2.4c or 2.6c....and what mobo?

[TomaHawk47x]

i originally had planned to get a barton 2500+ w/an abit nf7-s rev2.0, but seeing as amd decided to lock the bartons, i figured that i might as swell spend a little extra and go intel. so, i have a few questions:

2.4c or 2.6c?

the 2.4c has a lower multiplier, so an equivolent OC with a 2.6c will have a lower fsb. if they can reach the same speed, the 2.4c would be the better performer. but, which overclocks higher?

what mobo?

ive heard good things about the abit is7-e and the asus p4p800 dlx. i want a mobo with GOOD integrated sound. i will not go intel if i need to pay $50 more just for a decent sound card. this was one of the benefits of soundstorm. i also want a good overclocking mobo and it needs to cost close to $100.

what memory?

this confuses me the most. i do not want to run my memory at anything other than 1:1. whats the point of having a 250mhz fsb when the memory can only run at 200mhz (5:4)? for my amd system, i planned on getting mushkin lv 2 black.


If im not convinced that going intel will be worth my while, ill stick with the amd rig i had planned. so educate me! ;)

[zabomb4163]

i'm in the same situation

2.6C (13 multi)
3.5Ghz= 13*269 .....216 on the mem using 5:4 ratio
3.2Ghz= 13*246..... 196 on the ram using 5:4 ratio

2.4C
3.5Ghz = 12*292......194 on the mem using 3:2 ratio
3.2Ghz = 12*267.......214 on the mem using 5:4 ratio

the ram i'm using on this rig maxes out at 210 if your wondering why the mem speeds are low. which chip is better for you depends on your memory and cooling.

[batboy]

Well, my old 2.4C would do 275 FSB, so I used the 5:4 ratio and OCZ PC3500 RAM and got DDR440 with 2,3,2,5 timings.

Unlike AMD which prefers 1:1, Intel loves 5:4 as long as you can crank the FSB up. You just about have to use the 5:4 if you want an awesome overclock with tight timings.

Yeah, the 2.4C and 2.6C will overclock about the same, but the 2.4C will have a higher FSB for a little better performance, but the 2.6C is a better match for PC3500 RAM I think.

Don't know about the Asus sound, but the IS7-E has pretty good 6 channel sound and that mobo is about $90 at newegg.

[Amino]

I just ordered a 2.6C and an IS7-E from newwgg, along with 256Mb of Kingston HyperX PC3500.

About a week ago, I bought a 2500+ Barton and a Leadtek Deluxe Limited Pro II mobo. I hate AMD. I went AMD once and came straight back to Intel because all ym games were crashing, freezing, stuttering, and doing anyting esle you could imagine that would bother he hell out of a serious gamer. With the intel system I had before that, I didn't have a SINGLE solitary problem. I had a 2.4B that got upto 3.06 Ghz with no probs.

Then I sold that and decided to get an Intel 2.4C and an Abit IC7-G. That system was so stable, you could spit in it and it'd still work!!! (Not really, but you get the point). Unfortunately, I had to sell that beauty because I needed that money.

So I bought a new AMD system. It's doing the exact same thing as the previous AMD systems that I've owned have done. Freeze, lock up and stutter until I quit out of the game. Then, it'd just reboot every once in a while. I couldn't take it anymore so I ordred my new Intel stuff which should be here Teusday.

Now get this. On my previous system, the 2.4C/IC7-G one, I had a Radeon 9700 Pro, and got 19.5K+ in 3DMark2001. Now with this system, I have an AMD 2500+/Leadtek nForce2 mobo and a 9800 Pro, and I scored an even 18000, average. Same amt. of memory, and nothing on the PCI buss on either computer. Now, I could be wrong at matching up a 2500+ vs. a 2.4C, but those two chips seem to be the most popular ones, and I think, are therefore in the same category in terms of market.

To sum up:
1. Intel gives better 3DMark scores and doesn't freeze/lock-up/reboot
2. AMD gives worse 3DMark scores and DOES freeze/lock-up/reboot.

Whether AMD gets more done in a CPU cycle or whatever, if the darn system gives you hell while doing the thing you want it to do, it just ain't worth any amount of money at all. The day I own another AMD system will be the day I freeze to death in an erupting volcano.

If I were you, I would DEFINITELY go with Intel. Don't let the cheap prices of AMD sway you. Because if you do, you'll get what you pay for. Intel is expensive for a reason. I mean, if you had the money for either, what would you get, a Mercedes Benz SL500 or a Honda S2000. Both are good cars, but if you had the money for either of them, well... I know where I'd put my money.





******Edit******

I just thought of this too... I'm probably thinking about this completely wrong, but it kinda makes sense to me right now... If AMD CPUs are doing twice the work per CPU cycle, and the CPU has less CPU cycles to use, well.... I mean, doesn't that mean that AMD is making their CPUs do double the work with less reseources than intel?

I mean, if AMD is so efficient, why do their CPUs run hotter? It seems to me that AMD wants you to think that their CPUs are doing twice the work and don't NEED all the extra CPU cycles, but if that were so, I'd much rather have the CPU that does the same amount of work, and just has more resources to allocate to that work.

I can liken it to a physics situation, using Bernoulli's Principle. Water running through a pipe will flow at a certain speed, producing a certain pressure against the walls of the pipe. Now, if you were to make the pipe thinner (ie. have less cycles), and keep teh speed constant (ie. doing the same amount of work), the pressure would increase, potentially rupturing the pipe (ie. causing there to be more errors, lock ups, freezes, stutters... all things I've experienced with AMD and haven't with Intel).

It obviously more complicated than that, but it's just food for thought.

[TomaHawk47x]

why is the is7-e cheaper than the is7? what does the "e" signify? btw, i will gaming with high quality headphones such as grado sr-125s or sennheiser hd280s, will the onboard sound on that mobo be good enough? now, regardless of the fsb, the 2.4c and the 2.6c will max out at the same speed...so that means the 2.4c will have a higher fsb, while the 2.6c has a lower fsb but higher multi, making the 2.4c better? both cpus are the same price, so price isnt an issue. also, what is the best 2x512mb ram for under $250 i could get for it?

[deathman20]

Well this goes along with your post more so here. With a 2.4C these days is it correct to say that 3.4Ghz is almost a sure thing with it? I'm refering to the M0 steppings.

[Phreakeeeone]

Just want to let you know that there has been a price point drop on P4 2.6Cs