Minelab SDC2300 or GPX4000 / GPX4500 / GPX5000

Hi all thinking of investing in a new machine like the sdc2300 and the new 4500 but only wanna spend up to 4 grand read some reviews both seem great will be using it in the sa goldfields and will eventually head over to the triangle still fairly green on the detecting scene so any help will be great thanks guys

Plenty of threads on here re both, read up.....

In short, the 4500 is an all round gold detector with interchangeable coils and will go deeper.
The 2300 is aimed at small gold the 4500 might miss, has a fixed 8" coil, is waterproof at the coil and not designed to go as deep.

The rest of the threads here cover far more about both, much of it the personal preference of the writer.

My 2 bobs worth is this, if this is your first detector the 4500 is the better option. The 2300 is what you might get as well as further down the track as a 2nd detector.
I wouldn't buy a 2300 as my only detector. (My personal preference lol)

Cheers mate ive read heaps up on both but its still doing my head in ive got a gofind 60 but that's just for coins have to get into minersden and have a chat with them and more internet research

I covered a great deal on this very issue before purchasing my GPX 4500 over here; maybe my posts and responses to them will help you out as well.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=178598#p178598

I don't like to sound like one of those 'limited time' offer late night TV ads; but I'd get in now while the special is on if you do decide on the GPX 4500, as it ends tomorrow (Aug 31).

thanks will look at your posts and yes I know such a good deal atm

quick update guys gonna go get the 4500 tomorrow before the deal expires

Doing some research for a buddie , i have the sdc 2300 and he has been offered a 4500,

So i am wondering what the main differences are ?

Will the 4500 find sub gram nuglets ?

How much deeper will it go than the sdc ?

How hard are they to tune for a newbie ?

Whats the average price for a good second hand 4500 ?

Is it the right detector to work with an sdc ?

Any other points of interest ?

Is there a cheap detector that would complement the sdc and why ?
Thanks in advance

aussiefarmer said:

Doing some research for a buddie , i have the sdc 2300 and he has been offered a 4500,

So i am wondering what the main differences are ?

Will the 4500 find sub gram nuglets ? YES

How much deeper will it go than the sdc ? CONSIDERABLE

How hard are they to tune for a newbie ? NO PROB start with Factory settings

Whats the average price for a good second hand 4500 ? 2800--3500

Is it the right detector to work with an sdc ? YES YES YES

Any other points of interest ? LOTS OF COILS FOR THE GP detectors

Is there a cheap detector that would complement the sdc and why ? CHEAP -----GP EXTREME for 1000--1200 GP3000 for 12-1400 GPX4000 for 1800
Thanks in advance

Click to expand...

there`s a couple gp3000`s here on this forum for sale

cheers

Thanks for a very imformative answer

Is there anything the sdc can do that the 4500 cant ?

How does the gp3000 rate compared to the other two ?

aussiefarmer said:

Doing some research for a buddie , i have the sdc 2300 and he has been offered a 4500,

So i am wondering what the main differences are ?

Click to expand...

- GPX4500 (MPS) Multi period sensing technology SDC2300 (MPF) Multi period fast
- GPX4500 interchangeable coils SDC2300 No
- GPX4500 multiple audio settings, timings etc. SDC2300 limited settings
- SDC2300 waterproof
- SDC2300 more compact/portable, foldable

aussiefarmer said:

Will the 4500 find sub gram nuglets ?

Click to expand...

Yes with the right coil + settings. The SDC with the MPF timing will do it more easily & consistent IMO (others will howl at this but too bad :lol: ) My opinion is that the SDC finds certain porous & specimen type gold that the GPX can miss or doesn't "see" as readily

aussiefarmer said:

How much deeper will it go than the sdc ?

Click to expand...

A lot of variables here. Overall on most gold the 4500 will get better depth & depending on size/shape/orientation/type of gold, coil, settings etc. it could be a foot or better? Just too many variables to give an accurate depth.

aussiefarmer said:

How hard are they to tune for a newbie ?

Click to expand...

There is a fair learning curve with the GPX series but it's not rocket science. Getting out with someone familiar with them or doing a training day/weekend is worthwhile.

aussiefarmer said:

Whats the average price for a good second hand 4500 ?

Click to expand...

Depend on age & extras. A recent one with a couple of coils, covers & some other goodies I'd say around $3200. Seen older ones as cheap as $2500 now.

aussiefarmer said:

Is it the right detector to work with an sdc ?

Click to expand...

I don't know that it's the "right" one but would be a great choice to compliment the SDC.

aussiefarmer said:

Any other points of interest ?

Click to expand...

Have heard of people wheeling & dealing to get dealers down on price for brand new machines still. Might be worth talking to a few dealers too?

aussiefarmer said:

Is there a cheap detector that would complement the sdc and why ?
Thanks in advance

Click to expand...

My opinion is any of the SD/GP/GPX detectors would compliment the SDC well. In todays market I would be aiming for a GP3500 as a minimum which can be had as low as $1600 - I just sold one for not much more than that.

Hope that helps you a bit. I'm sure others will add more.

Aussiefarmer, Every new minelab PI detector has been made to find gold in flogged patches over its predecessor. The reason for this is that every nugget in the ground has it own unique signature, this signature is effected by its size, shape, purity, thickness etc. etc. This is why PI detectors have timings and the more timings you have the more versatile the detectors is on a wide range of nuggets (signatures).

The SDC has a very fast timing in Normal and a slower timing/ pulse in Salt mode. The 4500 has multiple timing options for a broad range of nugget types and soil conditions. The 4500 will pick up sub gram gold but not at the frequency as the SDC 2300 will. But, the 4500 can be run with bigger coils and timings to suit ground and nugget types.

The 4500 is a much more versatile unit over the GP3000 and the 4500 allows the use of mono coils better in hot ground, which the GP3000 really struggles.

I hope this helps.

For me personally, keeping in mind I only rub shoulders with the guys who find some good stuff, the difference I found between a 3000 which I owned and 4500 swinging does not even compare. Over the same ground using a 45 with the standard mono set up by a pa member vs the gp with the elite 14, standard 11 dd and ml 1512 the 45 still found plenty more on the same ground I had worked.
If a second rate hack like me can champion the 45 then that says something.
A good second hand or even new 45 set up well is a very capable machine that has a lot more to offer than the gp. I don't think you'll die wondering with a gpx. Coupled with the newer coils I doubt there's a whole lot you'd miss and complimentary offerings with the sdc beside it should be a good combo for golden smiles, in so far as the sdc is sort of plug and play giving an excellent response to very small gold, and the gpx with a small collection of coils and settings will pick up the ones at depth. The sdc will get bigger pieces though, I've seen some nice finds (bigger than ounce and many multi grammers ) with the blue machine.
Edit. If you dig around there's some great deals secondhand, if you find someone wanting an Sdc and a seller with the combo pack you could both get a good deal.

these are the exact informative answers I had hoped for

one more question , does it make more sense for my buddie to get a sdc same as mine or more sense as I have been talking to go with a different machine ?

Hi Aussiefarmer
I have a 4500, since about Sept last year, when they were on special for two weeks at $3300. I have found 18 sub grammars from .07 to .94g with the bigger ones down 8". I have the 11" mono elite which I believe compliments the 4500 nicely. I predominantly use one set of settings which a professional gold prospector gave me on a paid training day. Whilst I have tried all settings I keep going back to those settings. Thus I find it pretty much switch on and go.

I know others that have an SDC and they definitely find more gold than me, but a lot are very small. I would like to get an SDC as well because I am convinced that if I'm not finding anything with the 45 I would with the SDC, small as they may be. It is a pretty common feeling that most people would like to go home with something, small as they may be, rather than nothing.

You really can't beat the SDC with its fast transmit, switch off and receive technology that enables it to hear small gold.

It's really a matter of what you would prefer. I like the ability to switch coils and live in hope of finding the big deep nugget.

Good luck.
Cheers Dignit

With the deal out at the moment Aussie Farmer you could perhaps buy both (6K for the two) ................ sell the one you didn't require and you have a very cheap machine ?
Not good for those whom just purchased but great for the current buyer

Hi, ive been reading up on the sdc2300 and all say its great on small gold ,now my question is,Why are they advertising pairs with sdc and 4500 ?does it mean the 4500 finds all bigger gold and sdc only finds small gold as i dont want to buy one and find i really needed the other,as $3000plus is a hell of a lot of money to me,can sdc find big gold at depth ? as being waterproof ticks a llot of box's for me.
looking forward to your replies.
cheers Nick

The sdc is good on small gold but doesn't punch very deep. The 4500 puncjes deeper and gives you versatility in the ability to change settings to suit the area and coil. Different coils for different ground and areas. With the sdc ya pretty much committed to whats attached to it. Both are great detectors but for different reasons. Scrounger and a few others have had a lot of success with their sdc's. A lot of others have had a lot of success with the 4500 also. The 4500's ability to take different size coils means it can detect bigger stuff deeper than the sdc can punch, but you probably won't find it everytime you go out. The sdc finds small gold close to the surface consistently. So it's the differences that make these combo's so popular.

The pair make a good combo for a couple. The husband has the 4500 with all the dials and coils and the missus has the turn on and go sdc.

thanks so sdc is not worth getting as first pi if you can only afford to get one for detecting the 4500 first then maybe sdc later

Wouldn't part with the blue baby no matter which one of it's big brothers I own.