After researching for a new pc I came up with this setup. Does it look like it will run IL2-1946 pretty well? (and maybe SOW) Thanks for any help.

CASE: X-Cruiser Mid-TowerCase W/ WINDOW, MultiMeter Display & Control (Black Color)
CS_FAN: Default case fans

CPU: (Sckt775)Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo E6750 CPU @ 2.66GHz 1333FSB 4MB L2 Cache 64-bit

CD: LiteOn LH-20A1H 20X Double Layer DVD+-RW Super Allwrite + Lightscribe Technology
CD2: SONY 16X DVD-ROM

FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer FAN: CoolerMaster Hyper TX2 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan(Extreme Silent Operation at only 22dba)
FLOPPY: 1.44 MB FLOPPY DRIVE

HDD: Single Hard Drive (320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
HDD2: NONE
IEEE_CARD: NONE
KEYBOARD: PS2 MULTIMEDIA INTERNET CONTROL KEYBOARD (BLACK COLOR)
MOUSE: Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse (BLACK COLOR)
MODEM: NONE
MONITOR: NONE
MONITOR2: NONE

MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core FSB1333) EVGA nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard

MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory
Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Memory w/ Heat Spreader

NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
OS: Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition w/ Service Pack 2 [+89]


POWERSUPPLY: 600 Watts Power Supplies [+59] (CoolerMaster Unit 600 Watts eXtreme Power - SLI Supports)

SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS 24/7 LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT

SOUND: Creative Labs SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio 24-BIT PCI Sound Card

SPEAKERS: 120 WATT STEREO SPEAKERS
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports 6 back, 4 internal

VIDEO: NEW!!! NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Superclocked Powered by NVIDIA
VIDEO2: NONE

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

That will run virtually any title in 2007 nicely. BUT - Someone correct me if I'm wrong XP Home is no-go with multi-processors. Media Center and XP Pro are.

If you were to venture into OC'ing your would increase performance threshold a bit more. Of course if you're into setting punishing screen resolutions in perfect mode you could consider a 2nd 8800.

For future gamings sake. The 2GB barrier of XP means game developers are going to need to mind this inevitable bottleneck or push to Vista.

I would upgrade the 6750 @ 2.66 to the 6850 @ 3ghz. The increase in cost isn't significant, and gives you a few extra ghz that could make a difference when running BOB SOW. I would also upgrade to the 880O GTX but that would be a significant increase in price.

XP Home does support dual core.

That's virtually the same computer I'm about to build, except that I've opted for the E6850, and I'm using a GIGAByte GA-P35C-DS3R motherboard. From what I've been able to gather, it should run any current title with little trouble. I'm actually expecting to upgrade again around the time of BOB SOW, but I imagine it'll run fairly well on decent settings.

Similar to my new computer on order as well. I also went for the E6850 instead of the E6750. The 6750 just barely edges out the old E6700 which means that its mega fast but the E6850 beats everything on gaming benchmarks and is beaten only by the quad core extremes in the video/audio compression tests and those are much much more expensive.

That answered 2 of my questions about my next upgrade

But with the CPU FSB of 1333 why only PC6400 memory ??? I've forgotten alot of hardware stuff these days

Thank you all for the suggestions. Now I'm thinking about getting the C2Duo 6850 at 3 Ghz, and the Nvidea 8800 GTX 768 Mb PCI express video card. -I don't know that much about DDR memory either, but I did look it up at Tom's Hardware and found this article from June 07 and it looks like the 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Memory w/ Heat Spreaders should be pretty fast.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/06/15/hardcore_ddr2_ram_by_corsair/page2.html

excerpt..

It may sound trite, but it is true: size does matter, at least for memory. If you want to run Windows XP, 512 MB RAM is considered the minimum, but we recommend against anything below 1 GB. If you're eyeing Windows Vista, we consider 1 GB the absolute minimum and 2 GB an ideal scenario for mainstream users.

All high end and mainstream platforms utilize dual channel memory configurations, and even low-end systems increasingly do so as well. This means that two (or four) memory modules are plugged into the DIMM sockets so the memory controller can effectively double the memory bus from 64 bits to 128 bits, doubling bandwidth.

Three memory types are currently on the market: DDR, DDR2 and DDR3. The abbreviation stands for "Double Data Rate", which means that data is transferred during both the rising and falling edges of the clock signal. Although it is possible to run quadruple data transfers per cycle - referred to as quad data rate or QDR - both DDR2 and DDR3 are also based on double data rate technology.

DDR is available in speeds ranging from 100 and 200 MHz (DDR200 to DDR400), while DDR2 is specified for 133, 166 and 200 MHz (DDR2-533, DDR2-667, DDR2-800). DDR3 has just been launched at 533 MHz (DDR3-1066), with 667, 800 and probably even 1 GHz on the roadmaps.

DDR requires a standard operating voltage of 2.5 V; DDR2 runs at a nominal voltage of 1.8 V; and DDR3 requires 1.5 V. However, many products in the enthusiast space require higher voltage levels to reach their maximum clock speed or ideal timing parameters. The memory specifications are based the theoretical throughput: DDR400 is referred to as PC3200 (3.2 GB/s), DDR2-800 as PC2-6400 (6.4 GB/s) and PC3-8500 (8.5 GB/s). These values represent single channel operation.

Each memory technology has a sweet spot, which is defined by the available memory densities. In case of DDR memory it was a total dual channel capacity of 2x 512 MB. DDR2 has its ideal capacity at 2x 1 GB, and DDR3 DIMMs will quickly move to 2x 2 GB next year.

Rudorffer - Here is the real deal when it comes to the "50s":

Model Number sSpec Number Frequency L2-Cache Front Side Bus Mult Voltage TDP Socket Release Date Part Number(s) Release Price (USD)
Core 2 Duo E4300 SL9TB (L2) 1800 MHz 2048 KiB 800 MT/s 9x 1.225 - 1.325 V 65 W LGA 775 January 21, 2007 HH80557PG0332M $163
Core 2 Duo E4400 SLA3F (L2)
SLA98 (M0) 2000 MHz 2048 KiB 800 MT/s 10x 1.162 - 1.312 V (L2)
0.962 - 1.325 V (M0) 65 W LGA 775 April 22, 2007 (L2)
July 22, 2007 (M0) HH80557PG0412M $133
Core 2 Duo E4500 SLA95 (M0) 2200 MHz 2048 KiB 800 MT/s 11x 0.962 - 1.325 V 65 W LGA 775 July 22, 2007 HH80557PG0492M $133
Core 2 Duo E6300 SL9TA (L2) 1866 MHz 2048 KiB 1066 MT/s 7x 1.225 - 1.325 V 65 W LGA 775 January 2007 HH80557PH0362M $183
Core 2 Duo E6400 SL9T9 (L2) 2133 MHz 2048 KiB 1066 MT/s 8x 1.225 - 1.325 V 65 W LGA 775 January 2007 HH80557PH0462M $224

X_MAN,

Sry, I don't understand your message. The CPU I want is the (Sckt775)Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo E6850 CPU @ 3.0 GHz 1333FSB 4MB L2 Cache 64-bit.

The site went down before I finished

Here is what I was going to post:

Core 2 Extreme X6800 2933 MHz 1066 MT/s 11x - retail price: $999
Core 2 Duo E6850 3000 MHz 1333 MT/s 9x - retail price: $266

Core 2 Duo E6700 2667 MHz 1066 MT/s 10x - retail price: $530
Core 2 Duo E6750 2667 MHz 1333 MT/s 8x – retail price: $183


The new Conroes "50s" do have a faster FSB speed but it doesn't make them better than the original Conroes. When it comes to fight simulators you need a processor that crunches number fast. This is determined by clock multiplier (which the 6700 has a 10x multiplier vs. the 7650's 8x). The E6700, E6750 and the E6850) processors have locked multipliers so you can’t OC them by increasing the multiplier. The price difference you see is to make the "50s" more competitive in performance and price with the new AMDs. Make no mistake when it comes to processing power - which is what you need in flight simulations, the X6800 is king followed by the E6700. That price difference is there for a reason - trust me.

Don’t get me wrong, the E6850 is a winner if you were considering a comperable AMD, but if you were thinking you got a cheaper and better X6800/E6700 – you are gravely mistaken.

Why do people think the E6850 out performs the X6800:

CPU Speed = FSB * Clock Multiplier

Thus:

(E6850) 3.000 GHz = X * 9, so X = ~333 MHz
(X6800) 2.933 GHz = X * 11, so X = ~267 MHz

The Duo Cores operate at quad speeds so, the actual processor speeds are:
E6850: 333 MHz * 4 = ~1333 MHz
X6800: 267 MHz * 4 = ~1066 MHz

Now to run CPU/DRAM at 1:1:

E6850 will need RAM running @ 667 MHz (don't know - SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) @ 7-7-7-18)
X6800 will need RAM running @ 533 MHz (PC2-8500 and up)

So it seems you end up shooting yourself in the foot because you are going to have to know a little about overclocking to get your system to run at its optimum performance. Not to mention 2G of DDR3 1600 will run atleast $600.

This is a perfect example of how computer manufactures take advantage of consumers. The "50s" are FSB overclocked "Es" but to keep the processor stable, they lowered the clock multiplier. Intel then lowered the price because a savvy consumer will know then are not getting a "true Conroe".

Thanks X_MAN,

You gave some great info explaining the difference between the E6800 and E6850's. Intel's marketing is very sly and hard to decipher. You also, on an earlier post recommended I get the 680i based motherboard instead of the 650i. So I'm glad to have ordered the evga 680i Mb.

I found out that most PC builders are not listing the E6700's and E6800's as a CPU choice at this time. I guess Intel is really pushing to sell the "50's" processors by giving them lower lot prices for PC builders.

I don't plan on doing much overclocking for now, but I have read where others have done it to the "50's".

Customer Review for Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor -

"PALESTINE
Tech Level: high
Ownership: 1 week to 1 month 8/4/2007


Pros: Its so fast! im running it in vista and i boot well under 40seconds! i have never seen this thing hit 100% load in anything yet! it overclocks like a dream with my zalman and evga680i mobo! im currently running it at 3.6ghz with stock voltage and idling at 36C!! it's a must buy!!

Cons: Its too fast lol

Other Thoughts: My new system!: Core2Duo E6850@3.6ghz, evga 680i motherboard, 4gb corsair xms2 ddr800 ram, evga8600gts(temporary until the 8900gtx comes out), 550w rosewill psu, Thermaltake Tsunami case, 226bw samsung moniter!"

I appreciate all of the suggestions that everyone made.

II/JG11_Rudorffer - I have not looked at Firingsquad (the only site I know of that includes PF and IL-2 FB in their hardware reviews) to see what kinda of a reviews they gave the "50s" vs the "00s". If you have a X6800 2.9GHz, and increase the FSB to 333 MHz (which you can do with stock cooling), you get 3.67 GHz. For similar speed with the E6850, you will need to increase the FSB to a wapping 407 MHz!!!

However, I would take anything I read on Tom's Hardware site with a grain of salt - didn't that website sell for $15 - $20 milion?

4GB is overkill - 4 sticks of RAM lock you in at 2T command rate with no added benefit. 2G with 4-4-4 or 5-5-5 timings is all you need.

Firingsquad and X-bit labs both used Pacific Fighters in their benchmark suite, but seemed to have dropped them in their latest reviews.;)

Thanks for info on the difference between the 6800 and 6850 X man. I was thinking of upgrading my 6400 to the 6850 because it was so cheap, but I think I'll wait awhile, as I really don't need the extra speed for IL-2. I'm just bored waiting for BOB SOW.

Anytime! I just want everyone to have all the information before purchase. I know its boring waiting for SOW too. I try to kill then time by tweaking rather than buying anything that will be obsolete in 3-6 month anyway. I would hold out to until SOW comes out which will be optimized for Quads and available at a lower in price by then.

"SOW comes out which will be optimized for Quads"

Thats interesting....where did you hear that.

Chivas - I am just speculating here. However, since the game is in development currently and the guys at Maddox Games program with the latest and greatest, it is safe to say that is Oleg's team is coding in with the Duo/Quads cores. Thus, BOB: SOW will play best with similar setups.