[discobay]

I am building a media centre and am undecided whether I should get a core 2 quad processor. The media centre will also be used for other activities but not for serious business. I may play the occasional online FPS game too. Would you say that a quad core is overkill? Are there many applications that make use of the four cores? Would buying a quad make my system more future-proof?

[TaLL|dUdE]

imho... either a Core 2 Duo or a Core 2 Quad is good enough. Just make sure that your motherboard supports the latest Tech to future proof yourself for a bit.

I personally got the Core 2 Quad coz it was pretty cheap and stuck it on my gaming rig.

[discobay]

Hi TD,
For a motherboard I'm looking at the Asus P5KPL or Asus P5K-E. You're not helping me make a decision you're just pushing me into buying what my heart really wants!

[TaLL|dUdE]

let me check those MoBo's out first. Hehehe!
Then I'll let you know which to get.

[KnowItAll]

What sort of video card would you put on the system?

Will you really be running seriously multi-threaded applications like video editors / rendering etc? If not, then stick with a dual core.

[discobay]

The MSI GeForce 9600GT. Yeah I realise the quad may be OTT but it's not that much more than the duo hence the hessitation.

[TaLL|dUdE]

@DB

I prefer the P5K-E Mobo (Can't seem to find the local price of the other Mobo online).

ASUS P5K-E/WiFi-AP P35 M/B HK$ 1,225.00


As for your CPU choices:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz) CPU/4M BOX HK$ 1,456.00
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 (3GHz) CPU/4M BOX HK$ 2,058.00
Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 (2.66GHz) CPU/6M BOX HK$ 1,480.00
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (3GHz) CPU/6M BOX HK$ 1,800.00
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600(2.4G)8M BOX (G0/95W) HK$ 2,050.00
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 (2.66GHz) CPU/8M BOX HK$ 4,180.00
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 (2.5GHz) CPU/6M BOX HK$ 2,252.00
Intel Core 2 Quad QX9650 (3GHz)/12M BOX HK$ 8,880.00

I prefer the one's in bold.

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Vid Cards

ASUS EN88GT1 EN8800GT PCI-E 1GB DDR3 HK$ 2,190.00
ASUS EN88GT5 EN8800GT PCI-E 512MB DDR3 HK$ 1,740.00
ASUS EN96GT5 EN9600GT PCI-E 512MB DDR3 HK$ 1,400.00

I think I prefer to get the 8800GT 1gb or 512mb rather than the 9600GT.

See a review here.
Nvidia 9600GT Benchmarks & Specs ? L33tZ0ne

[TBJ]

If you are gaming, go with the 8800GT instead of the 9600. The 9600 might be a little cheaper but the 8800GT gives you a lot more bang.

No need for quad core if you aren't running any software that takes advantage of it. You'll be paying more money for nothing.

[discobay]

Thanks TD and TBJ, I only read your replies tonight because again I am not getting email notifications from this website grrr!
I am likely to go for the nVidia 9600GT on the basis that I don't game heavily, want future-proofing and cost.

[discobay]

TD, I am in a position to get the Q6600 for the same price as an E6750 or E8200. Bearing in mind the lack of applications written for the quad cores is it (Q6600) still worth considering?