Dual core vs Triple Core...I'm confused

Antec 1200---$229.99
Intel Q9550---$219.99
23 inch Samsung 1080p LCD Widescreen---249.99 ON SALE!!!!
Asus Rampage Extreme X48 ---$159.99
Asus cooler---19.99
8GB OCZ DDR3 2000---205.99
Antec 600W---109.99
XFX 4650---109.99
24X Samsung DVD-RW---39.99
2x WD 500GB 16MB cache---$98.99
Total---1444.90

The hd's run in a asus RAID0 and the CPU overclocks to 480X8.5 and the ram will run at a base 960 stable. I keep it at 415 just because besides protein folding I can't use half that power anyway.

for $432.02 I think the extras are well worth it. Also I can nativly run OSX 10.5.7 without error. which is just fun sometimes
 
I have the Phenom II 720 X3 and its awesome. Perfect combination of multi-core for multitasking plus plenty of clock speed (2.8ghz). Just throwing that out there.
 
thanks for the responses guys.

After reading the Tom's Hardware article, I think I'll probably stick with Intel. I've always had good luck with them until recently, and it seems like the majority of programs I run don't benefit too much from multiple cores.

I'll probably end up over clocking the processor a bit to get a little more performance.

One other question, will a mobo that supports ddr2 1033 or 800, also support ddr2 667 which I have from my old machine?

thanks
 
Sony Optiarc Black 24X -- 31.99
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB - 89.99
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W - 58.99
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R - 114.99
Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz - 119.99

Total: 415.95 + 11.85 shipping for my house.

I didn't add anything else because I don't know what you are looking for. Assuming that you want to use your old ram I didn't add any new ram in that setup. I think that is a very price efficient build :)
 
thanks for the responses guys.

After reading the Tom's Hardware article, I think I'll probably stick with Intel. I've always had good luck with them until recently, and it seems like the majority of programs I run don't benefit too much from multiple cores.

I'll probably end up over clocking the processor a bit to get a little more performance.

One other question, will a mobo that supports ddr2 1033 or 800, also support ddr2 667 which I have from my old machine?

thanks

It most certainly should work!
 
Originally posted by MooseMan
I didn't add anything else because I don't know what you are looking for.

I plan on using my case, psu, video card, ram, hard drive and optical drives.
Pretty much just need a new cpu and mobo. The only thing I was unsure of, as far as compatibility, was my ram, but it seems like it will work.

I may add a new HD since 160GB isn't what it used to be, and they are pretty cheap.

I was looking at this gigabyte mobo

but this one suggested by MooseMan sounds like a good alternative without spending too much more, and I like the firewire support.

And this processor, also suggested by MooseMan, was what I had been looking at.

Any other suggestions are welcome

Thanks guys
 
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB - $89.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136317
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R - $114.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359&Tpk=GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz - $119.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...56&Tpk=Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz

Total: $324.97 + Shipping

There is my edited list for you then with the components you said you needed. I decided to keep the hardrive there since you said you were considering getting a bigger drive, and $90 for a 1TB hardrive is a good deal. How many watts is your current power supply, and how much RAM do you have? I want to make sure that the PSU you have now has enough power to support your upgrade. :)
 
OK, in short, look at benchmarks, NOT speeds. The architecture of the processor has far more influence on the performance then speeds, and IMO quad cores aren't needed yet. The phenomII's come very close to the intel core2duos and core2quads, and in the end comes down to preference based on benchmarks.

Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB - $89.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136317
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R - $114.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359&Tpk=GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R
Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz - $119.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...56&Tpk=Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz

Total: $324.97 + Shipping

There is my edited list for you then with the components you said you needed. I decided to keep the hardrive there since you said you were considering getting a bigger drive, and $90 for a 1TB hardrive is a good deal. How many watts is your current power supply, and how much RAM do you have? I want to make sure that the PSU you have now has enough power to support your upgrade. :)

Core2Duo is over rated. Pentium dual core is the exact same thing with less cache, for a budget gaming build it's definitely the way to go.
 
Originally posted by MooseMan
How many watts is your current power supply, and how much RAM do you have?

I have a Thermaltake 430 watt psu and 3 GB of ram (2 x 1gb and 2 x 512mb - both PQI ddr2 667 dual channel kits with the same latency timings of 5-5-5-12 I believe)

Originally posted by GibsonSGKing
Core2Duo is over rated. Pentium dual core is the exact same thing with less cache, for a budget gaming build it's definitely the way to go.

I'm not really a gamer. I use the Adobe creative suite programs a lot (mainly Photoshop and InDesign), burn/rip dvd's and rip music occasionally. Those are the most system intensive things I do that I can think of off the top of my head.

I plan on overclocking the processor slightly and will be using the stock cooler. These new chips seem to run pretty cool, so I figured I'd squeeze a little more preformance out of it if I can.

I was also considering this processor as well.

Is it worth the extra money for the extra cache and the core 2 duo of this processor or this one?
 
^
Your power supply and RAM should be perfectly fine for the build then :D

As far as your question goes with the difference between the two different processors go, it really depends on your budget and needs. I would say given with what you have said you do with your computer, I would say the E7500 is a smarter choice for you. It isn't much more expensive, but it does have a performance increase, and the extra cache I'm sure comes in handy with intensive programs such as what the CS suite provides.
 
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