Hey everyone... I haven't posted much on here, but I know lots of people are brilliant when it comes to the little things, so I'm wondering about some things. Well, one particularly...

My father recently got a free Intel Motherboard and Processor from work. he Board is a new one: DG965WH and the chip is a Core 2 Duo E6300 (1.86GHz).

Now, the board is great for what I'm doing, but here is my dilemma:

I currently have a Core Duo 2.0GHz MacBook. I want my desktop to be very powerful, and while I'm sure that it will run very similarly to the MacBook (because it is only Core Duo as opposed to Core 2 Duo), I want to make sure that it is going to be great for at least one year down the road.

Should I go for the E6400 (2.13GHz) or just buy an E6600 to get the 4MB of cache and 2.4GHz speed? That way I will CERTAINLY see a speed difference from my MacBook.

By the way, the setup I'm planning is:
Intel Processor (whichever you help me decide is the best)
2GB Dual-Channel Corsair Dominator (is this a good choice??)
GeForce 8800 GT (only DirectX 10 card... would getting the GTX make much of a difference??)
320GB SATA 16MB Buffer 7200.10 Seagate
DVDRW
600Watt Ultra X-Finity Power Supply
Creative X-Fi Sound Card

Oh, and I don't want to go TOO overboard... the E6800 is overkill for me... and anything quad would just be WAAAAY too much for right now.

If you could also let me know what you think of my setup - it would be really great to get some feedback on it. I know it will be a little bit pricey - but it is surely to make a GREAT system considering my needs are not enormous at this point.

Oh, and one last thing would be how much of an advantage is Dual Channel RAM? The board supports 800MHz (PC6400) and that is what I'm planning on using, but would I see a significant change with Dual Channel RAM if I'm not doing anything TOO intensive?

Thanks!!

All this is very dependent on what your max. budget is and what you want to use the computer for - e.g. gaming, video editing etc. Could we have some details?

Regarding the comparison - laptop Core Duo (Yonah core) VS. desktop Core 2 Duo (Allendale/Conroe core)- the laptop Core Duo is essentially just a rebadged Pentium M with a hiked FSB and a few other tweaks. They are quite different from laptop Core 2s (Merom core). I remember reading somewhere that a 1.66ghz Merom-core Core 2 Duo performs roughly as well as a 2.0ghz Yonah core Core 2 Duo. However, laptop Core 2s and desktop Core 2s are pretty different. Also remember that you'll probably be running different OS' on both computers, which will make a difference.

Quad core is an enormous waste of money at the moment (unless you're a folding@home nutter), since most programs and nearly all games are only single-threaded, so I'm glad you're not considering that.

It looks like you're willing to spend a fair bit, so I'd suggest the E6600. The 4mb cache doesn't make a lot of difference, but it is good for comparitively ~200mhz extra speed in an application such as Super Pi. The E6600 also has a bigger multiplier than the lower end (Allendale core) chips, making it easier to overclock.

Lastly, regarding your choice of graphics card - the 8800GTS is one monster of a card, but it is a fair step down from the GTX. If I was you I'd wait a bit and see what ATi have to offer.

I have a E6300 and it's a damn good cpu. If you want better then
I'd go with the E6600. I bought the Corsair XMS2 PC2 8500, I
think the Dominator is just overkill at the moment. But is you've got
the cash. And since you seem to have the cash. I would get the
8800 GTX over the GT in a heartbeat. A year from now you'll
probably want the extra power. And I would skip the Ultra Power
Supply and get a Antec, Thermaltake,OCZ,Enermax or PC Pwr & Clg.

Quote: Originally Posted by Slaymate And I would skip the Ultra Power Supply and get a Antec, Thermaltake,OCZ,Enermax or PC Pwr & Clg.

Yeah. Seasonic and Hiper are decent brands too. With all those premium components in your system, it makes sense to have a decent PSU backing it up.

Well, for memory, I think I'm just going to cheap out and forget about the Dominator stuff - I'm not much of a gamer, so I'm just going to stick with the usual OEM sticks that I can get my hands on - I work at a computer chain here in Canada, so I'll get my hands on the stuff they use in Apple Machines. Enough about the memory though - it's not a main concern of mine.

With the Power Supply, I have found the Ultra 600W X-Finity for $79CDN (roughly $70USD) so that is a great price right now, plus I have experience with Ultra products and I like them very much.

As for the graphics card - I think for right now, I'll do the unthinkable and run off of integrated graphics. That will save me some dough for right now, and since I'm not doing anything intensive at the moment, I don't think I'll need it.

I'm not doing anything super-intensive actually... some minor gaming, right now I'm still hooked on Command and Conquer Generals, but I want to get Splinter Cell and play them here as opposed to on the XBOX which is where I'm used to them. We'll see.... other than that, no movie editing just yet, I'm saving my Mac for that which has more than enough power to handle it.

I'm still concerned as to whether the 4MB of cache would help me with anything right now. The E6300 is a great processor I hear, so I don't know what I'm going to do right now. Off to the store to pick up the RAM, hard drive, and case (of course).... but we'll see if I stick with my current E6300 or go with something higher end.

Any other suggestions??

Quote: Originally Posted by chris_kalan I'm not doing anything super-intensive actually... some minor gaming, right now I'm still hooked on Command and Conquer Generals, but I want to get Splinter Cell and play them here as opposed to on the XBOX which is where I'm used to them. We'll see.... other than that, no movie editing just yet, I'm saving my Mac for that which has more than enough power to handle it. I'm still concerned as to whether the 4MB of cache would help me with anything right now. The E6300 is a great processor I hear, so I don't know what I'm going to do right now. Off to the store to pick up the RAM, hard drive, and case (of course).... but we'll see if I stick with my current E6300 or go with something higher end.

I'd just stick with the E6300. With a decent mobo you can overclock it to 2.8ghz, and even at stock it's still a great CPU. It'll be plenty fast enough for what you need.

EDIT: I don't know what your views on overclocking are, but OEM memory probably won't cut it. It depends what it is though.

Fortron and Enermax are my favourite PSU makers. I'll be getting one of the new Enermax's when they come out.

Overclocking or not, I would still get some decent memory. On the slower, cheaper
side I would go with something like this.
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
But if you'll spend the cash and get PC2 8500 you'll be able to run your
memory at the same bus speed (1066) as your E6300.
Newegg.com - CORSAIR 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Regarding budget memory, I've got bog-standard Crucial DDR-533 and it runs fine at 710mhz - apparently the kit I've got will do 900ish.

I am getting Transcend memory - it has worked great in the last three machines I've used it in, so I don't think I'll need anything higher end.

My board (Intel DG965WH) doesn't support anything higher than 800MHz, which is fine because right now, I'm at 667MHz and it's fine for me. Thanks for all the help!

Oh, btw, my views on overclocking is that I won't be doing it because I'd rather not bother with that sort of thing - too much of a hassle to me.

Quote: Originally Posted by chris_kalan Oh, btw, my views on overclocking is that I won't be doing it because I'd rather not bother with that sort of thing - too much of a hassle to me.

Fair enough, but my bear in mind my E6300 is running at 2.5ghz now - faster than the E6600 which costs double the price. And all that required was to up the FSB in the BIOS and give her a slight voltage boost. Easy peasy.

My comments about memory no longer applies if you're not intending to overclock - 667mhz Transcend should suit you fine.

The E6300 is a good overclocker. I've got mine running at
3.1 GHz and the memory @ 800 MHz with a Evga 680i SLI
mobo.

Quote: Originally Posted by Slaymate The E6300 is a good overclocker. I've got mine running at 3.1 GHz and the memory @ 800 MHz with a Evga 680i SLI mobo.

Slaymate, I've really got to get a better board haven't I?! Mine maxes out at 355mhz - rubbish!

Quote: Originally Posted by reflux Slaymate, I've really got to get a better board haven't I?! Mine maxes out at 355mhz - rubbish!

ASUS P5N-E SLI = THE Budget Core 2 Duo overclock board.
AnandTech: ASUS P5N-E SLI: NVIDIA's 650i enters with a Bang
ASUS P5N-E SLI - motherboard - ATX - nForce 650i SLI - EuroPC - Probably would wait till overclockers carries them though, this is just to give you an idea of the price.

Zaltan, if I could rep you again, I would. Just passed that linkage onto a mate whos looking to get a bit more umph from his E6600

^^What Dex said. That board looks lovely, and the price is even lovelier! +Rep will be forthcoming tomorrow.

I'm glad I could help.

Quote: Originally Posted by reflux Slaymate, I've really got to get a better board haven't I?! Mine maxes out at 355mhz - rubbish!

I had the Intel D975XBX BadAxe and my E6300 OC'd to 2.8 GHz.
Then I bought the Evga 680i SLI and gained almost 400 MHz with
less voltage and faster memory timings. It's on the expensive
side, but you get what you pay for.
Newegg.com - EVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Quote: Originally Posted by chris_kalan Oh, btw, my views on overclocking is that I won't be doing it because I'd rather not bother with that sort of thing - too much of a hassle to me.

BLASPHEMER!!!! How you could possibly want to make such a small upgrade for such a hit in the wallet? With the help fron people here, you can get your current CPU to where you want it for the cost of hardly an hour of your time. Unless that hour is worth more than the CPU you want to buy, then I would definitely give it consideration!