was achieved with a lowly $180 E6300. E6400s can usually be pushed even higher (3.5GHz is not uncommon), so a 30 - 40% advantage over an overclocked AMD X2 @ 2.8GHz is NOT an exaggeration.

Enough proof for you OcHungry? Have you eaten enough humble pie for a day or are you after seconds?

Owned. Thank you and good night.

Nice post and you definitely owned that OCHungry clown but I'm sure he will be back to accuse you of "promoting Intel junks" :laugh:

I'm still hoping for a ban on OCHungry just because he's so determinedly stupid.

 

[n19htmare]

He replied to another thread and said that all those benches have "0" credibility and they're all USELESS and then he went on to praise his X2-4400.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..oh i peed and pooped

 

[raggz777]

i got the frys deal 170 bucks for a amd x2 3800 am2 on a ecs mobo it has been great for the price. only overclocks to 250x10 but the voltage only goes to 1.35 volts but i like it so far

 

[knightc2]

It depends on a number of things. Do you game? Do you game a lot? Do you render video? Multitask a lot? Do you currently have DDR ram? A lot has to be answered before anyone can give you the best opinion on what to get. If we are talking value here you can get pretty good performance with an AMD X2 (or even single core) for less than a C2D. It depends on what value means to you.

If you are starting fresh and doing video editing, multitasking and gaming then a C2D would be a wise choice, however the more expensive choice. A decent AMD X2 setup regardless of what you use your computer for would be more than adequate and the cheaper alternative. If you already have decent DDR and don't multitask/edit videos much then a single core A64 overclocked (3700) and a godd video card would be great for gaming. Future games will surely take advantage of dual core cpus however so if you have the means get a dual core.

There are a lot of C2D fans out there and I don't blame them, but if money is an issue there really isn't anything wrong with an X2. In real world everyday activites including gaming you won't notice a huge difference in the two assuming you have a decent video card unless you are doing lots of video rendering. I am choosing AMD but only because I have DDR and don't need to spend lots of cash right now. I could afford to buy the Porsche of processors in the C2D 6700 but a Ford Mustang (X2) will get me from point A to point B in style with out breaking the bank. I have better things to spend my money on. I don't game much and if it takes me an 30 extra seconds to rip a cd then I can live with that. Hell, there really wasn't anything I couldn't do on my OCed XP 2100 but since it died I had to upgrade.

 

[Zenoth]

Originally posted by: OcHungry

Originally posted by: Zenoth

Originally posted by: OcHungry

Originally posted by: ming2000
i didnt read too much about the best combo for conroe, I know conroe might have better performance than AMD X2, but after consider the price of both cpu and mb, is conroe still the winner?

I have 4400 x2 and Asrock dual Sata motherboard. total = $300. I have overclocked 4400 to 2.8-2.9ghz. below is my cinebench and 3dmark3 w/ 7600GT. The BFG 7600 GT sells for $115 after rebate. Buy 2 and an SLI board (additional $150) and your 3dmark score will shoot up to 25000-28000. I say AMD will give you more for your money considering above setup.
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/1479/09182006051858bh1.jpg

I can only over-clock mine at 2.4 Ghz, it becomes un-stable at 2.5, and 2.6 won't POST. Tried a lot of things, for a long time.

Not all 4400+ will over-clock like yours.

Personally I wouldn't take that risk. I'd just go with one of the Core 2 Duo models instead, which you don't need to over-clock to get what's it's worth in your pocket.

what 4400 do you have? is it a 89w or 110w? most of the 89watts get 2.7ghz on the lower end and 2.8ghz on the average. sometimes It's not the cpu that is holding you up. It could be the board, the memory or power supply.
Check the thread below and see what users are accomplishing w/ their 89w 4400's

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=473441

I have sent you a PM about that but you might have not noticed.

So here I ask, how can I make sure if mine is 89W or 110W ?

Thanks.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Zenoth
So here I ask, how can I make sure if mine is 89W or 110W ?

Thanks.

Both of the links on this page will let you know: AMD homepage.

 

[dexvx]

Originally posted by: raggz777
i got the frys deal 170 bucks for a amd x2 3800 am2 on a ecs mobo it has been great for the price. only overclocks to 250x10 but the voltage only goes to 1.35 volts but i like it so far

Conroe E6300 + ECS 945P board Fry's Combo is only $199

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: dexvx
Conroe E6300 + ECS 945P board Fry's Combo is only $199

That combination was $179 last weekend.

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: herbiehancock

Originally posted by: Viditor

Originally posted by: River Side
any fool recommending an AMD X2 over a C2D for new users is not worth listening to. Upgrades are another story altogether..

I disagree...I think theChase had the wisest things to say on this whole thread.
It all depends on the pricepoint your at...
In the low end, it's AMD...and in both the mid and high end it's Intel.

But I'd think it depends upon if you are just upgrading or building an entirely new system. For an upgrade, esp. if you have a lot invested in the parts, an upgrade is probably the best investment you can make.

Case in point.....I'm VERY seriously considering a new build with the C2D processors.....after al, their perfoemance is just too good not to ignore. BUT....I've also got a substantial investment in my Socket 939 system...an ASUS A8N32 motherboard, an ATI X850XT video card, 2 x 1GB Corsair XMS DDR. (I know...the video card is a dog, but I was waiting for Donroe to come out before deciding on what to buy....)

I'd LOVE to build up with a C2D system.....but hate the idea of throwing out my DDR and with the prices of DDR2 skyhigh, I'll just upgrade my processor to an X2 and call it done. Then, I'll just wait for the DDR2 prices to deflace, which they surely will over time.

Now, to build a new system with AMD, using the AM2 socket......well, that would just seem to me, at least, a losing proposition. You're going to have to buy DDR2, so the memory cost would be the same as a C2D build. Personal video card choice will probably be the same regardless of system platform you choose. The other parts, mb and cpu costs, are variable, but you'll end up with probably a bit more expensive mb and the cpu is a wash as far as I can tell......

But then I'd ask myself which platform look to be the better investment for long-term viability, and I'd honestly have to answer the Intel platform. With Kentfield coming out in Nov. (with more affordable cpus in that line to follow early next year), I cannot really justify buying AMD with their poorer performance, stock speeds or in OC'ing and with no demonstratable future.

Personally, building anything with AMD, outside of a cheap sub-$500 Sempron system today, makes no sense for the long-term.

If you are upgrading only, then the AMD is pretty much the winner across the board (only because most mobos for P4 weren't compatable with C2D).
However even for completely new systems, AMD is the better choice in the low end dual core system...
For example, an e6300 plus an Asus P5B-VM will cost you ~$315, but an X2 4200 (about the same power) and an ASUS M2NPV-VM will cost you ~$270. That's about a 15% savings for a system that's very close in performance...unless you overclock, but then you'd be getting a more expensive motherboard.

As to the future, I believe K8L (otherwise known as rev H) will be significantly better than the C2D (actually, the cores should be about equal but the on-die mem controller and HT connections should tip the balance into AMD's court again), and AMD has already said they will be drop in replacement for current AM2 chips...the normal upgrade should be about a year, which is when they are expected to be on the shelves (K8L is set for a Q2 2007 release).

As you move up in performance, it's all C2D...but for the low to lower-mid end dual core, AMD has the advantage still (BTW, nobody with a low end mobo is going to upgrade to a $1,000 processor like Kentsfield...even when they get down to ~$600 later on).

 

[OcHungry]

Nice post and you definitely owned that OCHungry clown but I'm sure he will be back to accuse you of "promoting Intel junks"

Dont be so sure about who's the clown. I have my reply to both you xxxx in this post at this thread

But to make it short. He is wrong about 40%. I have my 4400 near Hradwarezne's benchmark w/ 3036 ghz, about 14% lower (not 40%).
My system costs $500 less just for cpu, mobo, and vid card. I have my vcore at 1.47v, hardwarezone has e6300 @ 1.60v. This temp is impossible to cool w/ a $40 cooling system and most probably will require phase change, adding another $1200 to the cost. Plus, no one will ever run E6300 w/ a 1.60v vcore no matter what kind of cooling they use. Another word-the hardware zone's 3.36ghz for E6300 is a gimmick, unreal and impractical. If you still think you or harpoon owns me, after reading above, I think you are as unreal and crazy, as harpoon and Hardwarezone.
This poster @ OP desire a value setup and you recommend Hardwarezone's E6300 @ 1.60v vcore and a system that costs twice as much as a X6800 (considering the hardware used and cooling requirement). Get real.

 

[raggz777]

i say long as ya enjoy ya pc .thats the thing that maters i like my amd rig it was the only dual core i could afford when i bought it..im happy with it now im undervolting it and am not ocing it anymore to reduce heat and power consumtion i have it at 1.1 volts and 200x10.i if i had the money at the time i bought this i would of went with intel i guess

 

[n19htmare]

Originally posted by: OcHungry

Nice post and you definitely owned that OCHungry clown but I'm sure he will be back to accuse you of "promoting Intel junks"

Dont be so sure about who's the clown. I have my reply to both you xxxx in this post at this thread

But to make it short. He is wrong about 40%. I have my 4400 near Hradwarezne's benchmark w/ 3036 ghz, about 14% lower (not 40%).
My system costs $500 less just for cpu, mobo, and vid card. I have my vcore at 1.47v, hardwarezone has e6300 @ 1.60v. This temp is impossible to cool w/ a $40 cooling system and most probably will require phase change, adding another $1200 to the cost. Plus, no one will ever run E6300 w/ a 1.60v vcore no matter what kind of cooling they use. Another word-the hardware zone's 3.36ghz for E6300 is a gimmick, unreal and impractical. If you still think you or harpoon owns me, after reading above, I think you are as unreal and crazy, as harpoon and Hardwarezone.
This poster @ OP desire a value setup and you recommend Hardwarezone's E6300 @ 1.60v vcore and a system that costs twice as much as a X6800 (considering the hardware used and cooling requirement). Get real.

Why do you ONLY LOOK AT ONE BENCHMARK.... i'm sorry but cinebench is not the end all benchmark...

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: n19htmare
Why do you ONLY LOOK AT ONE BENCHMARK.... i'm sorry but cinebench is not the end all benchmark...

Because, when you're grasping at straws, you have to always point at the one that comes the closest to proving you right. You have to do that, no matter how wrong you are.

 

[Conky]

Oh heck, I downloaded 3DMark03 to show OCHungry his o/c'd 4400+ wasn't all that, lol.

Him=14,564 at 2.8 or 2.9GHz on his severely overclocked 4400+ X2 and my "Intel junks" at only 2.4GHz(this mobo is not the best overclocker) with a score of 14,634. Link

My videocard is only a X850XT too. Here is a PE version for $119 Text if he wants to argue price.

My mobo was $56 and you can buy my same cpu for $224.

I re-used a gig(2x512 of some Corsair DDR) RAM and my old AGP videocard.

You do the math...

E6400 $224
ASRock 775Dual-VSTA $56
Corsair DDR RAM $~100
the above mentioned videocard $119

This makes for a nice, fast, gamer's system that can re-encode and burn a DVD in record time. And once I can afford some decent DDR2, a new videocard, and a new motherboard all bets are off on how high this E6400 can run!

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Beachboy
Oh heck, I downloaded 3DMark03 to show OCHungry his o/c'd 4400+ wasn't all that, lol.

Him=14,564 at 2.8 or 2.9GHz on his severely overclocked 4400+ X2 and my "Intel junks" at only 2.4GHz(this mobo is not the best overclocker) with a score of 14,634. Link

My videocard is only a X850XT too. Here is a PE version for $119 Text if he wants to argue price.

My mobo was $56 and you can buy my same cpu for $224.

I re-used a gig(2x512 of some Corsair DDR) RAM and my old AGP videocard.

You do the math...

E6400 $224
ASRock 775Dual-VSTA $56
Corsair DDR RAM $~100
the above mentioned videocard $119

This makes for a nice, fast, gamer's system that can re-encode and burn a DVD in record time. And once I can afford some decent DDR2, a new videocard, and a new motherboard all bets are off on how high this E6400 can run!

Yes, it's just that most people when looking at C2D setups and trying to compare to AMD systems they are looking at the deluxe full feature boards like P5B Deluxe, DQ6, P5W-DH etc. This doesn't represent what you can do at the low end.

Most people read alot about the highest overclocking boards like P5B Deluxe and DS3 and they use that as a refrence for price. It's not fair when you can get the same performance (less overclock though) from the Asrock boards.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Beachboy
Oh heck, I downloaded 3DMark03 to show OCHungry his o/c'd 4400+ wasn't all that, lol.

Him=14,564 at 2.8 or 2.9GHz on his severely overclocked 4400+ X2 and my "Intel junks" at only 2.4GHz(this mobo is not the best overclocker) with a score of 14,634. Link

My videocard is only a X850XT too. Here is a PE version for $119 Text if he wants to argue price.

My mobo was $56 and you can buy my same cpu for $224.

I re-used a gig(2x512 of some Corsair DDR) RAM and my old AGP videocard.

You do the math...

E6400 $224
ASRock 775Dual-VSTA $56
Corsair DDR RAM $~100
the above mentioned videocard $119

This makes for a nice, fast, gamer's system that can re-encode and burn a DVD in record time. And once I can afford some decent DDR2, a new videocard, and a new motherboard all bets are off on how high this E6400 can run!

Yes, it's just that most people when looking at C2D setups and trying to compare to AMD systems they are looking at the deluxe full feature boards like P5B Deluxe, DQ6, P5W-DH etc. This doesn't represent what you can do at the low end.

Most people read alot about the highest overclocking boards like P5B Deluxe and DS3 and they use that as a refrence for price. It's not fair when you can get the same performance (less overclock though) from the Asrock boards.

No doubt!

The ASRock boards are a great low-priced way for poor folks to get into a Core 2 Duo! :thumbsup:

Yeah, I still gotta replace my Corsair DDR RAM for some DDR2 and replace my high-dollar X850XT AGP(I should probably sell this immediately as it is worth twice what a PCI-E version of the same card sells for).

Then a new mobo (and new PCPowercooling P/S) and I will have a pimpin rig for sho. I'm not ashamed of my current set-up as it stands.

 

[harpoon84]

The Asrock boards are quite compelling for those on a budget or who don't wish to upgrade from DDR/AGP just yet.

What people don't realise is that even a 'modest' E6400 O/C @ 2.4GHz 300FSB on a $50 Asrock board will put it at the level of an O/Ced X2 @ 2.8GHz or an FX-62.

Intel is just so far ahead right now that a 10 - 15% overclock from an E6400 is enough to match or beat anything AMD can throw at it.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: harpoon84
The Asrock boards are quite compelling for those on a budget or who don't wish to upgrade from DDR/AGP just yet.

What people don't realise is that even a 'modest' E6400 O/C @ 2.4GHz 300FSB on a $50 Asrock board will put it at the level of an O/Ced X2 @ 2.8GHz or an FX-62.

Intel is just so far ahead right now that a 10 - 15% overclock from an E6400 is enough to match or beat anything AMD can throw at it.

Exactly! It's a gratifying experience to know that your "modestly" overclocked system still equals or beats an FX-62. It's an even better feeling knowing that when I scrape up the bucks for a new mobo, RAM, and heatsink/fan that I will exceed the X6800's stock specs!

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Beachboy

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Beachboy
Oh heck, I downloaded 3DMark03 to show OCHungry his o/c'd 4400+ wasn't all that, lol.

Him=14,564 at 2.8 or 2.9GHz on his severely overclocked 4400+ X2 and my "Intel junks" at only 2.4GHz(this mobo is not the best overclocker) with a score of 14,634. Link

My videocard is only a X850XT too. Here is a PE version for $119 Text if he wants to argue price.

My mobo was $56 and you can buy my same cpu for $224.

I re-used a gig(2x512 of some Corsair DDR) RAM and my old AGP videocard.

You do the math...

E6400 $224
ASRock 775Dual-VSTA $56
Corsair DDR RAM $~100
the above mentioned videocard $119

This makes for a nice, fast, gamer's system that can re-encode and burn a DVD in record time. And once I can afford some decent DDR2, a new videocard, and a new motherboard all bets are off on how high this E6400 can run!

Yes, it's just that most people when looking at C2D setups and trying to compare to AMD systems they are looking at the deluxe full feature boards like P5B Deluxe, DQ6, P5W-DH etc. This doesn't represent what you can do at the low end.

Most people read alot about the highest overclocking boards like P5B Deluxe and DS3 and they use that as a refrence for price. It's not fair when you can get the same performance (less overclock though) from the Asrock boards.

No doubt!

The ASRock boards are a great low-priced way for poor folks to get into a Core 2 Duo! :thumbsup:

Yeah, I still gotta replace my Corsair DDR RAM for some DDR2 and replace my high-dollar X850XT AGP(I should probably sell this immediately as it is worth twice what a PCI-E version of the same card sells for).

Then a new mobo (and new PCPowercooling P/S) and I will have a pimpin rig for sho. I'm not ashamed of my current set-up as it stands.

Maybe you should consider a more cost friendly PSU like Seasonic, Corsair, OCZ? Or even Fortron in the sub $100 mark. At least this will leave funds available for a better GPU or better/faster/more memory?

 

[t3hPwnag3]

OK....Yeah, Everybody's talking about the Intel Conroe's. I'll give INTEL some credit. They are doing a pretty good job of stealing AMD's overclocking "THUNDER". I have always built amd systems but if somebody told me they had $900 bucks to build a system, I'd tell him right now the conroe e6600 is the best bet.

Here are the price points right now in today's market.

e6300 are...........$180 bucks
e6600 are...........$330 bucks

then you have AMD's
x2 3800 are........$155 bucks
x2 4400 are........$245 bucks (currently sold out)

....But you're forgetting the good ole opteron 165's (also currently sold out) at $160 bucks???? Man that's pretty cheap. with good stepping you can hit 2.9-3.0ghz with 2x1mb l2.

If you're wanting it primarily for gaming you've got to have a 256-bit graphics card. The processor is secondary. Ask any gamer. The video card has got to have 256 bit interface with 256mb ram. With a high quality graphics card, all of the mentioned cpu's will be more than sufficient unless you're just super anal about 10 fps differences in the 50-60 fps range. All would be more that enough for most normal people for 2 years and then you'll probably want to build a new system by then anyway.

Probably the best thing i can do is buy a 7900gs and game with it for 2 years, then stick my head in to see if you guys are still arguing about who's the best.

I'm lazy...Do the math for me...

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Beachboy

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Beachboy
Oh heck, I downloaded 3DMark03 to show OCHungry his o/c'd 4400+ wasn't all that, lol.

Him=14,564 at 2.8 or 2.9GHz on his severely overclocked 4400+ X2 and my "Intel junks" at only 2.4GHz(this mobo is not the best overclocker) with a score of 14,634. Link

My videocard is only a X850XT too. Here is a PE version for $119 Text if he wants to argue price.

My mobo was $56 and you can buy my same cpu for $224.

I re-used a gig(2x512 of some Corsair DDR) RAM and my old AGP videocard.

You do the math...

E6400 $224
ASRock 775Dual-VSTA $56
Corsair DDR RAM $~100
the above mentioned videocard $119

This makes for a nice, fast, gamer's system that can re-encode and burn a DVD in record time. And once I can afford some decent DDR2, a new videocard, and a new motherboard all bets are off on how high this E6400 can run!

Yes, it's just that most people when looking at C2D setups and trying to compare to AMD systems they are looking at the deluxe full feature boards like P5B Deluxe, DQ6, P5W-DH etc. This doesn't represent what you can do at the low end.

Most people read alot about the highest overclocking boards like P5B Deluxe and DS3 and they use that as a refrence for price. It's not fair when you can get the same performance (less overclock though) from the Asrock boards.

No doubt!

The ASRock boards are a great low-priced way for poor folks to get into a Core 2 Duo! :thumbsup:

Yeah, I still gotta replace my Corsair DDR RAM for some DDR2 and replace my high-dollar X850XT AGP(I should probably sell this immediately as it is worth twice what a PCI-E version of the same card sells for).

Then a new mobo (and new PCPowercooling P/S) and I will have a pimpin rig for sho. I'm not ashamed of my current set-up as it stands.

Maybe you should consider a more cost friendly PSU like Seasonic, Corsair, OCZ? Or even Fortron in the sub $100 mark. At least this will leave funds available for a better GPU or better/faster/more memory?

I've considered those other P/S's and I do like the Seasonic and Corsair offerings but I will be earning some real bucks shortly so the small difference in price won't matter ... I will get the stuff I want and I want the best.

I am only broke in the short term, lol.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Well, best is really subjective. People say Seasonic actually makes the PCP&C PSUs and PCP&C mod them. Anyway any of them are good if you can afford it go for it.

 

[harpoon84]

Originally posted by: t3hPwnag3

OK....Yeah, Everybody's talking about the Intel Conroe's. I'll give INTEL some credit. They are doing a pretty good job of stealing AMD's overclocking "THUNDER". I have always built amd systems but if somebody told me they had $900 bucks to build a system, I'd tell him right now the conroe e6600 is the best bet.

Here are the price points right now in today's market.

e6300 are...........$180 bucks
e6600 are...........$330 bucks

then you have AMD's
x2 3800 are........$155 bucks
x2 4400 are........$245 bucks (currently sold out)

....But you're forgetting the good ole opteron 165's (also currently sold out) at $160 bucks???? Man that's pretty cheap. with good stepping you can hit 2.9-3.0ghz with 2x1mb l2.

If you're wanting it primarily for gaming you've got to have a 256-bit graphics card. The processor is secondary. Ask any gamer. The video card has got to have 256 bit interface with 256mb ram. With a high quality graphics card, all of the mentioned cpu's will be more than sufficient unless you're just super anal about 10 fps differences in the 50-60 fps range. All would be more that enough for most normal people for 2 years and then you'll probably want to build a new system by then anyway.

Probably the best thing i can do is buy a 7900gs and game with it for 2 years, then stick my head in to see if you guys are still arguing about who's the best.

I'm lazy...Do the math for me...

Since you are running a S939 system already, a 7900GS would do nicely. It's probably not worth the $$$ or hassle to do a platform overhaul at this stage.

Yeah Opty 165s @ 2.8 - 2.9GHz is nice, but that's only equivalent to a ~2.4GHz C2D. For roughly the same price you can get an E6300 and O/C to 3 - 3.2GHz easily, often at stock volts as well. I'm aware good O/Cing boards from Intel add another $50 to the overall cost, but that's easily justified considering the extra performance.

For anybody buying a new dual core system and intending to overclock, I don't see how anybody could recommend AMD at this stage unless the budget was really tight.

I can see a potential market for X2 3600+/3800+s and a cheap $50 Asrock AM2 mobo, but other than that it's all Intel for dual core atm.