building a new intel based system.

[sheptr]

hi everyone.

well as im sure you all now know intel is the new topdog.

i was all set to build an AMD system about a month ago and just desided to let this whole intel thing calm itself out, well i did and its undisputable intel owns AMD in everything, even gaming!

so i had all my knowledge of AMD and there config add up to nothing because at this point in time, it would just be stupid of anyone to NOT go with intel! fx-62 stats for under 350 dollars! WOW!

basiclly im asking al the same questions all over again lol.. i need to know alot about this CPU and how well it works with other componants i was going to put in my build.

im going to just through togeather a very very primitive build and just let you guys critic it, and i will learn from reading your feedback..

this combo of MOBO GPU and CPU,
Intel D975XBXLKR Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 OEM Processor & HIS X1900 XT 512MB PCIe Video Card link (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2372093)

not sure if thats overpriced it was about 200 more then i was going to spend on CPU MOBO and GPU on my AMD build though :0

or this

Intel D975XBXLKR Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard and an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.40GHz OEM Processor (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2368078)

eVGA 256-P2-N564-AX Geforce 7900GT KO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130015)

OCZ Value Series 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) System Memory (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227060)

uggghh learning all over again damit lol

[sheptr]

also , i was wondering about GPU would an intel based MOBO perform better with
a Geforce 7900 or with an ATI x1900xtx

also would a 7900 do better then the card that is in that bundle with the CPU and MOBO in my first post

[saphalline]

Which GeForce 7900 are you talking about? The 7900 GT, 7900 GTX, 7900 GX2, or 7950 GX2?

As for the Core 2 Duo/Extreme supporting hardware, I'm currently still investigating the technologies. I'll have to get back to you on that one.

[soupnatizzle]

7900 GT u believe the more basic of the group i think it rings in at about 280 or so

as for my monitor its a 19 inch CRT thats all a nice, made within the last 4 years.

[saphalline]

The 7900 GT can't keep up with the Radeon X1900 XTX. This of course isn't surprising. A $280 vid card up against a $400 vid card? Hah! Not gonna happen!

If it's a standard 19" CRT, then you won't be able to hit 1600 x 1200 with a decent refresh rate (most commonly 60 Hz for that size) so 1280 x 1024 it is. At that res, you won't need an X1900 XTX. Just a regular ol' X1900 XT would do. But I suppose it's up to you if you really want to drop a full grand on that combo.

[soupnatizzle]

i was wondering for myself what type of screen can you get 1600x1200 with only LCDS? or large CRTS?

[sheptr]

well i am begining to relised that although core 2 dou is indead better, now is a silly time to buy, prices are really unstable, info on it is hard to come by, and the CPU itself is also hard to come by.

ive waited a month already, im new to computers and have never withnessed a launch of somthing this popu;ar, how long do you expect it to be before its safe to by and things have calmed themselfs

[saphalline]

Intel is slightly faster to market than AMD. I don't anticipate the "chaos cloud" to last more than 8-10 weeks. Gotta let the products mature and the mobo's be released. Right now, Intel only has two chipsets that have been validated for use with Core 2 Extreme, and neither of them are the newer x965 series. Intel seriously needs to crack down and provide more chipset support for Core 2 Extreme before they're ready for prime-time. That's my opinion, anyway. Looking at the new 965's, there are several advantages over the i975X. While the i975X is still a powerful chipset, it can't beat the new 965's for features and advanced Core 2 support.

However, things are going to be increasingly dicey for AMD as of right now. With Core 2 hitting the vendors already, just when AM2 hardware is looking good, AMD has an uphill battle over the next few months. Orleans and Windsor are doing well, but the DDR2 complications are hurting them, and they won't be able to compete with Core 2 Solo/Duo in a head-to-head show-down. AMD needs two things to happen in the next 4 months: DDR2-800+ RAM with CAS 4 to become cheap, and a full release of their new CPU's.

[sheptr]

man, 8-10 weeks feels like an eternity, my god thats another 2 months damn! this sucks. ive looked at benchmarks a ton, and i have to ask, the performace of the e6600 is about on par with the fx-62 CPU from AMD, so im asking is there a noticable diffrence between an athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2000MHz, and Athlon 64 FX-62 Windsor 2000MHz/E6600.

that might be a stupid question to ask but if there is a small increase then i cant see myself waiting, my main computer die on me and im on a 3 year old laptop, i simple cant wait 2 months!

if i bought this CPU/MOBO combo would that be foolhardy http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2368078 (http://)

[saphalline]

Something to keep in mind is that the benchmarks do favor Intel's new Core 2's by quite a lot. But that doesn't mean an AMD CPU is pathetic for modern computing. On the contrary! They may be slower and inefficient right now, but that's largely because AMD spent all their time tranlating their old CPU's (which by the way snuffed Intel's P4 series for 2 years prior!) to the new socket with DDR2 support. Socket AM2 is not a bad investment. The current AMD CPU's may not be up to par for the sheer power of Core 2, but AMD is not just sitting on its a$$! New CPU's are expected from AMD by year's end that will be their answer to Core 2. We're talking 65nm from AMD, with L2 caches much like Core 2. 2MB or so per core. And of course dual-core is here to stay.

So if it's an issue where you want to wait for the best, how long are you going to wait? Intel has the upper hand now, but what about AMD's next move? And Intel's move after that? There's something to be said for research and wisdom when it comes to choosing hardware, but the waiting game will kill you! Eventually you just have to take the plunge and buy some hardware! Or you'll be stuck with a 4-year old laptop and end up crankier than a senile old man with a bad back!

[sheptr]

haha that was a cleaver responce, well i would honestly but intels new CPU tomarrow if i new more about it and could be comfident in making a good buy. that combo i posted with the CPU and MOBO and if i also bought a 7900gt with 2 gs of ddr2 667 RAM sounds great to me.

i DO NOT indend to wait for AMDs counterattack on intel later this year, i am happy with a core 2 dou and am very ready to purchase it. like i said tomarrow if i simple new more.. the only thing holding me back seems to be a MOBO at this point, i want a well developed and supported chipset, but im sure the current will do,

PS, can chipsets but updated, similar to a bois flash or are you stuck with your chipset as long as you own the motherboard

i guess my REAL question is, is it safe to buy a new core 2 duo system today!

[saphalline]

You're stuck with the chipset that comes with your mobo. They aren't upgradable at all. But if push comes to shove, you could always buy a new mobo later. Say you invest $560 in that new combo. How much of that is the mobo? Maybe $200 of it, at the most? How much are you spending on the system as a whole? Toss in the RAM and vid card and everything else, and the mobo is just a drop in the bucket. And how long before you really need a new mobo? It's top-of-the-line right now, so it should last at least 6 months if not a year.

At that point, why worry about the mobo? If you want Intel and if you want Core 2 Extreme support, that's one of the few mobo's right now that will do it. And by the time you need or feel the itch to buy a new one, you'll be able to buy a much better one for $100-150, slap the rest of your hardware to it, reinstall Windows and away you go!

As for being "safe" to buy Core 2 today... yeah sure, why not? So you're an early adopter? So what? You'll have access to Core 2 right now, while everyone else is waiting for the platform to mature and the prices to stabilize. I really don't think it's an issue. That mobo will work fine with that CPU. Maybe do a BIOS update down the line, but that's about it. Otherwise you can upgrade just the mobo later on, and that will work, too. Besides, Intel's Core 2 way of doing things allows you to buy the much cheaper DDR2-667 instead of DDR2-800 like AMD (and even then you have to be careful about your CPU's speed).

I guess what it comes down to is the fact that jumping on Core 2 now is better than playing the dreaded waiting game. I'd rather you buy now than to get stuck waiting for things to calm down or mature or for that next chipset or CPU core revision that's just around the corner. Like I said, you have to buy new hardware at some point. Sooner is better than later, now that the CPU scene is done turning over.

[sheptr]

ya i think i will get that its a 100 dollars more for my entire system build using the core e duo e6600 instead of the athlon 64 X2 4600+. the MOBO should be fine you said and i trust you lol.. i would have rather dumped the money into another GPU for SLI.

what advantages would a new chipset give anyway?

[sheptr]

haha wow! i just checked tigerdirect and newegg, both desided it would be a good idea to increase prices by 150 dollars.. guess ill wait then