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AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 6000+ vs. Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 1

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wahnula

wahnula

Technical User
Jun 26, 2005
4,158
US
Hello all,

I have a decision to make and I'm coming here for opinions, so let 'em rip. I am building what I would call a "mid-line" PC for our office's presentation room, part of our SBS2003 network. Main uses will be displaying photos, possibly viewing promotional videos, Web browsing, and MS Office documents. I would like the machine to be speedy at these tasks, and I feel onboard video will be fine, since there will be zero 3-D rendering needed.

Photos/videos will be stored on the local HDD or SATA DVD rather than streamed over the network, so I plan on a speedy large HDD, a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA 3.0Gb/s w/16 MB cache, maybe (2) drives in RAID 1, maybe not.

I am torn though when it comes to the CPU. My first impulse was to go Core 2 Duo:


but the E6550 is close to bottom-of-the-line, when I can go near top-of-the-line for the same price with the Dual-Core 6000+ AM2:


I also like the 4MB L2 of the Core 2 Duo, but the 6000+ runs at 3GHz while the Intel's clocked at 2.33 etc. etc. etc.

Which one would YOU choose and why??? Thanks folks!

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me
 
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These two processors look very close. According to Tom Hardware CPU charts both swap and change the lead depending on the application chosen. SEE FOR YOURSELF! just type in the two CPU's to view.

As you can see they are pretty level pegging but one thing is for sure, the Intel would have more overclocking potential (although I don't think this is an issue for you)

I'm guessing that given the applications list chosen, that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
As you are talking about integrated graphics you won't be going with the outright fastest platforms so my recommendation would probably be to go AMD because their 690G chipset is both fast and stable, offers amongst the best graphics and feature set for an onboard solution and I think you will find 690G equipt motherboards are cheaper than equivelent Intel boards.
For example see:

Martin


We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.
 
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not for nothing but don't forget good bus speed.



Steve
We're doing this stuff for the wealth and fame right?
 
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Well thanks Martin not only for the fantastic link but the recommendation on the chipset/mainboard. I really like the HDMI connector and the low price of this board. I rounded out the PC with (2)-1GB Kingston RAM, Lite-On SATA DVD Burner, Mitsumi combo floppy/card reader and wireless card. All in an Antec Solution Series Micro-ATX case w/ 380-watt PSU I should be good to go!

Just for good measure I'll post back next week with performance results and personal comments on the selection.

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me
 
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I wouldn't say the E6550 is near the bottom of the line at all. In fact, it's very close to the top (excluding the "Extreme" range, there are only 3 above it).
 
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There are actually only 4 (four)... to be precise...

the E6600, E6700, E6750, E6850 all Conroe's (source: Intel.com)

the E6550 is actually mid-range here... as the Conroes start at E6300

Note: Allendale CPUs also end with the E6300/6400 numbering and thus an E6300 or E6400 could very well be either one of the above...

as to the subject at hand, even older CPUs would fill the bill here, for what is planned, so I would go for the stability and the proverbial "more bang for the buck" here...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
 
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It's not a big difference either way. They are both great chips, you may want to base your decision on the motherboard you like and the price more than the CPU, as both perform well.

One thing to bear in mind, is that the clock speed is not all that important, especially with the Core2Duo. I am currently running a E6420 in my gaming machine. Overclocked to just under 3ghz (2.13ghz stock), it runs everything beautifully and stays cool with a decent aftermarket fan/heatsink. I've gone higher than 3ghz, but I have to crank the fans up a bit more than I prefer, and it runs VERY stable at just under 3ghz.

 
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Well, I think I got the most "Bang for the Buck" with the AMD part & mainboard Martin recommended. I was pretty smug with my OC'd Core 2 Duo E6600 machine, but it's a year old now and this new pocket rocket kicks butt fo' shizzle!!!!

LOVE the SATA DVD-RW, for $33 it only loaded WinXP faster than any previous build...ever. I'm saying goodbye to PATA. Made some kind of boo-boo, my boot drive is F:, I guess I did that by hooking up the card reader/floppy before loading Windows...oh well no big deal it's not like everyone will be doing command line work. It bugs me but I am thrilled with the new build, it should impress customers with its speed, good looks and silence.

Now for a night with Windows Update...downloading #87 of 97 now...[smile]

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me
 
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The perfectionist in me would not allow a non-C: boot drive...disconnected to card reader and reloaded. You knew I would....

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me
 
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@wahnula - that last comment brought out a smile... would have done the same... glad you got what you where looking for... I am still saving up for my QuadCore with the X38 chipset...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
 
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I am still saving up for my QuadCore with the X38 chipset...
Click to expand...

That's where you'd have to go to beat this setup. It benchmarked better than my E6600 OC'd to 3.1 GHz using SiSoft Sandra everywhere but multimedia...but it's got onboard graphics. You shouldn't have to wait too long Mr. Ben, those Kentsfield Quads are less than $280 now.

The ultimate compliment was that my boss (and best friend) decided he would take it home and his P4 Prescott (which I built) is moving to the presentation room. It's costing me more time now to reconfig it to his profile and wipe the Prescott, but, as he stated, it's a shame to leave it in a barely-used room. It's nice to be appreciated!

Tony

"Buy what you like, or you'll be forced to like what you buy"...me
 
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Yep, it is nice to be appreciated...

although they are becoming cheaper, it is still way off as I have low income to content myself with... but I am getting there slowly but surely... ;-)

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
 
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