Ok, this weekend I got a decent case for free (after MIR) and some OCZ Platinum Rev. 2 (2 x 1GB DDR2 800) for cheap ($33 after MIR)... so I guess the upgrade game is on.
I have a good idea of what I will be doing for the GPU (pretty killer deal), so all I need is a CPU and MB. What CPU I get will dictate my MB options, so I am looking for some general input here.
My main goal is something that is performant and cost effective today that leaves the door open for:
- Faster, quadcore (45nm?) CPU in the future
- Faster GPU in 18-24 months (when the R700/G90 series do their refresh on 45nm, ala the 8800GT/HD3850)
The PCIe slot will leave both ATI/NV options open, but whatever CPU I choose will limit future options. Right now I lean toward Intel (sorry AMD friends) because I like what I see on the Core 2 Quad side. The Q6600 is a great looking CPU that overclocks really well, and with 45nm chips coming shortly it looks like Intel has legs on the architecture. Intel has also been pretty aggressive, with 45nm transitions well in effect (Penryn'07, Nehalem'08) and 32nm (Westmere'09, Sandy Bridge'10) seemingly on route for good scaling in performance and retail cost (of course my MB may go bye-bye with new sockets... but for now it looks like if apps&games begin using 4 or 8 cores in the next 2-3 years there will be some nice quadcore 65nm/45nm LGA 775 CPUs to pick up). Typically I am not big on CPU upgrades (as socket and MBs change so fast), but with multicore processors, it is realistic to be able to double performance cheaply down the road to get some more mileage out of my base hardware.
So my goal is Bang-for-Buck with an eye for upgrades. Here is what the current CPU market looks like price wise:
Q6600 (C2Q, 2.4GHz, 1066MHz FSP, 8MB L2) $280
E6850 (C2D, 3GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 4MB L2) $290
E6750 (C2D, 2.66GMHz, 1333MHz FSB, 4MB L2) $190
E6550 (C2D, 2.33GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 4MB L2) $170
(E4600, 4500, and 4400 with 2MB L2 in the 2-2.4GHz range, 800MHz FSB, for $130-$150; any great/stable overclocking chips?)
X2 6400+ (3.2GHz, 2x1MB L2, 90nm) $180
X2 6000+ (3.0GHz, 2x1MB L2, 90nm) $160
X2 5600+ (2.8GHz, 2x1MB L2, 90nm) $140
X2 5000+ (2.6GHz, 2x512KB L2, 65nm) $130
X2 5200+ (2.6GHz, 2x1MB L2, 90nm) $120
X2 5200+ (2.7GHz, 2x512KB L2, 90nm) $110
X2 5000+ (2.6GHz, 2x512KB L2, 90nm) $110
Some benchies: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3012
It really looks like the e6750 is a great bang-for-buck. It pretty much tops the X2 series for the same price as the 6400+. And there are the C2Q (with 45nm variants soon) waiting in the wings, so a cheap performant upgrade down the road looks very possible. I hear it overclocks well as well, but I always wonder: how stable and how cool on air? I have read that the 65nm X2 5000+ (2.6GHz) OCs well, but it has less cache and is the $50 different worth the platform/performance differences?
Are there any cheap AM2 or LGA 775 chips that typically OC very well and are stable and cool worth looking at? Sometimes you get binning of chips with favorable multipliers (early 90nm Athlons and the P4c 2.4GHz come to mind).
My friend has been big on the Gigabyte GA-P35 MB. It is cheap ($90), reviews at NewEgg and Overclock.net indicate it OCs really well, but is missing some of the trimmings (SLI; I don't care here), is missing RAID, and is missing FireWire.
Any guidance on MBs?
Finally, Skyring pointed out a deal for $208 8800GT Overclocked (660MHz) at Dell.
All in all, it looks like right now is a good time to get good bang-for-buck upgrade for a PC. I use my PC a lot, and stuff like video encoding or the weekend CoD4 excursion, push my system. Lately I have been asked into a couple internal PC game betas and my 6800GT just does not cut it for unoptimized code. And while the $520 for the upgrade is a lot, I use my PC a lot for school, work, and play and will be selling my old system to make up the price difference (basically sub-$300 upgrade after moving the extra parts).
Thanks for feedback Right now I have my eye on the 8800GT deal and a C2D E6750, but I am easily swayed.
Ps- The upgrade actually may take place in early 2008
I have a good idea of what I will be doing for the GPU (pretty killer deal), so all I need is a CPU and MB. What CPU I get will dictate my MB options, so I am looking for some general input here.
My main goal is something that is performant and cost effective today that leaves the door open for:
- Faster, quadcore (45nm?) CPU in the future
- Faster GPU in 18-24 months (when the R700/G90 series do their refresh on 45nm, ala the 8800GT/HD3850)
The PCIe slot will leave both ATI/NV options open, but whatever CPU I choose will limit future options. Right now I lean toward Intel (sorry AMD friends) because I like what I see on the Core 2 Quad side. The Q6600 is a great looking CPU that overclocks really well, and with 45nm chips coming shortly it looks like Intel has legs on the architecture. Intel has also been pretty aggressive, with 45nm transitions well in effect (Penryn'07, Nehalem'08) and 32nm (Westmere'09, Sandy Bridge'10) seemingly on route for good scaling in performance and retail cost (of course my MB may go bye-bye with new sockets... but for now it looks like if apps&games begin using 4 or 8 cores in the next 2-3 years there will be some nice quadcore 65nm/45nm LGA 775 CPUs to pick up). Typically I am not big on CPU upgrades (as socket and MBs change so fast), but with multicore processors, it is realistic to be able to double performance cheaply down the road to get some more mileage out of my base hardware.
So my goal is Bang-for-Buck with an eye for upgrades. Here is what the current CPU market looks like price wise:
Q6600 (C2Q, 2.4GHz, 1066MHz FSP, 8MB L2) $280
E6850 (C2D, 3GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 4MB L2) $290
E6750 (C2D, 2.66GMHz, 1333MHz FSB, 4MB L2) $190
E6550 (C2D, 2.33GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 4MB L2) $170
(E4600, 4500, and 4400 with 2MB L2 in the 2-2.4GHz range, 800MHz FSB, for $130-$150; any great/stable overclocking chips?)
X2 6400+ (3.2GHz, 2x1MB L2, 90nm) $180
X2 6000+ (3.0GHz, 2x1MB L2, 90nm) $160
X2 5600+ (2.8GHz, 2x1MB L2, 90nm) $140
X2 5000+ (2.6GHz, 2x512KB L2, 65nm) $130
X2 5200+ (2.6GHz, 2x1MB L2, 90nm) $120
X2 5200+ (2.7GHz, 2x512KB L2, 90nm) $110
X2 5000+ (2.6GHz, 2x512KB L2, 90nm) $110
Some benchies: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3012
It really looks like the e6750 is a great bang-for-buck. It pretty much tops the X2 series for the same price as the 6400+. And there are the C2Q (with 45nm variants soon) waiting in the wings, so a cheap performant upgrade down the road looks very possible. I hear it overclocks well as well, but I always wonder: how stable and how cool on air? I have read that the 65nm X2 5000+ (2.6GHz) OCs well, but it has less cache and is the $50 different worth the platform/performance differences?
Are there any cheap AM2 or LGA 775 chips that typically OC very well and are stable and cool worth looking at? Sometimes you get binning of chips with favorable multipliers (early 90nm Athlons and the P4c 2.4GHz come to mind).
My friend has been big on the Gigabyte GA-P35 MB. It is cheap ($90), reviews at NewEgg and Overclock.net indicate it OCs really well, but is missing some of the trimmings (SLI; I don't care here), is missing RAID, and is missing FireWire.
Any guidance on MBs?
Finally, Skyring pointed out a deal for $208 8800GT Overclocked (660MHz) at Dell.
All in all, it looks like right now is a good time to get good bang-for-buck upgrade for a PC. I use my PC a lot, and stuff like video encoding or the weekend CoD4 excursion, push my system. Lately I have been asked into a couple internal PC game betas and my 6800GT just does not cut it for unoptimized code. And while the $520 for the upgrade is a lot, I use my PC a lot for school, work, and play and will be selling my old system to make up the price difference (basically sub-$300 upgrade after moving the extra parts).
Thanks for feedback Right now I have my eye on the 8800GT deal and a C2D E6750, but I am easily swayed.
Ps- The upgrade actually may take place in early 2008