Which System?

Bamber19

Looking for a system that will be good for gaming, well better than good, been having a look at Gladiator and found two systems at the same price, although one says it's a gaming system and the other just presents itself as a family type PC i know that you can't always trust the titles.
So 2 questions, which one is the better system for gaming, and do you think they are good? Also one is AMD and one is Core 2 duo so wouldn;t mind some advice as to the overclocking ability, same for the fact one has nvidia graphics and one has ATI. Could go a little more expensive and if i did would most likely be upgrading the E6300 to an E6600 if that was the better system but for the same money i could go to the higher spec AMD system>
http://www.gladiatorcomputers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?StockCode=PCSTRIAM2X23800&Link=SearchResults

http://www.gladiatorcomputers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?StockCode=PCSCENCB6300&CategoryId=5.18&Link=SpecialOffers

many thanks

GoofyGAT

For gaming, definitely go for the E6300/E6600 & X1950XT system. Compare CPU & GPU benchmarks to get some idea & see the gaping difference.

I would also go for at least 512Mb more system memory as well (1Gb more would be ideal). Get this from elsewhere as their upgrades appear expensive.

Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the choice of retailer, or suggest another as I've never bought a readymade PC.

Remember to factor in the cost of an OS, monitor, speakers, etc into the budget. G

Bamber19

thanks, i did think about monitor etc, the thing i forgot about was the OS, i thought about building it myself (getting someone else to do so really) and had a quick look around for the same parts but once i weighed in the postage costs from so mnay different places it worked out roundabout the same price, i've sicne(even though this was only an hour or so ago) looked at the system one better in the AMD range aswell, so i'll look at the benchmark for it also, thanks

http://www.gladiatorcomputers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?StockCode=PCSTRIAM2X24200&Link=SearchResults

Bamber19

thanks again for the earlier advice but could i now ask for a second opinion, same idea but 1 different system and 1 upgraded one.

Does the Core 2 duo system still win if it's the same one ( http://www.gladiatorcomputers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?StockCode=PCSCENCB6300&Link=SearchResults ) with the upgraded processor E6300 to E6600 coming it at around £730 or if the system is this one http://www.gladiatorcomputers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?StockCode=PCSTRIAM2X24200&Link=SearchResults coming in at £700?

BillScarab

Definately go for the core 2 duo system, but don't bother upgrading the CPU. Core 2 duo processors are superbly overclockable so save the money and buy the cheaper one. I know it's got less cache but I doubt if you'll really notice it. I had a new system delivered yesterday with an E4300 processor which will be getting a serious overclock this weekend. Read these articles for details on overclocking the core 2 duos and the results you can get.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2903&p=1

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/2007/01/11/core-2-duo-overtakes-core-2-extreme-uk/page12.html

My new machine cost £668 inc. delivery and Vista Home Premium and came from Komplett. It's got an E4300 processor, 2Gb of Ram, Gigabyte 965 DS3 motherboard. For games it would really need a better graphics card as it only has a Nvidia 7600GS but it was a good spec for the price.

The Komplett ones are well worth looking at, as you can specify what components you want (from a set range) so it combines the advantages of building it yourself and buying a ready made working system.

nickmack

BillScarab wrote:

Definately go for the core 2 duo system, but don't bother upgrading the CPU. Core 2 duo processors are superbly overclockable so save the money and buy the cheaper one.

The Komplett ones are well worth looking at, as you can specify what components you want (from a set range) so it combines the advantages of building it yourself and buying a ready made working system.

I got Komplett to custom build me a E6400 Core 2 Duo system with 2Gb RAM on a Gigabyte GA-965-DS3 mainboard. It's a very nice machine. I don't play many games so I got a mid-range video card (7900GS), but it should be sufficient if I do fancy playing. The assembly was neat and the delivery was here within 3 days of ordering. Very pleased with the service and as Bill said, they have a good choice of components you can build from.

BillScarab

I must say I'm impressed with mine so far, as nickmack says the assembly was very nicely done. All of the cables were tidied away properly. Also they supplied all of the manuals and discs for all of the components, even the blanking plate for the slot the DVD drive is in was in the box.

I only bought a cheap graphics card for mine so that I can upgrade to a DX10 compatible one when more of them start to appear and the prices start to become more reasonable.