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Need advice: New Processor

K

kilgore777

Gawd
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
896
I am kicking around the idea of upgrading my processor. My sig is below (for anyone who has "sig" turned off).

I don't do anything terribly strenuous with my PC. Just some gaming and photoshopping. My price range is $200-$250.

Thanks ahead of time!



Core 2 Duo E6600 | ASUS-P5K
4 GB-DDR2 800-Crucial BallistixTracerRed|XFX HD-5850-XXX Edition|CREATIVE X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
2 X WD 250GB SATA II | ANTEC P180B | OCZ ProXStream 1000W
Klipsch ProMedia THX 2.1 | HP w2207 22" monitor
 
kilgore777 said:
I am kicking around the idea of upgrading my processor. My sig is below (for anyone who has "sig" turned off).

I don't do anything terribly strenuous with my PC. Just some gaming and photoshopping. My price range is $200-$250.

Thanks ahead of time!



Core 2 Duo E6600 | ASUS-P5K
4 GB-DDR2 800-Crucial BallistixTracerRed|XFX HD-5850-XXX Edition|CREATIVE X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
2 X WD 250GB SATA II | ANTEC P180B | OCZ ProXStream 1000W
Klipsch ProMedia THX 2.1 | HP w2207 22" monitor
Click to expand...

In your price range you're better off saving up money for a new i5/i7 processor/motherboard/RAM upgrade. Why? Because Socket 775 is on its last legs (with only a Pentium Dual-Core and a Celeron processor planned for this socket during Q2 2010, and that's it), and the socket will be phased out of production later this year. Under the circumstances, I would not spend more than about $100 for a new CPU on this aged platform. That price limit would certainly eliminate all of Intel's quad-core CPUs, which are all priced much higher than the performance improvement warrants.
 
Spend $40-$80 bucks on a high performance heatsink and come see us in the Overclocking forum and you will think you bought a new computer not just a new cpu. I have to agree, unless you can find a quad on sale there is little point in spending more on that platform and even then the performance increase at stock speeds will be marginal, more about smoothness and task switching.

Gaming is about as demanding a thing as a home personal computer can do.

hmm old E6600 at 2.4 or new one at 3.06 ? no matter, either one has lots of unused potential that can be unleashed.
 
OC what you have or look around for a used Q6600...even with stock cooling you can easily get over 3 Ghz....a 1Ghz over stock clock is not unusual with decent cooling on either cpu...its not as hard as you might think :)
 
Thanks for your responses.

I am a bit of a fairy when it comes to OCing. I know that my fears are probably unfounded, but a stable system is the most important thing to me.

Someone mentioned a $100 upgrade - what processor do you suggest? Or am I just better off keeping what I have?
 
I would say looking at your system either save the money for a full architecture upgrade (i5/i7 etc) and if you would like a little more speed, overclock. A mild overclock is very simple and perfectly safe, and this sounds like the perfect opportunity to get into the "sport" :D
 
kilgore777 said:
Thanks for your responses.

I am a bit of a fairy when it comes to OCing. I know that my fears are probably unfounded, but a stable system is the most important thing to me.
Click to expand...
Then save your pennies for an upgrade to a new system (I5-I7)...its not worth an upgrade to a faster proc to be used at stock speeds.. you have a really nice system from your specs and oc would be easy...you really should maximize it :)
just my .02¢
:)
 
I just went from an e6750 to a q9550 that I picked up from Microcenter for $180. I didn't really have a problem with the speed of my computer before, but I can turn up the eye-candy on all my games now.
My benchmarks are considerably better now, as if that matters.
 
+1 for the $180 Q9550. Asus says it's supported starting with bios 1103. You could squeeze a few more years out of that system. I supposed it depends on how well it is doing the things you do with it... Obviously something has got you wanting to upgrade - maybe it's just the [H]'ness of this place ;)

If you have to spend more than a couple hundred to get that 9550 (no Microcenter deal nearby?) then as others suggested it probably would be a good idea to save a few hundred more and go for cpu/motherboard/memory.

Just my .02 :)
 
kilgore777 said:
I am kicking around the idea of upgrading my processor. My sig is below (for anyone who has "sig" turned off).

I don't do anything terribly strenuous with my PC. Just some gaming and photoshopping. My price range is $200-$250.

Thanks ahead of time!



Core 2 Duo E6600 | ASUS-P5K
4 GB-DDR2 800-Crucial BallistixTracerRed|XFX HD-5850-XXX Edition|CREATIVE X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
2 X WD 250GB SATA II | ANTEC P180B | OCZ ProXStream 1000W
Klipsch ProMedia THX 2.1 | HP w2207 22" monitor
Click to expand...

if you dont mind going AMD...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.362802

and OC that sucker to 4ghz ;)
 
Thanks again for all the great responses.

I am not ready to take the plunge with at new MOBO, so I am going to look into the
Q9550..... and maybe into a moderate OC.

Cheers!
 
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