PentiumD945 or Core2Duo E6600?

[Cache-man]

Hey guys,
I've finally decided it's about time I upgraded my PC from s478 to a LGA775 solution. Of course this pretty much means a whole new rig as I have to change to DDR2, PCI-E etc.
Anyway, Ive already got most my list decided on BUT the one thing I cannot decide on is which CPU:-

I can get the slightly older Intel Pentium D945 for around £102, and this offers [email protected] although only a 800MHz FSB.

Or I can get the Intel Core2Duo E6600 for around £200 although this offers Dual core @2.4GHz but has a faster FSB of 1066MHz

So I would think the D945 will offer the best bang for buck at half the price of the other. I would just like to know other peeps opinions here. Is it worth paying the extra £100 for the slower Core2Duo with the faster FSB???????

 

[Adywebb]

Its a no brainer - the E6600 is far better

 

[Cache-man]

really, even with the clock 1GB slower?
does the extra 266MHz FSB really make all that difference?

 

[Adywebb]

Yep, even the E6300/E6400's are faster - even though the Core 2 Duo family processors have a lower clock speed this does not translate into a slower chip, the design of the Core 2 Duos are much more efficient allowing for more "work" to be done during a clock cycle.


You could always go for the cheaper E6300 and OC it - it clocks well and stays nice and cool


Edit: Have a look at THIS - it may help to convince you

2nd edit: You can get the E6300 for £118 inc from HERE

 

[Cache-man]

WWOOOWW!!!

Cheers Ady, I read the article and the results, and am now convinced Core2Duo it is. I just need to rethink my motherboard choice now to allow for some OCing

 

[Adywebb]

The Asus P5B is a goody, and will take a quad-core should you upgrade in the future


...and if OC'ing large, consider a good aftermarket cooler such as the Zalman CNPS9700

 

[ChristopherP]

If you want a top motherboard, i believe the 2 best out there are the Gigabyte DQ6 and the EVGA nForce 680 SLI

Obviously the latter allows you to run an SLI set up, the 1st does not.

I'm going for the EVGA - their warranties are immense and the products look top.

 

[Adywebb]

Yep there both good Chris - although the EVGA is probably too much money for what CM needs it for - I would add the Asus P5B to the list as its a little easier to get on with than the DQ6 and also has great OC'ing potential.

 

[Cache-man]

Thanks again guys, mobo considerations noted. I just got to refigure my budget again now though, as I think I'm going to throw a little extra cash at the overclocking potentials. I'm also looking at a decent graphics card this time, since I'm moving up from AGP to PCI-E - my aging FX5200 isnt much good for anything anymore so opting for a 256MB 7600GT - graphics were never really important to me before, but with being faced with a complete system rebuild, I thought what the hell!

 

[ChristopherP]

The 8800GTX is a fantastic card to go for because its DX10 and HDCP

But there are probably less powerful versions with the same stuff for less cash.