New Intel rig, would like some advice.

[AZN]

hello everyone, I've been a member for a long time but for about 3 years now been out of the computer overclocking scene. I love this forum and learned pretty much all i know about overlocking a system here so im very thankfull for all the great minds we have here. Well my reason for my visit is for a long time now i have been overdue for an upgrade and since i have not kept up with hardware im kind of at a lost for what new hardware to buy. The past month i've been reading threads started to piece together a wishlist at newegg. My biggest question is the CPU.

here is my wishlist. please tell me the difference in the 2 cpu's i've chosen and which would best work for my needs (btw the main use for this computer will be Gamming) another question is the Hard drives, i've never used these SATA 3.0Gb/s but they seem to have good reviews, im more use to the ata133 drives.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.asp?ID=4870507


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price

Update
Eagle Tech PSR5612BK-WOP Black 1.0 mm Aluminum Alloy ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: PSR5612BK-WOP
Item #: N82E16811117077

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$49.99 $49.99

Update
ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
Item #: N82E16813131028

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$209.99 $209.99

Update
XFX PVT71JYHD9 GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Model #: PVT71JYHD9
Item #: N82E16814150211

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$299.99 $299.99

Update
Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails - Retail
Model #: TP3-550
Item #: N82E16817371002

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$94.99 $94.99

Update
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E6400
Item #: N82E16819115004

Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

In Stock
$217.00 $217.00

Update
Intel Pentium D 950 Presler 3.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80553950 - Retail
Model #: BX80553950
Item #: N82E16819116240

Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

In Stock
$229.99 $229.99

Update
OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P8002GK - Retail
Model #: OCZ2P8002GK
Item #: N82E16820227089

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$241.99 $241.99

Update
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000KS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD5000KS
Item #: N82E16822136014

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$179.99 $179.99

Update
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD2500KS
Item #: N82E16822144701

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$79.99 $79.99

Update
LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner White ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHW160P6S03 - OEM
Model #: SHW160P6S03
Item #: N82E16827106010

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$29.99 $29.99

Update
ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail
Model #: CNPS9500 AT
Item #: N82E16835118003

Subtotal: $1,681.90



please take a quick look at my list and let me know if there are better options without drastically increasing the price already. I'd like a great gamming machine but dont' really need to shell out the big bucks for the latest and greatest, something better then average but doesnt need to be the top of the line is what im looking for. any comments and suggestion is greatly appreciated thanks everyone and happy holidays.

oh and overlocking isn't really much of a concern, if i can squeeze alittle without modding then great but im not really looking to do much OCing.

 

[Speciale]

we can't view your wishlist, that link takes us to ours.

 

[ronaldo]

Core2duo is Years ahead of Pentium d in gamming, the clear choice is E6400.

 

[AZN]

Core2duo is Years ahead of Pentium d in gamming, the clear choice is E6400.

thank you for that detailed information its all so very clear to me now.

 

[splat]

core 2 duo, and get the Scythe Ninja cooler instead of the Zalman

oh and, you want a PSU with a single 12v rail rated at 30A or more

 

[Immortal_Hero]

I'd drop the 7950 and get an 8800 series card. I see no point in buying old technology as it seems you don't upgrade very often. DX10 and games for DX10 are comming fast, it would be worth it.

 

[DorianBrytestar]

Just a fyi if you want to link someone to your wish list, you need to make it public first, then find it in the listing (search for the name) and after you find it, link to it and make sure that there is a "PublicWishDetail" in the URL instead of a "MySavedWishDetail".


Here's my public one.
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=3583065

 

[batboy]

Azn, hey how you been? As one of the old timers here, I sure remember you.

I went from a Presler 940 to a Core 2 Duo and the performance difference is amazing. Definitely get the E6400, much more bang for the buck then the 950 you listed. The E6400 will benchmark some things almost twice as fast. For gaming, it's the fastest CPU available. Some of the AMD processors will beat the 950, but nothing can touch the Core 2 Duo.

The Zalman cooler you listed is very quiet and would be fine for a modest O/C. You might want a better cooler if you want to push the limits though. The E6400 with that Zalman will be a no brainer to do 400 FSB (3.2 gig) with fairly low voltage. That would run your PC2-6400 RAM perfectly in spec using the 1:1 memory ratio.

I personally think the OCZ Powerstream 520W is a better PSU choice ($105 with rebate from newegg). I would not recommend a triple rail power supply for these new dual cores. This Sparkle unit (see link) is also worth checking out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103517

 

[AZN]

UPDATED WISHLIST.

splat, could you please point name a few PSU that fit your recommendations im not a PSU expert. I've read some reviews on this cooler and everyone reports its huge so im starting to wonder if it would fit in the case i selected. I saw 3 brands in this price range for videocards, MSI, EVGA, and BFG; they all look similar any advice on which or does it really matter?

another update after reading Batboy's response. Hi batboy ofcourse i remember you, i'm doing great its good to talk see you again on these boards. I added that PSU you recommended and upped the CPU to the Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz since it wasn't to much more. since you didn't comment on anything else on my wishlist im taking it as this is a good setup yes? I'm dying to upgrade as you can see my main rig in my comment is very old and needs updating. Happy holidays everyone and thanks again.



Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price
1 Eagle Tech PSR5612BK-WOP Black 1.0 mm Aluminum Alloy ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: PSR5612BK-WOP
Item #: N82E16811117077

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$49.99 $49.99
1 ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
Item #: N82E16813131028

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$209.99 $209.99
1 eVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Model #: 640-P2-N821-AR
Item #: N82E16814130071

Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$449.99 -$10.00 Instant $439.99
1 OCZ PowerStream OCZ520ADJSLI ATX, BTX, EPS12V 520W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: OCZ520ADJSLI
Item #: N82E16817711002

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$129.99 $129.99
1 Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E6600
Item #: N82E16819115003

Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

In Stock
$309.00 $309.00
1 OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P8002GK - Retail
Model #: OCZ2P8002GK
Item #: N82E16820227089

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
Mail-in Rebate
$241.99 $241.99
1 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000KS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD5000KS
Item #: N82E16822136014

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$179.99 $179.99
1 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD2500KS
Item #: N82E16822144701

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$79.99 $79.99
1 LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner White ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHW160P6S03 - OEM
Model #: SHW160P6S03
Item #: N82E16827106010

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$29.99 $29.99
1 Scythe SCNJ-1100P CPU Cooling Fan - Retail
Model #: SCNJ-1100P
Item #: N82E16835185038

Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

In Stock
$59.99 -$20.00 Instant $39.99

Subtotal: $1,710.91

 

[splat]

yes, the scythe is huge. You will definitely have to remove the cowl from the side fan in that case and it is possible that the fan itself might interfere. That is a pretty good looking case, but you also might want to look for a case that comes with at least one 120mm fan. 120mm fans can have two seperate effects: 1) they can move the same amount of air as the 80mm fans, but spin slower and therefore make less noise or 2) they can spin just as fast as the 80mm, but move more air and at the same time make more noise. Most of the time, the 120mm fans fall in to the 1st category, where they will be more silent. I quickly looked thru newegg and saw that there are several options that come with 120mm fans that are around the same price as the case you picked.

at teh same time, if you are only considering a mild or no overclock, you can possibly get away with the stock heat sink and fan for the cpu. It would limit you to a very mild overclock, but would definitely be smaller than the scythe and it will save you $30.

 

[deathman20]

Since you said you game a bit, sticking with the E6400 would be more advised. You'll see little ot no preformance increase with the E6600's extra cache and well they OC basically identical. Of course the E6600 will score higher in some benches. You'll save a little in the heat catagory not powering the extra 2mb of cache so that will cut heat down slightly.

E6400 is like the perfect CPU for Intel (price vs preformance)
E6600 is the perfect for the benchmark specialist or if you do alot of encoding

Between the 2 that i've owned i've seen marginal difference, and I won't go into why my E6400 prefoms better in some instances then my old E6600's for some reason because I can't even figure that out.

 

[AZN]

The $30 for a good heatsink isn't as big of an issue is a fully enclosed computer so my kids won't stick their hands in it. I think i'll have to look at the zalman again or something good yet small enough to put my side panel on.

Deathman20, your saying the E6400 and the 6600 isn't much difference? well that would save $100 and if i can pump out 2.6-3g with this setup i'd be more then happy and anything more is just gravy.

 

[deathman20]

The $30 for a good heatsink isn't as big of an issue is a fully enclosed computer so my kids won't stick their hands in it. I think i'll have to look at the zalman again or something good yet small enough to put my side panel on.

Deathman20, your saying the E6400 and the 6600 isn't much difference? well that would save $100 and if i can pump out 2.6-3g with this setup i'd be more then happy and anything more is just gravy.

3Ghz would be a cake walk. There truely isn't much difference. Some cases you might see a 10% increase but tahts at encoding video, but the question also comes to what settings they used to get that as well.

Gaming is a clear answer the E6400 will do you more then good. For instances My E6400 will easily hit 3.0Ghz with 1.275V (default for my CPU is 1.325V) and can hit a 1Ghz OC on my default voltage.

 

[AZN]

3Ghz would be a cake walk. There truely isn't much difference. Some cases you might see a 10% increase but tahts at encoding video, but the question also comes to what settings they used to get that as well.

Gaming is a clear answer the E6400 will do you more then good. For instances My E6400 will easily hit 3.0Ghz with 1.275V (default for my CPU is 1.325V) and can hit a 1Ghz OC on my default voltage.

thanks for the advice, these chips seems to get great reviews i can't wait to put this new system together.

 

[deathman20]

NP, oh ya for gaming also. Games currently (even some dual core ones) bearly make use out of speeds faster then 3.0Ghz even with your 8800 you'll be hitting a wall where the GPU will be the slowest factor in the setup if you take it into the 3.2-3.4+ Range for sure expecially at lower resolutions.