Legit Reviews

Hi all, I'm building a new rig and need your help.

I need the best comparison or any other suggestions for the base components of this rig I had all but decided to go with AMD x2 am2 but I fugured since Core 2 Duo is faster I'd consider it.

The following are the previously decided base components to be used:

cpu: x2 4200+
mobo: asus crosshair nVidia sli 590
ram, ocz or g,skills ddr800 performance ram 2GB kit

If I were to build a comparable Intel Rig what would I use?

My budget is 1,000 for more info you can check out the topic i posted in the AMD mobo forum here: ~~> http://forums.legitreviews.com/viewtopi ... 795c9f98f2

Thanx in advance for all input.

BiGg RiE

A very good, fairly cheap motherboard is the BIOSTAR TForce965PT. You can get it for about $100.

JasonE4 wrote:A very good, fairly cheap motherboard is the BIOSTAR TForce965PT. You can get it for about $100.

Is it comparable to the crosshair in reference to overclockability and features?

I'm not looking so much for cheap as I am features and overclockability, I'd much rather pay a premium for features versus having to replace the mobo in 6 months cause of lacking performance or bottle neck issues.

Thanx for the sug I'll check it out.

Features = Asus
OC = BX2

IRQ Conflict wrote:Features = Asus
OC = BX2

OK, so could you recomend an Asus mobo that's comparable to the BX2 or the Am2 crosshair?

Also, any links to reviews would be appreciated I can't find any on the BX2

Crosshair?

Google is your friend. tm

Good and bad in both camps I'm afraid. I prefer to visit user forums to base my decisions on as opposed to canned reviews. Here is a good link to get you started on the decision making process: Link

thanx i'll check it out

I suggest
Abit nforce 680 motherboard (IN9 32MAX)
E4300 @9X300 (or higher)
2x2Gb DDR2 800 Geil

Totals under 900$

thanx to all those who contributed, but in the end I went with AMD am2 for my new desktop rig any suggestions on a great core 2 duo laptop for gaming under $2,000?

ANy thoughts on the macbooks? I need a mac for graphic Design but I've heard they aren't very good with games using the boot camp software for a dual boot system. Can anyone verify or deny this?

a macbook will be no good with gaming at all. $2000 is alot to spend on a laptop. I've no experience with such high performance laptops but alienware are supposedly built for gaming (although they're price:performance ratio isnt the best). Elseware theres the Dell XPS (i've lived with their laptops albeit lower specifications and they've been very reliable) and the new Asus range are also made for gaming.

Obviously you'll be looking for good processor speed and 1GB ram+. Nvidia supposedly do better 'on the move' graphics cards with the Go 7900 GTX being popular. It'd seem with alienware and others an SLI option is also avaliable.

One more question which one out of the following choices would be the best pick for a gaming rig with overclocking and tweaking in mind as well as multitasking i.e. running a virus scan while playing Need For Speed: Carbon: combined with an e6300 and i need full 16x X 16x dual PciE support for sli.

ECS P965T-A P965
MSI P965 Neo-F P965 Intel DP965LT P965
Asus P5N-SLI nForce 570 SLI Chipset
Asus P5N32-SLI Premium/WiFi-AP nForce 590 SLI
EVGA nForce 680i SLI
MSI P6N SLI-FI nForce 650i SLI
Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI
Asus P5N32-E nForce 680i SLI
Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI

Thanks

Asus boards are (apparently) less stable for overclocking than something like the BX2, although that lacks the sli you want. Of the given I understand the EVGA nForce 680i SLI is reliable and v.popular with the sli you want and plenty of other features although its supposedly less stable for extreme overclocking.

I've an Asus P5W DH Deluxe and its been no problems with an e6600 at 3.2ghz.