Which of these setups are better? (64 X2 4600+ vs E6400 Conroe)

[Paul_Wall_117]

Basically, I am building a budget gaming PC and I am trying to get the most bang for my buck. These are the parts that will go with both setups:

Graphics: SAPPHIRE Radeon X1900XTX 512MB: $356.00

RAM: mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit: $151.00

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s: $95.00

PSU: HIPRO HP-P600W/TOP-600P5 ATX V2.01 600W: $70.00

Case: (ThermalTake Armor Jr.: $106.00

Here are my options for the 64 X2 setup:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Dual Core: $266.00

Motherboard: DFI INFINITY NF ULTRAII-M2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD: $89.00

This is what I am considering for the conroe setup (I know that the motherboard is shitty, but I had to choose a cheap one to keep the price in the same range as the AM2)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 1066MHz FSB 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775: $243.00

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-945P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 945P ATX: $91.00

Now I have two questions: Will everything on the list work with both boards? Also, which one is better? All I do is play games, so gaming is a top priority (hence the X1900XTX).

If neither of these pars are good compared to something else in the same price range, post suggestions. Make sure that they are compatable!

 

[harry18]

conroe, youl be able to play every game maxed out no question

 

[Nitestick]

not bad at all

i would take the "Conroe" which is really an Allendale unless you are one of those wait and see types who would rather wait about a year for whatever AMD comes out with.

 

[Paul_Wall_117]

not bad at all

i would take the "Conroe" which is really an Allendale unless you are one of those wait and see types who would rather wait about a year for whatever AMD comes out with.

Sorry if that was wrong, but it is advertised on newegg with a conroe core.

Yeah, AMD's new stuff will be a sight to see, but I honestly can't decide. I know that either of the processors will take anything I throw at them, but which will take it longer is the question? Which will become outdated the fastest?

Plus, I get a much better board with th4e AM2 setup. It is really hard to find one that inexpensive that will fit a C2D.

 

[Nitestick]

the Core 2 is here now and should have abundant power for at least 2-3 years i guess. don't expect to simply be able to drop a new cpu into the motherboard though as a future upgrade. Intel tend to release a new chipset with the introduction of every new processor line, so even if they stick with LGA775 (a.k.a socket T) it will be out of the question

 

[Paul_Wall_117]

the Core 2 is here now and should have abundant power for at least 2-3 years i guess. don't expect to simply be able to drop a new cpu into the motherboard though as a future upgrade. Intel tend to release a new chipset with the introduction of every new processor line, so even if they stick with LGA775 (a.k.a socket T) it will be out of the question

So, basically, it just comes down to the upgradeability of the AM2 board vs the currently leading power of the C2D.

Not a very hard choice to make, considering that I am a gamer, and you always need to be ready for the next big upgrade in the gaming scene. I think I'll stick with AMD X2, unless there is a really solid reason that I shouldn't.

 

[Nitestick]

there is..... the fact that you can't count on new technology ever arriving. like they say "tomorrow never comes", you can hypothesise all you like about what could be released but at the end of the day the only certain thing is that which we already have. as it AMD have released very little official information on K8L. remember you can still upgrade anyway you will just probably require a new motherboard for it in the future and there is no guarantee that AMD won't do the same thing especially seeing as they now own a chipset manufacturer.

 

[Paul_Wall_117]

there is..... the fact that you can't count on new technology ever arriving. like they say "tomorrow never comes", you can hypothesise all you like about what could be released but at the end of the day the only certain thing is that which we already have. as it AMD have released very little official information on K8L. remember you can still upgrade anyway you will just probably require a new motherboard for it in the future and there is no guarantee that AMD won't do the same thing especially seeing as they now own a chipset manufacturer.

True, true. Well, I guess the C2D is the best way to go. Can anyone suggest a better motherboard for the same price, or similar price?

 

[MrCoffee]

there is..... the fact that you can't count on new technology ever arriving. like they say "tomorrow never comes", you can hypothesise all you like about what could be released but at the end of the day the only certain thing is that which we already have. as it AMD have released very little official information on K8L. remember you can still upgrade anyway you will just probably require a new motherboard for it in the future and there is no guarantee that AMD won't do the same thing especially seeing as they now own a chipset manufacturer.

Very much so, VERY much so. I think there is no choice at all, its got to be the allendale, neither system will be particularly upgradeable imo I strongly expect the next chips from AMD (K8L whatever) will NOT be on the AM2 socket. I firmly expect to see K8l on socket F.

 

[Nitestick]

I firmly expect to see K8l on socket F.

i doubt that though. Socket F is planned to be the replacement for socket 940 and it is necessary to keep the desktop and server market seperate (the s939 Opteron's were a freak of marketing). i'm not sure whether or not AMD will release K8L on AM2 but if they choose to it seems very easily possible therefore in my opinion also very likely. but basically if socket F is designated a desktop platform what does that leave as a server platform?

sorry to get off topic Paul