Hi Everyone!!

This is my first post, and let me start by saying i'm a noob as far as the newer computer components go. What i'm trying to accomplish here is basically a budget upgrade from my old 3.0 Prescott 478 cpu. I do a little bit of gaming, but nothing spectacular (this includes my skill lol).

I'm not into benchmarking or overclocking (the closest I get to overclocking is setting my alarm clock 20 minutes fast so I can get to work on time in the morning). So here goes.

I'm pretty much sold on that AMD X2 6000+ cpu. I have 2 (1GB) OCZ Gold DDR2 667 sticks, and a BFG 8600GTS OC2 video card. Also in the old computer is a Coolermaster 550W psu, and 1 250GB WD ide hard drive.

What i'm looking for are suggestions on a decent motherboard to fit this stuff onto (keeping in mind the "budget" upgrade). I wouldn't mind looking into an SLI setup in the future if you think it could be beneficial also.

Thank Alot!!

Mark

Kwikky-
Welcome to the board! You've probably heard this before but I recommend you go with a simlarly priced Core 2 Duo. The e6320 is around $170 and even at 1.86GHz I would guess that it could almost keep up with the 6000. If you raise the core speed to around 2.4 GHz, which could probably be done with minimal adjustments, it would crush it. Yes, the Core 2 really is that good.

Of course the Phenom is just down the road and it should fit an AM2 socket. With 8600GTS I would think the M2N-SLI woulkd fit the budget and give you pretty high end performance as well http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131013

You should get a SATA drive as well. They are cheap and native storage for the new boards. Most new boards have only one IDE port which would most likely be used for your DVD/CDROM.

I'm not a big fan of Coolermaster but if it works for you then great.

That M2N-Sli Dlx mobo Merc suggested is a very nice one. I actually used the exact same one with a X2 6000 on a system I built for my brother. Works great and is rock solid stable.

Thanks for the replies fellas!!!

Ok Merc, so if I go fo the e6320, with minimal adjustments, would I have to do anything for cpu cooling? I have a Zalman 9500 sitting on the old Pressy, along with all of the hardware to mount to a socket 775 ( I believe that's the socket of the cpu you're referring too). I know i need to run a SATA drive, but at the moment it's not in the budget, but that one IDE port should suffice until the funds are available.

Also, do you think if I go this route, that SLI'ing (doubt that's the correct term) will give me a really big performance boost? Or should I just possibly stick with a better single pci-e board with more\better features? If I do go the Intel way, what motherboard would you recommend for my upgrade? And will my currect OCZ memory work with it? (I told you I was a noob guys lol)

Thanks again for the replies, I really appreciate it!!!

Mark

PS: The only really demanding game I play is DiRT, everything else runs fine. I do some CAD work at home (Catia, AutoCad), but the stuff I do on there isn't really demanding.

Just so you know, all the folks here were huge AMD fans right up until Core 2 Duo hit the scene so you aren't talking to a buncjh of Intel fanatics who will give you bum info. We are all hoping that AMD hits one out of the park with the Phenom chip but right now nothing comes close to the Core 2 line up. It is so good that AMD just isn't in the game at this point as afar as the enthusiast sector. Plus Core 2's are relatively cheap.

That said, Phenom is coming out and although the info is sketchy it will be a very, very good chip. How good we are all waiting to see. The bad news is the intro won't be until early 2008, the good news is the Phenom will be AM2 compliant so you can upggrade later.

With all of the above in mind, if you are comfortable with AMD and you don't want to overclock then the 6000 is a great choice. Vegas has already built on that board and liked it so I think it is a good board foi you. Lot's of amenities and you have the option of SLI in the future.

If you do want to try and overclock a little then the 6320 is a better choice. That 9500 is excellent for overclocking a Core 2 as they run relatively cool. I suggested the 6320 because it matches your budget and will do 2.4Ghz with, more than likely, very little additional voltage. At 2.4GHz it will spank the 6000.

If you want to go SLI with an Intel, overclock a little and still stay within your budget then a really good choice is the Asus P5N-E SLI. It has a 650i chipset which means only 16 lanes of graphics PCIe total. Going SLI would split those 16 lanes meaning 8 lanes of PCIe per card but that is plenty of bandwidth for a pair of 8600 series cards, so not really an issue. The P5N-E SLI overclocks fine up to a moderate level but isn't a good choice for extreme overclocking. It also has two IDE ports, something that you don't see that much any longer, which means you can use those IDE drives with no problem. Best of all the P5N-E SLI is under $120 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131142

Your RAM will work fine with the above gear and the P5N-E can handle your IDE drives because of that second IDE port. The P5N-E SLI with an e6320 will cost $300 shipped and I believe it will be an eye opening improvement over what you are running. With the 9500 you should be able to hit 2.6GHz very easily on the e6320 which will put it well above the 6000 performance -wise. SLI is your choice. If your card isn't strained now it will be in the futire and having that extra PCIe 16x slot gives ou the option of a real nice graphics boost later on at relatively little cost.

As always, there are plenty of folks here to help you learn how to OC when you are ready. Don't sweat the "noob" stuff as we were all noobs at one time or another and you'll never take heat here over being new to the game, we don't do that.

If you can come up with just a few extra bucks I recommend looking at the new 1333mhz FSB range from Intel. As compared to the e6320:

• e6320=$177
• e6550=$175
• e6750=$194 pick of the bunch

The 6750 is a great overclocker with an 8x multiplier and it'll leave the 6320 for dead @2.66ghz.. couple this with the p5n-e or even better a P5K, p35 intel chipset board if you're not gonna run SLI and you're laughing.

Great Information, Thank You!!!

I see that the e6550 is 1 dollar lower than the e6320 LOL!!! You guys have me sold on the Intel, and I would venture to guess that the e6550 would be the better choice? As far as that P5N-E motherboard, I like it. So as long as you guys tell me that the e6550 is the way to go, i'll order both today (with a tube of AS5, i'm out).

And there's no doubt i'll be back after the build to hit you guys up on little tweaks for this thing. I'd ask Wanna, but he always USED to push AMD on me LOL!!! Just Kidding Bro!!

Thanks Again!!

Mark (getting kind of excited)

Edit: I can swing the e6750 this week, so just give me the word fellas!!!

LOL...you have the word from me, some of those 6750's are magic little chips..make sure your mobo supports the new 1333FSB though, although most do with a BIOS flash.
Wanna has well and truly ventured deep into the bowels of the dark side, and I'll take this time to mention that I was one of the last guys to hold out until the bitter end with my AMD until my hand was forced and I bought one.
Now if i could only tempt you to go with the intel P35 chipset boards instead of the nvidia SLI

If you can swing the e6750 then go for it. Both the 6550 and 6750 are better choices than the 6320 but it is your budget. Faster is always better as long as you can balance the cost against performance in my book. $25 for a chip that is 800MHz faster is a very good trade off. I'd say go for it as you will be most pleased with the results and 3.0GHz on that 6750 will be very easy to get to. I'd bet a Vcore of 1.35v will get you there

Sweet!!!! FSB 1333/1066MHz <-- the motherboard says, so I should be all good to go!!!!

3.0ghz....Too easy on those, but even without overclocking it, its a damn fast CPU for the money..I'm getting excited for you, I've been pimping these 1333FSB chips to everyone lol

LOL!! Thanks ALOT!!! It's ordered, i'll be back to let you know how it came out. And maybe hit the Overclock thingy (if I even need too !!!)

Mark

Technically, no-one really 'needs' to overclock these CPU's per se, but if my 6850 wants to run at 4.0ghz it can..If your 6750 can run at 3.0 ghz with standard voltage you got yourself a higher end chip for a lot less money.

Best of luck with your build mate, keep us posted

Make sure you go to the Arctic Silver site and review the thermal paste application procedure for Core 2 Duo chips. It differs from the AMD chips due to the alignment of the cores. Basically a straighht line of TP doen the middle of the IHS. Good luck and you will be really happy with that set up I believe.

I had a e4300 running at 3.2GHz on a P5N-E SLI for awhile.

Looks like you made some great choices in your parts.

That Zalman 9500 should work good for you too. I used it on a recent build for my mom using a Q6600. The Zalman kept the temps in the low to mid 40s with the quad oc'ed to 2920.

Besides, if you hang around here long enough, you'll be watercooling that cpu before you know it.