Few Questions on Conroes, Memory and Prices

[fangs2000]

Hey all,

Still doing research on my upgrade, and having a bit of a dilema.

1) With the processor, i'm not if i should just get a £50 Pentium D chip and use that until Conroe prices come down, then get a E6600, or get a E6300 now.

I heard from somewhere that the real perforamce increase is in the E6600, and that anything lower than that doesn't really give as big an improvment. Something to do with shared cache i think.

I want to minimize my long time spending, and am willing to wait to get that "play anything on max" computer.


2) With dual channel ram, is there a big difference between using 2x1024 over 2x512 with an additonal 1024 stick (which will be added when i have more money). I know 2 gig is the way to go, i'm just asking about the dual channel aspect.


3) Have been looking at the GeForce 7900s, and found a good priced one. The Leadtek 7900 GS. Are GS graphics cards worth going for?


4) Is there any reason for any computer parts to drop in price in the next month or so? Specially Graphics, CPU and Memory.

5) Motherboards. I do not intend to overclock that much, maybe get a few more MHZ out of the processor since it's meant to be easily done. Is there any point going for the high-end £100+ motherboards? Or will the £60 ones work just fine?

I think that's all, I'm trying to keep to a budget but I do have the option to overspend that, it'll just mean the rest of my life will have to cut back a bit. I may add more questions if I have any.

 

[NosBoost300]

well you can look at 7900gto's now, they're pretty amazing... well looks at specs that is.. and i wouldnt doubt it either... anyway, ya, the big performance jump is at the e6600. They're all amazing cpu's but the e6600's can oc like mad.. and can easily out do the x6800... so if you have the money, go for the e6600

 

[fangs2000]

SO would you say it's better to take a cheap £50 pentium D proc and wait a while to buy a E6600? Buying the 6600 now would really put a dent in my budget, looking at around £500-600 and a 6600 is around 220.

Also, better to put the money into a Good Motherboard, or Good Proc?

 

[fangs2000]

Sorry to nag, but is it possible someone can answer a few of the questions? Is there something wrong with the wording? I am happy to re-write the whole post if it means I get some answers.

 

[ProSlayer]

1. When tests were run, there was not a big difference (Up to 5% on games) between the E6400 and the E6600 when they were clocked the same. I am personally going to go for the E6600 because I don't plan on upgrading again for a long time.

2. There is not much difference (3%) between dual channel and single. Windows XP sweet spot is 1GB so you could wait a while before going for 2GB.

3. As stated before, the 7900 GTO is worth the extra $50, especially since it is with eVGA.

4. Yes there is a reason for price drops, which is that DX10 (New Video Card Line) is coming out in November. Prices will most likely drop, so I am personally going to wait until those come out before buying my PC parts.

5. Motherboard quality usually depends on brand name. Maybe you could list the mobo's you are looking at? I plan to buy the Gigabyte DS3.

 

[lancec2c30]

okay with the proc. the e6300 is still an amazing processer, BUt like you said yourself the big performance boost its going form 6300 to 6600.

With dual channel you should probably get 1 1024mb stick now, and then anopther later.

for the money I would get a 7900gs. Now I forget but there is like a pro or extreme edition or something by one of the companys. Now that is the best GS to get.

In the next month I dont think there will be any significant drop in prices anytime soon.

Now with the motherboard it is suggested to get one of the better mobo just for any other reason to buy better quality componentrs.

 

[ProSlayer]

In the next month I dont think there will be any significant drop in prices anytime soon.

The new DX10 video cards are coming out...

 

[Drizo]

Your question on whether or not to wait to get a cpu is really up to you, because prices probably will drop when the Kentsfield (core2quad) is out next month, but I'm guessing the drops in prices will be minimal to the current e6300-6600 line, but the e6700,x6800 will probably have a pretty noticeable price drop. Also if you get one now, then its fine to either get the Allendale (e63-6400) because its already been proven that they're just as good OC'ing wise as the Conroes are, you just sacrifice a multiplier or two. Since you don't plan on OC'ing its really hard to say which to get... its really up to your requirements, such as what games you play, what data intensive programs you use, etc. Though I'd recommend the Gigabyte DS3 motherboard since its affordable, or get the S3 if you're ultra conservative... both boards are pretty good OC'ers. Heres the link to the S3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128017
& ds3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128018
Just to give you detailed specs on both.

Ram wise 2x1GB dual channel DDR2-800 is better for gaming, think Fear, BF2, etc. 2x512MB dual channel is okay if you don't do alot of gaming, but I'd go with 2GB's if you use data intensive programs like Photoshop.

The 7900gs is okay, but if the 7600gt is cheaper across the pond, then get it instead, its a better gpu.

Also regarding prices again, the CPU will drop in price, but hard to say how much, graphics have steadily decreased in price, but as far as ram, its also hard to say. The demand for DDR2 ram is great due in part to the Conroe and AM2, and with Kentsfield on the horizon those prices are unlikely to fall anytime soon.

Hope that helped

 

[fangs2000]

ok, got some good answers there. Should go a long way to deciding on my build. Might end up waiting till december though to do the upgrade, my sister is willing to take my old parts off me to build herself a new computer (her's is REALLY out of data, 300mhz proc) which will add more money to my budget, but she won't buy till christmas.

I may bite the bullet and go for a E6600, would be worth it in the long run, and that Gigabyte DS3 sounds like a good motherboard too.

Thanks for the quick answers after my bump.

 

[ProSlayer]

If you wait till December, you will get really good deals because of Christmas sales. The thing is that computers and their parts will constantly go down in price, so don't be surprised when you buy a computer for $1,000 and it is worth $800 a month later.