Upgrade Advice Needed!!

[Azn Tr14dZ]

Core 2 duo is for laptops. I suggest 1gb ddr3 ram, a pentium D 3.0GHZ 800FSB 4mb l2 cache (2x2).

Core Duo is for Laptops, Core 2 Duo is for desktops.

2 Duo beats AMD by all means. Your better bet is to go Intel way. Then motherboard must be 965 or 975 based.

It doesn't necessarily have to be 965 or 975X, since some 945P support Core 2 Duos as well.

Both have Pros and Cons:

AM2 Pros:
Cheap, best "bang for the buck"
Great gaming performance
AM2 motherboards will support AM3 CPUs but w/ DDR2 instead of DDR3

AM2 Cons:
We're not sure if AM3 or K8L is going to be all that great though

Core 2 Duo Pros:
New Core architecture beats all AMD CPUs right now at lower speeds
Great overclockability
Less heat

Core 2 Duo Cons:
Not really Core 2 Duo, but Intel. Since they have 945P, 955X, P965, and 975X Chipsets, current motherboards might not be able to support future CPUs. Some current Intel motherboards might support future Intel CPUs, but with a new revision, which equals new board. Unlike AMD, where as long as it's AM2, it'll support all AM2 CPUs current and future w/ just a BIOS update most likely.

Hope this helps you!

 

[Frick]

There's no greater bang for the buck than bying a CPU for $180 and in a rather simple fashion beat the living h*ll out of an $800 CPU. If you're builing a *new* system there's NO reason not to go Conroe. IMO, at least. But if you're after a new processor and already have a decent motherboard and memory, the x2's is a great choice.

EDIT: There's Core 2 Duo for laptops to, but they're known as Merom.

 

[Azn Tr14dZ]

But the Meroms aren't out yet though, only Allendale and Conroe for Core 2 Duos, and Yonahs for Core Duos.

And like we stated earlier, AM2 will be compatible with AM3, but we don't know how great AM3 will be. Intel usually comes out with new motherboard chipsets for newer processors, which sometimes makes upgrading to a newer processor harder.

 

[Ketxxx]

in a nutshell, amd is easier to upgrade,cheaper, and just as fast. do you really need that 30fps extra on top of that 140fps odd? no.