Core 2 Duo's really worth it?

Hey, so I am building $750 rig and am wondering what to put in it. I was thinking about putting either a AMD Athlon X2 4800+ or a Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 or something. So is the C2D really all its cracked up to be? or is the AMD X2 still in the game? (Also, if you have any build suggestions for $740 that'd be greatly appreciated)

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If your going to go stock and not OC then the amd will be better due to higher clock but if you don't mind minor OC'ing then the E4300 shall outperform the 4800. If you game then you put more in video and don't worry about cpu. If you do encode/decode then get a e6420 and OC to 3.2 ghz. I'm tired tho.

Reply to will14

It really depends, what RAM are you getting with the system? Will you be overclocking?

At stock speeds, the X2 4800+ is a bit faster than the E4300 as long as you use DDR2-800 RAM. With DDR2-667 they are about even.

If you intend to overclock then there is no competition as the E4300 has far more headroom.

Reply to epsilon84

Quote :

If your going to go stock and not OC then the amd will be better due to higher clock but if you don't mind minor OC'ing then the E4300 shall outperform the 4800. If you game then you put more in video and don't worry about cpu. If you do encode/decode then get a e6420 and OC to 3.2 ghz. I'm tired tho.

Well, this rig is for my friend. I can OC it, but he will have the computer. He won't be doing all that high end of gaming, so I was thinking of getting a XFX 7600GT for him. Also if I do go with the C2D then would I need to get a better heatsink and fan?

Reply to xpyrofuryx

Quote :

If your going to go stock and not OC then the amd will be better due to higher clock but if you don't mind minor OC'ing then the E4300 shall outperform the 4800. If you game then you put more in video and don't worry about cpu. If you do encode/decode then get a e6420 and OC to 3.2 ghz. I'm tired tho.

Well, this rig is for my friend. I can OC it, but he will have the computer. He won't be doing all that high end of gaming, so I was thinking of getting a XFX 7600GT for him. Also if I do go with the C2D then would I need to get a better heatsink and fan?

It depends how high you wanna overclock it. The stock HSF should be fine for stock voltage overclocking, so you should get around ~3GHz out of it if you dare aim that high. :lol: :wink:

The 7600GT is getting a bit dated now but is still OK for light gaming I guess.

Reply to epsilon84

Okay, If I get the Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 and a Gigabyte CPU Cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835128005) will that be sufficient if I overclock?

And also Is this the 7600GT too outdated? Not sure what else my options are because to get a 7900GS I have to downgrade something else.

Reply to xpyrofuryx

Save yourself a bit of cost, just use the heatsink and fan that comes packaged with the E4300. For a graphics card, a Radeon 1650XT should be fine for a good while.

Reply to darious00777

Quote :

Save yourself a bit of cost, just use the heatsink and fan that comes packaged with the E4300. For a graphics card, a Radeon 1650XT should be fine for a good while.

That card does look good. And are you sure an aftermarket cooler isnt necessary?

Reply to xpyrofuryx

Quote :

So is the C2D really all its cracked up to be?

yes.

Reply to Rsx

Quote :

Okay, If I get the Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 and a Gigabyte CPU Cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835128005) will that be sufficient if I overclock?

And also Is this the 7600GT too outdated? Not sure what else my options are because to get a 7900GS I have to downgrade something else.

In that case, if gaming performance is important I'd recommend an X2 3600+ matched with a 7900GS instead. Gaming performance relies more on the GPU than CPU.

Reply to epsilon84

with the current price cuts absolutely, the e4300 currently is the best bang for buck.

Reply to Malaga93

Quote :

Okay, If I get the Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 and a Gigabyte CPU Cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835128005) will that be sufficient if I overclock?

And also Is this the 7600GT too outdated? Not sure what else my options are because to get a 7900GS I have to downgrade something else.

In that case, if gaming performance is important I'd recommend an X2 3600+ matched with a 7900GS instead. Gaming performance relies more on the GPU than CPU.

Which One would be better?

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+
2GB (2x1GB) 667mhz
nVidia GeForce 7900GS

or

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
2GB (2x1GB) 667mhz
ATI Radeon x1650XT

???

Reply to xpyrofuryx

Quote :

Okay, If I get the Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 and a Gigabyte CPU Cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835128005) will that be sufficient if I overclock?

And also Is this the 7600GT too outdated? Not sure what else my options are because to get a 7900GS I have to downgrade something else.

In that case, if gaming performance is important I'd recommend an X2 3600+ matched with a 7900GS instead. Gaming performance relies more on the GPU than CPU.

Which One would be better?

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+
2GB (2x1GB) 667mhz
nVidia GeForce 7900GS

or

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
2GB (2x1GB) 667mhz
ATI Radeon x1650XT

???

Eh... DDR2-800 for the AM2 system would be better, but for purely gaming purposes, the AM2 system will kill the C2D system due to the much better GPU.

Reply to epsilon84

Look at my sig. No complaints here and that is the combo I would recommend. You can go with the patriot DDR2-667 LLK which OC's real nice to DDR2-800 specs and beyond.

Reply to custompcz

Quote :

Which One would be better?

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+
2GB (2x1GB) 667mhz
nVidia GeForce 7900GS

or

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
2GB (2x1GB) 667mhz
ATI Radeon x1650XT

???

The AM2 system.

Reply to Jakc

Heres one I did a few months ago...

I didn't stay within $750 but its close...

You could drop the Zalman and save $50, Drop a HDD and save another $60... drop you $110 down to $700 plus shipping.

Add $75 for PSU :oops:

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Reply to PCAnalyst

Quote :

Hey, so I am building $750 rig and am wondering what to put in it. I was thinking about putting either a AMD Athlon X2 4800+ or a Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 or something. So is the C2D really all its cracked up to be? or is the AMD X2 still in the game? (Also, if you have any build suggestions for $740 that'd be greatly appreciated)

Price wise they are still in the game, if you run stock..... AMD has dropped the prices so low that they are competitive with the low-end C2Ds and some of the mid-range.

If you are overclocking though, C2D will be much more rewarding overall. THe E4300 will reach 2.6-2.8 GHz without much problem and will outperform the 6000+.

Jack

I gotta say I really like you JumpingJack :wink: . No fanboy argument in your answer ever. Just straight and honest answer. Too bad there's too few like "us" in here. Well, at least I don't consider myself a fanboy, maybe a bit hard-headed tough :wink: .

About the question, I think he's totally right. Intel is the way to go when considering overclocking, altough that might very well change after Phenom gets released. But we'll never buy anything if we keep on awaiting the next big thing.

Reply to NightlySputnik

Quote :

Which One would be better?

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+
2GB (2x1GB) 667mhz
nVidia GeForce 7900GS

or

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
2GB (2x1GB) 667mhz
ATI Radeon x1650XT

???

The AM2 system.

The AM2 system would be better at higher res. (1280+) in games from the stronger GPU.

The C2D machine would be faster in games at lower res. (1024) and video encoding from the stronger CPU.

So I would choose based on the monitor's optimal res. and based on what non-gaming tasks are being done

Reply to vic20

Core 2 Duo is worth every penny. That said, I went from an overclocked 90nm P4 to a 6300. Huge difference in every aspect.

Reply to Mandrake_

The AM2 system is less expensive, and allows for a better GPU.
Also, the AM2 system has superior upgrading options.

Core 2 duo is an awesome CPU, don't get me wrong, but the low prices of AM2, compared to the performance close to C2D, and the upgrading options, make AM2 quite appealing at this point.

Reply to Jakc

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