Whats better between e4600 and e2160

Mondoman

Senior member
Jan 4, 2008
356
0
0
Assuming you will be OCing, you can probably OC the e4600 a few hundred MHz faster, but it costs roughly twice as much.
 

Mondoman

Senior member
Jan 4, 2008
356
0
0
At stock speeds, the e2160 will be maybe 5-10% slower than the e6300, and the e4600 will be roughly a third faster.
 

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
13,314
690
126
E6300 is a better processor than both E4600 and E2160, IMO. E4600 does have an appeal thanks to its x12 multiplier, but you need the right board to take advantage of tight strap setting (something that'll set correct parameters for 200 strap and will OC up to 300~320FSB with that strap). Even then, E8400 gives you way too much for small extra chump and the sheer power of large L2 will be more than enough to wipe out any advantage that 200 strap can give. If you're under budget, then yes E2160. You can easily have 50% OC often without much hassle. But when it comes to E4600, seriously consider skipping a lunch or two for E8400. ;)
 

harpoon84

Golden Member
Jul 16, 2006
1,084
0
0
Originally posted by: lopri
E6300 is a better processor than both E4600 and E2160, IMO. E4600 does have an appeal thanks to its x12 multiplier, but you need the right board to take advantage of tight strap setting (something that'll set correct parameters for 200 strap and will OC up to 300~320FSB with that strap). Even then, E8400 gives you way too much for small extra chump and the sheer power of large L2 will be more than enough to wipe out any advantage that 200 strap can give. If you're under budget, then yes E2160. You can easily have 50% OC often without much hassle. But when it comes to E4600, seriously consider skipping a lunch or two for E8400. ;)

I disagree that the E6300 is a 'better' processor than an E4600. It's heaps slower at stock, and has roughly the same overclocking headroom but with the disadvantage of a low 7x multiplier.

As for the 200FSB strap, I can do up to 385MHz stable on my E4400 / P5B Deluxe, though of course YMMV. The high 12x multi on the E4600 alleviates the need for high FSBs anyway, so any mobo capable of doing 300FSB should have enough headroom to not limit the overclock potential of the chip.

The price jump from an E4600 to an E8400 is actually quite substantial with all the price gouging going on atm. If the E8400 actually sold at or near RRP then I would agree with you.
 

v8envy

Platinum Member
Sep 7, 2002
2,720
0
0
Also depends on what you're going to be doing with that CPU. If you're going to game or compile things non-stop, the larger cache is worth far more than a few hundred mhz clock speed.

2180 for budget or 8400 for performance. If you don't need 4 12v rails (running quadfire?) consider the EA500 antec PSU instead. I don't know if it's still $35 AR, but that would free up a bit of budget for a more macho CPU.
 

WT

Diamond Member
Sep 21, 2000
4,816
60
91
Interesting thread .. given a notoriously poor overclocking board (Asrock), which would you choose ? I am leaning towards the 2180, but hope the lost cache won't affect my setup. I'm actually thinking ahead to either use it in an HTPC (to replace a 754/3000+) or as a light gaming rig.
 

krnmastersgt

Platinum Member
Jan 10, 2008
2,873
0
0
I'd go with envy and get the cheaper PSU, still notable brand and get the E8400, a lot more powerful than the E6300 you were using and not too much more(in cost I meant to add).
 

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: superstition
Cheaply made power supplies are a bad idea.

The Antec Earthwatts series is actually a very robust PSU with a strong warranty behind it.

The Smartpower 2.0s however.... ;)
 

Build it Myself

Senior member
Oct 24, 2007
333
0
0
antec earthwatts 430 is something like $65
2180 (better multi) is on sale for $77 @ clubit
Abit ip35 is under $100

less than $250 and you'll be able to hit 3ghz easy
 

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: Build it Myself
antec earthwatts 430 is something like $65
2180 (better multi) is on sale for $77 @ clubit
Abit ip35 is under $100

less than $250 and you'll be able to hit 3ghz easy

You can get the earthwatts and IP35-E for less, and the E8400 will hit 4ghz with a voltage bump, 3.7ghz is easy on wolfies.