Looking to either go Quad or E6850

[mikeny]

In a few months Im thinking of updating my system. I dont play FPS's. I'm probably going to start playing a MMORPG next spring or summer (not sure of which one though). I was leaning towards the E6850 with its 3.0GHZ speed and 1333FSB. With my system I have now I have 4GB of ddr2-675 RAM. I was also looking to probably replace my mobo (Gigabyte DS3) and video card and get into DX10. What would give me high frame rates and not slow me down. Money is not the problem but I do want to get the best bang for my bucks.

Current system: Aerocool ExtremEngine 3T case
Thermaltake PurePower 500W PSU
E6300 retail with stock cooler (keeps it cool)
16x DVD-RW Dual Layered w/ Lightscribe
2x 150GB SATAII 3.0GB/s WD HDD
Saphire x1900xtx video card
Soundblaster Xfi-XM
19" Viewsonic LCD vx922 monitor
Klipsch 2.1 speakers
Gigabyte 965P-DS3 rev 1.0
4GB ddr2-675 Corsair xms2 xtreme performance

Games I play: Zoo Tycoon 2 and expansions, Simcity4 and expansion, Wildlife Zoo, Civ4 and expansions, OOTPB, Haulin, Sims2 and expansions, RollercoasterTycoon 3 and expansions, Galactic Civilizations and expansions and a MMORPG coming sooon.

 

[Mousemonkey]

In a few months when you come to upgrade the Penryn quads may be available, and would be a much better option than a Q6600.

 

[Evilonigiri]

If you insist on getting one, go with a E6850 and a year later upgrade to a quad. A quad right now isn't very useful for you since you don't play many multi-threaded games.

 

[aevm]

I don't think you need to upgrade this year. You have a very nice system. Are you having problems with any of your favorite games right now?

Try getting a serious CPU cooler and OCing that E6300 a bit...

 

[mikeny]

Im not an overclocker. Ive never done it and part of me is hesitant to do it. Some of the newer games I might be getting is SimSocieties (little nervous since maxis isnt involved and its looking more like City Life 2), Rail Simulator, Train Simulator 2, Rigs n Roll, and maybe Tabula Rasa, Star Wars Galaxies ( I was on a long long time ago), City of Heroes (was on last year), and if Star Trek Online ever is released (supposedly in 2007). Ive looked in the coming soon pile and thats pretty much it. I just want to make sure nothing is bogging me down. When I play 18wheels of steel: Haulin it seems like its chugging somewhat. Dont get me started with Simcity4000 but I was told thats because of Simcity4000's code which doesnt take advantage of better system capabilities and other things. I was also thinking of getting a larger case and one that has a pull out motherboard tray and see thru panel. I built my first system last year and was cutting costs and looking to upgrade later on (which is now) so I want to make sure if next generation games and if I venture into games that happen to be next generation games I want to make sure my system can handle it. Im just twitching because a part of me thinks my system isnt powerful or next generation gaming ready.
I thought having a mobo that supports both quad and conroe, 3.0GHZ processor (e6850) and a DX10 card which prices for both have fallen would keep me happy till I move to Quad (if i ever need to go to quad). I dont do 2 things at once. If Im playing a game thats what Im doing. If Im on surfing on the net, im just doing that. Sometimes I run spybot or adware but I quickly close it when its done.

 

[aevm]

Simcity 4000 is not a particularly well written game... My Dad loves it, but he gets crashes from time to time.

Since you're not planning to upgrade very soon, I'd ask again later. Things are changing rapidly these days. If you do your upgrade In January you'll probably end up with an X38 motherboard and a Penryn CPU and a 9800 GTX. Since none of these is available yet, it's rather pointless to discuss them now...

If you want a really nice case look at the SilverStone TJ09. I totally love mine. It's a bit expensive but you've got an xtx video card so I guess you're doing OK.

 

[mikeny]

I forgot to mention, I might get Flight Simulator X and I heard the system requirements are steep which is also why Im thinking I need to upgrade soon (december or January). The E6850 will be old news in January? I thought it would be plenty powerful until going to Quadcore. Is Penryn worthy to hold for? X38 mobo? Anyone have any links to articles on both of these? I like to plan ahead which is why I was asking now and watching prices also. Plus I am getting a headache whether I should go to DX10 with ATI or Nvidia.
I love SC4k and yes mine crashes also. I save every minute lol.

 

[plguzman]

If you do a simple search, you will find threads and threads about THE SAME SUBJECT. They are very informative, and you will find your answer there.

 

[aevm]

Flight Simulator is a rather unusual game. It works best on a quad core CPU, the CPU is more important than the video card (unlike most games), and apparently it prefers ATI video cards.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

A great cpu will obviously perform better, with no or little bottlenecking, but for best gaming, the most important thing you can do is get a better video card, period. The 1900 is nice, close to a 8800gts, but theres also the 2900 and the GTX. For pure gaming improvement, upgrading your card is more important

 

[mikeny]

A great cpu will obviously perform better, with no or little bottlenecking, but for best gaming, the most important thing you can do is get a better video card, period. The 1900 is nice, close to a 8800gts, but theres also the 2900 and the GTX. For pure gaming improvement, upgrading your card is more important

I was looking at the high end NVidia cards and i might be wrong but articles I was reading seem like they arent to impressed and blown away by the ATI (2900) cards. Then again the same articles seemed like the ATI and NVIdia cards were neck and neck and even though NVidia had a slight edge, a slight edge meant nothing. PLus it was on games I don't play such as Quake and others. I was trying to see some builds who play WoW, and are keeping an eye on next generation MMORPG's and the builds that people will be playing them on. I figure if I get the E6850, on a new mobo that supports Quad/C2D, I would be good for a while. Just in case, I think I will never do dual video cards....just get one fantastic one will be on my mind.
I checked out the articles on Penryn (Wolfdale for desktops), is this new chip good for gaming and worthy to wait? I see its 45nm chip, does this mean the present 65nm C2D and Quadcore wont be able to go on the mobo for Penryn? I was curious because like I said, I was thinking of going with E6850 or Q6600, new mobo that supports both Conroe (1333FSB)and Quad and ddr3, and change the video card to dx10 and get a high end model, get a bigger case, and "update the PSU. The leftover parts I was going to leave in my present system and give it to my wife so she can write her papers and do her research...her emachine computer is a piece of ________ (insert your expletitive). I love graphics and want to be awed when I eventually land a plane in Flight Simulator. I would like to actually land a plane in FS before I die lol.

 

[aevm]

Let me guess, you learned how to take off but you've never ever landed properly so far?

Yes, the HD2900 cards were a disappointment when they launched. They got much better thanks to improved drivers, but the 8800 GTX still beats them. It's also less noisy and consumes less, which matters to some people.

WoW doesn't care about the video card that much, either 2900 or 8800 GTX will be plenty.

Get the Q6600 if you're a fan of Flight Simulator. Make sure you get the latest patches, because quad support was added in a patch.

A mobo that would support current and future quads (that is, including the ones to be released in the next 6 months) and without paying for dual video card support... GA-P35-DS3R, Asus P5K, ABIT IP35 Pro. Google them and read some reviews.

Wolfdale/Penryn/Yorkfield, whatever - yes, they will be nice for gaming. They will be even nicer for overclockers. They will be UNBELIEVABLY nice for people who encode video a lot and are willing to buy new software with SSE4 support. However, I wouldn't wait until November for them, with Q6600 at current prices and if it's only for gaming.
The mobos I listed above will accept a Q6600 or E6850 now and a Penryn quad later.

Stick with DDR2, because DDR3 is not that much better and it costs way more.

Most importantly: don't say "here are some leftover parts, enjoy" to the wife. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[mikeny]

Let me guess, you learned how to take off but you've never ever landed properly so far?

Yes, the HD2900 cards were a disappointment when they launched. They got much better thanks to improved drivers, but the 8800 GTX still beats them. It's also less noisy and consumes less, which matters to some people.

WoW doesn't care about the video card that much, either 2900 or 8800 GTX will be plenty.

Get the Q6600 if you're a fan of Flight Simulator. Make sure you get the latest patches, because quad support was added in a patch.

A mobo that would support current and future quads (that is, including the ones to be released in the next 6 months) and without paying for dual video card support... GA-P35-DS3R, Asus P5K, ABIT IP35 Pro. Google them and read some reviews.

Wolfdale/Penryn/Yorkfield, whatever - yes, they will be nice for gaming. They will be even nicer for overclockers. They will be UNBELIEVABLY nice for people who encode video a lot and are willing to buy new software with SSE4 support. However, I wouldn't wait until November for them, with Q6600 at current prices and if it's only for gaming.
The mobos I listed above will accept a Q6600 or E6850 now and a Penryn quad later.

Stick with DDR2, because DDR3 is not that much better and it costs way more.

Most importantly: don't say "here are some leftover parts, enjoy" to the wife. :lol: :lol: :lol:

LoL. Yupp, I can take off, but crash when I try to turn, then when I skip all of that and do autopilot, when I turn it off to land.....spppppppllllaaat!

Yes, I only do gaming...nothing else. I thought the Quad's are nothing more than 2 C2D's in one die and its not a true quad processor.

I have 4GB ddr2-675 so I wasnt planning on buying ddr3 (just planning for the future even though that is tomorrow then yesterday lol).

 

[aevm]

Ah, one more thing. Some people on this forum will get really annoyed if you say the phrase "not a true quad processor". Logically speaking, if it isn't a true quad, then how come nobody has sued Intel yet to force them to stop selling it under the "quad" name? For example AMD has already sued them for a few other things, but not for this

I think I know the feeling about landing in FSX. I had similar troubles in the driving test in SimCity...

 

[mikeny]

LoL, I forgot to add when I made the comment on QuadCore (hope I dont start another war). I fell asleep before I could edit.

I read the article on the x38 boards, seems like they arent much of a gain in performance and the P35 boards get you the best bang for your buck. Also it said ( I like I said before), on the mainpage of tomshardware, ATI cards are deficient and not as good as NVidias 8800gtx. Is there a noticable difficiency? Is SLI or Crossfire worth it? I said Ill never do crossfire or SLI, but part of me was like...hmmmm 2 graphics boards 2 processors equal more ???

 

[aevm]

Yeah, X38 looks rather bad right now. It's been designed with DDR3 and ATI cards in mind, and it turns out that DDR2 and nVidia cards would have been better choices. Somebody guessed wrong at Intel. Anyway, when ATI comes up with a really good card (say, a 2900XT with a 65 nm die-shrink to reduce heat and power consumption) and DDR3 gets cheaper, then X38 will be very tempting.

The difference between HD2900XT and 8800GTX: not really that big these days. Look at this URL, and change the game and resolution to get a better idea:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=857&model2=706&chart=297

I understand that recent driver updates from ATI have narrowed the gap, so the HD2900XT does better than these benchmarks show. Not as good as the 8800 GTX but pretty close. However, it consumes more and generates more heat and noise, so I'd still prefer nVidia. The HD2900XT is cheaper and tends to have games bundled, so all things considered I'd say there's good competition there, no clear winner.

SLI and Crossfire: not worth it for 95% of people (OK, I'm guessing a number here). Very useful for the other 5%, i.e. those who play shooting games at 2560x1500 and really need lots of fps and can't get them from a single 8800 GTX. I would have tried it, but it meant another CAD$700 for the second video card and CAD$1800 for a 30" Samsung 305T instead of $400 for a decent 20" monitor, and it was just too silly. Maybe when I'm done with the mortgage...

 

[mikeny]

LoL I hear ya. Hmmm maybe Ill venture to the 8800GTX. Part of me was thinking of venturing into overclocking territory. Is it worth it to O/C the 6300 since everyone is saying that my system is pretty good to start with and since I found a bad RAM stick, it has been stable since the BSOD. Part of me is thinking of O/Cing, part of me is thinking of changing my mobo from DS3 to P35 board.

 

[Maziar]

easy answer :

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q6600.html
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3038&p=8

Keep your E6300 and upgrade to a 8800GTX

 

[mikeny]

easy answer :

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q6600.html
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3038&p=8

Keep your E6300 and upgrade to a 8800GTX

Hmmm, sounds like the Q6600 is the way to go and o/ced but the E6850 is jus as good not o/c and Ill watch the prices for the gtx.