motherboard died

[Battle Pope]

It depends, do the programs you run utilize multiple cores?

I'd get the quad core personally but that's just me.

I'm noticing that the Duo has quite a bit more L2 cache per core though, probably a newer core architecture? For day-to-day stuff that might actually be faster - depending on your programs' core utilization ofc.

 

[GSRCRXsi]

get the quad

 

[reikoshea]

if it were me and i was looking in that price, i'd take the dual core, because of the amount of video encoding i do. The extra clock > the extra cores.

That being said, if i were you, i'd take the the quad. I doubt (not meant as a dig) you do anything that's going to show a difference between the two, and when it does show is going to be when you have a hundred different programs open.

I'll refine even more. For my personal computer for games and watching movies and compiling new versions of my software, I'd take the duo.

For work, being a sys admin/developer, i'd take the quad.

 

[endlesszeal]

why not get something super cheap like an E6300 and then RMA the q6600? its much better than either of the two cpu's you listed.

but out of the two, id get the the quad. dual-core is dying for mainstream and a lot of apps are getting better at being mulithreaded. but if you game a lot or use a lot of archiving, id get the duo.

...wish i was in sacramento still so i can pick up a frys combo for you and overnight it. there basically giving away motherboards with the cpu combos.

 

[endlesszeal]

AnandTech: The Core 2 Quad Q8400: Intel's $183 Phenom II 940 Competitor

not the exact models, but gives you a really good idea what each processor is strong at.

 

[K2e2vin]

Some local guy was selling a new E8500 for $100. I should have jumped on that...

 

[phunky.buddha]

Get a new Celeron for under $40 shipped, warranty your Q6600. Overclock the hell out of the Celeron. They're still decently quick.

 

[reikoshea]

Get a new Celeron for under $40 shipped, warranty your Q6600. Overclock the hell out of the Celeron. They're still decently quick.

with its thimble of a cache? no thank you sir.

 

[klyph]

with its thimble of a cache? no thank you sir.

2 years ago, you'd have given your left nut for it's cache.

 

[reikoshea]

2 years ago, you'd have given your left nut for it's cache.

yeah, and two years ago devs made things that were less CPU intensive.

 

[endlesszeal]

Get a new Celeron for under $40 shipped, warranty your Q6600. Overclock the hell out of the Celeron. They're still decently quick.

werd.. well at least a pentium dual-core though. then scrub up some parts and throw it into an htpc, server or to a family member who needs an upgrade once you get the q6600 back from warranty.

 

[Briansol]

i'd never get a celeron. ever.


I've given up on this whole idea. neither board turns on without the cpu in them, nor beeps, or anything.

the whole thing is probably toast, and another 200 on a proc is probably just more wasted cash.

so, i'm just buying a barebones deal. case, power supply, board cpu. i can't afford more down time.

shopping now

 

[phunky.buddha]

with its thimble of a cache? no thank you sir.

Works great for a desktop PC that's not doing any serious crunching- internet, office apps etc- I didn't suggest it as a permanent replacement, did I?

i'd never get a celeron. ever.

I've given up on this whole idea. neither board turns on without the cpu in them, nor beeps, or anything.

the whole thing is probably toast, and another 200 on a proc is probably just more wasted cash.

so, i'm just buying a barebones deal. case, power supply, board cpu. i can't afford more down time.

shopping now

Get a spare processor while you're at it- then you might end up with two working computers and a quad core on warranty service.

 

[Briansol]

budget doesn't allow. Hell, nothing i bought so far was budgeted for. i'll be paying for this for months

 

[Briansol]

i can't find a damn thing worth buying.
nothing on dell
nothing in dell outlet
ibuypower takes too damn long, forces me to buy 4gb of ram in everything and an os that i don't need.
ebay is full of garbage or i7 shit that costs $324234234


i hate this shit

 

[reikoshea]

whats your budget b? ill find you something that'll be at a minimum satisfactory.

 

[Briansol]

as cheap as possible without buying garbage. i need a decent machine... i realize i have to pay for it. i need a decent power supply to run my vid card, etc....
if it can be done for 300, awesome. if it can't, i understand but hate eery penny over that.

but i refuse to pay for an os that i already have, ram i already have, and a hard drive that i already have.

 

[reikoshea]

do you still have that fsp psu, or did you send it back?

 

[reikoshea]

Newegg.com - ASUS M4N72-E AM3/AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Proc isnt as fast and no L3 cache but still a good chip and a good mobo. If you want to use a phenom later it'll take it. AM3 chips are good on AM2+ boards.

 

[Briansol]

that's not really what i'm looking for at this point.

i have 2 boards and neither work.... i think a complete case/barebones is what im' after.