Core 2 Duo vs. AMD Athlon 64 X2....AND....256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS vs. 320MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS?

Question

I'm currently comparing two Alienware computers, the Area-51 7500 and the Aurora 7500. They are essentially the same computer, but the Area-51 is Intel-based and the Aurora 7500 is AMD-based. I've got two questions regarding overall performance:

1.
The Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz 2MB Cache 1066MHz FSB
vs.
The AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 5600+ Processor w/ HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology.

The Intel costs $300 more, but the AMD is a "higher-end" processor among AMD's line. I'm wondering if the Intel is worth the extra $300, and how good performance would be for both processors.

2.
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8600 GTS
vs.
320MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8800 GTS - "Superclocked"

The 8800 costs $180 more than the 8600, and the graphics card would only be used for light gaming (e.g. the occasional Age of Mythology) and Aero. My main question is how the performance compares between the two graphics cards, not just for Age of Mythology, but also for more intense games.

Answer 1

Those two CPUs are about the same, perhaps a slight performance advantage for the Intel. But considereing the price difference, obviously go with the AMD. As for the video card, the 8800 will give a fairly sizeable boost in gaming performance, but if you are not a really big gamer, you probably don't need it. Honestly if you are only interested in light gaming, you should really be looking at a Dell and not an Alienware in the first place, Alienwares are high-end computers targeted at heavy gamers or enthusiasts, and as such cost more.

Answer 2

if your asking what will give better performance in games, then its the 8800GTS without a shadow of a doubt. if your asking which will give better performance in things like video/photo editing, encoding and such, then the CPU. honeslty i would go with an Intel E2140 Dual Core and an 8800GT 512 or maybe even 9600GT 512, and it will cost the same as a 8800GTS, and about $75 more than a Q6600.

Answer 3

id go w/ the AMD, and the 8800GTS
the AMD cpu is a 2.8ghz,(opposed to 2.1) and AMD jsut makes better cpus imo. the 8600 gts is only a 128bit, opposed to the 320 bit 8800