Member Review/Opinion Core 2 Duo e6400

[ExtremePC]

The Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, specifically the e6400 offers a very price competitive entry into the Core 2 Duo family. At the time of writing you can pick one up for the $280 - $340 mark depending on where you shop and / or if you shop around.

Left in its stock incarnation the CPU rates a little under the AMD FX62 in most benchmarks which is quite an achievement for a CPU priced a third of the cost. However the warm fuzzy feeling really kicks in when you overclock one of these guys, using the stock cooler and standard cheap DDR2 memory modules you can get the CPU up to 2.8Ghz (350 FSB)with total stability, increase the CPU voltage just a little bit and the 3.0Ghz (375 FSB) ceiling becomes no obstacle. With quality DDR2 modules (using Micron9 chips) you can typically expect an overclock of between 3.2Ghz - 3.6Ghz with a little CPU and DDR voltage tweaking. watercooled rigs have been seen on various forums getting these CPU's running at 4.0Ghz - 4.5Ghz! which constitutes a 200% overclock! We have not seen percentage overclocks like this since the days of the 286's 4.77MHz to 12MHz overclocks.

On benchmarks, its also interesting to note that the 2Mb to 4Mb cache increase in Core 2 Duo models above the e6400 make up for as little as 8% difference in only some benchmarks!

Overall the e6400 offers a surprising back for buck value that's hard to beat.

[Astrotoy7]

that's more of a blurb than a review.... can you tell us anything about its thermal properties...my supreme worry with any Intel chip (never gotten over the prescott debacle).

For those of us that like building rigs in smallform cases, without the room for extravagant cooling solutions, this is a *huge* issue.

astro

[ExtremePC]

No worries, I've been runnung my e6400 overclocked since I bought it almost two weeks ago and I don't think its been turned off for more than 3 hours in that time. The Heatsink/Fan is the Zalman CNPS9700 LED with a Zalman fan controller turned to minimum.

The overclock consists of an FSB setting of 375 which gives an FSB speed of 1500 MHz. This also pushes the CPU speed to 3GHz with an 8x multiplier. Now for the really good news, at idle the CPU temp is 37 degrees, playing Serious Sam 2 for 1 and 1/2 hours got the temps up to 43 degrees. The Zalman cooler never became loud enough so that I couldn't hear the HDD's seek.

All voltages were at stock levels and the DDR2 modules I used were bog standard DDR2 533's with no heatspreaders. (I think the brand is Legend)

[TiggerK]

If you don't overclock it, which I would suggest is the best advice for a MCE system, they use less than half the power of the P-D and Prescott chips, and therefore run MUCH cooler, even cooler than any AMD Chip.

Hard to beat the Core 2 Duo IMHO.

Cheers
TiggerK

[DDH]

I don't overclock my E6400 which runs my main MCE. I've never overclocked, don't know how, and didn't really want to learn! With a standard install I can easily record 3 streams, watch one, burn a DVD and browse the web, all without stressing things too hard or getting much over 38 degrees! IMO very good value.

[Astrotoy7]

Originally Posted by TiggerK

.... and therefore run MUCH cooler, even cooler than any AMD Chip.

Hard to beat the Core 2 Duo IMHO.

Cheers
TiggerK

The earlier AMD chip had some temp struggles as well(athlon XP), but the newer athlon 64/x2 and FX chips are a major leap ahead in this respect.

My SLI gaming machine has an x2 4800+. On most of the time and always pushed to its wits end be it video editing or intense Lan gaming for long weary bouts. Never goes over 28-32C with a stock fan, let alone the Zalman monster sized fans like the 9700.

I have never seen an intel chip on an air fan(of any variety) stay in its high 20s after 12 hours straight of Battlefield 2142 ! The only intel chips I have seen that are cool are ones submerged in a meticulously watercooled system.

Core2 has made some great advances over the shocking thermals of the P4s, but theres still room for improvement. Im really looking forward to AMD K8L quaddies...I hope they can stay cool n quiet too

as for MCE purposes...Uber CPU power is not high on the list......... Im currently running one rig with a celeron chip I bought new for $60. lolz

astro

[ExtremePC]

Astro,

Yeah but even the core2duo e6400 with a slight overclock beats the AMD flagship FX62 which is about a thousand dollars more expensive, in benchmarks. Whats more is that the core2duo's remain completely rock solid stable when overclocked.

[Astrotoy7]

Originally Posted by ExtremePC

Astro,

Yeah but even the core2duo e6400 with a slight overclock beats the AMD flagship FX62 which is about a thousand dollars more expensive, in benchmarks. Whats more is that the core2duo's remain completely rock solid stable when overclocked.

yep, I think intel definitely caught AMD(and many of us!) off guard with the great numbers the conroes are capable of(as far as benchies go). The thermals are better than the P4s by a mile, but in instances of intensive high end use, the AMDs seem to keep their cool better. It is a brave gamer indeed who carts around an OCd intel rig without some well thought out thermal countermeasures in there. 35C is as high as Im happy to go with a super clocked up rig, let it get too hot and you are inviting trouble....

this is a very interesting topic but probably not too MCE related ! Most sane system builders find us gamers/overclockers to be akin to petrolheads

astro