New CPU advice (building a gaming PC)

[dataDave]

Alright guys,

Looking into building myself a kick-ass PC soon and just wondering where we're up to these days with CPUs? I've always gone with Pentiums in the (very distant) past as they seemed pretty solid compared to all my friends' cheap ass Athlon chips at the time.

The motherboard I'm looking at supports up to Intel Core2Extreme X6800 + Core2Duo E6700 (as well as 4gb of DDR2 + PCI-E port). I know the Core2Extreme must kick ass as it's about £500 so I could possibly upgrade to that next year. What about the Core2Duo though? (£180), any good or a waste of time for my gaming needs?

I'd just like to know the difference if possible as I'm useless at numbers and spec when it comes to stuff concerning the latest PC tech - it's been seven years since I last opened up a PC (well, about 2 days actually but before that it was def. seven years. lol)

I'm just about to upgrade my P4 2.0 to 2.8 as a practice.

[kernow]

The core2duo is a great CPU for gaming, ignore the Core2Extreme, its not worth it.

[thebuddahman]

My advice is pop onto e-buyer and read the reviews about each processor you are interested in. The reviews there have always been pretty decent in my experience and gives you an idea on what's best for your money (and what things can overclock to safely etc).

Oh and good lad for deciding to build your own - it's piece of piss. In the end your WoW will look miles better than my laggy mess that's for sure!

[Digfox]

I just put in an order for CPU, Mobo, RAM and GFX card last night.

I've not gone wild on any of the components because I wanted value for money. Realistically I don't spend huge amount of hours on the PC Gaming. As per the previous poster I personally wouldn't buy a Quad core yet becuase there's nothing that needs it. Also right now it is a very expensive CPU of course.

I've bought Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 and Gigabyte GA_P35C_DS3R Motherboard, which has cost me around £240ish for the pair. The reason I went with the new P35 Intel Chipset was it's ready for the newer .45nm Intel processors went they arrive, which means the board could in theory be an easy upgrade path for a new CPU and DDR3. Equally some of the more expensive P35 or 680SLI motherboards are too near £200 for my liking.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/2007/05/21/intel_intros_3-series_chipsets_with_fsb1333_and_ddr3_uk/

EDIT - one thing to bear in mind is there are stories doing the rounds of intel price cuts for the C2D's at existing Kentsfields in order to clear stock for the later Q3 Penryn .45nm chips. So depending how urgent things are you could wait a bit. I can't see how big in percentage terms the cuts are but it may want to make you hold off.

[dataDave]

EDIT - one thing to bear in mind is there are stories doing the rounds of intel price cuts for the C2D's at existing Kentsfields in order to clear stock for the later Q3 Penryn .45nm chips. So depending how urgent things are you could wait a bit. I can't see how big in percentage terms the cuts are but it may want to make you hold off.

Just you talking about DDR3 has me holding off, I'm a RAM whore more than anything you see.

I might wait and save up some more cash. 4gb of DDR3 sounds sexy, as well as a mobo that will support processors for the next two years.

My main concern is on the 16x PCI-E slots... How long are we off the inevitable 32x?

It doesn't come as a surprise that the new 3-series chipset clearly is a winner from a feature standpoint. First of all, Intel releases the P35 (mainstream) and the G33 (mainstream with integrated GMA 3100 graphics). The faster G35 and the enthusiast version X38 (PCI Express 2.0) will follow in Q3. Both P35 and G33 carry a DDR3 as well as a DDR2 memory controller. Both also include an upgraded Serial ATA controller for six devices and eSATA support. The most important feature may be official support for FSB1333 system speeds, which is required for the next-generation Core 2 processor generation based on 45-nm manufacturing (Penryn).

Edit: answered

:thumbsup:

May as well lock this thread. Looks like I'm waiting a few more months for DDR3 and PCI-E 2 support on a decent mobo.

[chaoticjelly]

Don't know if im allowed to recommend another forum but I used to post quite a bit on the futuremark forums, if you make a post there im sure they'll recommend stuff to you.

When ive built my PC's in the past ive just gone for the best "bang for buck" which is most sensible really since the sky can be the limit if you go for everything top end.

Best building your own, get exactly what you want and much more reliable (provided if put together properly!)

I built quite a few PC's in the past for relatives, myself etc and did work experience at Time Computers back in school (lol they are closed down now)

[Hohum]

DDR3 doesn't seem like a huge reason to wait, however Penryn (and to a lesser extent, PCI-E 2.0) could well be. Personally, I'd hold out a bit longer... if only due to the potential price cuts on the stuff that's currently out there. Cheap upgrades for the win

[RBelmont]

get the 2.4ghz conroe core....it clocks way past "extreme" speeds......and on air.

[Supergoal]

I've got the E6600 C2D too. It performs supurbly and I haven't even overclocked it yet! Everyone says it's a great overclocker so with that in mind it should last me a long while yet.

[sj33]

If there's one thing that most people learn the hard way with PC building, it's that it's always pointless to wait until X new tech is out - there's always a new tech avaliable around the corner. People were anticipating the Quad Core Core2's when the Core2's first came out.

[eastyy]

If there's one thing that most people learn the hard way with PC building, it's that it's always pointless to wait until X new tech is out - there's always a new tech avaliable around the corner. People were anticipating the Quad Core Core2's when the Core2's first came out.

yeh i remember getting a 64bit amd chip 3500+....i thought that was going to last me a while now we have games like supreme commander and stalker that use dual cores

from what i have had the intel ones are better seem to use less power give out less heat and are better performing

[Supergoal]

My trick is, to always buy the 2nd best or thereabout items which will have been reduced in price but still getting really, top performance. I can't justify to buy top of the range at any time, even if I have a wod of cash to burn.

[Digfox]

Sometimes I think it's worth hanging on for certain technology, especially if the incoming tech is only a month or two away. That being said the newer CPU's and mobo chipsets could take until end of the year to filter through to retail.

The July price cuts will make the existing C2D's a better price. And I doubt there's any game that won't run on reasonable settings once paired with a reasonable GFX card.

For me though having two weeks off work meant I wanted some new kit now. Equally if something better does come out I'll trade up and sell on my old gear. However I try to avoid this unless absolutely necessary.

[dataDave]

Going with Conroe C2D E6600, 4GB DDR2, + PCI-E x16 for the time being. By the time I save up for all the bits (prob end of this month) things will have come down in price even more.

Total cost of everything (+ new gfx card) adds up to just over £400.

Cheers guys. That's me made up my mind. I just hope it will run Starcraft II @60fps with all gfx set to maximum.

[kernow]

I'm sure the difference between 2GB and 4GB of ram is negligable, even non-existent, but if you're using it for other things too, go for it.