And then there's the cpu...

[jamena]

Planning to upgrade soon (next month really) and thinking C2D is the way to go, but am intrigued by the promise of cheap quad-cores in the not too distant future...

Will an e4300 hold it's ground with an 8800GTS and 2Gb pc6400 cas5? I get the feeling I should either get a 4300 now with a view to definitely going quad-core or I should get an e6600 now and keep it longer? Some overclocking is fine but it might be going in a mATX case so temperatures are all-important (which is another reasons quad core is scary!)

Also I gather the e4300 might not like Vista as much as the e6600 ... something to do with virtualisation?

thoughts on e4300 vs. e6600 in games from people who have used either/both? Would I even notice the faster cpu?

I could get an e4300 now from ebuyer using the google checkout offer before it expires, delivered (free with supersaver) for about £62.73 which is a small saving over anywhere else afaik? Would it run well on a medium-overclock and pc6400 ram - does it put out a lot of heat?

[BUFF]

next Intel price cut is supposedly July 22nd ...

[jamena]

next Intel price cut is supposedly July 22nd ...

How quickly might that filter through to us though? If it's quick/instant then I'd be wise to wait until then. Probably will anyway, see what other G33 motherboards surface

[kungpo]

I got my last comment on Virtualisation wrong, so don't take this as gospel, but I don't think Vista cares about it. The e4300 is such a good buy at the price, and with mild overclocking will kick a stock 6600. Get an AC7 Pro cooler, and you'll be laughing.

[p5-]

I could get an e4300 now from ebuyer using the google checkout offer before it expires, delivered (free with supersaver) for about £62.73 which is a small saving over anywhere else afaik? Would it run well on a medium-overclock and pc6400 ram - does it put out a lot of heat?

Seemingly the 'latest batches' of the e4300 haven't been overclocking too well, not 100% on the reliability of that but I shall let you know soon because I am getting one myself from ebuyer.

Most should be able to do 3ghz on stock volts. The e6600's do clock higher (and have 4mb cache obv), but is it worth the extra £50 or so.

[chuckskull]

I have a E4300 and 8800GTS and it runs fine, chews through the latest games, and the C2D overclocks easy. Quad core really wont affect gaming to much at first.

I'd stick the E4300 in and wait for the price cuts. Well I actually did

[kungpo]

Yep - my rig is pretty similar and runs beautifully. I even regret getting the 6420 for the wifes machine and not another 4300.

[Clunk]

Seemingly the 'latest batches' of the e4300 haven't been overclocking too well, not 100% on the reliability of that but I shall let you know soon because I am getting one myself from ebuyer.

Most should be able to do 3ghz on stock volts. The e6600's do clock higher (and have 4mb cache obv), but is it worth the extra £50 or so.

Youll find that most retailers havent just got one batch, but a mix of a few different ones.

I would say that you are just as likely to buy an e4300 today that is a good overclocker than you are a bad one, as always, its the luck of the draw and nothing is guaranteed.

[jamena]

was about ask questions that were answered by the post linked to in Clunks sig

so an e4300 and an e6600 at the same fsb will yeild the same speed core... if I get a board that can handle PC6400 ram (or better!) then it shouldn't have any trouble with any component except perhaps the cpu overclocking up to a 400fsb? Or sitting at a lower fsb with tighter ram timings depending on heat and stability etc. Likewise, a 6420 @ a fsb 1.125 times that would also get the same clockspeed...

4300@266 (x9) = 2394
6600@266 (x9) = 2394
6420@299 (x8) = 2392
6320@342 (x7) = 2394

Then pushing the 6320 up to 400 and adjusting the other cpus accordingly...

6320@400 = 2800
6420@350 = 2800 and @400=3200
6600@311 = 2799 and @333=2997 @400=3600
4300@311 = 2799 and @333=2997 @400=3600

the e4300 only has 2Mb cache and is the only core there not to support virtualisation? But are there any good comparisons of those cpus at those settings so we know how well they compare against eachother clock for clock? Everything except the 6320 looks like it easily has enough headroom when paired with pc6400 ram and a mobo that goes up to at least 400 to reach what you might hope it would? The e6600 and e4300 look like they'd be fine with DDR2 rated for 667.



My case might be a SUGO SG01 (or the similar SG02 if available) probably coupled with the nt06 lite cooler. It looks pretty good but still probably won't like massive increases in heat output, ...at least the PSU probably won't! Might get a case that's more roomy around the cpu though. Will have to see...

[Clunk]

Have you decided on a board yet?

[jamena]

Have you decided on a board yet?

not at all! Made a separate thread for that Currently thinking G33 or P35 I think.

What I am most interested in finding out about is uATX boards that could do these medium overclocks happily.

[Clunk]

Ah, I see, I cant help you much with uatx I'm afraid, but I can recommend the P35 chipset, its a belter

[jamena]

P35, as recommended by Clunk ... The Clunk

...unless it's uATX ...unless they start making P35 uATX boards by next month ...eep