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Sharky Extreme : Monthly High-end Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
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Monthly High-end Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
January 2007 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 2By Vince Freeman February 1, 2007
Current Cost: $289 The price of AMD processors have not been dropping all that much, but there has been some very good news on the product release front. The Athlon 64 X2 line has welcomed a few new models to the fold, including the Athlon 64 X2 5200+, 5400+ and 5600+ processors. These follow the old Athlon 64 X2/FX format, with the 2.6 GHz Athlon 64 X2 5200+ and 2.8 GHz 5600+ featuring 2x1MB core designs, while the 2.8 GHz Athlon 64 X2 5400+ features 2x512K. Last time out, we had trouble even finding an Athlon 64 X2 5000+, but the Athlon 64 X2 5200+ is highly available in the mass market. In terms of core speed and architecture, this month's selection is basically a Socket AM2 revision of the powerful 939-pin, 2.6 GHz Athlon 64 FX-60.
The Athlon 64 X2 5200+ is a perfect choice for our high-end AMD gaming system, and it has one of the best price-performance ratios on the market. For under $290, we get a 2.6 GHz dual core Athlon 64 X2 processor with 2MB of combined L2 cache - a steal of a deal no matter how you slice it. It also compares well to the price of other models. The 2.4 GHz Athlon 64 X2 4600+ is still well over $200, while the 2.8 GHz Athlon 64 X2 5600+ has a retail price of over $525. A 2.6 GHz Athlon 64 X2 for a sub-$300 price tag looks to be the sweet spot for performance AMD systems.
Current Cost: $315 The Intel processors were not quite as active as AMD, and although the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Quad Q6600 did make an appearance, its $825+ price tag definitely takes it out of contention for this guide. Core 2 Duo prices also remain very consistent, and although going with an entry-level Core 2 Duo 2MB Allendale model might offer a bit higher value, and the Core 2 Extreme is an enthusiast's dream, we prefer the Core 2 Duo 4MB Conroe for any high-end Intel gaming system. This month, we're sticking with the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo E6600 for our Intel system configuration, as it fit like a proverbial glove - in terms of both price and performance.
The Core 2 Duo E6600 is a 4MB Conroe model, running at a clock speed of 2.4 GHz. The processor uses the LGA775/Socket T platform, and its retail price of approximately $315 seems like it was designed specifically for our Intel system configuration. The Core 2 Duo E6600 features the 65nm Conroe core, which includes 4MB of shared L2 Advanced Smart Cache, a 1066MHz FSB, SSE4, full 64-bit support (EM64T), Intel Virtualization Technology, and Execute Disable Bit. The Core 2 Duo also includes high-end power savings features, such as Intel SpeedStep and Intelligent Power Capability, making it one of the most power efficient CPUs on the market.
Current Cost: $0 Due to some budget constraints and just plain ease-of-use, we're recommending buying an AMD retail processor and taking advantage of the nearly-free heatsink-fan. This ensures there will be no compatibility issues, and since the retail processor already includes a bundled heatsink-fan, it doesn't affect our budget one way or another. For those who desire a higher-end, 3rd-party AM2 heatsink-fan, feel free to extend the budget to snag one.
Current Cost: $0 The Intel budget was already hovering around the $2500 mark when we made it to the heatsink-fan option, so we're staying with the Intel retail cooler this month. This is not that big a deal, especially with the cool-running Core 2 Duo processors, and the more-than adequate retail coolers that Intel bundles. Of course, feel free to spend the extra money for the 3rd-party heatsink-fan of your choice, and we also have a few suggestions along that line, if the budget allows us that luxury in the future.
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