AMD X2 5000+ @ $299 vs. Conroe E6600

[psionic]

So what does everyone think about the latest AMD price expectations for end of July? Now that a X2 2.6GHz is coming in slightly cheaper than the 2.4GHz Conroe, maybe AMD will have a shot at leering the masses already lining up to buy up Conroe's.

Personally, I also got swept up in the Conroe benchmarks and would love to get my hands on a E6600, but the whole chipset and motherboard thing is really turning me off to it. Anandtech is saying that the P965 chipset is actually slower than the 975x and all the top boards from ASUS or Intel are coming in close to $300--and are selling like hotcakes at those prices.

[Candor]

I'm waiting for the FX's to drop to reasonable prices, along with plain-old DDR RAM, and then I'll pick up an extra Gig of memory and add a sufficiently cutting-edge FX into my 939. Until I strike it rich, that will be more than enough system for me. I think that the major review sites declaring AMD dead in the water will only help me get something I'm overjoyed with at a reasonable price.

Yay for Intel's major improvements! I'll still wait until I can afford to build a system around one of those chips. Maybe with a non-Intel motherboard.

[Arturo]

and there will be a flood of new mbs and the prices will come down, but I have to wonder how a Conroe would benefit me when all I do is WP, Spreadsheet, surf and listen to webcast radio stations on my pc. I still plan on getting the Microstar board with the integrated NVIDIA GeForce 6150 video, for $80. How can I go wrong?

[jaganath]

I have to wonder how a Conroe would benefit me when all I do is WP, Spreadsheet, surf and listen to webcast radio stations on my pc

Answer: it probably wouldn't. It might run a bit cooler, but the costs outweigh the benefits.

[frankgehry]

I think that was merely a rhetorical question.

[jaganath]

I think that was merely a rhetorical question.

Oh well, lucky there's no law against answering rhetorical questions then isn't it?

[breunor]

Wait, is that also a rhetorical question?

[wundi]

Or that one there? Or this?

[vitaminc]

Conroe 6600 mos def.

Why go AMD now when its going to be out dated in 3-5 months by its 65nm counterparts?

Besides, Conroe performs a lot better clock for clock at a lower power, and can overclock better.

BTW, it would not be wise to buy DDR memory as the whole industry is shifting out of DDR1. Everyone is making DDRII a standard. Last generation legacy products will always be selling at a small discount.

[smilingcrow]

So what does everyone think about the latest AMD price expectations for end of July? Now that a X2 2.6GHz is coming in slightly cheaper than the 2.4GHz Conroe, maybe AMD will have a shot at leering the masses already lining up to buy up Conroe's.

Personally, I also got swept up in the Conroe benchmarks and would love to get my hands on a E6600, but the whole chipset and motherboard thing is really turning me off to it. Anandtech is saying that the P965 chipset is actually slower than the 975x and all the top boards from ASUS or Intel are coming in close to $300--and are selling like hotcakes at those prices.

There’s no simple answer as it depends on your priorities. If you aren’t looking to over-clock and are happy with the performance of an X2 @ 2.6, then the choice comes down to the overall system cost, how easy it to cool the CPU quietly and even brand loyalty.
AMD still has the edge with an overall lower priced entry point, which is important for many people. The mid range is a closer call and Intel walk away with it at the top end.

Since you are considering the mid range CPUs I guess you will benefit from that power. In which case, Intel looks more interesting to me, as they offer more performance per watt and they over-clock amazingly. An E6300 with a Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 comes in at ~$400 and should hit around 2.6 GHz with ease. At this level it will match an over-clocked FX62 and should be outputting less than 60W.

I wouldn’t sweat the difference between a P965 and the 975X, it’s negligible, especially when you compare the difference between C2D and AMD. Do you really need a $300 top of the range board anyway!

[Firetech]

If your current S939 rig does everything you need - do nothing.
If you need a little more oomph - get a discount X2 for your current rig and see what the future brings.
If your current rig is an old pile of poo - wait a month or so and go C2D.
No matter what, don't go buying into AM2 until next year at least.
Simple eh

[Dirty-Harry]

If your current S939 rig does everything you need - do nothing.
If you need a little more oomph - get a discount X2 for your current rig and see what the future brings.
If your current rig is an old pile of poo - wait a month or so and go C2D.
No matter what, don't go buying into AM2 until next year at least.
Simple eh

Well put!!

I need a little "oomph" in my system, so I my be getting an X2 in a month. My A64 3000+ I bought ($100) last summer has done well.