Help with new PC

[Kserijaro]

Ok,here it is....my first and old PC entered its fifth year of work!anyway so far only 2 things were malfunctiononing,and well good prepared people of Tech Spot helped me on one problem,other one was a virus(now R.I.P).So,after all these years of heavy duty my PC needs to be changed( ).Here it is :i have 1000euros in my account to bye new PC(without monitor),and i need your opinion to help me work out a bast configuration for me.
The top offer the firm i am buying in is next:
HDD 500 GB WD SATA2 5000AAKS 16M;CPU Intel Q6600 Core2Quad 2.4GHz,1066,8M;Ram DDR2 2GB/800 Kinston
Pioneer DVD-R/RW 112D black;MB Soc.775 Asus P5K Intel P35; Chieftech case..
PCIE GF8600GT Gygabite 256M/128.
Now..here the deal...this config sounds great doesnt it?BUT!What is difference between Core2Duo and Core2Quad?Cuz i would buy Core2Duo 3Ghz instead of
offered Core2Quad 2.4Ghz...Is this a good move?Which CPU is faster?Then I will lower HDD form 500GB to 320GB(I dont need more)to take some money off price so i can add to a better graphic card..Next:what graphic card is better by its overall performance:the offered PCIE GF8600GT Gygabite 256M/128 or
PCIE EN8600GT Asus 512M silent magic?One has more memory but is lower memory card better?I want a most powerfull gaming PC ,cuz i work on 3d rendering programs too.Ther PC that is bored from playing most needeing games on highest details is best option for me.SO i need thisiference Core2Quad-Core2Duo;And what GF card should i pick?Thank you in return.

 

[Cinders]

You should be able to overclock the quad core to 3.0GHz easy, and will be faster than the stock 3.0GHz Core 2 Duo. You may need a diferent heat sink to do that, but I'm not sure. Most games don't need quad cores, but they still derive some benefit from having a quad core processor. I'd stay away from the 8600GT and purchase a 8800GT instead. The 8600 will not allow you to play all games on their highest setting and will give you crappy performance in DX10 games. The 8800GT is 3/4 the power of a 8800GTX and costs less than the 8800GTS. Pick a video card with DDR3.

 

[Fragrant Coit]

The Core2 Duo will be a bit faster, but the Quad makes up for it by having 4 cores as opposed to 2.


If you want to overclock, I recently bought a Q6600, and have it at 3.36GHz Prime Stable with standard Heatsink, and leaving Voltage at Auto.
{thats on the cheapest P35, a GA-P35-S3l}. I only did that to beat my mates SuperPi - it was plenty fast out of the box!

 

[Kserijaro]

ok so what is better choice to make processor powerful in the future Duo or Quad..WHICH is FASTER???3Ghz duo or 2.4GhzQuad?And please check if PCIE GF8600GT Gygabite 256M/128 has DDR3,i think i saw it has that kind of memory.There are those hybrid grafix card that have 320MB RAM so they are a bit stronger then 256 and a bit weaker then 512Mb cards.What do you think about this combination?

 

[Cinders]

The Gigabyte GF8600GT has DDR3 and in the long run the quad core processor will be the best for games. If the video card has 512MB of DDR3 video memory then you should get that card, but 512MB of slower DDR2 memory really isn't going to help the video card do it's job. You really want a video card with a 256 bit memory pathway or higher. All the 8600 model video cards have a 128 bit memory pathway. Gaming cards with a 128 bit memory pathway don't usually play games for very long, and that's fine if you intend to purchase another video card in the following six months to a year to keep up with the video performance that new games demand.

 

[Kserijaro]

Ok.I have chosen to keep quad core processor with his 2.4 GHz..lol..But u still haven't helped me on a GF card.Are the Nvidia Gygabite cards with 320MB ddr3 better then the 256Mb posted one?I guess yes,plz post your opinion.And will that 320 Mb card be useful in 3-4 years too?Remember i am limited....with cash i got

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

There are no 'hybrid' graphics cards as such. And since there's only one 320MB card available (the 8800GTS), I'll assume you're talking about that. If you're going to spend that much, grab a 512MB 8800GT instead. It's for $250 and provides near-8800GTX performance. Plus it has more memory than the 8800GTS 320MB. However, what PSU (Power Supply Unit) do you have? You might need a new one if you're thinking of buying a card more powerful than your current one. Post its specs by opening your case and looking at the sticker, which should look something like this.

 

[Didou]

If you really want a gaming system it would be much better to get a Core 2 Duo (which is cheaper than the Core 2 Quad) & a faster VGA card such as the 512mb GeForce 8800GT.

 

[Kserijaro]

There are no 'hybrid' graphics cards as such. And since there's only one 320MB card available (the 8800GTS), I'll assume you're talking about that. If you're going to spend that much, grab a 512MB 8800GT instead. It's for $250 and provides near-8800GTX performance. Plus it has more memory than the 8800GTS 320MB. However, what PSU (Power Supply Unit) do you have? You might need a new one if you're thinking of buying a card more powerful than your current one. Post its specs by opening your case and looking at the sticker, which should look something like this.

Dude read the main post ,damn it!i am buying full Pc case! i am not upgrading my old PC,i am buying new one.And Core2Quad is better CPU.And i dont have cash for 5120Mb card i think.So 320MB is best option for me.

 

[Didou]

Well you are the one claiming you want a gaming PC. Getting a more powerful VGA card & a less powerful CPU will make gaming a much better experience than the other way around. In the end though, it's your call but do not complain about low FPS once you've gone down that less recommended path.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Dude read the main post ,damn it!i am buying full Pc case! i am not upgrading my old PC,i am buying new one.And Core2Quad is better CPU.And i dont have cash for 5120Mb card i think.So 320MB is best option for me.

I did read your post. And I never claimed anything as far as the CPU goes, so what was the point of that comment? Also, the 512MB 8800GT costs about the same as the 8800GTS 320MB + or - $20 (at least in the US it does) and delivers much better performance while at it. Do your research before posting anything.

 

[Kserijaro]

Anyway sorry for the flame,i was under stress,yes u helped a lot.I will check the price of 8800 GT and if it is ok,i will buy it. Thanks a lot!

*edit: please learn to use the quote function with more parsimony*