Need help!

[Dax]

Its been awhile since i've actually had a brand new PC as a whole and my PC is beginning to die of old age i suppose.
Decided to build a new one because of my frustrating time on games and have got abit stuck.
First off i haven't got any parts really i can pass over, this is totally from scratch.
I was in work earlier and i keep getting too many different opinions on the Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Some say, "Yeah go for it", whilst others will say, "You'll regret it".
I've been an AMD person for awhile but reading the odd mag and a quick browse of the web the Core 2 Duos seem pretty popular.
The computer's use is pretty much gaming. I'm not looking for some hardcore, uber gaming rig but something where i can enjoy games on medium+ (would prefer high ) whilst saving as much cash as possible.
One magazine stated that the e6300 is one of the best "bang per buck" cpus but because of this clash of views in work and home i thought i'd check out what you guys say.
Apart from that i suppose the rest of the spec is fine. Thinking of a 120-180 quid graphics card and about 1gb of ram to start me off. If you guys are recommending the Core 2 duos i suppose i'll just grab one of the package deals from work and slap in a better graphics card.
Help appreciated. Don't let it die

[this_is_gav]

C2D is easily better than anything AMD have around at the moment. Whoever says otherwise is either making stuff up, or simply has no idea about anything ever. The only debate is which C2D suits your needs better.

Whether it's better value than a budget Athlon64 is another matter, and depends entirely on what you're doing. For you as a gamer a C2D would be worth it.

[NightshadowUK]

If you're starting from scratch then definitely go the C2D route, no doubt about it.

It's also worth buying a decent motherboard cos the chips overclock like mad even without increasing voltages.

[ultim8um]

If you are starting from scratch then there is no real advantage to AMD at the minute... C2D is the better option for new builds. The Intel route might be slightly pricier as C2D motherboards can be expensive but prices for good solid boards are about on a par with AMD AM2 boards. You will be buying DDR2 regardless so there is nothing in that either...

GL

[Dax]

The chap in work basically told me that it would be crap for games. But i suppose anything is better then my well used (and loved) AMD Duron 1.6ghz which has reached its end.
Building myself i was looking at an Asus p5b deluxe(?) but work's computer had a VIA motherboard.
Was told to avoid that again, so whilst im here - is VIA truly that bad?
Probably going to order the parts sometime within the next week or so and from the looks of it C2D is where im heading!

[this_is_gav]

is VIA truly that bad?

In a word; yes.

In more than a word; there's a reason why they're confined to budget motherboard at the moment.

[Dax]

lol.
Well thanks for the advice and i think i've come to a conclusion. C2D it is