I have a choice to make. Help me make it.

[bsgray34]

Ok so i just ordered parts for a new system from scratch. I'll admit that i didn't do all my homework about the new Intel C2D stuff. And after seeing the future of 939 looking dim and the way people are talking about the C2D I'm wondering if i should sell my new unopened X2 4400 Toledo and Asus A8N-E Mobo and pick up an E6400 and new (please suggest) mobo. I have not ordered new memory yet.

Please help me decide. This system is going to be for gaming and lightly overclocked. Any thoughts or suggestions would be very helpful. I really want to get my system together but i also want to make the smart choice, even if it takes me a bit longer if i have to sell/return and order new.

Thanks

 

[apt403]

So im assuming you cant return it. I say cut our loses, sell the board and cpu then buy a C2D and a P5B Deluxe.

 

[BaronMatrix]

Ok so i just ordered parts for a new system from scratch. I'll admit that i didn't do all my homework about the new Intel C2D stuff. And after seeing the future of 939 looking dim and the way people are talking about the C2D I'm wondering if i should sell my new unopened X2 4400 Toledo and Asus A8N-E Mobo and pick up an E6400 and new (please suggest) mobo. I have not ordered new memory yet.

Please help me decide. This system is going to be for gaming and lightly overclocked. Any thoughts or suggestions would be very helpful. I really want to get my system together but i also want to make the smart choice, even if it takes me a bit longer if i have to sell/return and order new.

Thanks

Yeah, I'd say get the 6400. If you had gotten AM2 instead of 939 I would say keep it because youll be able to upgrade to AMD Quad around Sep.

 

[bsgray34]

I can return both if i want to, both from newegg, it looks like the 939 4400's are selling well on ebay right now. I might be able to turn a small profit.

 

[croc]

I'm impressed... Genuine advice. Must be the season....

Anyway, thanks, and hopefully a happier new year.

 

[bsgray34]

Ok so i just ordered parts for a new system from scratch. I'll admit that i didn't do all my homework about the new Intel C2D stuff. And after seeing the future of 939 looking dim and the way people are talking about the C2D I'm wondering if i should sell my new unopened X2 4400 Toledo and Asus A8N-E Mobo and pick up an E6400 and new (please suggest) mobo. I have not ordered new memory yet.

Please help me decide. This system is going to be for gaming and lightly overclocked. Any thoughts or suggestions would be very helpful. I really want to get my system together but i also want to make the smart choice, even if it takes me a bit longer if i have to sell/return and order new.

Thanks

Horrible how fast this industry changes.... it depends on you, the 4400 will give roughly the same to slightly less than the C2D, for the money I would stick with what you got.... wait until your next upgrade cycle and see where the state of the industry is at that time....

the 4400 will overclock ok, the C2D will over clock like mad --- C2D will do overall better in gaming, expecially if overclocking, but you need to weigh the costs...

Jack


Thanks for the advice, while ive never overclocked before i would like to OC this system. So if im understanding you correct, if i do a mild overclock on the X2 4400 and the same with a C2D E6400, as far as Gaming goes the difference in performance from the x2 and c2d wouldn't be astronomical while using the same gpu and 2g of ram?

 

[eagles453809]

hmm, thats a tough call. Honestly it depends on whether or not you are willing to fork out a few extra dollars. If you are then I would have to say go with the C2D, especially if your going to overclock. I have the 4400 and it overclocks alright. I can get to 2.66 with a decently higher vcore but 2590 at 1.45v . I would def go with the c2d right now though, with a 6400 you can reach 2.9-3.0 easy and outperforms 4400 in almost every aspect. If you do get it make sure to get aftermarket cooler and do research on which board to get as i cant help you there. good luck.

 

[bsgray34]

hmm, thats a tough call. Honestly it depends on whether or not you are willing to fork out a few extra dollars. If you are then I would have to say go with the C2D, especially if your going to overclock. I have the 4400 and it overclocks alright. I can get to 2.66 with a decently higher vcore but 2590 at 1.45v . I would def go with the c2d right now though, with a 6400 you can reach 2.9-3.0 easy and outperforms 4400 in almost every aspect. If you do get it make sure to get aftermarket cooler and do research on which board to get as i cant help you there. good luck.

Thanks for the advice Eagles, could you read my question above your post and give me your opinion on that. Keeping in mind i have the X2 and my mobo here ready to go.

 

[PCAnalyst]

Thanks for the advice, while ive never overclocked before i would like to OC this system. So if im understanding you correct, if i do a mild overclock on the X2 4400 and the same with a C2D E6400, as far as Gaming goes the difference in performance from the x2 and c2d wouldn't be astronomical while using the same gpu and 2g of ram?

Yes it will be a fairly big difference in performance... as the A8N 939 is DDR memory whereas the C2D mobo would be DDR2... you will get faster load times at the very least.

 

[eagles453809]

well first it depends on what Graphics card you have. when it comes to gaming the GPU is the 1st determining factor, then memory, then cpu. If you have a higher end GPU, you will see higher framerates with a C2D that is overclocked to 3.0 vs a 4400+ overclocked to say 2.58. Intels new arcitecture is amazing. If you have a mid-range GPU and aren't planning to upgrade for a year or so, go with the 4400+. I'm not saying that the 4400+ will dissapoint, it's hard to slow this chip down, but a c2d is just mind blowing (and this is coming from someone who has almost always preferred AMD). Give me your complete system specs and upgrade plan, i can help you better when i know your intentions.

 

[bsgray34]

well first it depends on what Graphics card you have. when it comes to gaming the GPU is the 1st determining factor, then memory, then cpu. If you have a higher end GPU, you will see higher framerates with a C2D that is overclocked to 3.0 vs a 4400+ overclocked to say 2.58. Intels new arcitecture is amazing. If you have a mid-range GPU and aren't planning to upgrade for a year or so, go with the 4400+. I'm not saying that the 4400+ will dissapoint, it's hard to slow this chip down, but a c2d is just mind blowing (and this is coming from someone who has almost always preferred AMD). Give me your complete system specs and upgrade plan, i can help you better when i know your intentions.

Thanks again. Here is what i had for the passed 1.5 years.

Abit 3rd-Eye Mobo (AGP)
Amd Athlon 3200+ Venice Core
1g Corsair dual Channel
Vanilla 6800 AGP
Crappy psu

And this is basically what i have ready to be built (only waiting on the memory to show up)


Enermax Noisetaker 2 485 W 2x12v @ 22A
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2.2GHz Socket 939 Dual Core Processor
ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Motherboard
2GB OCZ Platinum (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400
Diamond Viper X1950 Pro 512 MB (got this for less then $200 new)

Id like to do a newbie OC on this system.

My intentions are to play mainly MMO's, but more graphic intensive ones like Vanguard, Warhammer ect. But i also play some FPS as well. And my goal is basically to have a machine that will run most any new game that comes out in medium to max settings for the next year. At that point ill build a new system around a DX10 Card.

 

[eagles453809]

alright, well since you'll be building a dx10 based system in a year or so, which happens to be my plan as well, i'de say stick with the 4400+. You'll be more than satisfied, believe me. I had my current setup but with a single core 3800+ for a year, then a friend of mine who owed me 250 bought me the 4400+ to call the debt even . I was blown away. simply amazing. but yeah, go ahead and throw that rig together and enjoy it for the next year.

I have a couple things that I highly recommend doing though.

1.) get an aftermarket HSF. I use the thermalright si-120, it uses a 120mm fan so its quiet and pushes a lot of air. Nice temps and its a light cooler. That will run you about 45USD

2.) that psu that you have is a decent psu, but think about this. the 4400+ stock uses between 89-110 watts at stock speeds. thats about 7-9 amps off the 12v rail from the start. Mobo uses about say 2-3 amps, video card can draw about 10-13 amps under full load. plus HDD, fans, add-in cards, optical drives. so lets see: 7+2+10=19amps off the 12v rail, that leavs you with only a couple amps to pump the rest. Thats at lowest consumption under full load at stock speeds. DONT make the same mistake I did. My PSU has 26A on the 12v and i overstressed it for about a year, so my system was getting unstable. added it all up and i was using about 30 or so maybe more.

If you dont want to upgrade to a PSU with 30+ amps on 12v rail(s) get what i got, the thermaltake purepower express 250w video card PSU. It fits in 5.25 bay. It makes a world a difference. good luck my friend and happy computing.

 

[bsgray34]

alright, well since you'll be building a dx10 based system in a year or so, which happens to be my plan as well, i'de say stick with the 4400+. You'll be more than satisfied, believe me. I had my current setup but with a single core 3800+ for a year, then a friend of mine who owed me 250 bought me the 4400+ to call the debt even . I was blown away. simply amazing. but yeah, go ahead and throw that rig together and enjoy it for the next year.

I have a couple things that I highly recommend doing though.

1.) get an aftermarket HSF. I use the thermalright si-120, it uses a 120mm fan so its quiet and pushes a lot of air. Nice temps and its a light cooler. That will run you about 45USD

2.) that psu that you have is a decent psu, but think about this. the 4400+ stock uses between 89-110 watts at stock speeds. thats about 7-9 amps off the 12v rail from the start. Mobo uses about say 2-3 amps, video card can draw about 10-13 amps under full load. plus HDD, fans, add-in cards, optical drives. so lets see: 7+2+10=19amps off the 12v rail, that leavs you with only a couple amps to pump the rest. Thats at lowest consumption under full load at stock speeds. DONT make the same mistake I did. My PSU has 26A on the 12v and i overstressed it for about a year, so my system was getting unstable. added it all up and i was using about 30 or so maybe more.

If you dont want to upgrade to a PSU with 30+ amps on 12v rail(s) get what i got, the thermaltake purepower express 250w video card PSU. It fits in 5.25 bay. It makes a world a difference. good luck my friend and happy computing.

Thank you very much for your help, to be honest thats what i wanted to hear. Ill take your advice and check out that HSF, although i hear the normal wattage 4400 comes with a really good hsf. The psu i got for 30 bucks from a guy who used it for a month, im hoping it will suffice but if i end up overclocking this setup moderately ill probably jump up to a higher end one.

One more question since im new at overclocking, my old setup came with a overclocking program where it would adjust the voltages and raise the fsb to predetermined amounts based on your selection. Id like to really get into overcloking the old fashioned way through the bios and whatnot. At the same time id rather not put my system at a huge risk considering ive never really overclocked. Could you recommend a good guide or should i ask in forums that are more suited to the type of motherboard i have?

 

[eagles453809]

do it through the bios. those 3rd party programs...i dont trust them. as for your overclocking, check the stickies for overclocking the athlon64. if you need help feel free to pm me on aim, msn or yahoo. I'll be more than happy to help, i have an asus board myself. good luck!

 

[bsgray34]

Thanks alot again folks, ill be in touch

 

[eagles453809]

no problem my friend, thats what the forums are here for. look foreward to your ocing results. I wouldnt go past 1.45-1.48v on the core. good luck.

 

[DeadFire]

Well no matter what you buy, whiten a few weeks there is going to be something better. So whit what you have no is still a decent set-up. So just put together what you have and get a program called NOS and OC your computer and it will be great for gaming!

 

[bullaRh]

seriously u advice him to buy a 939 socket system ? 8O whats wrong with u boy

 

[eagles453809]

if you actually read what he wrote, he already has the cpu and the mobo, he has everything but the memory. he plans on building a new rig in a year anyway. read before you post...boy.

 

[pat]

Ok so i just ordered parts for a new system from scratch. I'll admit that i didn't do all my homework about the new Intel C2D stuff. And after seeing the future of 939 looking dim and the way people are talking about the C2D I'm wondering if i should sell my new unopened X2 4400 Toledo and Asus A8N-E Mobo and pick up an E6400 and new (please suggest) mobo. I have not ordered new memory yet.

Please help me decide. This system is going to be for gaming and lightly overclocked. Any thoughts or suggestions would be very helpful. I really want to get my system together but i also want to make the smart choice, even if it takes me a bit longer if i have to sell/return and order new.

Thanks

You keep what you have. The core2 is great.. but what you have is still very good. As far as I know, the A8N-E is a solid and stable motherboard. I know some peoples that has it and thay have nothing to complain about it.


I'm still running socket 939 X2 3800+ and so far, nothing quit working since Core2 happened.. DDR2 memory is not twice faster than DDR1.. It is as fast as the memory controller can drive it, and at this point, DDR1 is still very adequate.

You could sell it, and loose now on it, or use it a while, then when better and cheaper motherboard (core2 motherboards has yet to make me want one.. the one worthing it are way too expensive yet..) will be available, as well as cheap 4 cores, then I would sell the current one, and upgrade for a full new up to date system..

 

[bsgray34]

Ok so i just ordered parts for a new system from scratch. I'll admit that i didn't do all my homework about the new Intel C2D stuff. And after seeing the future of 939 looking dim and the way people are talking about the C2D I'm wondering if i should sell my new unopened X2 4400 Toledo and Asus A8N-E Mobo and pick up an E6400 and new (please suggest) mobo. I have not ordered new memory yet.

Please help me decide. This system is going to be for gaming and lightly overclocked. Any thoughts or suggestions would be very helpful. I really want to get my system together but i also want to make the smart choice, even if it takes me a bit longer if i have to sell/return and order new.

Thanks

You keep what you have. The core2 is great.. but what you have is still very good. As far as I know, the A8N-E is a solid and stable motherboard. I know some peoples that has it and thay have nothing to complain about it.


I'm still running socket 939 X2 3800+ and so far, nothing quit working since Core2 happened.. DDR2 memory is not twice faster than DDR1.. It is as fast as the memory controller can drive it, and at this point, DDR1 is still very adequate.

You could sell it, and loose now on it, or use it a while, then when better and cheaper motherboard (core2 motherboards has yet to make me want one.. the one worthing it are way too expensive yet..) will be available, as well as cheap 4 cores, then I would sell the current one, and upgrade for a full new up to date system..

Very good, thanks for the advice. I cant wait to get it together, do you all think ill see decent improvement from a 3200 and 6800 to a X2 and x1950, as far as games and stuff go?

 

[YO_KID37]

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=538&model2=586&chart=212

^^From this GPU benchmark you've just went up 97.31% In Graphic muscle.


http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html?modelx=33&model1=499&model2=478&chart=171

^^ From this CPU benchmark you've just went up 97.12% In CPU muscle

So you've just went up an total of 97.215% in your Overall Computer from old to New. Your Old Computer not bad, but your at the moment 97.215% better than what you previously had.

 

[bsgray34]

Well............um...im happy haha, thanks!

 

[bullaRh]

he already has it yes and so ? its unopened and he is buying a 939 system :0 jeez

 

[bsgray34]

Just an update on this, im so indecisive, but i have decided to sell my x2, asus board and pick up a 6400 and gigabyte board. I dont really need this system asap so i have the room to breathe a bit.

Also since newegg is now out of the x2's again i might be able to make 100% of my money back, maybe more.