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Sharky Extreme : Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
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Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
December Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 2By Vince Freeman December 15, 2006
Current Cost: $173 The AMD processor has been a component we've upgraded regularly, but unfortunately, there have not been the usual price drops to take advantage of. Both AMD and Intel have been in a holding pattern, so we're looking at a repeat of our last guide, at least in terms of processors. This is hardly bad news, as the old price wars allowed us to move up the scale quite rapidly, and snag a dual core Athlon 64 X2 4200+. We'd take this model over any single core processor, and as it's also available in Socket AM2, we get the best of both worlds. The Athlon 64 X2 4200+ processor has a clock speed of 2.2 GHz, features a 2x512K L2 cache format, and utilizes the Socket AM2 package. It is also an incredible value at current prices, and at an even-lower $173, this lets us put a few dollars in other areas. To help maximize our budget and ensure ease of installation, we have gone with the Retail model and its nearly free heatsink-fan. However, if you have a killer 3rd-party HSF unit in mind, then buying an OEM CPU is always an option.
The Athlon 64 X2 4200+ may be priced more towards the value market, but its performance and features are still very good, and it represents a more mainstream CPU option. At current prices, even in the face of the Core 2 Duo, this is an excellent deal, and buying into Socket AM2 now ensures your system will have increased longevity and greater upgrade headroom. In terms of a future upgrade, we're continuing to watch the 2.4 GHz Athlon 64 4600+ processor, which continues to sneak closer to $200 as the months pass by.
Current Cost: $178 Our Intel processor choice followed right along with the AMD option, and with very little in the way of downward price movement, we're sticking with our selection again this month. The Core 2 Duo 2MB processors are the natural choice, as these fit our pricing requirements perfectly, and still offer excellent performance for the class. The Core 2 Duo E6300 is the entry-level Core 2 model, but is still a very powerful CPU. Moreover, it makes sense to jump on the Core 2 bandwagon now and leave the door open to upgrade later when prices drop. The Pentium D 900 series may have some very attractive price-performance levels, but we see the Core 2 Duo as the best option for our Intel value system.
The Core 2 Duo E6300 is a dual core processor that utilizes the 65nm Allendale core, which is a stripped-down version of the Conroe, with 2MB of shared L2 cache. This processor runs at 1.86 GHz, but a clock speed comparison cannot tell the tale with the Core 2. At default speeds, the Core 2 Duo E6300 outpaces the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ and 4200+, while dropping only a small percentage to the 4MB Conroe - and that is at default clock speeds. Due to the lower L2 cache, the Core 2 Duo Allendale also runs cooler and overclocks higher than its Conroe cousin, and some hardcore users have jacked these processors to extremely high levels. The Retail vs. OEM argument also comes down to price, just as it did with the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ processor. The Intel Retail package makes the most sense, as not only do you get a nearly-free heatsink-fan and full 3-year Intel warranty, but also a sealed, totally unused and untested CPU.
Current Cost: $0 The Athlon 64 X2 4200+ retail box includes a bundled heatsink-fan, and for both budgetary and ease-of-use considerations, we chose to go this route. The retail model is slightly more expensive than the OEM processor (if you can even find one), but also includes a nearly-free HSF and an extended product warranty to boot. Of course, this is simply a recommendation, and those with a particular 3rd-party HSF unit in mind should certainly go the OEM route, even though it may go a bit over our $1K budget.
Current Cost: $0 The Core 2 Duo Retail models are priced extremely close to the OEM processors, and availability of the boxed model is higher. Sometimes, due to low availability, the OEM prices are even higher, so why waste money when Intel is giving away free heatsink-fans. The retail HSF provides more than adequate cooling for the Core 2 Duo E6300, and the installation is simple enough.
The retail Core 2 Duo coolers have passed our tests even using 2.4-2.93 GHz models, and we have no problem at all recommending these for our value gaming system. These Intel retail coolers may not qualify as hardcore, but still provide solid stability at base clock speeds, and have a bit extra left over for moderate overclocking.
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