I am looking at building a new desktop PC most likely with a Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2. I haven't kept up on all the different flavors of motherboards and chipsets for the last few years. I have had good luck with Asus boards in the past, but which is a better chipset, the Intel or Nvidia for the Core 2 Duo?
Chipsets for Intel Core 2 Duo
- Thread starter tmorris1
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Remember that an Intel chip is for number crunching and business uses. AMD's are for music, video, entertainment.
I'd stick with an ASUS board. They are famous for their powerful motherboards. I'd go with an Athlon 64+ for a nice home computer. Watch movies on it and play music on it.
It's the board speed and the chipset and the CPU speed working together that makes a fast computer. Next it's lots of RAM. 2, 3, 4 gigs. DDR-4 RAM and faster.
Next it's disc drives that are fast and have lots of space to act as Spillfiles space (fake RAM). Windows Vista is over 200 megs so you need gobs of gigabytes in disc space.
Next it's lots of fans and a big honking power supply. 600 plus or Athlon's will fry.
An Nvidia video card of say 128K RAM or higher gives nice colors.
Make sure the video card has a fan on it just like the processor fan.
Sound Blasters audio cards with 7.1 surround give the best sound if you have 4 or more speakers you can spread around the room.
A large 24" LCD monitor is nice for watching movies along with that 7.1 Sound Blaster and speakers.
Computers aren't cars so the low end 1 isn't the same as the high end 1.
The low end Wal Mart $599 stuff is already obsolete and not worth the price.
I had mine custom made to my specs 5 years ago. Mine is still playing videos, music, etc with 6.1 stereo.
Oh yes multi-tasking is a function of operating system not the processor. You can have 10 processors and if the operating system does use them independently they are worthless.
Vista uses Threads and processes. It looks like multi tasking but it's not.
Happy building!
I'd stick with an ASUS board. They are famous for their powerful motherboards. I'd go with an Athlon 64+ for a nice home computer. Watch movies on it and play music on it.
It's the board speed and the chipset and the CPU speed working together that makes a fast computer. Next it's lots of RAM. 2, 3, 4 gigs. DDR-4 RAM and faster.
Next it's disc drives that are fast and have lots of space to act as Spillfiles space (fake RAM). Windows Vista is over 200 megs so you need gobs of gigabytes in disc space.
Next it's lots of fans and a big honking power supply. 600 plus or Athlon's will fry.
An Nvidia video card of say 128K RAM or higher gives nice colors.
Make sure the video card has a fan on it just like the processor fan.
Sound Blasters audio cards with 7.1 surround give the best sound if you have 4 or more speakers you can spread around the room.
A large 24" LCD monitor is nice for watching movies along with that 7.1 Sound Blaster and speakers.
Computers aren't cars so the low end 1 isn't the same as the high end 1.
The low end Wal Mart $599 stuff is already obsolete and not worth the price.
I had mine custom made to my specs 5 years ago. Mine is still playing videos, music, etc with 6.1 stereo.
Oh yes multi-tasking is a function of operating system not the processor. You can have 10 processors and if the operating system does use them independently they are worthless.
Vista uses Threads and processes. It looks like multi tasking but it's not.
Happy building!
The core 2 duo is a better chip than the Athlon X2. The Athlons do tend to be cheap though if price is a concern. The Nvidia 7 series chipset is good if you want Nvidia SLI and DDR3. Intel's ix38 or ix48 is good also, they support ATI Crossfile and DDR 2/3 Im currently running an Abit ix38 Quad GT motherboard with 4Gb PC2-8500 DDR2 and have my 3.0Ghz E6850 Core 2 Overclocked to [email protected]. Intel is about to come out with the P45 chipset in a few weeks but there is really NO difference between that and a ix48/ix38
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OVERKILL
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Intel Chipset + Intel CPU is the best match in my experience.
I'm currently running the ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA motherboard, but it's probably a bit much for what you are looking to spend.
You may also want to look into the Core2Quad CPU's, as they are pretty much on par with the Core2Duo's price-wise right now.
The P5K-SE and a Core2Duo would be a nice, affordable setup, and it's very reliable. That board has the X38 chipset which works well with both the Core2Duo and the Core2Quad.
Intel's Core-series CPU's are faster than their AMD counterparts. They are a better platform. My Core2Quad 2.4Ghz is running at 3.06Ghz with the stock cooler, and runs bottom 30's with light load, peaking at just over 40 under load.
I'm currently running the ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA motherboard, but it's probably a bit much for what you are looking to spend.
You may also want to look into the Core2Quad CPU's, as they are pretty much on par with the Core2Duo's price-wise right now.
The P5K-SE and a Core2Duo would be a nice, affordable setup, and it's very reliable. That board has the X38 chipset which works well with both the Core2Duo and the Core2Quad.
Intel's Core-series CPU's are faster than their AMD counterparts. They are a better platform. My Core2Quad 2.4Ghz is running at 3.06Ghz with the stock cooler, and runs bottom 30's with light load, peaking at just over 40 under load.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Originally Posted By: CM50
Remember that an Intel chip is for number crunching and business uses. AMD's are for music, video, entertainment.
I'd stick with an ASUS board. They are famous for their powerful motherboards. I'd go with an Athlon 64+ for a nice home computer. Watch movies on it and play music on it.
It's the board speed and the chipset and the CPU speed working together that makes a fast computer. Next it's lots of RAM. 2, 3, 4 gigs. DDR-4 RAM and faster.
Next it's disc drives that are fast and have lots of space to act as Spillfiles space (fake RAM). Windows Vista is over 200 megs so you need gobs of gigabytes in disc space.
Next it's lots of fans and a big honking power supply. 600 plus or Athlon's will fry.
An Nvidia video card of say 128K RAM or higher gives nice colors.
Make sure the video card has a fan on it just like the processor fan.
Sound Blasters audio cards with 7.1 surround give the best sound if you have 4 or more speakers you can spread around the room.
A large 24" LCD monitor is nice for watching movies along with that 7.1 Sound Blaster and speakers.
Computers aren't cars so the low end 1 isn't the same as the high end 1.
The low end Wal Mart $599 stuff is already obsolete and not worth the price.
I had mine custom made to my specs 5 years ago. Mine is still playing videos, music, etc with 6.1 stereo.
Oh yes multi-tasking is a function of operating system not the processor. You can have 10 processors and if the operating system does use them independently they are worthless.
Vista uses Threads and processes. It looks like multi tasking but it's not.
Happy building!
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows NT4, and Vista all have SMP support, which is Symetric Multi Processing. They DO in fact use more than one CPU if available. They will run different threads on different cores, which is in fact multi-tasking.
Remember that an Intel chip is for number crunching and business uses. AMD's are for music, video, entertainment.
I'd stick with an ASUS board. They are famous for their powerful motherboards. I'd go with an Athlon 64+ for a nice home computer. Watch movies on it and play music on it.
It's the board speed and the chipset and the CPU speed working together that makes a fast computer. Next it's lots of RAM. 2, 3, 4 gigs. DDR-4 RAM and faster.
Next it's disc drives that are fast and have lots of space to act as Spillfiles space (fake RAM). Windows Vista is over 200 megs so you need gobs of gigabytes in disc space.
Next it's lots of fans and a big honking power supply. 600 plus or Athlon's will fry.
An Nvidia video card of say 128K RAM or higher gives nice colors.
Make sure the video card has a fan on it just like the processor fan.
Sound Blasters audio cards with 7.1 surround give the best sound if you have 4 or more speakers you can spread around the room.
A large 24" LCD monitor is nice for watching movies along with that 7.1 Sound Blaster and speakers.
Computers aren't cars so the low end 1 isn't the same as the high end 1.
The low end Wal Mart $599 stuff is already obsolete and not worth the price.
I had mine custom made to my specs 5 years ago. Mine is still playing videos, music, etc with 6.1 stereo.
Oh yes multi-tasking is a function of operating system not the processor. You can have 10 processors and if the operating system does use them independently they are worthless.
Vista uses Threads and processes. It looks like multi tasking but it's not.
Happy building!
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows NT4, and Vista all have SMP support, which is Symetric Multi Processing. They DO in fact use more than one CPU if available. They will run different threads on different cores, which is in fact multi-tasking.
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Originally Posted By: CM50
Remember that an Intel chip is for number crunching and business uses. AMD's are for music, video, entertainment.
But on the basic level, isn't music, video, and entertainment still just "number crunching" from the processor's point of view?
Looking at the various benchmark results, I can't really draw a conclusion that AMD is better in performing those tasks...
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/processors/3d-studio-max-9,369.html
Remember that an Intel chip is for number crunching and business uses. AMD's are for music, video, entertainment.
But on the basic level, isn't music, video, and entertainment still just "number crunching" from the processor's point of view?
Looking at the various benchmark results, I can't really draw a conclusion that AMD is better in performing those tasks...
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/processors/3d-studio-max-9,369.html
Overkill,
I was actually looking at the P5K-SE board, it seems to have what I need for a decent price. I will do some gaming, but it definitely wouldn't be its primary purpose. I just haven't had much experience with the new Nvidia chipsets for the Intel platform. Usually Intel chipsets are pretty bug free and reliable with an Intel processor like you said.
I think CM50 got some of his info from the people that are saying that Pennzoil sludges engines. I appreciate the effort to offer information, but as an engineer I understand how PCs, processors, and OSes work. Some of his info is incorrect. As for Intel being for number crunching and AMD being for games and music, that is a bunch of baloney. All that a processor (Intel or AMD) does is number crunch whether you are getting email, gaming, watching movies, or whatever. Windows 2000, XP, and Vista all are multi-threaded OSes that multi task well.
I was actually looking at the P5K-SE board, it seems to have what I need for a decent price. I will do some gaming, but it definitely wouldn't be its primary purpose. I just haven't had much experience with the new Nvidia chipsets for the Intel platform. Usually Intel chipsets are pretty bug free and reliable with an Intel processor like you said.
I think CM50 got some of his info from the people that are saying that Pennzoil sludges engines. I appreciate the effort to offer information, but as an engineer I understand how PCs, processors, and OSes work. Some of his info is incorrect. As for Intel being for number crunching and AMD being for games and music, that is a bunch of baloney. All that a processor (Intel or AMD) does is number crunch whether you are getting email, gaming, watching movies, or whatever. Windows 2000, XP, and Vista all are multi-threaded OSes that multi task well.
The P5K-SE seems to be a solid choice. Just want to throw the GA-EP35-DS3L in the ring for consideration. It has solid caps as well and the IDE/Floppy connectors are a bit more friendly. Both are good midrange boards.
Unless you need to run SLI, Intel chipsets hold the reliability/stability crown over NVidia for socket 775.
Unless you need to run SLI, Intel chipsets hold the reliability/stability crown over NVidia for socket 775.
I'd also have to recommend an Asus motherboard. They have never failed me. My latest one, which is over a year old, is an Asus P5B-e with an e6420 @ 3.0ghz/2GB DDR2/8800GTS.
C2D is definitely a better gamer than Athlon64. The difference is quite a lot, from my personal experience.
C2D is definitely a better gamer than Athlon64. The difference is quite a lot, from my personal experience.
My recommendation based on the last 2 years of review (wanting to upgrade but ran out of cash) is:
Intel Core 2 Duo or Pentium dual core (same chip, less cache) - E2180 is ideal if you over clock from 1.8GHz (200 FSB) to around 3.0GHz (333 FSB)
Gigabyte P35 based MB (or other major brand like ASUS or Abit), I recommend Gigabyte now because of the component quality esp that line with all solid capacitors.
If you want to build a HTPC for video only, then AMD 790 based board is a good idea due to the chipset and you can use a cheap, single core processor to reduce heat and power consumption. AMD is still good for very low end products, but not in the high end consumer systems.
Intel Core 2 Duo or Pentium dual core (same chip, less cache) - E2180 is ideal if you over clock from 1.8GHz (200 FSB) to around 3.0GHz (333 FSB)
Gigabyte P35 based MB (or other major brand like ASUS or Abit), I recommend Gigabyte now because of the component quality esp that line with all solid capacitors.
If you want to build a HTPC for video only, then AMD 790 based board is a good idea due to the chipset and you can use a cheap, single core processor to reduce heat and power consumption. AMD is still good for very low end products, but not in the high end consumer systems.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Just an FYI but the Pentium D and the Core-series are NOT the same CPU. The Pentium D is a dual-core P4, whilst the Core-series are derived of the Dothan/Banias (Pentium-M) CPU's. The latter are a MUCH better CPU.
Originally Posted By: punisher
Just want to throw the GA-EP35-DS3L in the ring for consideration.
I run this board with a Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0Ghz), and XP flies.... No FSB1600, PCIe 2.0, or DDR3 support, but it's a good stop-gap as those boards are still very pricey.
As far as AMD....the Core 2 Duo's are just out of their league right now.
Just want to throw the GA-EP35-DS3L in the ring for consideration.
I run this board with a Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0Ghz), and XP flies.... No FSB1600, PCIe 2.0, or DDR3 support, but it's a good stop-gap as those boards are still very pricey.
As far as AMD....the Core 2 Duo's are just out of their league right now.
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Just an FYI but the Pentium D and the Core-series are NOT the same CPU. The Pentium D is a dual-core P4, whilst the Core-series are derived of the Dothan/Banias (Pentium-M) CPU's. The latter are a MUCH better CPU.
The latest one (Pentium Exxxx) are Allendale core, a smaller cached version of Core processors.
Just an FYI but the Pentium D and the Core-series are NOT the same CPU. The Pentium D is a dual-core P4, whilst the Core-series are derived of the Dothan/Banias (Pentium-M) CPU's. The latter are a MUCH better CPU.
The latest one (Pentium Exxxx) are Allendale core, a smaller cached version of Core processors.
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OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
The E-series CPU's are core-series CPU's.
For example, just looking at my price list, we have the following E-series CPU's:
1. E4500, which is a Core2Duo 2.2Ghz with 2MB of cache and an 800Mhz FSB. This is an Allendale core CPU. It does not list as a Pentium anything, it shows up as a Core2Duo.
2. E4600, same as above, but 2.4Ghz
3. E4700, same as above, but 2.6Ghz
Now the 2-series, IE the E2200 and the 2180 are also Allendale, but are marked as Pentium D-Core, so if those are the ones you are talking about, the E2xxx CPU's, then I apologize, as their nomenclature does seem to be different, even though they are the same core.
When I read your post I thought you were talking about the Pentium-D, like the 925 for example, which is simply a dual-core P4. If I misinterpreted what you said, then I apologize.
For example, just looking at my price list, we have the following E-series CPU's:
1. E4500, which is a Core2Duo 2.2Ghz with 2MB of cache and an 800Mhz FSB. This is an Allendale core CPU. It does not list as a Pentium anything, it shows up as a Core2Duo.
2. E4600, same as above, but 2.4Ghz
3. E4700, same as above, but 2.6Ghz
Now the 2-series, IE the E2200 and the 2180 are also Allendale, but are marked as Pentium D-Core, so if those are the ones you are talking about, the E2xxx CPU's, then I apologize, as their nomenclature does seem to be different, even though they are the same core.
When I read your post I thought you were talking about the Pentium-D, like the 925 for example, which is simply a dual-core P4. If I misinterpreted what you said, then I apologize.
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Overk1ll, no need to apologize. It is such a great chip that I haven't been as excited since the Celeron 300A era. I wasn't planning to upgrade until this E2xxx shows up.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Do you remember the dual-celeron stuff? MAN that was fun! I had a BP6 with a pair of Celeron 350's on it OC'd to 450Mhz, it was a BLAST! Had an Adaptec SCSI card in it with a RICOH CD-RW, high-end stuff for the time!
Later, when ABIT did the VP6, I bugged my roommate into letting me build him one
Dual P3 1Ghz, it worked extremely well!
Now with this Core2Quad, I'm feeling spoiled. It runs cooler overclocked than my P4 did at stock speed. I also discovered that my 667Mhz Crucial Ballistix sticks will run at 1066Mhz! Which was a tad surprising.......
Later, when ABIT did the VP6, I bugged my roommate into letting me build him one
Dual P3 1Ghz, it worked extremely well! Now with this Core2Quad, I'm feeling spoiled. It runs cooler overclocked than my P4 did at stock speed. I also discovered that my 667Mhz Crucial Ballistix sticks will run at 1066Mhz! Which was a tad surprising.......
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