CPU chip madness !

[Ken C]

Ok, I want to rebuild the HTPC. Step one, motherboard, probably something using the X38 chipset like the Intel DX38BT. Step two, pick a cpu. Go to pricewatch.com and, OMG, there must be 100's to choose from !!

Any idea why so many variations ?

And which quad/duo chip would you choose ?

Is there a site that explains the various incarnations ?

[kevine]

I would say a C2D if you are not going to be doing a log of conversion of transcoding (convert or MVP playback). Say an E6600. That's what I have. Wish I went with the quad Q6600.

However, if you are going to be watching HD from HD100s the 2 core should be fine. As I slowly move to HD100s from MVPs, I should be fine though.

[Polypro]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115037

P

[dvd_maniac]

I got the Q6600 and I'm very satisfied with it.
I do some heavy encoding but probably would've went with it anyways as more and more applications are able to take advantage of the extra cores. And for the price... Best bang for the buck.

[Ken C]

What's the difference between the "e's", "q's", and "t's" ?

[dvd_maniac]

Q stands for Quad (4 physical Cores), E is Dual core and I believe T is the mobile Dual-core CPU's

[kevine]

Originally Posted by Ken C

What's the difference between the "e's", "q's", and "t's" ?

I know the E are 2 cores.
Q's are 4 cores (better)
QX are extreme 4 cores (hype?) much more Xpensive

I have know idea what the T's are.

[kevine]

Also, if you are considering a Q6600 make sure you get the version with G0 stepping and not B3. G0 version is much better for overclocking. See here: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...oc.aspx?i=3066

[Paul H]

Originally Posted by kevine

I have know idea what the T's are.

Sorry to hear that, I'm an A man myself!

[kevine]

Well, in that case, I do know what the t's are. However, I would not recommend them for your HTPC. Unless altered from original manufacturing, they tend to cause a lot of vdroop . They can also cause an overheat depending on what program you are watching it may require more RAM.

[Paul H]

Originally Posted by kevine

Well, in that case, I do know what the t's are. However, I would not recommend them for your HTPC. Unless altered from original manufacturing, they tend to cause a lot of vdroop . They can also cause an overheat depending on what program you are watching it may require more RAM.

WORD!

[Ken C]

Originally Posted by dvd_maniac

Q stands for Quad (4 physical Cores), E is Dual core and I believe T is the mobile Dual-core CPU's

Q's and E's it is !!

As for T's and A's, I'm too old for overclocking !!


Things were a lot simpler in the days of 6502's .... Apple II forever

[Slipshod]

http://slickdeals.net/?permadeal=122...ect_deal_12236

$250 for a Q9300 plus 2 GB of RAM. If you don't have the RAM already, this is a screaming deal. this is one of the new 45nm CPUs.