Core2 Upgrade Advice

[chazt]

Hi,

I'm upgrading a mate's old AthlonXP 3200+ machine to something a bit quicker.

Budget is around £300 for CPU, Motherboard, RAM and GPU. For general use and gaming.

There's a few options i've considered but I'm struggling to decide:

CPU: Pentium E5200 £55 / Core2Duo E8200 £105 / Core2Quad 6700 £138

Motherboard: MSI P43 Neo-F £61 / Biostar TP45 HP £89

RAM: Whatever 4GB DDR2800 kit is best value (probably Corsair TwinX) £40

GPU: 512MB HD 4770 £80

So I think the option is either to buy a high-end CPU and a low-end motherboard (small overclock), or a high-end motherboard and a low-end CPU (high overclock).

From what i've read the overclocked Core2 E8--- series beats the Core2 quads but i guess that could change over time.

Any thoughts/suggestions on this would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[DeludedGuy]

Why not go with the AMD X3 720 BE (£116) and a 780g Motherboard(£60-£70)?

CPU http://www.ebuyer.com/product/159071

Mobo http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150278

Its best value for money atm, along with a 4770 graphics card and you will be able to play any game.

[chazt]

Hmm i had written off AMD after a few articles i read but may be worth considering. I'd prefer an atx motherboard with decent OC capabilities, anyone have any recommendations?

[Hawker1986]

I would get (all from scan since with ur post count you can get free delivery:

E5200
Gigabyte P31-ES3G (ive used it twice with that CPU and it OCs great 3.6Ghz no probs)
Corsair 2x2GB TwinX Cas 5
1GB XFX 4890

£310 inc delivery (which I would think you wont have to pay so call it £303). You might even save a bit on today only.

Hawker

[scaryjim]

I'd prefer an atx motherboard with decent OC capabilities, anyone have any recommendations?

Budget option: the Biostar TA790GX; slightly less budget option: the Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4.

Both have the SB750 southbridge that is capable of unlocking the fourth core on a Phenom II X3 if it is functional (some are some aren't though - as with all OC there's no guarantees ) and helps boost overclocking results overall by fine tuning the system as a whole.

[chazt]

Cheers for the reccomendation on the 4890, will bear that in mind. Just read the review on that Inno3D Geforce 260 for £138 which seems like very good value for money as well. Although this would mean buying a cheaper CPU.

I'm tempted to buy the 4770 as its very cheap and plays all games at 1680x1050, and makes sense to buy with DX11 on the horizon.

With that in mind, Phenom II X3 720 BE vs Core 2 E8200???

[KowShak]

Overall the Core 2 Duo E8200 and the Phenom II X3 720 are very similar in performance, the intel CPU will run a single thread faster than the AMD part but when you get into multi-threaded apps the AMD chip is pretty competitive. Applications and games have been making better use of multi-core CPUs and I expect the trend to continue, more cores are going to have a bigger advantage in the future.

Another thing you should bare in mind is that socket 775 is a dead end upgrade wise because the Core I7 won't be an upgrade option later on where as AMD socket AM2+ or AM3 will take the current top end AMD CPU and probably all AMD CPUs produced for a year or two too.

[chazt]

Thanks for that.

I don't normally consider CPU upgrade path when i build a system as i usually find that by the time i need an upgrade there's a new motherboard required anyway, so i don't personally see it as an issue.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Cheers for the reccomendation on the 4890, will bear that in mind. Just read the review on that Inno3D Geforce 260 for £138 which seems like very good value for money as well. Although this would mean buying a cheaper CPU.

I'm tempted to buy the 4770 as its very cheap and plays all games at 1680x1050, and makes sense to buy with DX11 on the horizon.

With that in mind, Phenom II X3 720 BE vs Core 2 E8200???

I would go for the Phenom II X3 720.

I would look at either getting and HD4850 512mb or GTS250 512mb for between £80 to £90. These are both faster than the HD4770.

The XFX HD4850 512mb is available on Scan Today Only for under £85:

http://www.scan.co.uk/TodayOnly/Index.aspx

This is a pre-overclocked HD4850 with a custom dual slot cooler,

Don't forget the free postage available on Scan for Hexus members.

Also the GTS250 512mb can be had for under £90 from Novatech:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...e.html?NOV-250

[RADCOM]

The ATI 4770 is probably neck and neck with the 4850 and represents newer technology I'd stick with that choice if I were you.( unless you were planning high resolution gaming) You seem to have done your research and if you like to tinker then the Biostar and core2 duo/quad will serve you well. Quad power is nice and can feel more responsive if you run a fair few programs at once.

[Ronaldo-7]

search on the net u can pick up a 4870 512 for 115 inc VAT thats a very fast card

[chazt]

The PhenomII X3 720 is on Today Only for £105, which brings it directly against the E8200. Decisions, decisions!

Entry level 790GX and P45 motherboards are roughly the same price too, although the entry-level AMD boards seem to have better cooling than Intel.

Flip for it?

[lego batman]

GA-P31-ES3G is a rock solid board, even if you OC too far (don't think it's possible to break it!) but it is a bit limited in only having 2 ram slots. Great board for general use and gaming and OCing but it will be hard to expand if you decide to build a high-end system on it.

[McPhee]

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=3512

I always use that for processor comparisons, pretty extensive review and it seems pretty fair. Might helf your decision along a bit

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The PhenomII X3 720 is on Today Only for £105, which brings it directly against the E8200. Decisions, decisions!

Entry level 790GX and P45 motherboards are roughly the same price too, although the entry-level AMD boards seem to have better cooling than Intel.

Flip for it?

Easy answer!! The Phenom II X3 720 is faster than the 3ghz E8400:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/amd-ph...e-review-am3/1