Legit Reviews

I am planning on buying parts for a computer which I plan on giving to my parents for Christmas. I figured since I was financially independent, I could retire their old Gateway (1.5 GHz with 128 MB RAMBUS, yuck =P). Anywho, this is what I planned (I'm going to buy it all from Newegg, hense why all the below links are from there):

Athlon 64 X2 4200+ AM2
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6819103747
Gigabyte GA-M51GM-S2G Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6813128009
Corsair XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6820145566
Western Digital 250GB SATA HD
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6822136010
Antec SmartPower 400W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6817103935
Sony DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827131016
Cooler Master Centurion Case, Black
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.a ... 6811119068

My question, however, is about the CPU, the one I included is the same one I used for my most recent computer, and I love it, but I built that computer before the Core 2s were out. The E6300 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115005) is pretty close in price to the X2 4200+. I am wondering which is the better CPU for the money?

As well, if I choose the E6300, what would be the best Mobo to pair with it? I want something with onboard video, as I can confidently say my parents won't be playing games. Let me know what you think. =)

cross posting is frowned on. Please keep it to one post per topic.

My bad. Anywho, any help would still be most welcome.

the e6300 and the x2 are gonna be close at stock, but once you overclock the e6300 the x2 will not be able to keep up. As you can see in the sig, I'd go for the intel.

dicecca112 wrote:the e6300 and the x2 are gonna be close at stock, but once you overclock the e6300 the x2 will not be able to keep up. As you can see in the sig, I'd go for the intel.

The 3800+ will cost less than the E6300, plus DDR1 is cheaper than DDR2--> @ least when it comes to overclocking ram. The dirrerence isn't much but it all adds up.

The E6300 is a better choice IMO too! It will easilly beat a 3800+ when overclocked, use less power @ stock and better for media encoding
Also the 3800+ uses Sckt 939 which is now dead and the E6300 uses the SCKt 775 which is far from dead......this means you can upgrade the CPU if you chose Intel......and if you get the right board you can also upgrade to quad core

I've used both Intel and AMD and I never had any probs with incompatabiliy or drivers with Intel.......AMD is another matter

kenc51 wrote:

dicecca112 wrote:the e6300 and the x2 are gonna be close at stock, but once you overclock the e6300 the x2 will not be able to keep up. As you can see in the sig, I'd go for the intel.

The 3800+ will cost less than the E6300, plus DDR1 is cheaper than DDR2--> @ least when it comes to overclocking ram. The dirrerence isn't much but it all adds up.

The E6300 is a better choice IMO too! It will easilly beat a 3800+ when overclocked, use less power @ stock and better for media encoding
Also the 3800+ uses Sckt 939 which is now dead and the E6300 uses the SCKt 775 which is far from dead......this means you can upgrade the CPU if you chose Intel......and if you get the right board you can also upgrade to quad core

I've used both Intel and AMD and I never had any probs with incompatabiliy or drivers with Intel.......AMD is another matter

But I'm not comparing a 3800+ to E6300, I'm comparing a 4200+ AM2 to a E6300.

um ken he lists an AM2 board and an X2 4200, not a 3800+

dicecca112 wrote:um ken he lists an AM2 board and an X2 4200, not a 3800+

Ahh crap.......That's what I get for trying to post while in work.......

Eitherway, I'd recommend an Intel Core 2 setup.