Build thread - replacement for an e8400

[kalston]

Hello,

I have an e8400 running at 3.6ghz which is bottlenecking my current rig (was at 4 before, but the old mobo died and this one won't run it at 4 at all). I could get some Q9xxx CPU, but those are ridiculously pricey considering how old and slow they are compared to new CPUs. So I thought I was better off just upgrading the whole thing. Am I right?

If I am, what would you recommend to build a cheap but still decent Sandy Bridge build that would blow away my e8400@4ghz? Note that I actually play a lot of games that don't use more than one or two cores so I shouldn't benefit from having more than 4 cores.

I only need the Mobo/RAM/CPU >>
-I'll never ever use SLI or crossfire, I need at least 5-6 SATA ports
-4gb of ram is enough for what I do but I don't mind getting 6+ as long as it's not much more expensive.
-USB3 would be a nice plus

My current GPU is a factory overclocked GTX275 (so pretty much a GTX285) which will be replaced eventually, but not right now as I don't need dx10/11 and it's sufficient for all my games.

I might get an SSD too, but there's no rush, seeing how my PC in on 24/7 and the short-stroked dedicated system HDD that I have is good enough for the time being.

Main goal is gaming, but I also do a bit of video/audio encoding/decoding as well, though I guess I won't improve much on that unless I get a SSD, right?

Thanks.

Edit : will my Noctua nh-u12p be sufficient to cool newer CPUs? Silence is extremely important to me. My case is extremely well coolled (Antec 902 with upgraded fans for less noise and more airflow)
And before you ask, my PSU is a Corsair TX-650 so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[tonytnnt]

Do you have a budget?

Rough build:
$230 - 2500k
$140 to 180 - P67 mobo
$40 to $50 - 4 GB RAM
$10 - thermal paste of your choice

Your Noctua should be fine. Most 2500ks are able to reach well over 4 GHz on air without issue. I see a lot of people getting above 4.5 on air, and some even reaching 5. Clock for clock, Sandy Bridge beats your e8400, so expect a big boost even in single or double threaded games.

In general, answering the sticky at the top of this forum labeled "Asking for Build Help?: ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST" is preferred, even if you just want a few parts. Because you say cheap, but that can range from $50 to $500 or more. I can't do an exact budget since I don't know what city/state you live in (we use this to figure out if you have a brick and mortar store nearby that has great deals and if you have to pay taxes at Newegg or Amazon.) But you were pretty thorough in your original post, so bonus points for that.

 

[kalston]

Allright thanks for your reply.

So I don't really have a budget, in theory I could go as high as, let's say, $1000+ (or € rather, since I'm in Europe) but I'd really like to avoid spending that much on computer parts, especially seeing how I'm probably not going to upgrade my GPU that soon anyway.

About 400-500€ sounds somewhat reasonable to me. Guess it would be hard to go any lower than that without sacrificing quite a bit, right?

I think this CPU should be perfect for me (can't wait to overclock that!) and I usually go with G-Skill/Corsair ram (from positive past experience). Unless you have any particular recommendation I'll just with what's available and not too pricey.

The only area where I'm really not too sure is the motherboard.
I could just go for the cheapest P67 mobo but I've had more than one cheap mobo die on me in the past so I'd like something decent this time. Was looking at the GA-P67A-UD3-B3 but googling it made me see worrying things - apparently the ram slots are too close to the CPU making it hard to put a big aftermarket cooler (such as the Noctua) on it.

In my local shop, without the mobo I'm sitting at roughly 250€ (CPU+RAM) which leaves me some room to fit within the "400-500" budget.

 

[Jonowxeno]

Check out MSI P67A-GD65 or ASUS Sabertooth, I'm not sure of their prices in Europe.

 

[kalston]

165 for the MSI, that's allright for me. Looks like a very solid O/C board too, thanks.

Edit : And the Sabertooth is at 200 here.

 

[Timmy121]

Well my Q6600 is bottle necking me and i don't have a lot of cash atm so I'm going to sell my chip and go for a Q9450 for now

 

[kalston]

Well my Q6600 is bottle necking me and i don't have a lot of cash atm so I'm going to sell my chip and go for a Q9450 for now

I first thought I'd do that but when I saw the price of the Qxxx CPUs... ouch. Though replacing the whole mobo/ram/cpu is a bit of hassle I think it's worth it in this case.