Building new rig.. CPU question

[Paintballer]

Hey there, its been a while since I have posted here, and a while since I built my last PC.

I just have a quick question for you about L2 cache on a gaming system. I'm comparing the X2 6000+ Windsor 125W with 2MB L2 cache and the new version of the 89W X2 6000+ with 1MB L2 cache. (Same prices)

Now, I'm building a system that will be in a custom case, very slim, cooling is really important. The newer 6000+ supposedly comes with a much better heatsink, and is only 89W compared to the 125W Windsor. Now, my question is how much that 1MB L2 cache will really make a difference in gaming. I'm going from a single core 3200+, so obviously this is going to be a huge upgrade, and I think the lower heat from the 89w model will be enough reason to offset the 1mb cache, but what are your opinions on this?


And just FYI, I plan to use the following:

X2 6000+ $79.99
ASUS M2A-VM (Not sure on this, recommend a micro ATX) $62.99
XFX 9800GT 512MB $109.99
4GB Patriot $34.99
Apevia 500W PSU $29.99
(Prices after MIR)

Then random leftover parts.

Gimme some opinions, I'm going budget, and hopefully high enough performance for me :cheers:

 

[MRG]

I advise you to go with the CPU that has the larger cache. You can easily invest in a solution to reduce the heat that you're CPU will generate in the form of either a water cooling unit or a quality Heatsink & fan combo. Your selection of parts look good & should offer you good performance. I do highly advise you to spend some cash on a good cooling solution when you buy everything. Don't depend on the stock heatsink & fan that comes with the CPU. I'll look into a few micro-ATX units to see which is good for the price.

Here is some basic info on the subject.
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/cpu/amd-athlon-64-x2-4800-5000.html

Here is some basic info on the x2 6000 cache.
http://hothardware.com/articles/AMD-Athlon-64-X2-6000/

-MRG

 

[Krynn72]

How flexible is your budget? For not a whole lot more, you could get a much better PC.

And yeah, I'd get a cpu with a bigger cache. I'd also not get patriot ram. Ive used corsair, crucial, and g-skill and never had problems with them. Ive had a lot of problems with other, lesser known brands though. And that power supply is probably not going to work for you. A 30 dollar 500watt PSU is going to be shit quality, and risky business.

 

[MRG]

How flexible is your budget? For not a whole lot more, you could get a much better PC.

True, but then isn't that the way it normally is for all of us? "If we only spent more, we would get more."

And yeah, I'd get a cpu with a bigger cache. I'd also not get patriot ram. Ive used corsair, crucial, and g-skill and never had problems with them. Ive had a lot of problems with other, lesser known brands though. And that power supply is probably not going to work for you. A 30 dollar 500watt PSU is going to be shit quality, and risky business.

Doh! Good point about the PSU Krynn. $30 isn't going to get you all that dependable or rather quality made unit. Then again, I have only ever used cheap PSU's & have never had any problems. However, I do recommend a quality unit. A good PSU is an underrated & often overlooked, yet very important part of hardware. As for the Patriot Ram, I have had good luck with them. You can also get some decent XMS2 DDR2-800 for next to nothing now. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

-MRG

 

[Krynn72]

I used to use cheap-o processors when I built my cheap-o rigs. But twice they shat out on me and took both motherboards with them. Now, even if I build a cheap computer, I get a decent psu.

Another thing, if this is just for a gaming pc, then you should probably just get 2 gigs of faster ram. Most games still dont need that much, unless you're planning on running a vista system.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

My friend has a 6400+ X2, says it works sexfully.

 

[Paintballer]

The PSU seems to have decent reviews, and I have one that will hold me over in the worst case scenario anyways. The PSU has enough amps on the 12v rails that I think it should be fine, but yeah I'll consider better for sure. As for the ram, it seems to be of good quality and I thought Patriot used to at least be good in the past, but if someone has some bad experiences with it then I'll skip it all together. There is room for upgrading what I have there, I just don't have tons of money to play with.

I'm also considering going with a 4850 videocard instead of the 9800GT, unless someone has some better choices.

EDIT: Thanks for that link to the Corsair RAM... I will definitely go with that over the Patriot.

 

[MRG]

I'm also considering going with a 4850 videocard instead of the 9800GT, unless someone has some better choices.

I would advise you to go with the 4850. You'll love it. Simply Google if you have doubts.

-MRG