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Advice for upgrading CPU Q6600 or E6850

I

iamchardy

n00b
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
7
Okay, here is the thing….

I want to upgrade my system for better performance, and would appreciate any advice you can give. =)

I currently have:
Core 2 Duo 6400@ 3.0 ghz 1.3v 1500mhz FSB
Zalman 9700NT CPU cooler 32 Idle 43 Load
Evga Nvidia 680i SE Mainboard
Corsair Dominator 6400 @ 800mhz 4-4-4-12 (2 gb)
Evga Nvidia 8800GTX
Samsung Spinpoint 500 GB 7200/16mb
Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit
700w Toughpower PSU

I really want to upgrade the CPU to a core which has faster stock speeds, but I also have around a $300 spending limit.

For best performance in the price range, I can either get the E6850 C2D, or the q6600.
After looking at benchmarks on Tom’s Hardware, the quad core did better when using video encoding software etc…. while the 6850 seemed better at gaming. I won’t go into it much, but the 6850 beat the quad in quite a few odfTom's CPU charts...

The Q6600 only has a base speed of 2.4, of course I could OC at least to 3.0, But the 6850 is based at 3.0, which means I could OC maybe at least to 3.5 if not 4.0. I could even take my 6400 higher, but I was happy with 3.0. I like to overclock, but nothing extreme.

I primarily Play Games, use itunes, watch movies, listen to music, browse the internet, and use it for simpler tasks as homework. I really want a more powerful gaming machine. Which is the only reason I need this kind of a setup.

Which processor is the better upgrade? Is quad core really better then a fast dual core? Which one overclocks easier? Dosen’t the quad core idle at twice the power of a dual?

Another question….

Would it be beneficial to buy a secondary hardrive just to play games from? I don’t want to buy a Raptor drive, too much money for the performance in my opinion. So, would having a second 7200/16mb HD make gaming any faster?

Maybe it would be more beneficial for my system to buy another 2gb of ram?

I can either buy a new CPU,
Or RAM + Hardrive. I can’t buy more upgrades for a while.

Vista Index Score: Core: 5.7 Mem: 5.9 Graphics: 5.9 Gaming Graphics: 5.9 HD: 5.7
 
For gaming right now,the 6850 has the edge.Both will overclock well,but the quad cores run much hotter,enough so that the general opinion is that if you're planning on significant overclocking with one then a water cooled set-up is advised.
 
actually when it comes to gaming and pretty much everything else an overclocked quad will always win. Hell if it now comes to a game that is optimized for quads then the lead becomes bigger. A overclocked q6600 @3.5-3.6 will whallop a e6850 overclocked to 3.8 in single threaded and multithreaded apps. Mind you this is with a G0 stepping quad....

Exibit A :- http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q6600.html
 
read the above link. If both processors are running at stock then the e6850 wins, it is only if you overclock the quad to 3.5 and beyond that it starts to hand the e6850 arse to it...
 
Why even get a dual core for gaming right now when within 1 year, 80% of the games you want to play will run better on quads?

You can easily overclock quads past 3Ghz anyways.
 
Looking at your current setup, you don't need to upgrade atm. Just continue to save for a Penryn quad Q1/08.
 
Thanks so much for your replies! Your advice is exactly what I was looking for.

I don't want to change platforms (motherboard) for some time. So I don't know If I can go with the newest quad cores coming out.

I am going to do some reasearch about the new cores, then I will decide if I want to save up. I might just not upgrade at all..
 
Only upgrade if its worthwhile to do so. At 3ghz your processor is doing great.
 
Thanks for the link to x-bit labs Spiffstar. That was the kind of review I was looking for. I finally had time to read it.. I am at work right now. (hehe)

The Quad core is looking better and better, except its heat. Even though I use a Zalman 9700, I doubt I could overclock the quad core to 3.6 without water cooling. Honestly I don't want to spend $300+ on proper water cooling. Sure its quieter and more efficient, but Air cooling is so much cheaper... and it still works quite well.

Think I could hit 3.5ghz on a Zalman 9700NT?
 
Like I said earlier, I like to overclock but not to the extreme. I want to know its fast, but also completely stable.

Besides 3.2ghz from 3.0 isn't that much of a big deal. But 2.13 to 3.0 is a big difference, which is what I already have done.

If I did buy a 6850, I would most likely only take it to 3.5-or 3.6. If I bought the quad, I might only try 3.0-3.2.

Guess I am worried about pushing it that far =(

LOL
 
you have a very very good chance of hitting 3.5-3.6 @1.5v even with your 9700hsf....temp will be a little high....dont be afraid of it. my q6600 hits 3.5 with 1.46.. can probably do 3.6 to 3.8 if i pump up the voltage, but its still summer time and i m running on air.
 
ok im not gonna bother quoting here because this reply is covering to many posts.

to the OP. Don't bother with an upgrade at this point if all you do is gaming. there is really not point. you might see a bit of an improvement, but not worth the $300 you will have to shell out for it.
As for the Penryn. I dont know for sure, but i'm pretty sure it will work in a 680i board. i know it will in a p35. But i would save for that if i were you.

on the other hand, i can attest to the awesomeness of a Q6600!

I have mine clocked to 3.45 with relative ease. I had it up to 3.6 but didnt light the heat generated.
I'm using a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. this cooler will do the trick. You zalman should be fine up to 3.2+
The chip does generate a lot of heat, and it consumes lots of power, but it is so worth it!!!


I have been saying for months that Quad is the way to go. You're a short sighted fool if you think of getting a dual core right now. Especially if you have the budget for a quad (not that much of a stretch from a 6750).
Most games coming out over the next 6 months have support for Quad cores and lots of them will change the way the game functions (IE: Crysis using individual cores for core functions such as AI and Physics). In order to get the full experience on these games, quad cores will be needed.
And as we can see from the xbit-labs review posted above; an overclocked quad will pwn an overclocked dual in pretty much everything, even in single thread apps. The extra 4MB of cache mem play a large role in this.


To put it simply, weather you are building a gaming system, or a multimedia system, Quad core is the way to go. You are simply going to cripple yourself down the road with a Dual core CPU by buying one now.
 
Hello first time posting here, I'm running an e6850 myself and I was torn about getting a quad also, but except for scoring higher 3dmark06 with a quad I would not get the performance I'm getting right now without spending 3x the $$$$ or overclocking to a level that will not be stable in the long run. $300 for an e6850 is money well spent, when games come out that I enjoy utilize multiple cores then I'll make the switch and hopefully the price will be 1/3 of what it is now. Just my opinion.

e6850 @ 3.5 W/CNP9700
evga 8800gtx
evga 680sli
Tagan Silent 700watt psu
X-Fi-XM w/logitec z680
logitec g15 and g9 (ordered today)
Viewsonic 27" LCD
 
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