Upgrading the PC. Which to choose?

[XxKrNxStyLeZxX]

Hey all. At the moment, I've got an AMD 64 3000+ and I've decided it's time to upgrade. I haven't been following processors lately so I spent a few hours reading up.

This is what I've come up with. I'll be overclocking the CPU, but undecided on which would be a better bang for the buck.

C2D E6550 ($175) or E4400 ($120)
Abit IP35-e motherboard ($80)
2GB Crucial DDR2 800 (already bought)
7900GS (already have)

Any opinions/suggestions? I don't know if the $50+ difference for the E6550 will be worth it.

Thanks

 

[chiew]

E6550 has 7x multi, and E4400 has 10x multi.
You'll get a better OC out of the E4400, and it's cheaper too.

 

[chiew]

p.s. where do you see those CPU prices?

 

[zach0624]

ditto e4400 will overclock much better and is $50 cheaper. Put the money towards penryn

 

[gardener27]

Get the E2140 or E2160 overclock is supposed to mean value right?

 

[Markfw]

E4400 or E2140 are suposed to OC better, but in my experience, they don't. My 4300 couldn't get past 2.9 I vote for the 6550. All 3 of my 6300's do 3.4 or more.

 

[gardener27]

I have a e2160 running at 3.2 stable .
Not thats value for money.

 

[drextremeops007]

those prices can be seen at mwave. They are usually 10-20 cheaper than neweggg.

 

[gardener27]

You asked what the better bang for the buck is.
None of them are.

As you know nothing with cpu's is set in stone but on most sites i visit they will atleast get this speed.
e4400 $119.00 overclock to 3ghz
e2140 $69.00 overclock to 3ghz

What do you feel is the best bang now?

 

[nyker96]

Originally posted by: gardener27
You asked what the better bang for the buck is.
None of them are.

As you know nothing with cpu's is set in stone but on most sites i visit they will atleast get this speed.
e4400 $119.00 overclock to 3ghz
e2140 $69.00 overclock to 3ghz

What do you feel is the best bang now?

but keep in mind 4400 is a 2mb version. so that might be better if the OP is a heavy gamer.

 

[gardener27]

The difference will be miniscule.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

50% of the C2Ds will be able to break 3.2GHz. If you can't break 2.9GHz, then you have a lousy MB or a 3 sigma chip. There's very little improvement between 3.0GHz and 3.4GHz. The sweet spot is E2160/E4300/E4400 @ $80. Fry's had E4300 on sale earlier this month for less than $80. DO NOT waste time overclocking a 7x or 8x multi CPU. A lot of stress on CPU, MB, and RAM. That Abit IP35-E will work well will all current C2D chips. Easy 488MHz FSB.

 

[XxKrNxStyLeZxX]

Thanks for the responses guys.

Yes I will be gaming on the machine. If the E2160 can match E4400 in overclock, I guess there's no point in getting the E4400. I'll try to look into this.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

2160 has smaller cache...perhaps a 100-150MHz speed penalty vs E4xx0. Still a fantastic deal if you could get the chip north of 3.2GHz. Use 9x multi, 1.45Vcore and bump up FSB in 5MHz increment. I'd start at 310MHz FSB. You shouldn't have to adjust VTT, Vnorthbridge, or Vsouthbridge with IP35-E until 450MHz FSB. You may need to manually bump Vdimm to 2.0 or 2.1V. Check RAM spec. Also drop timing to 5-5-5-15.

I would still go for the E4x00. Wait for Fry's or someone else to unload the E4300.

You can get more help at the motherboard forum, IP35-E review post.

 

[jhl81]

I first bought E4300 then E2160 and when I tested it out at the same OC speed of 3.0ghz, i thought the E4300 ran much more better, especially when multi-tasking so I would vote the E4400 especially with the high multi and price. Especially in gaming more cache is better right?

 

[chiew]

I'd say if you're going to keep the CPU for awhile, go for the E4400.

E4400 = 10x multi
E2160 = 9x multi
E2140 = 8x multi

I'd say stick with a 9x or 10x multi if you're going to OC, you will be more pleased with the results.

if you're interested in the cache debate (is more cache better?) then check out this:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...AR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

i think they talked that to death.

Also check out:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl.../pentium-e2160_14.html

They show that the E2160 overclocked much better than the E2140. I'd say avoid the E2140.
Max OC on the E2140 was 2.8ghz, Max OC on the E2160 was 3.4ghz
However, each processor is different. When I bought my E4300, I read that anandtech had OCed their E4300 to 3.4GHz, and I got excited. However, I haven't been able to get that fast. Sometimes Intel likes to send reviewers good copies of their chips so people get excited...but the actual chips come out they're slower. Gotta beware of that.

Of specific relevance to you, since you game:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl.../pentium-e2160_13.html

they are comparing the E4300 to the E2160, both are 1.8ghz processors. The E4300 leads the E2160 in most games, very slightly. Those two are comparable since they have the same clock speed. The extra cache gives the E4300 a slight advantage. It is up to you whether that advantage is worth your money.

It all depends on your budget, but whatever your decision, I'd say devote more money to the GPU if you game. If you can get the processor up the 3ghz, whatever processor it is, it'll serve you well.

 

[chiew]

Originally posted by: gardener27
You asked what the better bang for the buck is.
None of them are.

As you know nothing with cpu's is set in stone but on most sites i visit they will atleast get this speed.
e4400 $119.00 overclock to 3ghz
e2140 $69.00 overclock to 3ghz

What do you feel is the best bang now?

where do you see a E2140 for $69?

 

[XxKrNxStyLeZxX]

Thanks guys. I think I will go with the E4400 just to be sure.

 

[bretto]

I just ordered the exact same setup as you. I went for the e4400. I think it will be the better buy than a e2140 because of the extra cache. Some people keep saying that cache size won't effect performance, but it will. I will be using mine for alot of gaming and will upgrade to penryn down the road. Enjoy your new setup.

 

[drextremeops007]

chiew....mwave.com has it for 69. check their site out whenever you are doing hardware shopping or comparison. They are usually cheaper by a bunch. Also much better if you live within the vicinity of their warehouse.