C2D 6300 vs 6400

[Weg]

First post here even though I have been lurking around the past few weeks researching.

I am planning on building a new system here in the next few weeks and I am having a problem deciding between the Core 2 Duo 6300 or the 6400. Trying to stay on a budget.

I will most likely overclock it sometime in the near future. My question is the 6400 worth the extra 40$? Would it be better to just buy the 6300 and spend the extra 40 on an aftermarket cooler?

Any opinons would be welcome.

 

[ScotzAl]

WEG,
My advice would be to go for a 6400, as it a bit more expensive, but most of all, it comes a x8 multiplier. This means with cheaper RAM you've got a fighting chance of 3.4G. When i built my system 2 weeks ago, the difference between 1000MHz RAm and 800MHz ram was a lot, infact much more than the difference between the 63 and 6400 CPU's. Hence why i got cheaper RAM and the 6400.

 

[Weg]

ScotzAl,

It might help alittle more for me to post what else I have decided on buying thus far. I am going to go with the Asus P5B Deluxe mobo and a gig of DDR800 ram (as far as what brand I am not sure yet, any suggestions for that would be welcome also). I also plan on buying another gig of ram once I get the spare cash flow.

I was just wondering the main differences between the 6300 and the 6400. It sounds like the 6400 should be worth the extra 40$.

 

[djgandy]

Only difference really is the multiplier. The higher multi will help you hit higher clock rates lower FSB. That's simply all.

Both are good cpu's though, tbh the 6400 is probably worth spending that little extra on.

Whatever your choice, you'll love the extra speed

 

[Weg]

djgandy,

With the 6400 having a better multiplier, and hitting the same clock rates with lower FSB, it should run cooler then the 6300 at the same clock shouldn't it? Or is it not that simple?

I am sure I'll love the speed from either one since i'm stepping up from a AMD XP 2500+.

 

[djgandy]

djgandy,

With the 6400 having a better multiplier, and hitting the same clock rates with lower FSB, it should run cooler then the 6300 at the same clock shouldn't it? Or is it not that simple?

I am sure I'll love the speed from either one since i'm stepping up from a AMD XP 2500+.

Not really.
The higher multi means you can hit higher clock rates with lower fsb's, but the temperature will most likely be the same for equal cpu clock rates.
The multiplier is just a ratio, like a gear on a bike.

The higher multiplier means you are less reliant on your motherboards FSB capability.
Look at my sig

If i bought the 6300 the highest i'd his is..
300x7 = 2100mhz

with the 6400 i hit
300x8 = 2400mhz

That's because my mobo is cheap though

My advice would be, if you can afford the extra $40, get the e6400, but if you can't i wuldnt worry they are both very fast processors.

 

[djgandy]

yea, but the 6400 is tested to run at higher speeds, which is why it is a 6400 and not a 6300, so thats another reason to get it over the 6300.

Most people hit a will around 3ghz give or take 10%. While I have seen a lot of people hitting 3.6 ghz on 6400. I am not telling you to go fry CPU, but just saying that the 6400 will make a big difference

Well yes that is true. I didn't want to confuse the guy though.

But if you look at the whole core2 range, they all perform well above their rated clock rates. Just because its an e6300 doesnt actually mean its any lower quality than a 6400. With the amount of extra speed we're getting from the whole range, it's very probable that Intel are selling e6300's because they have to and that there are e6300's out there that are as good as or even better quality than 6400's. It just depends on the luck of the draw.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59753

Thats the world record DB @ xs.
It's pretty easy to see, either choice is a good choice
But yeah, still i say get the e6400 if you can afford that bit extra

 

[djgandy]

I agree, but I know for a fact that the way most vendors go by is that they have a screening process for their parts. The way it works is that they take all the parts, and all the ones that pass a test at a given clock rate are named for instance the x6800, then they lower the clock rate a bit and those become the e6700 and so on until they get to the 6300 (I only used intel as an example, but I am pretty sure they do the same thing)

I totally understand and agree.

My only arguement is that I think Intels current production is very strong though, and that they are probably producing parts that are so good that they are forced to lower the clocks on cpus sheerly for marketing purposes

In nearly 10 years of owning pc's i've never seen processors that can perform so highly above their standard clock rates.

If you are buying an E6300 or 6400 you need to ask yourself what you want more. The chance of the extra ~200mhz or the money in your pocket.

 

[Weg]

If you are buying an E6300 or 6400 you need to ask yourself what you want more. The chance of the extra ~200mhz or the money in your pocket.

I've decided that for the extra 40$ I might as well go with the 6400. I don't know how crazy I will go with overclocking it (it might be fast enough for me stock lol ).

Thank you ScotzAL, djgandy, and I_Love_Taco's for your input.

 

[georgelawton]

I'd go with the 6300 cause its cheaper and im all about budget c2d builds.

Save the $40 and make it a real budget build, or if you have the $40 to spare, put it to your GPU.

my 2 cents.

 

[Dahak]

If the 6400 oc's more than the 6300 go with the 6400.But if you can spend the 40 on a decent mb then buy the 6300 and spend the extra either on mb or video card.Goodluck.

Dahak

AMD X2-4400+@2.4 S-939
EVGA NF4 SLI MB
2X EVGA 7800GT IN SLI
2X1GIG DDR IN DC MODE
WD300GIG HD
EXTREME 19IN.MONITOR 1280X1024
ACE 520WATT PSU
COOLERMASTER MINI R120

 

[rwaritsdario]

E6400, then if you get the $40 you can get a TT BT. Upgradeabilty makes the choice here.

 

[tribal0710]

6400 Oc more than 6300 is not a rule ! The differences between how high your C2D will OC are made by the production week. For example ... from my experience i noticed that the most over-clockable C2D are the ones from week 29 and the least OC are week 26. So a week 29 6300 will beat the hell out a 6400 - week 26.

Im telling u this because u said u'll go with a P5B-deluxe mobo ... so FSB limitation due to mobo are out of discussion ... this board ... configured properly and not limited by proc or ram will go up to 500FSB 99 times from 100. \

So , all u need to create a ultra sistem with a low budget ... is
1. p5b-deluxe
2. e6300 - week 29 (u can check week on the box or the cpu heat-spreader)
3. decent ram - 6400(800mhzddr2) / i heard g.skill - 667mhz are great pieces ...and will go up to 920-950 with no effort
4. here u'll invest de 40$ from the chip ... in a good cooler (TT big typhoon , schyte ninja , etc .. check related reviews)

 

[zjohnr]

I will most likely overclock it sometime in the near future. My question is the 6400 worth the extra 40$? Would it be better to just buy the 6300 and spend the extra 40 on an aftermarket cooler?

FWIW, a Tom's article with an opinion on buying a better HSF versus buying a more expensive CPU. (Take a look at the fourth paragraph from the begining).
Cheap Thrills: Core 2 Duo E6400 Overclocked to 3.33 GHz

When I eventually get around to buying, I expect to go with the E6400. In my case it's the near irresistible urge to always be at least one rung up from the bottom of the ladder.

-john, the redundant legacy dinosaur

 

[ScotzAl]

WEG,
Your choice of the P5B Dlx is a good choice. You'll get a good OC with a 6400 and some 6400 (800M) RAM.

Only thing to watch out for is the onboard HD audio, the driver for it is crap.It will totally slow down the PC. Dont worry though they brought out another, here is the link. THis will save you loads of time. Ittook me ages to decipher this one.

Oh and by the way, couple of extra tips for this MOBO. Make sure you upgrade to the latest BIOS before you attempt the OC. When you up the Vcore, do it manually dont let it go on auto and just chang the frequency, the BIOSwill put much more volts than you need. At the moment I have Vcore 1.425v and Vdimm 2.00v This gives my crappy cheapo RAM a base FSB of 437MHz so its running at 874 (not bad for cheap rubbish). The rig is as happy as a sandboy at 3500Mhz which for me is not a bad free upgrade. Given that the CPU is top notch even in STD form an overclock of such magnitued is good news.

Have fun with the P5B Dlx

 

[rwaritsdario]

I guess you didnt mean to reply to me but anyways.
Week 29B are the best ones Ive seen so far. But I dont keep up with this closely since its impossible to hand pick a C2D for me.

 

[Weg]

2. e6300 - week 29 (u can check week on the box or the cpu heat-spreader)

I will most likely end up buying it online so I am not sure if I would be able to check the production date.

I do plan on going with the DDR2 800 (6400) ram, most likely from Corsair or CT.

 

[ScotzAl]

Forgot the HD Audio link

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=112648&page=69

 

[mr_tan]

6400 Oc more than 6300 is not a rule ! The differences between how high your C2D will OC are made by the production week. For example ... from my experience i noticed that the most over-clockable C2D are the ones from week 29 and the least OC are week 26. So a week 29 6300 will beat the hell out a 6400 - week 26.

Can a week 29 e6300 do 3.766ghz? Heres a week 26 e6400 at that speed. So can it "beat the hell" out of it? :lol:

http://www.firingsquad.com/special/ocdb/view.asp?oc_id=178

 

[rwaritsdario]

Is all about how far you wanna take it and how good of a tweaker you are. But if youre planning on going close to 4Ghz with a E6400, youll be better off with a 3050.

 

[Weg]

I ended up going with the 6400 an running off of it now.

While I had the common problem of the heatsink not seating right (had CPU temps of 85*+) I think I have it seated right now (idles in the mid 30's and max i've seen from it so far loading both cores 100% with TAT is 52*). This thing ROCKS.

I havn't even tweaked with it at all and I'm not sure if I even will for awhile.

 

[rwaritsdario]

Remember to post your results once you do.

 

[rwaritsdario]

PFF, you've still got a long way to go.

 

[racerboywonder]

WEG,
Your choice of the P5B Dlx is a good choice. You'll get a good OC with a 6400 and some 6400 (800M) RAM.

Only thing to watch out for is the onboard HD audio, the driver for it is crap.It will totally slow down the PC. Dont worry though they brought out another, here is the link. THis will save you loads of time. Ittook me ages to decipher this one.

Oh and by the way, couple of extra tips for this MOBO. Make sure you upgrade to the latest BIOS before you attempt the OC. When you up the Vcore, do it manually dont let it go on auto and just chang the frequency, the BIOSwill put much more volts than you need. At the moment I have Vcore 1.425v and Vdimm 2.00v This gives my crappy cheapo RAM a base FSB of 437MHz so its running at 874 (not bad for cheap rubbish). The rig is as happy as a sandboy at 3500Mhz which for me is not a bad free upgrade. Given that the CPU is top notch even in STD form an overclock of such magnitued is good news.

Have fun with the P5B Dlx

Which BIOS are you running now? Also, what are your temps?

 

[rwaritsdario]

A peltier pre-assembled liquid cooler... Sadly there are no expert reviews about it so ill refrain my opinions. But yeah I'm interested n the results 8)