£400 (MB, CPU, Mem, GFX)?

[j00ni]

j00ni have u tried both AMD and Intel for gaming?

Yep, I know in the past received wisdom was that AMD processors were better for gaming, but that doesn't appear to hold true anymore. Not tried the conroe yet, but from what I read it beats all but the most powerful AMD systems.

 

[MattJones2k6]

I go by people's opinions who have tested both in both areas, just so happens people who have used both say their AMD machines still perform better than the conroe on gaming, and its even said by the "experts" that there isn't much difference anyway. Not arguing or anything ... and i heard the motherboards aren't quite there yet anyway.

 

[Gashman]

Yep, I know in the past received wisdom was that AMD processors were better for gaming, but that doesn't appear to hold true anymore. Not tried the conroe yet, but from what I read it beats all but the most powerful AMD systems.

don't forget to mention conroe is bottlenecked by GPU at higher resolutions and the difference isn't noticable when already running at high frame rates

 

[HangTime]

AMD isn't 'better for gaming' across the board, it depends what exactly you are getting.

IMO the only way an AMD setup could beat a Conroe rig within the same low budget would be a fast, single core e.g. 4000+ San Diego in games which don't support multithreading.

 

[easyrider]

To be honest its up to him, in my eyes they are both the same. Except Conroe, FROM WHA TI HEARD from this forum is there to be overclocked where as the AMD chips are already clocked as far as they can go.

Thats rubbish,

AMD's are not clocked as far as they can go.

 

[easyrider]

Because i will always stick by my quote "AMD is better for gaming" Dunno what this conroe is like for gaming havent tried it out yet. Plus AMD sounds cooler

I have had both and I can assure you that conroe is better for gaming.A conroe at 2.6ghz beats and AMD FX 62 @2.8ghz.

 

[easyrider]

Doesn't the 6300 conroe outperform the X2 4600, as well as being of equivalent price, with lower power requirements and heat production?

Not going conroe because it would be tempting to o/c is possibly the strangest reason I have ever heard

Agreed

 

[MattJones2k6]

Intel chips are clocked lower than what the chip can hold, AMD is is clocked as far as it will go.

 

[easyrider]

Intel chips are clocked lower than what the chip can hold, AMD is is clocked as far as it will go.

Rubbish,

That statement is simply untrue,

Tell me how I overclocked my old opteron 170 that runs at a stock 2.0ghz to 2.8ghz on 1.35v.



My x2 3800 clocked to 2.6ghz 600mhz overclock
My opty 146 clocked to 3ghz 1ghz overclock.

All these AMD chips were great clockers and had great headroom for overclocking.

 

[hp7909]

Intel chips are clocked lower than what the chip can hold, AMD is is clocked as far as it will go.

m8 don't let the 'PR ratings' confuse you, i.e. 3000+ or 4000+, etc Suggest you see this

& C2D's the new benchmark! Yes its new, but good things are only to come. Once the small issues are solved (which I’m sure is soon) then what excuses will people have not to go C2D? Besides, IMHO the prices are reasonable & I’ll gladly own a C2D & not overclock it because the figures from go look good

EDIT: C2D review & benchies here (keep an eye on the £164.44 E6400).

 

[hp7909]

Ok, whats the best Conroe based spec for £500?

• Intel Core 2 DUO E6300 "LGA775 Allendale" 1.86GHz (1066FSB) - OEM (CP-135-IN) £112.95
• Asrock ConroeXFire-eSATA2 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-003-AK) £53.95
• G.Skill 2GB DDR2 NR PC2-6400 (2x1GB) CAS5 Dual Channel Kit (F2-6400PHU2-2GBNR) (MY-014-GS) £106.95
• Connect3D ATI Radeon X1800 XT 256MB GDDR3 AVIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-044-CO) £126.95
• Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) (HS-017-AR) £14.95 - not for overclocking BUT excellent cooling, quietly (see here) & in case you get the urge
• Subtotal £415.75
• VAT £72.76
• Total £488.51

Still not answered if you have a good case & PSU? Good case = good airflow, low temps. PSU minimum 350W (with GFX above, 450W) AND ≥22A on +12v Rail (single or split combined)