Warm: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 + ECS agp mobo - $179.98 @ Fry's

[sisq0kidd]

Clicky

I think it's pretty warm. Not sure about the mobo though...

 

[13Gigatons]

ECS boards really suck but still this is a good deal for a value setup.

 

[jlin101]

not available at Outpost. Seems like a decent deal to get the mb for less than $10. This would be ideal as a bridge to a cheap Core 2 Duo setup, with compatibility to AGP 8x and DDR. Not too sure about its o/c'ability, though.

 

[tigerbalm]

Nice deal for budget, but why settle for a mobo that cannot overclock? You already need to buy at least 1 gb PC-6400 (800 mhz) @ $120, $200 video card, SATA drive, etc., so your rig should be able to use all of that cpu power! Why not overclock it too? CPU's only last 2-3 years before you upgrade anyway. So get a Gigabyte DS3 mobo (all solid capacitors) for $145 and unleash the 6300's potential to 3.x+ Ghz(even using stock retail cooling). You can get the 6300 for ~$175 these days.

So bottom line with new upgrades is, don't be so damn cheap, which only causes bottlenecks when using cheap/slow components! The extra few bucks will enable you to build a system with far greater potential over the next few years. After years of upgrading, I've relized that you shouldn't go cheap on the main components! Thanks for posting the deal though.

 

[Chadder007]

AGP mobo???....they keep making AGP mobo's but no more good AGP video cards. ARGH!!!!

 

[crystal]

Originally posted by: tigerbalm
Nice deal for budget, but why settle for a mobo that cannot overclock? You already need to buy at least 1 gb PC-6400 (800 mhz) @ $120, $200 video card, SATA drive, etc., so your rig should be able to use all of that cpu power! Why not overclock it too? CPU's only last 2-3 years before you upgrade anyway. So get a Gigabyte DS3 mobo (all solid capacitors) for $145 and unleash the 6300's potential to 3.x+ Ghz(even using stock retail cooling). You can get the 6300 for ~$175 these days.

So bottom line with new upgrades is, don't be so damn cheap, which only causes bottlenecks when using cheap/slow components! The extra few bucks will enable you to build a system with far greater potential over the next few years. After years of upgrading, I've relized that you shouldn't go cheap on the main components! Thanks for posting the deal though.

What the hell you talking about.
support DDR 400 - from your old box $0
support AGP - from your old box $0
Don't know if it supports IDE but if it does - from your old box $0
More than likely you still can use that psu - from your old box $0
Cost for a new core 2 system?
$199 + tax.

 

[Trey22]

Originally posted by: crystal

Originally posted by: tigerbalm
Nice deal for budget, but why settle for a mobo that cannot overclock? You already need to buy at least 1 gb PC-6400 (800 mhz) @ $120, $200 video card, SATA drive, etc., so your rig should be able to use all of that cpu power! Why not overclock it too? CPU's only last 2-3 years before you upgrade anyway. So get a Gigabyte DS3 mobo (all solid capacitors) for $145 and unleash the 6300's potential to 3.x+ Ghz(even using stock retail cooling). You can get the 6300 for ~$175 these days.

So bottom line with new upgrades is, don't be so damn cheap, which only causes bottlenecks when using cheap/slow components! The extra few bucks will enable you to build a system with far greater potential over the next few years. After years of upgrading, I've relized that you shouldn't go cheap on the main components! Thanks for posting the deal though.

What the hell you talking about.
support DDR 400 - from your old box $0
support AGP - from your old box $0
Don't know if it supports IDE but if it does - from your old box $0
More than likely you still can use that psu - from your old box $0
Cost for a new core 2 system?
$199 + tax.

Love it when two trains of thoughts collide.

Personally, I upgrade looking for the "best bang for the buck". This case is a tough one, as it seems upgrading more than just the mobo & cpu would be needed to take advantage of newer games.

 

[elph]

That's $10 more than the price of the CPU itself. I'd say this is a hot deal, it's about the same price as the cheapest X2 3800+/mb combo. Though, I'd probably get that ASRock board that lets you use PCI-E and DDR2 when the time is right.

 

[uhohs]

nothing wrong with ecs mobos.
just wished this mobo was intel based and had a pci-e slot. and a retail cpu.

guess we'll have to wait a few months for combo deals like that. heh

 

[Freewolf]

Originally posted by: tigerbalm
Nice deal for budget, but why settle for a mobo that cannot overclock? You already need to buy at least 1 gb PC-6400 (800 mhz) @ $120, $200 video card, SATA drive, etc., so your rig should be able to use all of that cpu power! Why not overclock it too? CPU's only last 2-3 years before you upgrade anyway. So get a Gigabyte DS3 mobo (all solid capacitors) for $145 and unleash the 6300's potential to 3.x+ Ghz(even using stock retail cooling). You can get the 6300 for ~$175 these days.

So bottom line with new upgrades is, don't be so damn cheap, which only causes bottlenecks when using cheap/slow components! The extra few bucks will enable you to build a system with far greater potential over the next few years. After years of upgrading, I've relized that you shouldn't go cheap on the main components! Thanks for posting the deal though.

Maybe because all of us don't have 5 or 6 hundred dollars to spend on upgrading. 2 hundred bucks is much easier to find than 6 hundred and maybe the cost of upgrading the other parts will have come down in price by the time the ecs MB craps out in a year or so.

 

[jlin101]

according to the manual you can increase the cpu and ram voltage (didn't say how much), but other parameters may not be adjustable. My experience with ecs mobo's (K8T890 with A64) is that they are ok for mild-moderate o/c'ing. As someone else said, this is good value to start a budget Core 2 Duo rig, considering that at stock speed E6300 can match or surpass AMD 4600/4800 X2--good way to upgrade wife or kid's pc. When the price of conroe-compatible mobo's (P965/975, etc) come down on price, you can just throw this one away and upgrade with better MB, DDR2 and PCI-E.

 

[tigerbalm]

It's always funny when money becomes the only issue when it comes to upgrading. If all you have to spend is $200, why even upgrade to Dual core 2 (just get a cheap Dell system)??? Do you really need this new CPU? My point was, you probably need to upgrade a few other components or you won't be getting much out of it. I think a good over-clocking mobo would pay for itself in the long run (2 years before upgrading to faster cpu?). You'll get more out of the cpu. I think most peeps upgrade for performance as well as curiosity. If you want more power for games, rendering, etc, you can't just buy the cheapest components. It just doesn't make sense (to me) to not spend a little more for quality parts that will last, push the envelope, and capable for future upgrades. It doesn't sound like a very intelligent approach to technology that's always changing. I'm not saying buy the newest, expensive parts here...but I think there are certain choices that makes sense...

 

[Capt Caveman]

Well, I picked up the C2D E6600 CPU and ECS P965T-A Mobo last week from Fry's for $379 last week. I've been waiting for better Conroe motherboards to come out before making the Conroe upgrade but now I got a motherboard pretty much for free and I can use it til the better mobos come out. This ECS board goes for $95 at Newegg and though it isn't the greatest motherboard, still allows me to oc to 3ghz.

I would look at this deal the same way.

 

[Lurker1]

Originally posted by: tigerbalm
If all you have to spend is $200, why even upgrade to Dual core 2 (just get a cheap Dell system)??? Do you really need this new CPU? My point was, you probably need to upgrade a few other components or you won't be getting much out of it. ...If you want more power for games, rendering, etc, you can't just buy the cheapest components. ...

Well, it depends upon what your main purpose is. My case, rendering video. This has nothing to do with the video card, or even the memory speed. It's CPU specific. If that $200 pricetag increases my rendering ability 5-fold or more, which it does, then why not go with it? I may not be eeking out every last little bit of performance, but, for a rather carefree $200 I've got a 5-fold increase vs a 5.2 fold increase. (Yes, I'm aware of the 100% OC ability of this particular chip.)

 

[uhohs]

ding ding ding. not everyone is some hardcore gamer that needs a top of the line video card or ultra low latency ram.

 

[crystal]

Originally posted by: tigerbalm
It's always funny when money becomes the only issue when it comes to upgrading. If all you have to spend is $200, why even upgrade to Dual core 2 (just get a cheap Dell system)??? Do you really need this new CPU? My point was, you probably need to upgrade a few other components or you won't be getting much out of it. I think a good over-clocking mobo would pay for itself in the long run (2 years before upgrading to faster cpu?). You'll get more out of the cpu. I think most peeps upgrade for performance as well as curiosity. If you want more power for games, rendering, etc, you can't just buy the cheapest components. It just doesn't make sense (to me) to not spend a little more for quality parts that will last, push the envelope, and capable for future upgrades. It doesn't sound like a very intelligent approach to technology that's always changing. I'm not saying buy the newest, expensive parts here...but I think there are certain choices that makes sense...

Of course the main issue is money when you upgrade. I want that piece of hardware I brought to last as long as possible when it still server my purposes. Take that pc3200, when pc2700 was the norm, everyone likes you saying you should buy pc3200 for "future upgrade". 6 months down the line and DDR2 came out and suddenly that pc3200 became "obsolete". :roll:
That $400 ~ $500 that I choose not to spend now and save in the bank will serves my "future upgrade" better than any hw pieces that might become "obsolete" in 6 months to a year time.
BTW, your "upgrade" seems to be to build the whole new computer from scratch.

 

[tigerbalm]

Ok, for those who either didn't read or understand my point, I did not say to get the latest and greatest...I just wanted to make the point that you should (especially if on a budget), think a little ahead about compatibility, performance, durability, etc, when upgrading. What I said was to make a point, "in general," not specific cases such as memory or video cards. I understand that some components do not make that much difference, so you be the judge. I did not intend to speak for everyone! The point was, no, you don't need the latest and greatest...did I not say that??? I hardly think that a $175 cpu and $145 was the "be all, end all" of upgrades. You can easily drop a grand just to upgrade or 3-4 G's for a new system.
I think I'm on your side (budget minded) here. But isn't getting 3.4 Ghz from 1.8 worth it in the long run for the cost? The DS3 mobo is a quality product thats's affordable - that's the point I was making. Did I tell everyone to get a $200 ASUS or $500 E6700? Didn't think so. So stop trying to be so damn negative about other suggestions, or are you really that naive or in denial? BTW, money is not the "main issue" for everyone.

 

[burney]

I might jump on it, as I can use my previous hardware..and can sell my old pro and mobo for atleast 60...it will not be a bad deal(Maybe)..I have a 6800 ultra AGP..

 

[uhohs]

not everyone wants to overclock.

 

[AkumaX]

Originally posted by: uhohs
not everyone wants to overclock.

everyone wants to o/c

 

[Iceboie]

Originally posted by: AkumaX

Originally posted by: uhohs
not everyone wants to overclock.

everyone wants to o/c

Everyone wants a Core 2 Duo, regardless of O/C or not.

EDIT:
My total cost:

E6300/ ECS = $200
Mambo case = $15AR
Samsung 931B LCD = $100
WD 160GB = $0AR
Maxor 120GB = $10AR
X-Finity 500W PSU = $10AR
Ultra Fan Commander w/ Thermal Sensors = $5
Kingston 1GB = $0 (from old PC)
Scythe Ninja = $0 (from old PC)
Yate Loon case fans = $0 (from old PC)
Creative Trigue 3100 = $0 (from old PC)
--------------

Total = $340 for a cheap Conroe system. Not bad.
========

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: crystal
Of course the main issue is money when you upgrade. I want that piece of hardware I brought to last as long as possible when it still server my purposes. Take that pc3200, when pc2700 was the norm, everyone likes you saying you should buy pc3200 for "future upgrade". 6 months down the line and DDR2 came out and suddenly that pc3200 became "obsolete". :roll:

There is no such thing as avoiding obsolesence. It is inevitable. Saving funds with some fairy tale that you'll eventually buy something which will NOT become obsolete is just as asinine as grabbing the latest and greatest expecting the same. (IMHO)

BTW, your "upgrade" seems to be to build the whole new computer from scratch.

Sounds like someone has my definition down to a T.

 

[djIhcoro]

If that ECS mobo bothers you so much, you can return it on the spot after you buy the combo. Fry's puts the two items on the invoice separate.

 

[AkumaX]

Originally posted by: djIhcoro
If that ECS mobo bothers you so much, you can return it on the spot after you buy the combo. Fry's puts the two items on the invoice separate.

YMMV

 

[AkumaX]

Originally posted by: Iceboie
I also gave in and bought the combo. At first I was convincing myself that this is just a test and I will be returning the combo when I'm done testing it. Well, it looks like it's a keeper. I'll try to go back and return the mobo alone (citing lack of dual-channel support and it didn't fit the case) but if that doesn't work, I'll just keep the board until the next batch comes out. For now, things are zipping along in this little system I built.

Here's some info. on the stuff I ended up buying today:
C2D 6300 (bare/tray CPU) + ECS P4M800PRO-M V2 $199
Thermaltake Mini Typhoon heatsink/fan $35
Thermaltake Matrix case with 400W PurePower 2.0 $79 - $30 MIR = $49

Total with tax: ~$330 (will be $300 after the MIR).

Went home and added a 200GB PATA drive, a 160GB SATA drive, 2 sticks of 512MB DDR2-533, and a Lite-ON DVD-ROM (all are extra components I was not using except the RAM.

I'll post some benchmarks later.

I also found out that my initial assumption about this board was incorrection--it DOES have overclocking capabilities! However, the max FSB is 300. I was able to hit 2.1Ghz (300x7) without doing anything special. It's not much but this little OC brings my C2D up to 6400 level. Good enough I guess. Hopefully I can return the board and get the ASROCK for more OCing.

Here's the CPU-Z shot.

WTF. 300fsb limit!! :brokenheart: :brokenheart: :brokenheart:

might have to wait for those 800fsb conroes..