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Dual-Core or Non for me!

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Mascot

Registered
Joined
Apr 2, 2005
Location
New Jersey
Hello, I am new to these forums, I normally go to Anandtech, but they are not enthusiasts like yourselves. Anyway, I am about to move from my three story house to a trailor, so as you can expect, I will have some pocket change ($1200) left over. I am looking to build a SFF computer with the Q-Pack's case, I have used it before, and I know all about it. I am originally a AMD guy, but due to the lack of mobo support for matx, I decided to switch to Intel for this build. So as of now, I have a single problem, do I need dual-core since I can afford it. The main thing I use my computer for is graphic designing, CS:S, DOD:S, BF2, music, and some web-related things. I do however play all of those game very competitivly, and go to lans almost twice a month. Should I use a dual-core proc, or just a nice little single proc. Any comments are appreciated.

Specs so far:
CASE: ASPIRE X-QPACK
CPU: Intel Pentium D 820 Smithfield
MOBO: AOpen i915Gm-PL
VIDEO: SAPPHIRE Radeon X800GTO2
HDD: Maxtor DiamondMax 10 160GB
RAM: CORSAIR XMS 1GB

Thanks...
 
Almost everyone is gonna tell you if it's for pure gaming, get a good single processor. However, my preference is leaning much more toward dual cores since things are becoming more and more compatable for them and if your ever doing two large tasks at once, you probably won't even notice. Besides, how many more frames a second do you really think you're gonna get based on the processor alone? Maybe 5-10? Go dual~
 
Go dual core. The video card makes much more difference in FPS than the CPU. LIke was said, the difference is only minutely measureable, and won't be noticed. Should you decide to work with some video from that vaction, or some specatator even you filmed, you will appreciate that dual core very much.

If you want to really OC it, go with water. It's worth it. I would also opt for 2GB of high quality ram on a high quality motherboard. If you've built systems before and overclocked, you know how important a good motherboard is. You can put the best hardware money can buy on a board, but if the board is crappy, you'll never see the full potential of it.

You'll also want to mkae sure you get a good quality 500+ watt PSU with strong rails of at least 30amps or more on the 12+ rail. OCZ and PC Power & Cooling are good ones.

If you want to go dual core, go all the way. You won't see the full potential unless you match all the components, and use good high quality hardware on everything.

If money becomes an issue, it would be better to go with a 6xx CPU and get the better hardware, then it would to get the dual core and skimp on something.

There are also new CPU's coming out 1st and 2nd quarter of 06 that are really amazing. If it's something you can wait on, you may want to look at those options as well.

There's lots of great things happening in the Intel world right now, and it's going to get better and better. :)

Edited to add: Take a Lokk at the Asus boards. For the 775 series CPU there is not a better board out there right now.

Also, bump the RAM up to 2GB. There are good 2GB kits that OC very well now. I have a Corsair XMS 1GB kit and it will only barely do 230FSB. It has Infineon Chips on it, and I hate it. It's the worst OC'ing Corsair I have ever owned. If you go with Corsair, make sure you get them to tell you what IC's are on it *before* you buy it. They played a dirty trick with the 1GB kits. They originally had BH5 chips on them, and then on only two versions of that same ram threw in some Infineon chips, and that stuff is horrid! I hate to say that, but it's the truth. I thought it was a pretty dirty trick, becasue they were selling this stuff based on the rep of BH5 which is why I bought it, an didn't tell anyone of the change until after I questioned them about it. It was not on their forum at all. They had a thread that showed all the chips on the different ram available except the ones they stuck that Infinieon on.

Also check out nVidia's 6800GT's or 7800GTX's. Those things rock!

I don't kinow how much you want to spend total, but the above stuff is all first class stuff. A system like the one above that I suggested will really kick some major butt. I have a freind on here that has basically that same system with a 6xx CPU and that machine is awesome.
 
Last edited:
Mascot said:
Specs so far:
CPU: Intel Pentium D 820 Smithfield
MOBO: AOpen i915Gm-PL


Thanks...

Get a dual-core cpu if you will have this pc some years, but if you will have it only 6-12 monts then get a 6xx cpu.
I dont think that AOpen i915Gm-PL mobo suport Dual-core cpu, Pentium D is suported on 945x and up....
 
If you are building a SFF, I recommend AGAINST dual core, because they run hot and cooling is tougher with SFF cases. Ronaldo is right, the AOpen i915Gm-PL will NOT support a dual core processor. Not many micro mobos support overclocking. I would recommend an Asus with an Intel chipset. Now you have to decide socket 478 or LGA775, AGP or PCI-E, and DDR or DDR2. I personally would recommend a 6XX series P-4 because they have 2M cache and support 64-bit. The 6XX series are socket LGA775 and if you are building from scratch you might as well go PCI-E vid card and DDR2 RAM to futureproof this bad boy. Here is my recommendation for motherboard (which by the way does support dual core if you decide to get that anyway, just make sure you cool it good if you do).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131545
 
I have decided to go with a well clocked single core processor, thanks to all that responded.
 
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