which CPU to get????

[pompalomp]

hi, i am going to build a computer with the following components;

Asus P5K
arctic cooling freezer 7 pro
8800 gts
Hitachi 320gb
2x1gb OCZ special ops pc6400
dvd rewriter
antec nine hundred
OCZ dedicated memory cooling
Microsoft vista home premium
antec neo he430w

however, i have not decided on which cpu to get, i need a cpu which is, under £110, overclocks well (3.2GHZ or more) and is a core 2 duo.
any ideas are welcome

[tigerboyce]

Te obvios choice is the E4300 as its only £70ish and if your overclocking you may aswell go for the cheapest, and probably most overclockable CPU.

Is that RAM cooling essential? i dont think so, you could drop it and get an E6600 or E6750

[pompalomp]

Thanks, sounds like a good idea, although i think i will stick with the OCZ dedicated cooler

[Tetras]

Is that RAM cooling essential? i dont think so, you could drop it and get an E6600 or E6750

Aye, I'd drop the RAM cooling or get cheaper RAM and up the spec to an E6750 (£120).

antec neo he430w

That'll prolly be ok but I seem to recall early Antec NeoHE PSUs having problems with Asus motherboards (should be resolved by now I'd think) and you aren't leaving much room to manoeuvre. I understand you are on a tight budget but I'd strongly consider upping it to something like the Corsair HX520 (£63.32 inc VAT @ scan).

[kungpo]

I'm with tigerboyce - a 1.8Ghz 4300 will hit 3.2Ghz without going anywhere near overclocking the memory.

So I wouldn't bother with the cooler for the RAM - just have decent airflow in the case, and the AC7 will help with internal airflow anyway.

[Salazaar]

My vote's for the E4300 as well, mine's running great at 3.2Ghz.

[pompalomp]

OK, i will drop the memory cooler(good idea) two more things though;
1.) What is the multiplier for the e4300?

2.) if my memory is 800mhz how do i get past 400mhz FSB?

Thanks to everyone so far

[kungpo]

The e4300 is 9x, so 9x 200MHz gets you 1.8Ghz. 9x 400MHz is 3.6GHz, so that's pretty quick at your memorys max.

[Koolpc]

What if a person is not into overclocking (My mate) would AMD be ok to get?

[pompalomp]

AMD would be OK but at the price of core 2 duo's you would be much better off with a core 2 duo

[acrobat]

They should get a C2D whether they intend to overclock or not.

[Koolpc]

So, what makes a C2D better than an AM2? Even if they don't overclock. I ask because i would like to know the reasons as my mate wants to upgrade his PC in the next month or so and i would like to give him the right answers.

[Pob255]

Actually I think the AMD's are a cheaper option, esp the motherboards.


Also not sure about the 2x1gb OCZ special ops pc6400
Mainly because OCZ have slaped a pritty limited edition heat spreader on memory before and added a chunk to the price, but underneath it's just there normal ram.
You might want to invest in a better cooler for a OC that high.

Might it be possible to get a i965 motherboard now for slightly less than a p35 motherboard.
The main differnces I know of is that the i965 only goes up to 1066 on the memory and cpu, where as the p35 goes to 1333 (which are only the e6x50 cpu's which are out of your price range) and has crossfire (which you will not work with an nvidia card anyway)

I must admit that I'm still not 100% as to why the p35 is so much better than the old fav the i965, esp as people seem to be going for quad cores which are still 1066.

[master811]

if you intend on over clocking ou might want a slightly better cooler, the AFPros are good and cheap but don't seem to last long, a mate has just had one wear out on his overclocked 6600 (and its only a year old), perhaps one of the Sycthes, infniity etc. , they're about £10 more and will not only give better cooling but most likely last longer as well.

[acrobat]

So, what makes a C2D better than an AM2? Even if they don't overclock. I ask because i would like to know the reasons as my mate wants to upgrade his PC in the next month or so and i would like to give him the right answers.

I think it depends on which kind of range you (or your mate) would be buying in. In the higher end, Intel is the way to go, and in the lower end, AM2 may work out cheaper nowdays. The overclockability of the intel chips is still worth bearing in mind though. Its not hard to do nowdays, so even a novice can overclock, or a novice's mate (It can even be done through software from Windows). But even without it, the Intel chips are still great chips. Fast, good temperature, low energy consumption. And you know you have a rosey future with them too, in terms of being able to upgrade them to something much faster if/when you need it.

[Pob255]

untill they decide to bring out a new slot/socket . . .

the main thing here is that the e4300 is midranged in the 775 chips and later upgradeing to e6xxx or quad core gives you up grade scope.