Shall i wait for quad core?

[No.72]

I have decided to build my own computer. I have made a list of the components I will need. But I have a problem, I am thinking of getting a core 2 duo E6300 or a E6600. The E6300 being a lot cheaper at £124.54 and the E6600 £211.49. Is it worth getting the E6300 and saving the extra money for when cheaper quad core cpu's are for sale (around the £200-250 price mark).
This is my list:
Xclio A380 SuperTower
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300/Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Pioneer DVR-111 Ivory 16x16 x5 RAM DVD±RW Dual Layer DVD Writer
1Gb (2X512Mb) CorsairTwinX XMS2,
Abit AW9D-Max i975X
Western Digital Raptor 74GB WD740ADFD 10,000RPM SATA 16MB Cache - OEM
Hiper HPU-4B580 Type R 580W Modular ATX2.2 PSU - Blue

[Fabula]

It all depends on what you want the system for, and how rich you are feeling.
The 100 or so price difference would make a lot more difference put into doubling the ram, or into a decent graphics card.

I personally would get the 6300, 2gig ram, Gigabyte DS4 motherboard, a non-raptor HD, and a decent graphics card. Cost would be similar, but overall would be better.

Waiting for the quads to drop to an acceptable level is not worth it. If you need the power, go for a 6600. If not stick with the 6300 which is nearly as good and significantly cheaper. And it OCs well...

[mrt9888]

it will be a while before software will use all four cores so just a dual core, you don't need to get the raptor, the seagate 7200.10 hard drives should be ok and 965 motherboards are better overclockers.

[No.72]

Thanks . Humm yea I am set for a gfx card as i have a 7600gt which should keep me going for a while! . But if the price of quad core cpu's are going to stay high I think I should get the E6600, is that right? And also how much of a performance boost will a raptor give me over a normal HD?

I think my budget will be around £530-650 max.

[No.72]

Would this be a good choice? http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=437657
But it can't support sli or crossfire,correct me if I am wrong. its not that I will get multi gpu its that it doesn't have it, thats all.

[magneticman]

I'd wait for true quad core, this is more like 2x2...

[No.72]

I will get E6300 if the quad core's are going to be around the £200-250 mark when they come out.

[charleski]

As has been said, your use of the machine really dictates the answer here. If you just want it for gaming and general use, I wouldn't even bother thinking about quad core until properly multi-threaded games come out, in a year or so. If you're using the machine for professional-quality audio or video rendering the situation is different, but then I would think you'd have a much larger budget.

Unless you can think of an application that will significantly benefit by moving to quad-core, you might as well just buy the best machine you can get right now. It would make more sense to set some money aside for a good DX10 card in the first half of next year, when they should be more reasonably priced.

[No.72]

Yes thanks you have opened my mind up! I think if I could get a E6300 and oc it. (with a better cooler) And I am sure that would give me more than enough for decent performance in games. And also would it be wiser to buy a OEM one and save money for the cooler? or would this not be such a good idea if I am to oc?

[dave87]

OEM will be fine, but you get a shorter warranty with OEM than Retail (1 as opposed to 3 years afaik)

Dave

[No.72]

Ok that is not too bad, I thought it meant no warranty!

Good now thats sorted would this be a wise choice of case?
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=437051
I like the look of it because it looks way over the top and unnecessary, plus its only £64.

[jackvdbuk]

OEM will be fine, but you get a shorter warranty with OEM than Retail (1 as opposed to 3 years afaik)

Dave

does that really matter? conroe aka for overclocking superb clockspeeds!

[No.72]

I will be playing games like bf2, cod 2 and lots of other FPS (and co3/cod modern fighter when it comes out) so the E6300 should be enough for these games as I have never experienced any of the core duo cpu's! , obviously limited by my 7600gt but that is fine for now (playing at 1280x1024)

[No.72]

Yay this is my new and improved list!

Gigabyte GA 965P-DQ6 iP965
Xclio A380 SuperTower Silver(I wish it was black!!!)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 OEM
Asus DRW-1608P3S Ivory 16x16 DVD
Akasa AK-961 Intel LGA 775, P4 3.8Ghz
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
580W HiperPower Type-R Modular Blue PSU
1Gb (2X512Mb) CorsairTwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 4-4-4-12, EPP