System build recommendations

[RU_469]

Ok, my Dell won't play nice with a GT7600, this is the 3rd one I have gone through. So I was planning on building another box myself (first time in a while). I will now accelerate this purchase and build now because I can't play any games on this email machine right now.

So far I have
- Ultra V Series 500w power supply
- Ultra Aluminous Mid Tower case
- Couple of fans to install in the case
- Soundblaster soundcard

I need:
- Processor - debating between the core 2 e6400 or e6600 (is it worth the $100)?
- Mother board - I haven't kept up to date on these in the last few years. I'm not going to overclock this thing at this time. Perhaps when its about to be a boat anchor I will. I understand the need for a good motherboard but overclocking is not my goal.
- Memory - I will buy a minimum of 2g to start but I'm unsure of what speed will provide the best performance.

Any recommendations? All help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Doughbuy]

Depends on your budget, the e6600 would be splurging a little, while the e6400 is conserving a little, your choice on the matter. I like the e6600, but I have the budget to take it... the extra 2mb of cache will only increase performance up to 10% or so... shrug

Mobo, I would recommend the GA-965-S3, sister to the DS3, and is a great mobo at its price. You could always step up to a P5B-E or a DS3, but if your not OC'ing, no need.

Memory, if your not OC'ing, than DDR2 533 is perfectly fine. If you plan to OC a bit, then get DDR2 667, which should be able to hit DDR2 800 speeds if you OC. I would say DDR2 667 is the best bet right now...

http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=2862

That article has more info on such and such.

Lastly, if you need a place to buy, I'd recommend:

www.Directron.com

since me and my friends buy from them all the time. They have pretty low prices while still offering decent service...

Hope all this helps.

 

[jaguarskx]

I like the e6600, but I have the budget to take it... the extra 2mb of cache will only increase performance up to 10% or so... shrug

Actually 0% - 10% based on the application. I believe the average was 4%, DivX encoding will see the 10% boost. But that's comparing a E6600 when clocked at the same speed as the E6400.

 

[Doughbuy]

Yeah, I guess I didn't explain that very well, the extra 2mb cache is where that extra performance increase comes from, which isin't too much as you can see... your call on that, some people want it, others dont...

 

[yas]

I think the E6400 is a more sensible buy if you plan on overclocking or not. I personally wouldnt spend $100 or so just for 2mb of cache. It all depends on how much your willing to spend and for the RAM id either go for a pair of 533mhz or jump directly to the 800mhz. Go for a solid pair of OCZ, corsair or crucial ram.

 

[Eurasianman]

Or.... go for the E6300 and a mobo that supports quad core since they'll be coming out in the next few months

 

[RU_469]

Thanks for the input.

I think I'm going to go with the 6400 ($100 seems like a lot for marginal performance).

I'm an old ASUS fan and don't know a bunch about the Gigabyte motherboard, so I lean toward that one. Additionally it looks like a piece of cake to over clock with the ASUS motherboard. I will only order this board if they can assure me of getting version 2.

What speed memory would you recommend I purchase with this setup (667 still apply with this board?)?

Also, one more dumb question since its been so long since a build. Does the processor come with the heatsink and fan? Or is that a separate purchase now?

Thanks for your time and efforts!

 

[Eurasianman]

I'm an old ASUS fan and don't know a bunch about the Gigabyte motherboard, so I lean toward that one. Additionally it looks like a piece of cake to over clock with the ASUS motherboard. I will only order this board if they can assure me of getting version 2.

Which motherboard were you referring to? If you go to Anandtech, they have an update of current motherboards that support Core 2 Quad.

What speed memory would you recommend I purchase with this setup (667 still apply with this board?)?

Depends on how heavy overclocking you're going to do. Just to be safe, I'd stick with DDR 800.

Also, one more dumb question since its been so long since a build. Does the processor come with the heatsink and fan? Or is that a separate purchase now?

Normally, when you click on the link to the processor, in the title, it should specify whether or not the CPU is retail or OEM. Retail means it comes with heatsink and fan. OEM means CPU only, nothing else. For you, I suppose going OEM wouldn't be bad, that way you can order a better cooling fan, such as the Scythe Ninja or Arctic Freezer 7 Pro. There are others as well, it's up to you.

Good Luck!

 

[RU_469]

The ASUS board I was referring to is the P5B-E