Need simple memory performance advice

gamer16

October 3, 2006 5:09:49 PM

I don't know too much about hardware but I know people here will know...

I want to buy a prebuilt system because I would probably shoot myself out of frustration if I tried to build my own. But I'm on a budget and the best deal I can find on a prebuilt desktop system comes with an Intel Core Duo E6600 chip but the memory speed is only 533mhz as opposed to other systems I see with 667mhz or 800mhz. Specifically I'm looking at a Dell 9200.

So how much performance impact will the 533mhz memory have, if any? Would it be better to skip this deal and look for faster memory? Could I buy separate faster memory and get that to work at a faster rate?

Thanks for any info.

As a side note, should I pay the extra cost for the Core Duo E6600 or settle for the E6300?

I mostly use the high performance aspects for gaming, but I also occasionally run some fairly hefty database stuff (hefty for a PC anyway) and some multimedia stuff like editing home movies.

Thanks again.

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Sheepish

October 3, 2006 5:16:53 PM

I would probably stick with the E6300 and upgrade the gfx card on the 9200 to the 7900GS (because the X1300 just wont cut it).

Im sure a lot of people on the forum will point out you could get better value for money at another custom puter e-tailer.

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gamer16

October 3, 2006 5:25:10 PM

Thanks! I did already buy a 7900 card on the side as they had what seemed like a deal too good to pass up so I am good on that.

I have heard some of the issues with Dell, I just don't know where better to go and I bought my last two machines there years ago. I am willing to look at other builders if anyone can recommend some? But so far I haven't really found a deal a lot better than the one on gotapex.com currently for the Dell 9200.

Anyway, still wanting to know how much impact the memory speed has?

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nobly

October 3, 2006 5:57:46 PM

One thing about dell - watch out for their power supplies. It may or may not supply enough power to power all of your components.... Especially if you have a high end graphics card.
Honestly, i'd sooner go to a hole in the wall computer shop and be able to pick all of the components and have them build it for me. It'd probably be more expensive, but you'll know exactly what you're getting in the box, and you know what brands are there. Plus the computer shops usually offer warranties as well, but probably not as great as dell.

Memory speeds - the core 2 duo doesn't need high end memory to perform. The flip side is that with higher speed memory, you can overclock and get more performance. But don't worry, the computer will still be great even with DDR2-533Mhz memory.

6300 vs 6600:
It really depends on you... Gaming is more video-card based than CPU based, so when its a CPU question, focus on the video editing benchmarks and database benches. Either way, the core 2's are great chips.

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mcgruff

October 3, 2006 6:35:23 PM

Quote:

Honestly, i'd sooner go to a hole in the wall computer shop and be able to pick all of the components and have them build it for me.

I'd definitely agree with picking your own bits. That way you can economise where you want and get quality parts where you don't. The last PC I built didn't have to be too powerful so A64 3000 and value 667 DDR2 were fine. However I did want a quiet PC so I got a good cooler (Scythe Mine), quiet PSU (Seasonic S12 420), Samsung Spinpoint HDDs and a couple of quiet fans. If you buy a A64 3000 off the shelf you're almost guaranteed to get a "budget" package with a cheap, noisy PSU etc.

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