Q6600 to i7-860 - Worth the $600, or better spent elsewhere?

Wow, looks like this post has been pretty active over the weekend.
I'm going to save my $$, and just upgrade to an SSD for the OS Drive only.
I figure the 30GB SSD (using Win7 and TRIM) should be sufficient for now. Currently using 12GB for Win7 x64 Ultimate (no pagefile).
The Q6600 I have now runs just fine @ 2.46Ghz, and OC's when necessary to just under 3.3Ghz, @ Stock Volts. When it's @ 2.46 it runs @ 1.15v, so it's undervolted, and works great... I bet if I tried to push it, it would do 3.5, but it's stable, so I don't wanna mess with her!

The SSD is about $130... seems the OCZ Vertex is a good buy, so I'll buy that (gotta read the forums there I guess to set it up properly with correct firmware, etc etc)

My Vid Card is a GTX260-216, and I've thought about an ATI upgrade, but for now, the 260 works just fine. Maybe I'll put the $450+ aside for next year, and get an i9 + new graphics card.

Thanks again to everyone for their opinions / suggestions.
 
You'll definitely love the SSD's, they are freaky fast.

Also, just to note(remember, I don't game).... A movie that took 4 hours and 20 minutes to encode on my [email protected] just took 1 hour and 53 minutes with the i7@stock speeds. All variables were the same, including the input/output disk.
 
aamsel said:
But, again, it seems like most people are NOT getting 4.0 with an 860.
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3.96 here i can get 4.0 but i have drop my ram to 1600
all this at 1.26 vcore maybe i just got lucky
 
I just finished an upgrade from an e6600, 8800GTX, 2gb RAM combo to an i5 750, 5870 HD, 4gb DDR3 1600 RAM combo. Have my i5 750 at 3.5ghz and absolutely loving it so far. I got $300 for my CPU, MB and GPU, and figured that I had had my last set-up for 2.5 years and that i may as well upgrade now and give myself a decent horizon on my current set-up.
 
aamsel said:
Maybe you are lucky with your 860. My understanding is that the integrated memory controller does not allow most 860's to get to 4.0 or beyond, at least with reasonable voltages?
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Naw, they hit that all day long. In fact, I'd I had better water I'd be higher right now.

But hey, you might be right. I read a lot of reviews before I pulled the trigger though because I thought the i5 would be a better OCer.

:cool: Cheers
 
friend'scatdied said:
For example, with a Q9550 and an i7 920 both at 4GHz, the operating system will feel just as fast between the two. Hell, even with one of them at stock they'll both probably run Windows 7's shell functions and program/API loading about the same. Load up a synthetic benchmark or encode some media and that's the only area where the i7 will really pull ahead, clock-for-clock.

The i7 will only provide a little boost in GTA 4, but performance gaming-wise won't improve enough to be worth it. At all. There are a number of wiser investments, including but not limited to a new GPU and SSD, that will realize FAR more substantial gains.

Conversely given how small the gains are to be had in gaming (which is what the OP sets out to do), the same investment later on with the introduction of Intel and AMD's next platforms will realize a far more substantial boost that will actually be worth the $$$ coming from a C2Q.
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I disagree about the OS, but so it goes...:D

As far as gaming.....SSD won't help really at all with in regards to FPS. Boot up, install, changes levels faster, sure, but it won't really help him gaming.

I totally agree with you on the better GPU. Shit, I think the OP just needs to suck it up and get an entire new PC.....we'll pick out the parts :) hehe
 
playah said:
I'm thinking about the same move myself, sell current hardware now while I can get a decent price for it and go i7 860 with a cheap Biostar TP55 .

Anand had a good review of cpu here, shouldn't be any prob to hit 4ghz's with aftermarket air,

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3641
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Dude, what ever you do, DON'T get a cheap BIOSUCK mobo. I got one and it blew. It wouldn't OC worth a shit.

I find that 99% of the time a peson can't hit a mark with a chip that others are hitting, it's due to RAM or RAM speed......Well, Let me say it could be a hundred things but that is a big one.
 
realitycheck said:
Dude, what ever you do, DON'T get a cheap BIOSUCK mobo. I got one and it blew. It wouldn't OC worth a shit.

I find that 99% of the time a peson can't hit a mark with a chip that others are hitting, it's due to RAM or RAM speed......Well, Let me say it could be a hundred things but that is a big one.
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So what would be a good board to get then, already have i7 860 on the way and some DDR3
 
GIGABYTE P55-UD3R would probably fit the bill, don't need crossfire or SLI
 
OC your q6600 to 3.6 (or as close as your can get) and pick up a SSD and/or a 5870. I think you will see a much bigger improvement over a CPU/mobo/ram step-up
 
viper650 said:
i tell you, i am sick of this BS intel socket change every couple of months. this is getting to the point where i am about to say to hell with intel. and yes, the q6600 to i7 clock for clock i believe is worth it. my 920 destroys my brothers(or mine, which i am letting him use) q6600 at 3ghz.
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That makes no sense. Intel used LGA 775 for at least 4 or 5 years, starting with the Pentium 4, but you couldn't stick a Core 2 Duo in a Pentium 4 board (or vice versa). New architectures are going to require new chipsets anyways, so it's not like it inconveniences you if they change the socket too.
 
realitycheck said:
Dude, I-7 860, Ripjaws 1600, EVGA.

Whoever talks smack about 1156 r the people that are mad they spent a ton of extra money going X58 and got almost no performance gains (benches xonfirm this and my 860 rig @4.1GHz is snappier than my bosses [email protected].), and how many of us r going to run out and buy the newest $1000 intel CPU next year?
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"Dude" whoever talks smack about the 1366 because they got the 1156 obviously is jealous cause they don't have the best.

See, doesn't that just sound stupid? They are for different segments. The 1366 is the 'enthusiast' level, it will upgrade to the 6 core, the motherboards support multiple 16x PCI-E, triple channel, etc, etc.

The 1156 can't do multiple 16x (if you're not running SLI/CF who cares - and the performance difference is like 4% if you do) that is my understanding at least - that it is a chip limitation and only can truly run at 8x and 8x - if I am wrong please correct me, only dual channel, no 6 core.

I am not dogging on the 1156, sure I spent a little more on my 1366, but not much. I wanted to run 12 gb and upgrade to 6-core down the line without switching out the board.

Let's be realistic though, I am sure your computer does feel a bit 'snappier' - it runs 1.2 ghz faster bottom line. I can turn around and say with confidence that my 920 running at 4.3 would be faster than yours - what's to say he does end up getting a 1156 and a shit O/C, then what? Sell the chip and buy another to try again? If he had that 1366 he could have sat on it and waited for 6 cores to come down. We still haven't seen how much the new 6 core Xeons will be, hopefully less than the EE.
 
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viper650 said:
i am not upset about the move from 775 to 1366... it just seems rather foolish to release a i3/i5 series that runs on a different socket, then the i7 that runs on a different socket, then release a NEW socket just a little later... pick one and stick with it for a bit. i still like 775, and it will eventually become a huge bargain for folks on the used market.
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which is why the i3/i5 platform has never made any sense. I know I sound like a broken record but people also seem to forget that core 2 quads can beat the i7 in some (some NOT most) let alone the i5/i3.

Then you factor in the 6 cores will be out soon that use 1366 and sandy bridge will be out next year that will probably use an entirely different socket...

The i5/i3 should have been demonized from the start within the tech community, so Intel doesn't do stupid shit like this again
 
The thing is people make it sound like going from a C2Q to an i7 is like going from mechanical to solid-state when they use phrases like "everything feels snappier" and "huge advantage in just using the OS" when this is simply not the case.
 
My 2 pence...

I had a similar thought in late 09 when a friend was buying an i7 upgrade. Basically should i follow suit and sell my current rig go for similar. After seeing his i7 920 with a 5770 running i decided to wait as my Q6600 is at a stable 3.4ghz and ive just got a free 8800gtx so i can now SLi up. Seen as just 1 x 8800gtx served me well for Batman AA, 2 should be just fine for me till i9 or whatever arrive in a year or 2. The only thing i might consider getting over the next year is a SSD for my Win 7 x64 install.
 
I just got a deal on a i7 860 and if I sell my UD3P for around 90.00 and get a MB for around 150.00 I can use the DDR3 I got laying around, doesn't seem like to much to upgrade
 
butterfliesrpretty said:
Which is why the i3/i5 platform has never made any sense. I know I sound like a broken record but people also seem to forget that Core 2 Quads can beat the i7 in some (some NOT most) let alone the i5/i3.
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Heh, as an upgrade from a high-end C2Q, of course it doesn't make sense. I have rarely seen knowledgeable users go this route. But as a one-time purchase, I see no problem with a $150 i5-750 and a $100 motherboard. Especially for those who could care less about a 6-core "drop-in upgrade". When in recent history has $350 gotten you so much performance? People also seem to forget that a Q9550 still goes for $250+.
 
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ivandurago said:
OC your q6600 to 3.6 (or as close as your can get) and pick up a SSD and/or a 5870. I think you will see a much bigger improvement over a CPU/mobo/ram step-up
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Agreed. I am running Q6600 at 3.0, 8GB RAM, GTX 260, Raptors. I think I am going to upgrade to SSD when I see a decent deals. SSD seems to be the best bang for buck upgrade for me right now with my current system. For what I do, little/some gaming, mostly workstation stuffs, I am not sure upgrading to I7 is worth it.

I am planning to save the money for complete upgrade later in 2010.
 
Buztafen said:
My 2 pence...

I had a similar thought in late 09 when a friend was buying an i7 upgrade. Basically should i follow suit and sell my current rig go for similar. After seeing his i7 920 with a 5770 running i decided to wait as my Q6600 is at a stable 3.4ghz and ive just got a free 8800gtx so i can now SLi up. Seen as just 1 x 8800gtx served me well for Batman AA, 2 should be just fine for me till i9 or whatever arrive in a year or 2. The only thing i might consider getting over the next year is a SSD for my Win 7 x64 install.
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Not exactly the same situation, but I have been hanging onto my E8600 @ 4.01GHz. I added an INTEL 160GB X25-M Gen 2, and it feels lightening fast right now, that is the best way to describe the upgrade. I still think regularly about i7 920 and 860, but after trying a 920 for a day, the heat it generated would have required much better cooling than I have been using just for dissipation of it. Again, I would still like a quad for some needs, but would like something with the least heat and power draw possible. Right now, that would be an 860 or Xeon, otherwise I need to hang on for 32nm and hope that they run significantly cooler than the current chips.

BTW, I put a 160GB Gen 2 X25-M in my SONY Z notebook as well, and again, it is like a totally different notebook, with an almost instant response time to many tasks. Just a phenominal upgrade.
 
TheQuestian said:
Heh, as an upgrade from a high-end C2Q, of course it doesn't make sense. I have rarely seen knowledgeable users go this route. But as a one-time purchase, I see no problem with a $150 i5-750 and a $100 motherboard. Especially for those who could care less about a 6-core "drop-in upgrade". When in recent history has $350 gotten you so much performance? People also seem to forget that a Q9550 still goes for $250+.
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that is a good point but even if you're starting fresh you can get a socet 775 mobo that will overclock well for under $50, but I do forget that not everyone lives close to a microcenter.
 
butterfliesrpretty said:
That is a good point. But even if you're starting fresh, you can get a socket 775 mobo that will overclock well for under $50. But I do forget that not everyone lives close to a Micro Center.
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Yeah, you're right. And if we're thinking of those who don't live near a Micro Center, we're talking closer to $200 + $100 for a Core i5 combo. Still not bad, in my opinion. :)
 
Simple answer is not worth it.

You don't do anything heavy with your computer so you'll notice no difference between Q6600 and i7-860.

the only upgrade you will notice an instant difference with is going to SSD. and for 600 bucks you could get a mighty find raid 0 going. 25 second boots and 2 second shutdowns as pointless as they are they sure fill good to see.
 
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