Cyberpowersystem.co.uk and Core2 Duo or Quad?

[evilh]

I am going to be buying a new system and just need some help nailing the processor and motherboard.
I cannot be bothered/am good enough/have the time with 2 kids to build myself.

CyberPower always advertise in Pc Zone and the website seems to give a comprehensive choice. Anyone with any experience of them?

1. Processor E6750 or Q6600?
2. Which motherboard from their choice on website, I have never overclocked because I just put up with what I have and then upgrade about every 3 years. I don't need to be at the bleeding edge and it is mainly a gaming machine. I am *** that P35 is better/newer than P5 or P6 and 680 is better than 650 - but are these comparable in anyway (Intel vs Nvidia chipset)?

Budget is ~£1200, with other bits as:
Antec 900 case
Enermax 600W Noisetaker
2 Gb Corsais XMS RAM
Nvidia 8800 GTX or 8800 640MB GTS (currently running at 1280x1024), but likely to go widescreen in 1 year.
Creative X-Fi Fatality

 

[Solariscs]

Get the Quad. It will be more future proof and offer better performance. Get one of the p35 motherboards that they offer. You don't need SLI.

For that monitor Res, I would say get the GTS 320 and than in a year swap it out for one of the newer cards that will be coming out. If you don't want to mess with upgrading the video card later, get the GTX, it will last the longest.

for sound, don't get Fatality. You don't really need all that. With computer speakers a little waste full. If you really want a sound card, get the XtremeGamer. That's about all you need.

Good luck with your PC! It seems like Cyberpower is a hit or miss thing. some systems are good some aren't. So its your choice.

 

[sharp910sh]

i would get the 8800 gtx, as if you want to upgrade your monitor to say 22" or above you will still keep the high fps

 

[akhilles]

[fixed]
Intel Core 2 Duo Custom Builder (NO MONITOR)

# *BASE_PRICE: [+294]
# CAS: Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer 420W Case with Side Window [+34]
# CASUPGRADE: NONE
# CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6750 CPU @ 2.66GHz 1333FSB 4MB L2 Cache 64-bit [+42]
# CD: SONY DUAL FORMAT 18X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
# CD2: NONE
# CABLE: None
# FLOPPY: NONE
# FLASHMEDIA: None
# FAN: Thermaltake Big Typhoon CPU Cooler [+26]
# HDD: High Performance with Data Security (RAID-1) with 2 Identical Hard Drives [+19] (320GB (320GBx2) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+50])
# HDD2: NONE
# IEEE_CARD: NONE
# KEYBOARD: NONE [-4]
# MOUSE: NONE [-4]
# MODEM: NONE
# MONITOR: NONE
# MONITOR2: NONE
# MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core Supports) Asus P5K-E/WIFI-AP Intel P35 CrossFire Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2/800 Mainboard w/GbLAN, Internal RAID, USB2.0,IEEE1394,&7.1Audio [+45]
# MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory [+99] (Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Memory w/ Heat Spreader [+24])
# NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
# OS: NONE - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
# PPU: NONE
# PRO_WIRING: None
# POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts Power Supplies [+84] (OCZ GameXStream 700W SLI Ready Power Supply)
# RUSH: NONE
# SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro Series PCI Sound Card [+91]
# SPEAKERS: NONE
# TEMP: NONE (AS SHOWN)
# TVRC: NONE
# USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
# USBHD: NONE
# UPS: None
# VIDEO: NEW!!! NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB 16X PCI Express Video Card [+281] (Major Brand Power by NVIDIA)
# VIDEO2: NONE
# WEBCAM: NONE
# WNC: NONE
# WAP: NONE
# WARRANTY: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
# _PRICE: (+1081)
# _view_: detail[/fixed]


Although they custom-build pcs, their hardware selections are limited. I would have gotten a better PC if I do it myself.

The most important parts of a gaming rig are CPU, MOBO, RAM, PSU & GPU. From what I've read, C2Q is actually slower in games than C2D. The reason being is that most software doesn't take advantage of the 4 cores. Some games like Colin McRae Dirt use 2 cores. A handful like Alan Wake will use 4 cores. The 4-core games are few and far between.

Intel chipsets are only Crossfire capable whereas nVidia chipsets are SLi-ready. (I read that nVidia won't let Intel do SLi just so nVidia boards will have an advantage in this.) If you plan on going SLi (2 x identical geforces), you would get a 6x0i based motherboard. Otherwise, Intel chipsets are fine.

Intel P35 is the chipset of choice right now. P965 is solid as well, but it's on the way out. P35 is supposed to be the new P965. 680i overclocks somewhat better than 650i. If you don't overclock, it doesn't concern you. At the very least, a 650i SLi based mobo for a dual vga setup.

The store won't sell the bare Antec 900 case. You should ask them to remove the bundled one and install the better one. Should get a discount.

Like I said, the store has a very limited selection. I'd have done better elsewhere. I don't know much about UK e-stores.

 

[evilh]

Thanks for the help most of my posts don't seem to elicit response, so much appreciated.

The last part of my situation is that I might be moving house and crippling myself with a large mortgage - so future upgrading is limited, hence the 8800GTX now.

Solariscs - I have the Fataility already and it only cost £35 more than the extremegamer, so I thought what the hell. I have thought about the 320Mb but would at least opt for the 640Mb (I tend to lower resolution in certain games rather than upgrade).

Akhilles - thanks for taking the time to run through the custombuilder, I will use it for reference. I appreciate that Quad is slower than Duo now, but expect to have this machine for 3 years. Have no plans for SLI or Crossfire. Not quite sure what you mean about the Antec case though?

 

[akhilles]

No problem.

Forgot to say that 6x0i can overclock the cpu or ram, or both linked or unlinked. In a nutshell, 6x0i is a very flexible overclocker. You can o/c the cpu and not touch the ram. p965/p35 overclocks both the cpu & ram at a ratio such as 1:1. It takes a bit more time to get a stable o/c, in my experience.

I want to clarify that quad is slower in games than duo right now. It will change. When is the question. Also, c2d overclocks way better than c2q. However, quad is faster in other tasks such as compression, decompression, audio & video encoding, etc.

Regarding the case, the store bundles the case with a power supply. Maybe I missed something. Also, they don't have many choices of motherboards. I would've chosen a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R which is P35 as well.

 

[evilh]

I am taking out the standard PSU and going for the Hiper 585 they put in the £1500 'pre-configured' machine, or the Enermax 600W Noisetaker.

Am not into overclocking and I have always bought Asus m/boards and never had a single problem. So am OK with the choice of Asus - it was just the which one aspect...

 

[Solariscs]

Get the enermax its better than Hiper.