Core 2 Duo or AM2 Advice?

Mista.Gee · 12 Dec 2006 at 08:15

I'm currently looking to upgrade from a Pentium 920 D 2.8GHz, ABIT AW8-MAX Motherboard, CORSAIR 2x512 DDR2 XMS2 Twin2X 5400C4.

I've been looking around on OcUK at both AM2 and Core 2 Duo but can't seem to make my mind up as im looking to go either SLi or Crossfire, not looking to buy new memory till i have purchased both Processor and Motherboard.

I have a budget of £250-£300 for both Processor and Motherboard what do you guys think i should do?

mcwildcard · 12 Dec 2006 at 08:42

Right now it's C2D all the way, AMD have a lot of catching up to do.
I just sorted out my C2D upgrade, it's my first ever Intel processor and I don't regret it for one second!

Mista.Gee · 12 Dec 2006 at 08:45

I have been thinking of the Intel Core 2 Duo for awhile now over the AM2, just don't know what to do about SLi - Crossfire or just a good Motherboard and Processor to get for my budget.

easyrider · 12 Dec 2006 at 09:01

6300
DS3

Can't be beaten for 215 quid

for sli go for the 680i

around £320 for both chip and mobo

gurusan · 12 Dec 2006 at 09:14

geepee said:
I have been thinking of the Intel Core 2 Duo for awhile now over the AM2, just don't know what to do about SLi - Crossfire or just a good Motherboard and Processor to get for my budget.

Are you planning on overclocking?

Mista.Gee · 12 Dec 2006 at 09:19

No i'm not really into overclocking to be honest. Just looking for a decent Processor and Motherboard at stock speeds, looking for the best bang for my bucks. I am a casual gamer and like my games without stuttering.

EDIT: Thinking of Crossfire.

gurusan · 12 Dec 2006 at 09:26

I would go with the e6600 then over the e6300 then.

540mhz more and twice as much cache. Anything faster isn't worth it for what they cost yet.

Also, are you sure you want to go with a dual GPU solution if you're just a casual gamer?

A 8800GTX does better than a DX9 SLI or crossfire setup

Mista.Gee · 12 Dec 2006 at 09:28

Yes good thinking im not so sure SLi or Crossfire is worth it anymore with all these decent cards on the horizion again.

What i mean by casual gamer is i still play games on my pc but only for say 1 to 2 hours a day but enjoy them with max settings too. Defently looking for good power, stability and reliablity mostly.

pastymuncher · 12 Dec 2006 at 09:48

I would not go for Sli or crossfire now that the 8800 series is out. OCUK has a BFG 8800GTS for a really good £299.61 inc vat here . That is a very good deal and being a BFG you also get the lifetime warranty too.

Mista.Gee · 12 Dec 2006 at 10:00

Thats a very good price be looking to get that soon, just looking around deciding on what to do now. Been looking at this option tell me what you think?

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ 2.20GHz (Socket AM2) - Retail - £117.49 inc VAT.

Abit Fatal1ty AN9 32X (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard - Retail -£117.49 inc VAT.

Looked around for reviews gave this Motherboard a very good write up.

Deiwos · 12 Dec 2006 at 10:44

geepee said:
Thats a very good price be looking to get that soon, just looking around deciding on what to do now. Been looking at this option tell me what you think?

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ 2.20GHz (Socket AM2) - Retail - £117.49 inc VAT.

Abit Fatal1ty AN9 32X (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard - Retail -£117.49 inc VAT.

Looked around for reviews gave this Motherboard a very good write up.

I'd still go for C2D, AMD is way behind right now.

easyrider · 12 Dec 2006 at 10:49

geepee said:
Thats a very good price be looking to get that soon, just looking around deciding on what to do now. Been looking at this option tell me what you think?

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ 2.20GHz (Socket AM2) - Retail - £117.49 inc VAT.

Abit Fatal1ty AN9 32X (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard - Retail -£117.49 inc VAT.

Looked around for reviews gave this Motherboard a very good write up.

Rubbish,

Overpriced and slow.

Avoid AM2.

I have given you the advice you require I suggest you take heed of it.

Kamakazie! · 12 Dec 2006 at 10:51

Deiwos said:
I'd still go for C2D, AMD is way behind right now.

If he is not overclocking then tehre is acutally little difference at the low end between AMD and Intel.
Once you get to the E6600 then there is no competition from AMD at the price point.
However, the 4200+ compares pretty favourably. Not sure what prices AMD are at now but that was the case when i purchased a few months ago.

Still, I think if you are going for a budget processor, the E6300 is a great buy. If you want AMD then the 4200+ is a good bet.
Really not much in it at stock though probably a small win for the C2D at each price point (except for SuperPi

).

Mista.Gee · 12 Dec 2006 at 10:52

All these choices! What to do very tempted by AM2 right now! For what i would pay for a 6600 i could get both a decent Processor and Motherboard on AM2.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ 2.20GHz (Socket AM2) - Retail - £117.49 inc VAT.

Abit Fatal1ty AN9 32X (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard - Retail -£117.49 inc VAT.
>>
Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail - £215.01 inc VAT.

Kamakazie! · 12 Dec 2006 at 10:56

easyrider said:
Rubbish,

Overpriced and slow.

Avoid AM2.

I have given you the advice you require I suggest you take heed of it.

You don't half go completely over the top with some of your posts.
It is neither over priced, nor slow, at stock speeds. There is no reason for him to "Avoid AM2". It is a technically sound product with a good looking upgrade path.

Anandtech said:
In many benchmarks the X2 4200+ isn't that far off the E6300's performance, sometimes even outperforming it at virtually the same price. Overclocking changes everything though, as our 2.592GHz E6300 ended up faster than AMD's FX-62 in almost every single benchmark. If you're not an overclocker, then the Athlon 64 X2 4200+ looks to be a competitive alternative to the Core 2 E6300.

Kamakazie! · 12 Dec 2006 at 10:58

geepee said:
All these choices! What to do very tempted by AM2 right now! For what i would pay for a 6600 i could get both a decent Processor and Motherboard on AM2.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ 2.20GHz (Socket AM2) - Retail - £117.49 inc VAT.

Abit Fatal1ty AN9 32X (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard - Retail -£117.49 inc VAT.
>>
Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail - £215.01 inc VAT.

If you are not gonna overclock then there is no reasons to pay that much for a motherboard. There is a very nice MSI K9A, cheap, good features, stable and low power consumption of the chipset.
Don't pay £120 for a motherboard that does so much stuff you will never use.

easyrider · 12 Dec 2006 at 10:58

geepee said:
All these choices! What to do very tempted by AM2 right now!

Why?

It's inferior

Mista.Gee · 12 Dec 2006 at 11:02

The reason for why i looked at the Abit Fatal1ty AN9 32X (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard is because it had such good reviews for both Reliability and Performance, don't mind investing on a decent motherboard.

If i was to buy a Intel Core 2 Duo it would have to be Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) what Motherboard would you all suggest?

It's given me some good thought into all this and looking into all avenues before i purchase.

easyrider · 12 Dec 2006 at 11:20

geepee said:
The reason for why i looked at the Abit Fatal1ty AN9 32X (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard is because it had such good reviews for both Reliability and Performance, don't mind investing on a decent motherboard.

If i was to buy a Intel Core 2 Duo it would have to be Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) what Motherboard would you all suggest?

It's given me some good thought into all this and looking into all avenues before i purchase.

There is a reason why AMD slashed the CPU pricing in half.

I would get a 45 quid ASROCK 945 mobo with that 6600 if not overclocking.

But for £220 you could get a DS3 and 6300 change a few values in the bios and be sat at 3ghz within half an hour destroying everything by AMD by a significant ammount.

Its a no brainer.

Oliet_No1 · 12 Dec 2006 at 11:22

Would have to agree - AM2 is both viable and quick.

At stock (taking into account the cheaper price of Mobo's), the AM2 is arguably a better bet.

Decent C2D set up = £225
Decent AM2 (x2)set up = £160

Only when the Overclock issue is raised does it become the standout option(intel)