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CPU upgrade comparison

KieyKiey
edited November 2007 in Technology
I'm looking to upgrade my computer hardware a bit. Mostly I really just need a new video card, but my current card is an AGP so I have to get a new mobo with PCI express so I can get a PCI express card. I have an AMD X2 3800+ so I was planning on just getting an AMD mobo with the right socket, but looking at the cost of CPUs I'm tempted to upgrade the CPU too seeing as I can get a 6000+ AMD for about $150. But then I realized if I'm going to to get a new CPU I might as well look at Intel ones too.

So basically this all comes down to this which would be better:
an Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz 4m shared L2 Cache LGA 775
or an AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2

Comments

  • ThaedThaed
    Isn't the Intel slightly faster? What about this one? Which one did Rym buy? Finally,
    what about the quadcore?
  • KieyKiey
    I'm really not looking to spend a whole lot of money, otherwise I'd just go for the highest end Intel. I want to keep the CPU around $150 or less.
  • UsagimaruUsagimaru
    I'm not sure about the Intel release schedule, but I think AMD is supposed to come out with AM2+ in less than a month. Even if you don't want an AM2+ CPU, the older AM2s work with the new motherboards, and that would give you more choices later on. Not sure what the prices are of the AMD/Intel CPUs that are coming out later.
     
    Also, I think I looked this stuff up a little bit ago, and I think the speeds of those two were too close to even matter. If your not planning on overclocking, I would go with the AMD, or make sure you get a motherboard that'll work with the new Intels coming out in a bit (it's Pynren or something I think).
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited November 2007
    Sheesh, Is it ever a good time to buy a whole computer?
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • RymRym
    Sheesh, Is it ever a good time to buy a whole computer?
    Never.
  • am_dragonam_dragon
    edited November 2007
    This is a nice little write-up on upgrades. I was thinking a machine that would play UT3 nicely was well out of reach. We were talking about it at work. If you throw $500 at your rig every year to 18 months, you will be able to play the latest games. It makes more sense than spending $1500 + on a full system every 2-3 years to keep up.

    I just put together a MythTV box for around $450. Since I had to buy the case and a tuner card that makes up for the $250 video card. Hot little rig for 1/2 a grand. It pumps out 1080p video no problem. It can display one HD program and record another at the same time, I'm still impressed at how inexpensive the parts were. The 64bit 4200+ X2 was $70, the price makes you wonder if it's old news, the stats in that article show it's got plenty of power.
    Post edited by am_dragon on
  • KieyKiey
    That is a really interesting article... I may have to alter what I was going to get because of it.
  • ThaedThaed
    I read that article and tried to play the Crysis demo at a higher resolution to let my 7800 GTX card do more of the work. It didn't really work so well. When I maxed out the settings, it just crashed my machine. When I ran it at high resolution but lower effects settings, it got bogged down quickly when things got busy. I think the idea that you can throw a high end graphics card into a crappy machine and play awesome games at high resolutions is kind of a myth. I think it will let you play awesome games at low rent settings. If you weren't even able to get the game to run previously, that's an improvement. But you still can't get something for nothing.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited November 2007
    A computer is as slow as its slowest component. I find playing games a year or two later to be much more affordable.
    Post edited by Rym on
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