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Processor upgrade question

C

coffee87

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
183
I currently have an e5200 and would like something with a little more "oomph". I am looking at the e8400. I bought an HP desktop a few years ago and have since changed everything out with the exception of the DVD drive and the motherboard.

So my options are:

1 - Get a new motherboard and overclock the e5200. (Recommended MBs would be nice.)
2 - Keep the motherboard I have and put an e8400 in it. (Leaning towards this one...)
3 - Get a new motherboard and e8400 and not tell my wife. (This could lead to trouble.)

I use this machine for general use and a lot of gaming. I have a GTX285 in it currently and I feel like the processor is bottle-necking, but how much, I don't know.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Damn, I don't see a good choice on this list.

I'm pretty sure you're going to have a problem plugging in an aftermarket motherboard into that HP case. The big OEM cases use a block with a custom pin layout for the power switch, and they also have non-removable I/O plates. Add a new case to any motherboard change, and forget hiding that from your wife.

If you can overclock with the HP board, I'd recommend getting a good Socket 775 cooler and seeing what you can get out of the e5200. But beyond that, I can't recommend spending more money on Socket 775 hardware when you can jump to an i5-750/Socket 1156 system for about the same amount of money.
 
Yeah none of those options are good:

If you have to get a new mobo anyway, you might as well do an entire platform switch since you can get an equally performing or faster AMD setup for the cost of a E8400 by itself:
$162 - AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition CPU + Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Lets you reuse your DDR2 RAM as well as letting you overclock. Way better considering that the stock HP mobo will probably not let you OC the E8400 at all.
 
Thanks for the responses. I was afraid I was going to have to change out the case. That package for $162 you posted is well within my price range.

And the HP motherboard will not allow me to overclock. That's one of the main reasons I'm looking for something new. Guess it's time to move on from 775...
 
Well, I convinced the wife to let me spend some of her money (as she calls it). :) I got a new case, motherboard, and processor for $200. Newegg had a different package deal then what Danny Bui posted. Same motherboard but I decided to go with the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition. They had a Gigabyte case on sale so I went the cheap route on that.

Everything should be delivered by Friday, so my 4th of July weekend will be FUN!
 
Next purchase is a heatsink. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Not looking to spend more than $50 if possible.
 
dont know if they will fit in the gigabyte case, but:

SunBeam CoreContact Freezer

or

Cooler Master Hyper 212+

one of them will typically be ~$25 after rebate
 
coffee87 said:
Well, I convinced the wife to let me spend some of her money (as she calls it). :) I got a new case, motherboard, and processor for $200. Newegg had a different package deal then what Danny Bui posted. Same motherboard but I decided to go with the Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition. They had a Gigabyte case on sale so I went the cheap route on that.

Everything should be delivered by Friday, so my 4th of July weekend will be FUN!
Click to expand...

I originally posted that you had the wrong CPU for the motherboard. I double-checked Danny's post, and he suggested an AM3-compatible motherboard which allows you to reuse your system's existing DDR2 memory. Therefore, that Gigabyte 785G motherboard Danny mentioned supports all current AM3, AM2+ and AM2 CPUs. (Your PII X4 940 is an AM2+ CPU; therefore, it is a good short-term solution for that mobo until you can afford an X6.) Ignore what I said originally, and good luck with the new build!
 
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W.Feather said:
dont know if they will fit in the gigabyte case, but:

SunBeam CoreContact Freezer

or

Cooler Master Hyper 212+

one of them will typically be ~$25 after rebate
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. Size of the case is my only concern at the moment. Mostly worried about fitting the GTX285 in there. The good thing is my HP case is really small and it fits in there, so hopefully I won't have any delays.

E4g1e said:
I originally posted that you had the wrong CPU for the motherboard. I double-checked Danny's post, and he suggested an AM3-compatible motherboard which allows you to reuse your system's existing DDR2 memory. Therefore, that Gigabyte 785G motherboard Danny mentioned supports all current AM3, AM2+ and AM2 CPUs. (Your PII X4 940 is an AM2+ CPU; therefore, it is a good short-term solution for that mobo until you can afford an X6.) Ignore what I said originally, and good luck with the new build!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I spent all day yesterday researching everything - don't tell my boss. I haven't had an AMD configuration for a long time, so it's all new to me. Seems as though this motherboard is very "upgrade-friendly".
 
yeah i have that same board with a 1055t in it. very good cheap board - have the 1055t at 3.4 with minimal volts and an h50 cooler. I would recommend this board.
 
does your mb take quadcores? you could get a used q6600 on the forum and do an easy mod to make it run at 3.0ghz
 
bluejrag0n38 said:
does your mb take quadcores? you could get a used q6600 on the forum and do an easy mod to make it run at 3.0ghz
Click to expand...

The problem with that HP motherboard is that he still cannot run the Q6600 at even 2.41GHz even with the mods. It has to be completely within stock speed range (in this case, 1.6GHz to 2.4GHz) or it won't run at all. The culprit is the proprietary HP-specific BIOS that cannot be changed or tampered with at all without bricking the mobo.
 
E4g1e said:
The problem with that HP motherboard is that he still cannot run the Q6600 at even 2.41GHz even with the mods. It has to be completely within stock speed range (in this case, 1.6GHz to 2.4GHz) or it won't run at all. The culprit is the proprietary HP-specific BIOS that cannot be changed or tampered with at all without bricking the mobo.
Click to expand...

i'm under the impression that the pin mod needs no bios tampering. correct me if im wrong.

http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/341123-intel-bsel-vid-mod-guide.html
 
The HP BIOS is horrible. I was able to use software to overclock the e5200 but there are no options for anything in the BIOS. I like the idea of switching to an AMD platform - something different and fun to try out. I will probably get a motherboard replacement for my current computer in the near future and see what I can do with the e5200.
 
Got everything hooked up and running. The cheap Gigabyte case I got is actually really good. Had to do a few modifications to the hard drive cage in order to fit my GTX285 in there, but everything is secure. I have the PII X4 940 currently overclocked to 3.5Ghz on the stock cooler and it's very stable and surprisingly cool. I will be upgrading the heatsink (it's actually really loud) and add some additional fans due to the tight space inside the case, then do a little more overclocking. :)
 
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