Core2Duo Starting Build, Advice please

[napalm79]

Okay, So I’m working on piecing together a new system since the hamster spinning the wheel in my current one is about to drop dead.

For now I’d like to start with the “big three” (CPU, MB, GPU) and then work my way out from there. Hehe

Below are the parts currently on my possibilities list, along with a general cost increase above the cheapest in the list. I’m thinking that I’d like to go for around $200-250 in improvements above the “base” here, but just not exactly sure which to upgrade over the others. So, any recommendations at all would be wonderful. Also, if there is something that I haven’t included that you feel would be better in the CPU/MB/GPU areas, feel free to toss that at me as well.

Thanks

CPUs:

E6300 (base)
E6400 (+$50)
E6600 (+$150)


MotherBoards:

ASUS P5N-SLI nForce 570 (base)
MSI 975X Platinum (+$50)
ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe (+$100)
ASUS P5W-DH I975X (+$120)


Vid Cards:
7900GT 256mb (base)
x1900xt 512mb (+$100)
7900 GT 512mb (+$100)
x1900xtx 512mb (+$150)

 

[The_Prophecy]

Go for the E6300, Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3, and an eVGA Geforce 7600GT since the DX 10 cards should be out in 3 months or so.

 

[zjwillie]

This is my suggestion: E6600 - best money/performance ration so I've been told and read over and over, ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe or the ASUS P5W (if you can get one), and the 7900GT is a good choice for now. That is what I'm building tomorrow with the ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe. Good luck!

 

[JeanLuc]

I would aviod getting the MSI 975X Platinum, by all accounts people can't get it to work correctly with the lasest Core 2 processors which is a shame becuase of the features it has and it costs a lot less then the Asus board.

 

[napalm79]

Thanks for the suggestions,

I am leaning for the E6600, P5WDH and 7900GT at the moment I think.

One question though,
is there much of a difference between the i975 chipset (P5WDH) and the n570 chipset (P5N32-SLI)?

Or is it rather small/a non factor?

 

[IcY18]

the e6400 is the best price/performance core2duo if you were to read on toms hardware not the e6600, if you were to plan on oc'ing either cpu to about 3 ghz i would get the e6400, if you dont plan on ocing get the e6600...as far as dx10 goes i wouldn't wait for it to come out because gpus will be stupidly expensive and barely any games will be coded in it, so just get a 7900gt or if you can fork the money a 1900xt and then in a year or so time or more you could get a dx10 card when prices have come down and new games are based on dx10