What's the Best Desktop CPU Choice Now?

[halbhh]

Suppose your computer was fried, and you have to replace it now! (today), and an Uncle had just given you $800, to which you will add your own funds of course according to your own finances and priorities.

Of course....you could choose to spend the $800, and more, or less, according to your own personal priorities. We know price cuts are coming, but suppose you had to have a computer now, and can't borrow one, and no laptop, etc.

Thought I'd liven up the forum a little. Hope I've included enough good candidates -- the poll only allows this many. (From NewEgg in stock, except the QX6800)

Feel free to vote for a nearby candidate to your choice missing from the limited list here, and post your own write-in note.

Glad to hear your own version of why a certain chip is the best. Short and Sweet. Everyone has a right to their own preferences!

Mine:

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X2 4600 65W, cause the price and performance are sweet, and I can plop in a pleasant new cpu in that board next year. And I want a more awesome monitor! (and new graphics).

 

[1Tanker]

Suppose your computer was fried, and you have to replace it now! (today), and an Uncle had just given you $800, to which you will add your own funds of course according to your own finances and priorities.

Of course....you could choose to spend the $800, and more, or less, according to your own personal priorities. We know price cuts are coming, but suppose you had to have a computer now, and can't borrow one, and no laptop, etc.

Thought I'd liven up the forum a little. Hope I've included enough good candidates -- the poll only allows this many. (From NewEgg in stock, except the QX6800)

Glad to hear your own version of why a certain chip is the best. Short and Sweet. Everyone has a right to their own preferences!

Mine:

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X2 4600 65W, cause the price and performance are sweet, and I can plop in a pleasant new cpu in that board next year. And I want a more awesome monitor! (and new graphics).

E6600...which i have... but since it wasn't in the list, i picked the E4300.

PS: If you'd put the E6600 instead of the E6700....it would get a lot of votes. The jump in price between the 6600 and 6700 isn't worth it to most people.

 

[halbhh]

Makes sense. I was trying to space the price points out, but the e6600 is a great choice missing from this short list. I put in an edit to encourage write-ins.

I'll bump this poll up tomorrow afternoon if it needs it. It's bedtime here.

 

[NMDante]

E6600.

I have one, along with the E6700, but right now, the E6600 is in my main system (I haven't built the E6700 system yet).

 

[epsilon84]

You make a poll regarding CPU choice and leave out one of the leading candidates - the E6600, and instead put in the exorbitant QX6800 which the vast majority here wouldn't even consider buying. Why not put in the FX-74 for good measure? :lol: :roll:

FWIW I voted the E4300 for value/overclocking.

 

[SEALBoy]

I'd pick the E4400. It has a 10x multiplier (same as the E6700), meaning you can get it to 3Ghz by upping the FSB by 100MHz. This provides great overclocking potential on some of the lower-end motherboards, which may not have the ability to remain stable at very high bus speeds (and which will probably be bought by someone with a budget for an E4400).

After that I'd pick the E6600.

 

[daye159]

X2 3800 its the best cuz its cheap an id have cash left over to buy food

 

[halbhh]

You make a poll regarding CPU choice and leave out one of the leading candidates - the E6600, and instead put in the exorbitant QX6800 which the vast majority here wouldn't even consider buying. Why not put in the FX-74 for good measure? :lol: :roll:

FWIW I voted the E4300 for value/overclocking.

yeah, that's right. Only 10 poll choices allowed (read the OP, message#3). 6 Intel, and 4 AMD seemed reasonable. Perhaps you should make a poll post yourself, with only Intel choices. Don't worry, I won't vote it 1 star, ha hah

Some processors I had in the poll originally, but all the choices exceeded the total number allowed in a poll:

X6800
E6600
X2 5000

 

[halbhh]

E6600.

I have one, along with the E6700, but right now, the E6600 is in my main system (I haven't built the E6700 system yet).

It should be interesting to hear from you whether the 6700 feels faster than the 6600. Hope you'll let us know later.

 

[epsilon84]

Nah, I'll pass on making an Intel only one, what would be the point? It's fairly obvious which ones are popular atm anyway, namely the E4300/E4400 and E6420 and E6600, with a few impatient ones getting the Q6600 before the upcoming pricecuts, tsk tsk!

I'm surprised you didn't include the X2 3600+ as an option also, since it's probably THE most popular dual core CPU atm, but yeah, I hear ya, 10 options max, but I would probably just delete the QX6800 from the options list... seriously if that is the retail price only the richest or most foolish of people would get one.

 

[Chef_Boyardee]

It all comes down to what people are comfortable spending. I picked e6700 b/c that price was worth the performance. If i was a millionaire, it would come down to the performance only. Price would not be an issue.

 

[m25]

I need a lot of rendering power, so I chose the Q6600 for that budget.

 

[elbert]

Mine is none of the above. The X2 3600+ it the best AMD OC bang for the buck. After the july price drop the Q6600 should be the best.

 

[C26000]

one more vote for the E6600 that is not in the list , I voted for E6420

 

[haywood]

Intel - E6600
AMD - X2 3800

 

[NMDante]

E6600.

I have one, along with the E6700, but right now, the E6600 is in my main system (I haven't built the E6700 system yet).

It should be interesting to hear from you whether the 6700 feels faster than the 6600. Hope you'll let us know later.

Oh, it should play better, since I am using an 8800 GTS in the E6700, compared to my 7600GT I have now, in my E6600. Same memory though, 2GB of DDR2800.

I will probably move my E6600 to my HTPC, and give my E6400 to my parents.

 

[Rripperr]

The E6600 is the sweet spot and most popular of the C2D line up. $224(USD) gets you 2.4 Ghz of 4MB dual-core gaming goodness that can often be OC'ed to X6800 speeds with the stock HSF. Stock it equals the top of AMD's current offerings, OC'ed it can go far beyond. No compromises, just pure potential and performance.

Best bang for the buck, period.

 

[tranhgiang]

E4300 is the smart choice.

It is really cheap (114$). Plus it over clock really well. Thus guarantee that it will handle anything you throw at it for the next couple of months, if not at least a year.

With that said, e4300 will hold you well for more than 5,6 months.

The real benefit is in the next couple of months (mid summer, before Christmas), a lot of thing will play out, and you don't want to miss the action.

Let say in 4,5 months you think you waste 114$ on E4300 (not likely), even if that the case by then the price of anything listed there is very likely to drop by around 114$. You can always salvage the E4300 and end up with whatever cpu you like best at that time without losing any money.

 

[halbhh]

Well, I think most of the votes are in, and it's a resounding victory for the e4300 and the e6600/e6700 processors. These are sweet spot processors, and it shows good choice making on the part of folks for value, IMO.

A small interest in the AMD placeholders like the 3800 and 4600 suggests that not many want to bet on an agena upgrade into an AM2 board at the moment. This continues to be a decent strategy IMO for budget minded builders though. This is largely a performance forum of course.

 

[goldragon_70]

I could pick the e6600, so I picked the q6600