Can't decide what to choose

[moonbit]

For the past month, I've been doing research on building a new rig in the next 2-4 weeks. I last built one in early 2004. I know I've never maxed out its potential (except maybe the RAM), and I don't want to spend a lot of money just to repeat that mistake.

That being said, I'm going to use this rig for multitasking, moderate gaming, and maybe some light video editing.

Given the money (or lack of) I want to spend, I figure I have two choices -

1. Get an E6300 or E6400 and overclock. I didn't OC my other rig, and wouldn't want to go very far with this set-up. I would like to stay with the stock HSF and use value priced (yet decent quality) PC5300 RAM. It's almost like OCing for the sake of itself, but it seems like a waste not to with a C2D.

2. Get an A64 X2 , and don't overclock. With the prices falling on the AMD chips, it looks like maybe price/performance ratios might come a little more in line with the C2D chips. Also, it's easier for me to find an AMD-compatible mobo with the features I want, and for cheaper. However, I know I'd have to spring for the PC6400 memory.

I would highly appreciate anyone's comments on these options, or even any alternatives. Thanks.

 

[Markfw]

First, what motherboard and CPU do you have now ? What video card ?

Bottom line is, if you already have a 939 motherboard, go the X2. If not go the 6300/6400. And OC'ing should be the same for both, they both overclock easily and on the stock/retail HSF. Other factors, if you have a good video card thats AGP, it hard to find a good C2D board with AGP, but easy for a 939 X2.

 

[moonbit]

Right now I'm running an A64 3000+ on an Asus K8V Deluxe (that's a 754 socket) with a 9600 Pro and 1 gig of RAM. Truth be told, it still does everything I want it to, it's just become a little sluggish, and I'm sure just another stick of RAM can fix that.

This is for something brand new so I don't have to share with my husband anymore. He takes up too much computer time since he discovered that newfangled internet thingy.

Of course, building is its own reward. And like my A64 rig, it would be great if I could go another 2-3 years before feeling enough dissatisfaction to do a major upgrade. Thinking back on that last build, I could've probably done just as well with a high-end Athlon XP as I have with the A64, and not such a high-end board.

Also, I'm not trying to go completely cheap. But I know I can get a CPU/Mobo/RAM/Vid Card combo that's quality stuff, without overkill for my needs, for under $800.

 

[Markfw]

Well, in that case, I vote E6300 or 6400 (6400 is a little easier to OC), and as much PC6400 as you can afford, and a X1900XT video card. They can be had on ebay, used, or even refurb for ~250, and it should be good for years for what you are doing. I also like the Gigabyte S3 motherboard, cheap, and OC's well, and stable. You should be able to hit 3.2 real easy.

 

[espress0]

Update XFX PVT71JYHE9 GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP ExTreme Edition Video Card - Retail
Model #: PVT71JYHE9
$289.99



Update OCZ S.O.E 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2SOE6672GK - Retail
Model #: OCZ2SOE6672GK
$219.99



Update ASUS P5N-E SLI Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P5N-E SLI
$149.99



Update Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail

$217.00
Subtotal: $876.97
These are newegg prices. I am sure you could get down to 800 if you shopped around.

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: moonbit
For the past month, I've been doing research on building a new rig in the next 2-4 weeks. I last built one in early 2004. I know I've never maxed out its potential (except maybe the RAM), and I don't want to spend a lot of money just to repeat that mistake.

That being said, I'm going to use this rig for multitasking, moderate gaming, and maybe some light video editing.

Given the money (or lack of) I want to spend, I figure I have two choices -

1. Get an E6300 or E6400 and overclock. I didn't OC my other rig, and wouldn't want to go very far with this set-up. I would like to stay with the stock HSF and use value priced (yet decent quality) PC5300 RAM. It's almost like OCing for the sake of itself, but it seems like a waste not to with a C2D.

2. Get an A64 X2 , and don't overclock. With the prices falling on the AMD chips, it looks like maybe price/performance ratios might come a little more in line with the C2D chips. Also, it's easier for me to find an AMD-compatible mobo with the features I want, and for cheaper. However, [/b]I know I'd have to spring for the PC6400 memory.

I would highly appreciate anyone's comments on these options, or even any alternatives. Thanks.

why?

 

[cmrmrc]

is that 800$ CAD or US?

 

[myocardia]

You never said why you're upgrading. Is it because your system is now slow for gaming? If not, you don't need any of the $300 video cards. Why don't you tell us what you're planning on doing with this system? And if it is for gaming, stay away from $300 7950's. The X1950XT will wipe the floor with all of them, for $20 less, brand new at newegg. Also, don't forget that you'll also have to buy a new hard drive, plus a new power supply for this system.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: myocardia
You never said why you're upgrading. Is it because your system is now slow for gaming? If not, you don't need any of the $300 video cards. Why don't you tell us what you're planning on doing with this system? And if it is for gaming, stay away from $300 7950's. The X1950XT will wipe the floor with all of them, for $20 less, brand new at newegg. Also, don't forget that you'll also have to buy a new hard drive, plus a new power supply for this system.

you can use your current PSu assuming it's 24pin and can handle the load on the rails. Also, you don't necessarily need a new HDD. You can boot from IDE, but most mobos these days only have 1 IDE port so it is desirable to use SATA.

 

[o1die]

I'd go with ddr2 800 memory and the p965 ds3 board by gigabyte. For the cpu, the e6400 will work fine. For video, wait for cheaper cards that support directx10

 

[espress0]

Originally posted by: o1die
For video, wait for cheaper cards that support directx10

Definitely a good idea!

 

[Boyo]

If you are starting from scratch then I recommend that you go with a E6300 set up with an Asus P5B mobo. I'm not sure what you want to do with your computer, but this makes the most sense.

 

[moonbit]

why?

Because I have no confidence in my own decision making skills. Really, I spent $1700 on the case and what's inside last time, and it ended up being too much (hardware wise). It seems like at this point in time, higher quality can be had for less. I figured that asking people who know this stuff well can help me find that place where I won't end up buying 100s of dollars of stuff I don't need, but I won't need to upgrade in 6-12 months either.

I'm in the US, in California even, so as much as I love the Egg, everything I order is taxed. (Yet, they still end up being cheapest much of the time.)

My current system is more or less doing fine for what I use it for, though the Windows, security software, and other software updates in the last three years have been taking their toll on its resources. I want to turn this system into something just for web browsing, and other light tasks. With the new system, I want to be able to run several different applications at once (like Firefox, Office, IM programs) with as little lag as possible. I play games, but nothing that requires high end graphics, mostly "point and click" RPGs. I would also like to get into some video and picture editing, but I don't know how involved yet. I figure if I get in too deep, then I can upgrade. Oh, and I want to be able to use Vista as well.

I was ready just to go with an E6400 with an Abit AB9 (because it supports Firewire), an X1950 pro, and cheap but good 667 memory, but when I saw that the prices were going to fall on the X2s, I started to wonder if I could get comparable performance for less money.

espress0, I have to say that for all my talk of not wanting to go overkill, that setup you posted looks very tempting.

 

[Markfw]

I would not go SLI, and the S3/DS3 will OC better than that 680i chipset. Also, since she doesn;t game much, an X1900XT at ~250 would be fine. I also would go for PC6400 memory, not the PC 5400.