Building around a QX6850

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Phyltre

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
Messages
181
I recently got a QX6850 via the Intel promotion. What I'd like to know is whether the processor would be better served by a new mobo/RAM pairing or if I should just hang on to what I have now; that is, whether I would be seeing performance gains at the price point I'm considering. Please help.

What I have:
Asus P5b-E
Zalman 9500a
Corsair 3 x 2GB CGM2X2G800G RAM
8800GT OC
Samsung Spinpoint F1 750GB
Enermax 500W PSU
(Vista Ultimate 64-bit, Antec 900 Case. Old CPU is a dual-core e6600.)

Nothing groundbreaking, but a relatively capable system. Of course in this case I'd only want to upgrade the RAM and motherboard to keep costs down, since the other parts aren't bottlenecks yet. My budget for both together will be around $250, which I think is reasonable. You, however, may think otherwise and this feedback is certainly welcome. I guess a big part of the question is whether moving to faster DDR2/DDR3 is a smart move in this situation given the price/benefit ratio. As far as overclocking goes, I'm certainly willing to travel that route even though I haven't done so with this current build. So assume the build should have at least some overclocking headroom, if it's cost effective. Thanks for your time.
 
If the P5B-E BIOS supports the QX6850, then I would recommend staying with your current setup (likewise if the speed of your Corsair RAM is DDR2 800/PC2-6400). If that's the case, update the BIOS with the E6600 before swapping it out with the QX6850.

If you still feel like upgrading the RAM and motherboard, you could go with something like:

Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 ATX motherboard - $139.99
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 1000 (PC2-8000) dual channel memory kit - $79.99

You may want to consider a better CPU cooler for overclocking, like either the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 or the OCZ Vendetta 2 (though they're essentially the same). Pair the CPU cooler with either the Xigmatek ACK-I7751 retention bracket or the Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-thru kit for easier mounting.
 
Well, I thought I'd go ahead and toss in the new processor; even if I decided to upgrade, at least I would have some benchmarks.

Urgh, no dice. Machine will not POST with new CPU. I've triple-checked all the connections (had to disconnect most of it to get the heatsink reinstalled, since I made sure the CPU was seated properly) but I'm left with a machine that turns on (power indicators, motherboard LED, fans, HDDs make the spin-up sound, keyboard numlock key functions) with no video. Although the DVD drives don't seem to power up; I can't make them open.

Edit: I went ahead and reinstalled the old CPU, and everything's working. So this motherboard isn't properly supporting the new CPU after all. Looks like I'm getting a new mobo, unless someone thinks I should monkey around with the voltages on the old processor to apply them to the new one.
 
Did you update the BIOs before you put in the QX6850?
 
Yes, I certainly updated the BIOS. It was a bit of a hassle, too, because I had to reformat my flash drive to fat32 jut to make it read the BIOS. But yeah, did it and it still doesn't work. I'd blame the processor as being bad, but since the support page lists the two BIOS updates that added the new processor as beta, I have the suspicion that it's not guaranteed to work. Or I need to manually change voltages or what have you.

I have to be honest, I was pretty freaked out for awhile there. Didn't want to think I might have ruined the chip and my motherboard, I hate when hardware changes lead to a non-POST situation.
 
The new motherboard posts fine with an (otherwise) identical setup, so it looks like the p5B-E has problems with the QX6850. Runs like a charm, I'm in love with my computer again.

...But I'm not quite out of the woods. The old motherboard and CPU were given away, and are no longer functioning in their new build. Identical no-post situation. And even worse, a test motherboard and CPU at the build location ALSO went no-post when I used them as a control to determine if some cabling might be at fault. Extremely frustrating, the place is like a black hole for computer parts. I know, the first logical assumption is the problem is with me rather than the parts...but I've quadruple-checked everything. Is anyone familiar with PCI express video cards keeping a motherboard from POSTing if unconfigured? (The vid card and the power supply were the only constants in testing). And if so, how to circumvent when there aren't any onboard video connectors on the motherboard?
 
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