June High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 2

AMD CPU: Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (3.0 GHz) AM2 Retail

Current Cost: $223
Consecutive Guides: New
Price Change: N/A

AMD has consistently dropped prices on their Athlon 64 X2 processors, and this has allowed us a noticeable upgrade. The 2.6 GHz Athlon 64 X2 5200+ from our last guide is certainly high-end, but this month we're going right to the top of the AMD dual core food chain, and snagging the 3.0 GHz Athlon 64 X2 6000+. This price is definitely right, and at just over $220, this processor upgrade is a no-brainer and not even worth debating. The bragging rights in owning the highest-clocked AMD processor is also worth a few dollars, and the Athlon 64 X2 6000+ even includes the top-end 2x1MB L2 cache architecture.

The Athlon 64 X2 6000+ is the perfect choice for our high-end AMD gaming system, and it has one of the best price-performance ratios on the market. It's truly amazing that we can now buy 3.0 GHz of dual core Athlon 64 X2 power for just over $220. This processor just screams value, and with an Athlon 64 FX-like 2X1MB L2 design, performance is certainly not going to suffer. There are many potential sweet spots in the AMD lineup, but for a $2500 high-end gaming system, the Athlon 64 X2 6000+ is a perfect fit.

Intel CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4GHz) LGA775 Retail

Current Cost: $221
Consecutive Guides: 3
Price Change: -$12

The Intel price drops were not as deep as what AMD pulled out of its hat, and we were not able to make any significant gains on the Core 2 front. The 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo E6700 is extremely close, but in order to adhere to the budget, we're sticking with the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo E6600. This isn't a huge concession, as this is a Core 2 Duo 4MB Conroe design, and a great match for any high-end Intel gaming system. We would also have loved to hit the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Quad Q6600 for our Intel system configuration, but at over $500 for the CPU alone, it's still on the "potential upgrade" list for now.

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 $221 is almost an exact match to the Athlon 64 X2 6000+. The Core 2 Duo E6600 features a 65nm 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.

AMD Heatsink-Fan: Bundled Athlon 64 X2 6000+ HSF

Current Cost: $0
Consecutive Guides: New
Price Change: N/A

Due to the usual budget constraints and 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.

Intel Heatsink-Fan: Bundled Core 2 Duo E6600 HSF

Current Cost: $0
Consecutive Guides: 3
Price Change: N/A

We're also staying with the Intel retail cooler this month, as it just makes sense from a price-performance basis. The retail heatsink-fans are virtually free, and can easily handle the cool-running Core 2 Duo processors. Of course, there's always the option of spending the extra money for a 3rd-party heatsink-fan of your choice, especially for the hardcore overclockers.