Need help with PC upgrade decision

Gaijin · Sep 29, 2008, 10:27 PM

Been a while since I last did a major overhaul and can't decide between the AMD Phenoms and the Intel Core 2 Duo/Quads.

I'm open to mobo & cpu choices, most bang for buck and upgradability is what I'm looking for atm. Low power usage is also cool.
I'm trying to stay in the ~300 euro level as I only need the CPU, mobo and DDR2 memory atm.

So far I've been mocked two line ups ...

Intel E7200 C2D
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3
Corsair Twin2X 2GB kit x2

or

AMD Phenom 9550
Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H
Corsair Twin2X 2GB kit x2

Both should be a reasonable upgrade from my current S939 Opteron 175 and oldie Asus A8V-XE mobo which doesn't even run my HD3870 (shitty AsRock nForce 430 mobo died on me) and forces me to use my old 7900GS until I decide on the upgrade path.

**temeteus82** · Sep 29, 2008, 10:28 PM

c2d path

blibbax · Sep 29, 2008, 10:35 PM

Unless you're using four cores lots, the C2D is gunna thrash the phenom.

Gaijin · Sep 29, 2008, 10:44 PM

I kinda figured the C2D path would be the one to go this time round.

Using two cores quite nicely with Lightroom 64bit, CS3 and gaming, don't see 4 cores getting too much love for a while.

How about the mobo choice the Gigabyte ok? or should I go for some other mobo. Don't need fancy SLI, CF capability single cards do me fine, mainly I need stability for 24/7 usage (aka solid caps pref) and reasonable pricing.

P.S.

Question any of you C2D users running Vista 64bit run into file corruption while copying stuff over USB? Asking cause I had that pain in the ass problem with my nForce 430 mobo in Vista and the damn thing killed about 60% of all images I copied off my DSLR, no matter if I used a card reader or directly via the camera.

**Mousey** · Sep 29, 2008, 10:45 PM

Definately go Core 2 Dude.
I think the Gigabyte board should be perfect for you if it's 24/7 usage you're after, as long as you don't Overclock it, it should run perfectly stable since that's what Gigabyte boards are pretty much renowned for.

Just make sure you get plenty of case ventilation and a nice CPU Cooler going and you've got yourself a nice system there

Gaijin · Sep 29, 2008, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mousey

Just make sure you get plenty of case ventilation and a nice CPU Cooler going and you've got yourself a nice system there

Was thinking of building the new setup into a cheapo Antec Three Hundred case http://www.antec.com/ec/productDetai...?ProdID=08300#.
It should have enough ventilation, now to decide on a CPU cooler, on second thought a case with more user friendly access to the HDD's would be a better choice.

OldBuzzard · Sep 30, 2008, 12:38 AM

Take a look at the Cooler Master CM-690 and RC-590. Not much difference in $$ than the Antec and much better cases for cooling and space utilization.

CM-690:
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

RC-590:
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

The difference between the 2 is the way the HDDs mount and the USB/MIC/HEADPHONE jacks. I like the way the 690's HDDs mount better, but like the panel for the USB/MIC/Headphone on the 590 better.

I have the 690, and it has a LOT of room even for LONG vid cards.

Sep 29, 2008, 10:27 PM	#1
Gaijin DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Finland, Europe Posts: 101 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Need help with PC upgrade decision Been a while since I last did a major overhaul and can't decide between the AMD Phenoms and the Intel Core 2 Duo/Quads. I'm open to mobo & cpu choices, most bang for buck and upgradability is what I'm looking for atm. Low power usage is also cool. I'm trying to stay in the ~300 euro level as I only need the CPU, mobo and DDR2 memory atm. So far I've been mocked two line ups ... Intel E7200 C2D Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3 Corsair Twin2X 2GB kit x2 or AMD Phenom 9550 Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H Corsair Twin2X 2GB kit x2 Both should be a reasonable upgrade from my current S939 Opteron 175 and oldie Asus A8V-XE mobo which doesn't even run my HD3870 (shitty AsRock nForce 430 mobo died on me) and forces me to use my old 7900GS until I decide on the upgrade path. __________________ [COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]In Vino Veritas ... [/COLOR]

Sep 29, 2008, 10:44 PM	Thread Starter #4
Gaijin DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Finland, Europe Posts: 101 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I kinda figured the C2D path would be the one to go this time round. Using two cores quite nicely with Lightroom 64bit, CS3 and gaming, don't see 4 cores getting too much love for a while. How about the mobo choice the Gigabyte ok? or should I go for some other mobo. Don't need fancy SLI, CF capability single cards do me fine, mainly I need stability for 24/7 usage (aka solid caps pref) and reasonable pricing. P.S. Question any of you C2D users running Vista 64bit run into file corruption while copying stuff over USB? Asking cause I had that pain in the ass problem with my nForce 430 mobo in Vista and the damn thing killed about 60% of all images I copied off my DSLR, no matter if I used a card reader or directly via the camera. __________________ [COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]In Vino Veritas ... [/COLOR]

Sep 29, 2008, 10:45 PM	#5
Mousey Synth's Long Lost Bro Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Web Design Hell Posts: 7,189 Rep Power: 245 System Specs	Definately go Core 2 Dude. I think the Gigabyte board should be perfect for you if it's 24/7 usage you're after, as long as you don't Overclock it, it should run perfectly stable since that's what Gigabyte boards are pretty much renowned for. Just make sure you get plenty of case ventilation and a nice CPU Cooler going and you've got yourself a nice system there __________________

Sep 30, 2008, 12:38 AM	#7
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Take a look at the Cooler Master CM-690 and RC-590. Not much difference in $$ than the Antec and much better cases for cooling and space utilization. CM-690: Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! RC-590: Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! The difference between the 2 is the way the HDDs mount and the USB/MIC/HEADPHONE jacks. I like the way the 690's HDDs mount better, but like the panel for the USB/MIC/Headphone on the 590 better. I have the 690, and it has a LOT of room even for LONG vid cards. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Sep 29, 2008, 10:35 PM	#3
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,230 Rep Power: 254 System Specs	Unless you're using four cores lots, the C2D is gunna thrash the phenom.