Need input on pentium core 2 duo

[drivengsxr1000]

im in the process of building a a budget gaming pc, i have many questions about little stuff building it (forgive my inexperience, this is my first pc build)
my main question right now is about the processor, i have found that for the moderate price range the intel pentium core 2 duo's are nice, does anybody have any experience running these processors with games such as counter strike source, ghost recon 2, call of duty 4, etc.

main question is... is the e8600 worth the extra $100+ for 3.33 ghz vs. the e8400 3.0 ghz as far as i can see all the other specs are the same...



TIA
chris

 

[Xandubomb]

Welcome to Tech Forums!

It's not worth the extra $100, because the E8400 can overclock to 3.3GHz and beyond with relative ease, with the right aftermarket components.

I think all Core 2s should be able to run those games smoothly with a good graphics card. Those games, especially CSS, are not as demanding as more recent games.

 

[Ninjawithagun]

Hey Chris,

Okay, here's my two cents. The E8600 is definitely NOT worth the extra $100. All you get is an extra multiplier (10x) versus the 9x of the E8400. The E8400 will easily overclock to +4Ghz, so if overclocking potential is something else you are keeping in mind, then the E8400 will do the job easily for you. If you really are looking to spend $100 more I would suggest you look at the Yorkfield (quad core) CPUs. They have come done in price as well and you should be able to nab a Q9550 for about the same price as a E8600. Just another consideration to keep in mind.

Good luck with whatever choice you make!

Ninja

*Edit Update*

Xandubomb is absolutely right. The E8400 will do just fine if gaming is your focus - no need for a quad-core IMO if you don't do any multimedia stuff or heavy multitasking.

 

[drivengsxr1000]

continuation, motherboard question

thanks for the quick reply with my question on the processors, my goal with the computer is to run multiple video cards so everything im buying is sli compatable, i have a GeForce 8800 GT OC and would like to run one more the same

MSI P7N SLI Platinum Motherboard is pretty hyped up on tigerdirect.
XFX nForce 780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard is the mother board that it is compared to

the three main things that the msi mother board is advertising is the solid state capacitors the bios reset button for easy reset if your attempting to overclock and the fact that the motherboard stays very cool

i have never really dealt with msi any input on these motherboards or sugestions?

TIA
chris

 

[Xandubomb]

MSI motherboards are ok. I think the ASUS brand of the same 750i chipset is better:
Newegg.com - ASUS P5N-D LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards



You don't need to start a new thread for a new question. If your questions are in relation to each other(about your build), just continue posting in this thread.

 

[stb1swat]

ASUS and Biostar i find are the better OCers. MSI weren't...aren't that great in my experience.

 

[drivengsxr1000]

how about the nforce motherboard? keep in mind im trying to make everything sli compatable

 

[Xandubomb]

What brand of motherboard though? nForce is just the chipset of the motherboard.

 

[drivengsxr1000]

sorry its an XFX nvidia authorized i am open to any other brands that you guys have had good experience with as long as i can bridge the video cards and from what i understand they have to be sli compatable, i would also like to try overclocking but have no idea how or what is involved i will cross that bridge when i get there

 

[Xandubomb]

XFX boards are pretty good. Their designs are usually identical to that of EVGA's boards.