To Quad or not to Quad?

[Ajhayter]

Hey,

I'm a new user, but I came here seeking expertise and judging from what I have seen on this site that is exactly what you people are good at

I'm a computing student looking to build a new system, but I need help with processor choice.

Do I go with:

a) The 3.0 Ghz Dual Core AMD X2 AM2 6000 (cheapest option and most GHz)

b) The 2.6 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (mid price, mid GHz)

c) The 2.4 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (highest price, lowest Ghz, but 4 cores :s)

The system is mostly being used for work, with a fair bit of gaming too, and I'm looking to future proof.

The main thing I'm wondering is this: Is 3 Ghz x 2 better or worse than 2.4 Ghz x 4?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ian]

How about 4 x 3.0Ghz?

I was in almost the exact same positon as you, and I went for the Q6600 choice as recommended by another member here. I have to say I'm not disappointed in the slightest

Most Q6600's will do a 3Ghz overclock without a hitch, even on stock voltage. That would be my choice for the best value performance/price ratio if you can strech to it

If it's any help, Ady's origional thread is here:

https://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-3226366.php

and then I went and build something similar here (but more suited to games):

https://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-3226418.php

 

[Ajhayter]

Your idea intruiges me and I wish to learn more...

But anyway, overclocking 4 cpu cores by .6 Ghz each... guess I need to whack an extra fan or two into the case?

Oh, and will having a standard Q6600 have much of an effect apart from power consumption compared to the Q6600 G0? Cause the Barebones I was going to buy from Novatech only includes the standard one...

 

[Abarbarian]

It might be worth spending an extra £8 and getting the ,

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6400+ Socket AM2 Black Edition 3.20GHz

if you are going AMD as it is an unlocked overclocable cpu .

http://www.ebuyer.com/store/Components/cat/Processors-AMD

I like AMD but it seems like Intel is king of the hill at the moment but at a higher price .

 

[Ajhayter]

Thats a nice piece of kit and all, but with no heatsink or fan thats a bit too bare bones for my liking.

I was looking at http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?BB-Q660N

Nice enough system with all the fiddly bits done. I just need to get the hdd, graphics, sound, screen and a bit more Ram.

 

[Anon_F]

Hi Ajhayter, as your based near Novatech i would go for the one you link shows & you get 1st class support & service.
And as you say you only need to add a few extras to have a full pc.
And dont forget to let us know how u get on.

 

[Belloni]

Q6600 = future proof, and alot better on up and coming games that will utilize all 4 cores.

 

[Electronics & Photo Fan]

Not to throw a dampener on things, and I don't want Ian to think I'm putting the Quad cores down, because I'm not, but a recent article from Bex's daily news channel caught my eye...

It seems to suggest that the Quads fall quite short of being twice as quick as the Duos in the 3DMark06 test HERE, (the chart is halfway down the page) and I quote "Crysis, the most advanced game around, doesn't even utilize four CPU cores in a purely CPU-bound scenario. To be honest, I was expecting this graph to look more like the 3DMark 06 graph. Instead, we see a direct correlation to CPU speed, not necessarily CPU cores."

Have a look at this chart. (Lower is better) If you look at the CPU just above the Core 2 Duo E6750, it is the Q6700. With the same time. The Q6600 is the other CPU highlighted in red, with a longer encoding time.

So on both Vid encoding and gaming it seems C2D is pretty effective (and cheaper) choice. I'm not saying don't get a Quad if your heart's set on it, it would be pretty cool, especially to OC it, but I always let my wallet rule my mind.

At the end of the day, it's your choice and go with what you feel happy with.

Edit: I agree Belloni, once games start using all 4 cores the C2Ds will trail behind

As a side note: (don't read if you get bored easily)

This article is what convinced me that Core 2 Duo is worth it, after experiencing the 1.73GHz Core Duo mobile (the first edition) I was disappointed that it was not twice as fast as a 1.6 Pentium mobile. In fact, the 1.6 Pentium M was slightly FASTER. (in video/audio encoding test).

So I stuck with my P4 3.4GHz, because the tests seemed to suggest to me that it would be faster than 2 cores operating at a slower speed.

But obviously there is a clear cause for upgrading (thats why theres a P4 on the bottom of the chart, I was comparing my P4)

 

[Belloni]

Well, Crysis isn't using the 4 cores to optimal ability as of yet (patch incoming to fix this potentially)

Due's are more optimised in the majority of programmes so far, for obvious reasons, however, spend that little bit extra to get the benefit of 4 cores for the future, and also, you can easily overclock the Q6600 on air to 3GHz.

Good find though.

 

[Ajhayter]

Thanks for the hints guys.

I've decided, since I know how to do it anyway, I'm gonna pay for the Q6600 G0 seperatly (as nova don't do a bundle with the G0 version).

Initial Spec:
Intel Q6600 G0 Quad Core OC'd to 3 Ghz
nVidia GeForce 8800 GT
4 Gb Corsair DDR 2
Thermal Take TR2 550 Watt PSU
This MoBo
This case( looks sexeh to me!)

Final thing I want to check with you guys before I finalise what I'm going to buy...

Sata or IDE Hard Drive/DVD Drive? - EDIT: I read a comparason. Sata has better transfer rate, smaller cable, and therefore is win.

EDIT EDIT: I assume the Q6600 uses 32 bit not 64 right? Just checking which version of vista to get...

 

[Abarbarian]

Sata HDD for sure make sure that they are Sata 2 .

 

[Adywebb]

EDIT EDIT: I assume the Q6600 uses 32 bit not 64 right? Just checking which version of vista to get...

You can use Vista 32 or 64bit, but I have no idea how much advantage you get running 64bit for general use.

 

[Ian]

64 Bit Vista used to have driver compatibility problems - I'm not sure if it's still a problem, but it would be worth double checking.

I'm using the 32 bit version on my Q6600 here

 

[V_R]

Nice spec, i used to have a TT Tsunami Dream, not bad, but not the best at cooling though.

I have an Antec 900 now.

 

[PotGuy]

Nice spec, i used to have a TT Tsunami Dream, not bad, but not the best at cooling though.

I have an Antec 900 now.

I have the TT Tsunami Dream too, and it is a very nice case.

It looks fab, and it keeps things nice and cool for me at least.

I like it.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Just to add a comment on cases...

The two best cases I've ever owned for cooling have been the Antec Sonata and the Antec 900.

With the Antec 900 leading by a nose.

And they're both quiet and both look good

Oddly enough, the Lian Li cases I've owned, although having a great build quality and good looks, have not been the best for cooling/quietness. In fact they've been downright disappointing in those aspects.

 

[Ajhayter]

Just one more thing. Since I am definatly planning on OC'ing this thing (this guy got it to 4 GHz o_0),
Do you reckon a 700 watt PSU should cover it?

That way if I get more HDD's or DVD drives I should be coverd for future.

Plus I'm getting a 8800 GT, which isn't exactly a low power unit.

 

[Belloni]

700W isn't needed that much, 620-650 i would say.

That 4GHz is rare though really.

 

[Ajhayter]

Ok.
I'm not looking to OC it to 4 Ghz anyway, proberbly 3, maybe 3.2