C2D on the Cheap!!!

[Nucleo]

Hi all
Current Spec

AMD 3700+ SD @ 2.6ghz
Asrock Dual skt 939
2GB OCUK Value Ram
X1800XT 256mb

Im a css gamer, sometimes Q4 and a web dev.

What I need is a c2d setup, cpu, mobo, Ram & HSF. Gonna keep my 1800xt as graphically my games are fine atm. But i do want a good clocking cheap c2d which will help when playing CSS.

my 3700+ stuggles in css... no idea why, its just not as smooth as it should be, and it is a cpu dependant game.

so, as cheap as possible, the best bang for buck cpu upgrade with overclocking in mind!

Thanks

 

[smithy83]

for the cpu one of these will be a good cheap option with ocing in mind

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17784493

 

[semi-pro waster]

I'd probably go with something like the below specification, it offers good overclocking potential at a reasonable price.

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775) £14.99
(£17.61) £14.99
(£17.61)
Gigabyte GA_P35C_DS3R (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 & DDR3 Motherboard £69.99
(£82.24) £69.99
(£82.24)
Intel Core 2 Duo E2160 "LGA775 Conroe" 1.80GHz (800FSB) - Retail £44.99
(£52.86) £44.99
(£52.86)
OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-6400C4 Dual Channel Platinum Revision 2 XTC Series DDR2 (OCZ2P800R22GK) £41.99
(£49.34) £41.99
(£49.34)
Sub Total : £171.96
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £8.25
VAT is being charged at 17.5% VAT : £31.54
Total : £211.75

 

[Nucleo]

what kind of overclock do you think is possible with that setup?

 

[semi-pro waster]

Dependant on a few things like adequate ventilation in the case, a solid PSU etc I'd be aiming for at least 3ghz. The E2160 does however have a 9x multiplier and the Ram is guaranteed to run at 400mhz so 3.6ghz is potentially possible but I'd think you would have to be quite lucky to reach that.

 

[Nucleo]

thanks a lot Mr!
Looks like thats what i'll be doing, then getting myself something like an 8800GTS in the future to tide me through.... or a couple of widescreen 24' monitors.... oh the choices.

 

[Nucleo]

Now then, i've got a choice....

I could nab a 4200-4800+ X2 off of the bay for £50-£100... then buy a better hsf and clock that, saving me some money. What would be the best choice?

Im not one to have all the latest and greatest hardware, I just want my games of source to run better (20+ man server slows to 30fps in some places... even on low settings)

 

[semi-pro waster]

If you are basically happy with your PC then changing the CPU makes sense, unless overclocked you wouldn't see a huge difference because of the Core2Duo so it is cheaper to simply swap for an X2 and see how far you can take it.