E6300, E6400...

TerrorFirmer

I'm going to have give or take 1,000 euro to spend between now and christmas on a new computer. Inititally was thinking of just getting a 6300 but a 6400 isn't much more expensive...just how large are the performance gaps and what sort of lifespan could I expect from a 6300? I don't think I will overclock although I have heard great things about overclocking without having to change vcore or cooling at all.

I play games quite frequently and plan using the 7600gt (or possibly an x800) from my current comptuer for the time being so I can spend as much as possible on the cpu, board and ram.

So while I think its definately worth the extra 30 or so euro to go for a 6400, would you recommend a 6600?

I've had my current computer for 2 years and with a bit of upgrading here and there it's lasted the mile running games on high settings, and Id be hoping to make this one last for 2 or 3 years at a good pace processor wise....

edit: Just checking on komplett I see with 1,100 I can squeeze a 520w ocz psu, 2gigs pc-5300 ram,Gigabyte ga945p + e6600, 250gb hd, g3 mouse and a crappy 7300le to replace with my 7600gt immediately. Good value? I'd be looking to change the card to a 7900 or similar once I found some more cash...or possibly even leaving off entirely until dx10, would a higher rated psu be recommended?

8T8

If not overclocking I'd probably go with the E6600 it's a good pick, only a small bit behind the E6700.

As for PSU requirements the 520W should be okay power usage figures show the top of the line GeForce 8800GTX draws about the same juice as an X1950XTX so if your system can handle that you shouldn't have any trouble in that area down the road.

Possibly out of your budget range but I may suggest an alternative board this 975X has dual PCI-e x16 slots for 8x8 usage, no memory compatibility issues that Giagbytes boards without the newer bios suffer from plus confirmed core 2 quad core support & Intel's VIIV malarkey thrown in the mix. A lot more upgrade potential in that board compared to some others.

DemonOfTheFall

Why go nuts on the PSU when the graphics card matters so much more ?

I got an E6400 and it hit 2.8ghz with no effort at all. Graphics power is so much more important than CPU.

Just grab and E6400 and any half decent overclocker and you'll have it at atleast 2.5Ghz in no time.

TerrorFirmer

#Elites wrote:

yeah go for the E6400, its a nice step up from the E6300 and can overclock great!

as for graphics, dont get the x800, its getting old now.. wait untill DX10 cards are out and get a good DX9 card, as they should come down

No I already have an x800 and a 7600gt, one of which I will be using temp in the computer until dx10 cards come out or I can get a cheap 79xx card elsewhere etc....

I think I will opt for the 6600 because I don't really want to overclock, I'm just a freak about that, I hate doing it....but depending on how the funds are looking I'd be happy to settle for a 6400 either.

I have 1.5gb of ddr2 ram from my current computer I could use as well, I was also thinking of using this in the board temporarily and using the extra money to buy a high end card instead, or possibly even a 6700. I think I will stick with my current 7600gt, because all im playing at the moment are bf2 and a few others, which run maxed out easily, so no point squandering money on that aspect until i truly need it i suppose...I'm not overly bothered with dx10 anyway, i think dx9 hardware will be fine for at least another year...

Not too sure at the moment really...I'm more concerned immediately that the cpu is good enough to last a few years keeping on top of the high end stuff.

thanks for suggestions so far.

edit: thanks for that 8t8 as well, I had forgotten about that issue, what boards are affected and how would i find a list? thanks

conzy

IMO a 6700 is a waste of money, its like €500 and not much better than a E6600

That 945p gigabyte board sounds a bit ****e, I would get a 965p board like the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS4 or, if you really want a fancy board get a ASUS P5B Deluxe, its amazing! Wifi, remote control and its around the €200 mark so for the price of a E6700 you could get the best mainboard on the market and a E6600

I would get a Enermax Liberty 500watt if you are going to order form OCuk, its a great PSU and it well priced....

I would use the 7600gt until after Christmas and see what happens...

KamiKazi

u were saying in that you included the price of a 7300 in that build earlier, why not save a little extra and get another 7600 to run in SLI?

8T8

HavoK wrote:

thanks for that 8t8 as well, I had forgotten about that issue, what boards are affected and how would i find a list? thanks

I don't know if Gigabyte have shipped boards with newer bios of them but it's a possibility you may not run into the problem. I know a few folks around here bought those boards so may be able to give a definite answer as to which brands work & which don't.

You could always check Gigabytes own website and see their RAM compatibility list to compare against though usually it isn't too helpful.

Anti

the 945 chipset is not fully compatible with the c2d.

If i were you i would order the new abit board. And a e6300. This chip will hit 3.3ghz on stock air cooling. Then buy another 7600gt and run sli.

The only really difference between the 6300/6400 and the e6600 is the l2 cache.

But the main difference between the e6600 and the e6700 is the multiplier. the e6600 has a multi of 9, and the e6700 has a multi of 10. The e6700 should be a better overclocker.

I myself have just ordered the QX6700. I hope its truly worth the 650£ that just came out of my bank account.

I never usually order a brand new top of the range chip. But i thought feck it, mayaswell go nuts on this build