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Did I make a bad choice on my CPU decision?

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S

sektor

Member
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Joined
Jul 21, 2006
I've had this very unsettling feeling today regarding my recent purchase of a my new CPU. Hard to describe, but i'll do my best.

Bought:

C2D E6600
Gigabyte DS3 board
2gb memory kit, 5-5-5-12, corsair

I keep thinking, should I have gotten the E6400 and just OC'd to 3.2ghz?

I thought about water cooling, but due to a number of things, it is not a viable option for me. So I am going to go with air cooling.

This machine is shared between my wife and I and I mention that because I think it is important (for a number of reasons). The basic behind it is, it needs to be stable for my wife to use. Ya, I can do all the crazy stuff, but if im not home and something goes wrong, that is a pain. I guess that is utlimately why I chose the E6600 so if I ever needed to "revert to stock" I still could and have good speeds.

But now I am wondering; should I have just gotten the E6400 and OC'd it to 3.2ghz?

I am trying to justify my purchase here. I have not received the parts yet, so I can easily send it back and reorder the E6400 "IF" I can find good, logical reasons to do so.

Other important factors:

1. Machine, when im using it will be used for lots of gaming. Lots of gaming as well as ripping CD's, doing some stuff with photos, making DVD's.

2. Should I have gone with the E6400 because the quad CPU's are coming out soon and this chip is cheaper than the E6600 and I could always upgrade to the Kentsfield next year?

3. Should I just stop overthinking things and be happy with the E6600?

Well, that's all that comes to me right now, but there is more.

Anyone like to chime in here, tell me what they think?
I always appreciate others feedback and recommendations.

Cheers,

Sektor (really thinking too much today)
 
What it comes down to IMO is if the $100 matters, switch to the e6400. If not keep the e6600. For someone who knows what they're doing and with a decent aftermarket HSF - especially if you already have one and for 'decent' oc it doesn't have to be a $50-60 one - 3.2GHz for an e6400 should be no problem and should be perfectly stable. If there's something else you can put the $100 toward to further improve the system like a graphics card or HD or not spending the money matters, get an e6400. Just note that you will need DDR2-800MHz stable RAM for an e6400 at 3.2GHz, in that regard the e6600 is an 'easier' overclock.

I wouldn't worry about quad cores for a while unless you consistently do CPU-heavy multi-threaded apps in an environment where the CPU is really an investment to make money, otherwise it's honestly not worth it. Also Kentsfield is going to come out initially as an 'Extreme Edition' at $1000 afaik.
 
sektor said:
I've had this very unsettling feeling today regarding my recent purchase of a my new CPU. Hard to describe, but i'll do my best.

Bought:

C2D E6600
Gigabyte DS3 board
2gb memory kit, 5-5-5-12, corsair

I keep thinking, should I have gotten the E6400 and just OC'd to 3.2ghz?

I thought about water cooling, but due to a number of things, it is not a viable option for me. So I am going to go with air cooling.

This machine is shared between my wife and I and I mention that because I think it is important (for a number of reasons). The basic behind it is, it needs to be stable for my wife to use. Ya, I can do all the crazy stuff, but if im not home and something goes wrong, that is a pain. I guess that is utlimately why I chose the E6600 so if I ever needed to "revert to stock" I still could and have good speeds.

But now I am wondering; should I have just gotten the E6400 and OC'd it to 3.2ghz?

I am trying to justify my purchase here. I have not received the parts yet, so I can easily send it back and reorder the E6400 "IF" I can find good, logical reasons to do so.

Other important factors:

1. Machine, when im using it will be used for lots of gaming. Lots of gaming as well as ripping CD's, doing some stuff with photos, making DVD's.

2. Should I have gone with the E6400 because the quad CPU's are coming out soon and this chip is cheaper than the E6600 and I could always upgrade to the Kentsfield next year?

3. Should I just stop overthinking things and be happy with the E6600?

Well, that's all that comes to me right now, but there is more.

Anyone like to chime in here, tell me what they think?
I always appreciate others feedback and recommendations.

Cheers,

Sektor (really thinking too much today)
Click to expand...



Personally I think if I could make a purchase today, I'd go with an E6400 and Asus P5W DH Deluxe/Wifi...as for RAM I'd try to go with G.Skill HZ's if I could afford it.
 
MadMan007 said:
What it comes down to IMO is if the $100 matters, switch to the e6400. If not keep the e6600. For someone who knows what they're doing and with a decent aftermarket HSF - especially if you already have one and for 'decent' oc it doesn't have to be a $50-60 one - 3.2GHz for an e6400 should be no problem and should be perfectly stable. If there's something else you can put the $100 toward to further improve the system like a graphics card or HD or not spending the money matters, get an e6400. Just note that you will need DDR2-800MHz stable RAM for an e6400 at 3.2GHz, in that regard the e6600 is an 'easier' overclock.

I wouldn't worry about quad cores for a while unless you consistently do CPU-heavy multi-threaded apps in an environment where the CPU is really an investment to make money, otherwise it's honestly not worth it. Also Kentsfield is going to come out initially as an 'Extreme Edition' at $1000 afaik.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help. I do appreciate it.
I did buy DDR2 800 (PC6400) RAM. I definitely wanted to make sure I got that.

I do have a good HD and video card, so I really didn't need to buy anything else. The final pieces were the RAM, mobo and chip. After that, im just looking for extra added options for cooling (heatsink, case cooling fans etc.).

Ultimately, I was hoping to get OC's on this chip around 3.2-3.6ghz with air cooling, if possible as well as stable.
 
LOL Sektor I just went through the same thing! Nearly over analyzed myself into insanity.
:attn:

You should be fine with the setup you have, I would think. The Gigabyte DS3 doesnt seem to go as high FSB-wise as the ASUS P5B Deluxe, but that shouldnt be an issue with the E6600's higher multiplier. Is that PC6400 RAM? How far do you intend to push the CPU?

1. Machine, when im using it will be used for lots of gaming. Lots of gaming as well as ripping CD's, doing some stuff with photos, making DVD's.
Click to expand...

Your setup should work great for that. If you ever want to run Crossfire or SLI, a 975X a P965 board with dual PCIE x 16 slots may have been a better choice, especially with the E6600.

2. Should I have gone with the E6400 because the quad CPU's are coming out soon and this chip is cheaper than the E6600 and I could always upgrade to the Kentsfield next year?
Click to expand...

I dont think you should make purchase decisions based on stuff that isnt even out yet. I know you want to look as far ahead as possible, but who knows what kinds of requirements or performance we'll see with those quad cores? You might need a new motherboard to see maximum benefits, or faster RAM, etc. The E6600 is a great chip, and only $90 more than the E6400. Sure, you could have seen similar performance with an OC'd E6400, but you'd also need faster RAM, a beefier PSU, etc. There's your $90 right there, at least.

3. Should I just stop overthinking things and be happy with the E6600?
Click to expand...

Yep:) There's so many variables today when it comes to buying computer parts it nearly drove me nuts! When it comes down to it, there are many configurations that will give you comparable performance - you need to make a decision based on what suits your needs the best. So you spent an extra $90 on the E6600...what's $90 over the life span of this system? Not much at all, I'd think.

Im new to all this to, just having purchased my first pc in about 5 years Im still waiting for the parts to arrive :) Perhaps one of the more seasoned members will chime in with more indepth advice.

Good luck:)
awake77
 
a e6400 at the same clocks as a e6600 will lose everytime. if that matters to you, keep the e6600. if you can live with losing a few point in benchmarks, and maybe a few FPS in games, then get the e6400. chances are, the e6600 will out clock the e6400, although you won't be going all out.

3.2ghz is a conservative clock with these chips. even my e6300 manages without breaking a sweat.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. I feel better now. :D

Awake77, I know what you mean man. You start buying things and then the brain kicks in and says "maybe you should have bought this?" It drives you to the brink of insanity at times. LOL


Very cool. Just need to find a good heatsink for this chip and I should be good to go.

Thanks.
 
Awake77, I know what you mean man. You start buying things and then the brain kicks in and says "maybe you should have bought this?" It drives you to the brink of insanity at times. LOL
Click to expand...

I know!! I just ended up buying the best components I could afford because I couldnt take the option anxiety anymore. I cant eat out for a month, but hey Ill just stay in and play Oblivion maxed out in 5.1 surround :D
 
E6600 = bigger e-penis than E6400.

so in E-Penis terms. you will be much better off.

lol..


jk..

i love both of the processors that i've worked with. both over clocked like a dream. but i don't know why. i just like that extra 2mb's of cache. but my friends e6400 overclocked to 3.0 ghz didn't perform nearly as well as the e6600 at the same clock.
 
All great statements. I had an e6600 and loved it.
Clock for clock an e6600 will always perform a tad stronger than an e6400. From 1% to 10% in real world apps/games. Even close to 15%+ in SuperPi, etc.

But the question comes, is that $90 really worth it over the e6400? At my current monetary situation at the time I felt that it was. But sometimes, as others have said money can be spent elsewhere.

Welcome to the Conroe/Allendale club!
 
I agree with what most of the people have said. I wanted to get the cheapest processor possible with the best performance. I was originally going to get a friggin' Pentium D 805... but then Greenmaji talked me out of that explaining that the D 930s were out and C1 stepping was coming... and 65 vs. 90nm and blah blah blah... :)

So, okay. I was going to get the D 930. But by the time I was ready to do that the E6300s were about to come out. (Greenmaji insisted I get an E6400, but, since money was an object, I really wanted the cheapest thing I could get, and I was already well over budget just getting an E6300 instead of a D 930). But the E6300 was out of stock so I got the E6400 instead. It turned out to be the best move (though certainly not from a financial perspective.)

I'd definately send back the E6600 at this point and get an E6400. The only real difference you'll see in terms of performance is if you're benching. For day-to-day practical use (especially doing the things you're talking about doing), it's not worth the extra money. And if the extra performance means that much to you you're better off putting that 100 bucks in the bank, adding maybe ten bucks a week, and getting a Quad core when they come out. At this point. If you're look to get a chip to go 5 years with, stick with your E6600. You can always switch motherboards somewhere down the line. If you think there's even the POSSIBILITY you might upgrade in the next year or two, then you might as well get the E6400.
 
I beleive the 6600 has 2x the amount of L1 cache. I also think that the 6600-x6800 is from the same die, and are just selected for their quality based on some inspection, testing procedure. This is what intel has done in the past.

As for watercooling, you would spend more money on your watercooling system then the cost of the 6600.
 
I'm with greenmaji, I want to see someone try one of these Xeons, it does have a conroe core.
 
i just got the 6300, ds3 and gskill and im happy with it, I spent the money saved on the cpu on other things like paint for my case and fans, stuff etc. I had the opposite after thoughts, should I have gotten the e6600? Its natural thought process I think, to second guess yourself. Anyway once my opc is overclocked u probally wont be able to tell its not a stock e6600 just by playing a game on it, TBH. I think If I billed the extra time spent overclocking, then you would end up spending less then me, but I enjoy spending the time :p

If i didnt have a decent backup computer, and I had to share I would have done what you did, for sure. hope that helps u!
 
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