Same ol' question

[Llamarama]

Been browsing the forums here for a bit looking for some info about upgrading my CPU. Currently I am running:

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego CPU
2 Gigs Corsair Ram DDR400 PC3200
Asus A8N-E 939 Motherboard
8800GT video card
Vista SP1

Now, my system has been running splendidly for quite awhile now. However, I just picked up Age of Conan and despite loving it it seems my system definately needs an upgrade. I'm looking to switch out my processor/motherboard/ram.

Couple questions here:

1) Consensus seems to be there are two main options, both of which are Intel: Q6600 or a Duo E8400. Since the price difference is so minimal, I would assume there isn't THAT much of a difference between them other than the amount of cores/multitasking ability. Would the Q6600 be better in the future than the E8400?

2) Are there still a lot of overheating issues with the Quad Cores or is that a thing of the past already? I'm not concerned with overclocking at all. Am I going to want to buy a different heatsink or is the stock one ok?

3) Is there a big difference between RAM speeds? I have an 800 picked out but that motherboard supports faster ones I guess. Worth the extra 40 bucks to upgrade the speed?

4) What is the difference between 45nm and 65nm? How does that change my decision?

At the moment I'm leaning towards this:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115017

Any suggestions for motherboard/ram? Only stipulation is I would like 2 sticks of 2gigs apiece so I can upgrade to 8 gigs later.

GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128337

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231122

Should all this hypothetically work together?

Sorry for the wall of text and thanks for any help!

[glc]

1. For the same price, a dual core is faster than a quad core. The quad core is only beneficial for heavy multitasking and/or with apps that can use all 4 cores.

2. At stock speeds, any current Intel runs cool enough with the stock heatsink.

3. DDR2-800 is fine up to 1600 FSB.

4. 45nm is the newer, cooler running, more efficient core.

I just built an E8400 on an Asus P5K Pro with a 2x2 kit of Corsair DDR2-800 CAS 5. It's a LOT of bang for the buck.

[Llamarama]

Originally Posted by glc 1. For the same price, a dual core is faster than a quad core. The quad core is only beneficial for heavy multitasking and/or with apps that can use all 4 cores. 2. At stock speeds, any current Intel runs cool enough with the stock heatsink. 3. DDR2-800 is fine up to 1600 FSB. 4. 45nm is the newer, cooler running, more efficient core. I just built an E8400 on an Asus P5K Pro with a 2x2 kit of Corsair DDR2-800 CAS 5. It's a LOT of bang for the buck.

Thanks GLC! Friendly, prompt, and helpful as always.

EDIT: Here we go then:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115037

ASUS P5K PRO LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131275

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184

Looks good. Any last thoughts anyone?

EDIT: Wait a second, are the motherboard and memory compatible?

[Detonate]

Just curious, what are your plans for your old MB and Processor?

[Llamarama]

Originally Posted by Detonate Just curious, what are your plans for your old MB and Processor?

Not 100% sure yet but I'll probably either be giving them to my little brother who will be in college next year or else using them for running Torq for my DJ setup in the other room.




So the (CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory) will work fine with (ASUS P5K PRO LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard)? Just want to be 100% sure about this; motherboard says it wants 1066 ram according to the newegg specs but GLC's post made it seem like they would work together. Clarification would be awesome. Thanks!

[glc]

Works just fine in mine. All those specs mean is it will take up to and including 1066.

[Llamarama]

Originally Posted by glc Works just fine in mine. All those specs mean is it will take up to and including 1066.

Oh fantastic! I was under the impression it only took what it said. Thank you again!