C2D Upgrade

Dup · 1 Jan 2007 at 20:35

Hi there. I've been looking into upgrading my current system to dual core. Currently, I think a £160 S939 chip isn't worth the cash now and I feel I should go C2D, if that means waiting a month to splash the cash.

I'm currently running:

3700+ SD @ 2.6 using Thermalright 120mm copper cooler.
A8N SLi-Premium
2GB PC3500LL Pro
XFX 7900GTX XXX
Antec Neopower 480w

Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
£215.01

CellShock 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 PC2-8000C4 1000MHz Dual Channel Kit
£281.99

Asus P5W DH Deluxe WiFi (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
£152.74

That's £659.43 inc delivery.

So with that list I'm keeping the 7900 GTX for now, I may pick an 8800GTX on my next upgrade, or see what nVidia brings further down the line. So far I'm happy with the 7900 even though my 3700+ has bottlenecked it.

Im not 100% on the C2D, not read enough and reviews are few are far between since I last looked round for my current system. I take it I will need a new PSU.

Can people suggest a new PSU and verify that I have the right motherboard and ram for what I want? I'm a gamer and I do a bit of 3D work too, so fast low latency ram is a must. I also expect at least 3.0GHz from the CPU when overclocked. That brings me to air cooling suggestions, I take it the Tuniq is the daddy at the moment?

I want to spend about £700, if you can help me out here I would really appreciate it.

Lolcb · 1 Jan 2007 at 20:39

Don't need for a new PSU at all. Unless you are going for the G80 cards. Considering the ram/mobo/cpu has taken up to 650, so that has left you with 50 pounds. I would go for the Tuniq Tower but what is ** case?

gumbald · 1 Jan 2007 at 20:49

What word got censored above? I can't work it out

Dup · 1 Jan 2007 at 20:58

I'm shocked about the PSU... I don't mind going over the budget for a decent PSU if it is needed, but if not nice one! Remember I will be overclocking too, which will up the power usage. I see a lot of people running 700w with their similar systems so It worries me a little.

My current case is a Chieftec Dragon. Here's a pic of my setup as it is:

It should fit in there. I do have that massive 120mm fan hanging on there

Justintime · 1 Jan 2007 at 21:00

Heh you got more than enough PSU for the job mate.

semi-pro waster · 1 Jan 2007 at 21:19

gumbald said:
What word got censored above? I can't work it out

u r without the space I imagine.

The PSU will be fine but is it ATX 2.0 compliant? If not then you will probably need a 20-24pin adapter for the motherboard.

gumbald · 1 Jan 2007 at 21:21

semi-pro waster said:
u r without the space I imagine.

Ah good, don't like that abbreviation

Dup · 1 Jan 2007 at 22:09

The PSU is 2.0 compliant, it came with the adapter.

In overclocking terms, is there any reason to choose the P5W64 WS Pro over the P5W DH Deluxe?

Personally I'd prefer the wireless on the P5W DH and save the £30 for the cooler. Are they effectively the same OCing ability under the shell?

Also, is the RAM overkill, or will it get the performance I want?

I like the idea of the CellShock d9 micron 2GB kits. Is there any point getting the PC2-6400C4 over the PC2-8000C4, bar the £60 difference? The 8000 takes more volts by standard it seems.