Which CPU to buy?

Hi!

I've done a research to help me choose my next CPU. I'm changing to Intel and don't want to spend loads of money, so I figured 2.4 or 2.6 ("FSB800") would be good options.

The average performance difference between them is 6%, and the current price difference 18.5% (in Portugal), basically there's a 30€ difference.

I'm not interested in going higher, or sticking with AMD, so please keep your opinions between these two CPUs.

The final step in this research is to find out which one is the best for OCing, i.e. which one will give the best OC percentage. From what I've read in some threads, the 2.4C is a very good CPU for overclocking; does the 2.6C go even higher in clock or isn't the price difference worth it?

My memory modules (which are migrating to the new system) are Corsair XMS3200LL "TwinX" (2x512mb). They're rated 5-2-2-2 (when using both modules) at 200FSB.

The board I'm interested in (again price vs. features/performance) is an Asus P4P800.

The cooler is a MAZE3 copper block.

What OC can I expect with any of the CPUs with this memory/board/cooling system?



I'm sorry for these oh-so-many questions, but I want to make sure I choose the right CPU. Thanks in advance for the answers!



PS - please keep aside questions like "why go from AMD to Intel"

The 2.4C will give you the best O/C percentage. Both the 2.4C and 2.6C average close to the same max O/C speed. The 2.4C will also have a higher FSB, so that helps with performance. Both will average about 3.2 gig. You'll probably get more out of them since you are investing in better cooling. Some folks are hitting 3.3 to 3.5 gig if they get lucky and have good cooling. The trouble with PC3200 RAM is that with the 2.4C, once you get into the 3.2 gig range, you'll have to use the 3:2 memory ratio, so you'll lose some potential memory bandwidth. You'll need more like the speed of PC3700 if you want max O/C with the 2.4C using the 5:4 ratio. The 2.6C is a good match for PC3500 RAM using the 5:4 ratio.

Thanks for the reply

I think I'll stick with the 2.4C then, I thought the max OC I'd get would be something around 3.0, if 3.2 or more is possible it'll be a great upgrade from my current system, considering the costs involved.

The extra 6% of the 2.6C are not really worth it cost-wise (at least in my point of view), even less if the OC range is similar.

Let's see if I get lucky with the OC