X2 vs Core2Duo? What and How Much? (UK)

[keef247]

well I was set on a x2 3800 a8n premium based system but now I'm thinking... hmmm gonnna blatently need 2GB ram which I'll have to wait and buy next month anyway so considering I'd be buying new ram and DDR/2 are pratically identical I should consider if its worth it to use Core2 instead otherwise I'll be cheating myself if i half arse it and rush out with the money I'll have next friday and go x2...
so what I'm really asking is say 500quid what can i get thats really nice for gaming I know either 7900GS/GT/GTO but what motherboard and cpu? is a 6300 really worth it at 1.86GHz (apart from overclocking but also what will be the success rate when I buy them as as they keep manufacturing them usually the later ones are crapper tighter to overclock?) would a 6300 beat a x2 3800? should I get even more and go 6400? WHAT DDR2??? really comfused here.
oh and would it par the system I would be choosing at the moment.
asus a8n premium sli.
leadtek 7900gto
amd a64 s939 x2 3800
currently would have 2x512mb ram but would need 2x1gb i reckon considering how I'd like to take advantage of dual core...
so is it worth it bar overclocking and also on the overclocking side?
which system would be better (the ones you reccomend for me for conroe!)
so what to get where to get and why.UK please...
suggests for what motherboard and cpu please OH and CAN I use my brand new artic cooling freezer 64 cause I've bloody just bought it and using it on my 754 otherwise will be a waste...
cheers

[sawyen]

the 3800 X2 is fine...

Just add another pair of 512.. they're as cheap as chips now..

4X512 versus 2x1GB = negligible difference really..

No penalty on OC actually, tbh.. you might actually get better sync OC considering 512 sticks handle higher clocks better than 1Gb sticks..

1T timing is overrated really. 2T is just fine..

If this system is really about gaming, C2D wont bring u anything more if u have to downgrade the graphics card because of that. On high res, X2 versus C2D has negligible difference really.. the graphics card is what matters most.

Make your money's worth, and not the marketting of C2D.. not an Intel hater or anything, but C2D only comes useful if you have softwares that take advantage of dual core.. and that the improvements proves pinnacle for your work and your money..

[eoinot]

I'm kind of in the same boat at the moment with regard to building a new system (my first!). Was all set on getting an A8N-SLI Premium with an X2 3800, but have now been tempted to go for a P5NSLI with the E6300.

I hadn't thought about, but the comment on the graphics card still being the bottleneck for gaming power does make me rethink a bit. At the end of the day, though, I think I'll be doing enough CPU-intensive stuff (lame-encoding, audio processing, engineering software) to justify it.

DDR2 RAM does seem fierce expensive though - I'm going to stick with 1 GB of value RAM for now (2x512MB matched pair) .. probably Kingston or Corsair.

[harry1]

get some ram now and when the price goes down like i tshould then get more, ram is very pricy atm as you have heard.

[keef247]

ok probably sold but What Mobo and Ram for the C2D then? UK suppliers please people as i have no idea what motherboard let alone what ram... say 160 for ram? 130ish for mobo?
what you guys have who run C2D and whats your experiences been like with your parts...

[Max Tractor]

If you can find cheap ram, post the link, the price of ddr and ddr2 is quite stupid, and ddr will more than likely only get more costly as they all move production over to ddr2. the other place is selling(out stock) geil value £93. The price of ddr2 has shot up so much in the last few weeks

[prehensile]

x2 might be a bit more stable, loads of considerations to bring in.