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Upgrading my E6600 (Gaming Rig)

T

The Cisco Kid

Gawd
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
626
I've been itching to upgrade my CPU for some time now. I've had it OC'd (air) since installing it into my gaming rig and it's starting to show a few signs of a slow down. I have the funds and would like to swap it for an E8500 Wolfdale. I've seen many people recommend going quad-core, but for a gaming only rig is it really necessary at this point? Although I do have the funds I'm not willing to spend over $200.00. I would most likely hold onto the E8500 for about a year or so. I'd also prefer not to have to OC again. I'm not totally opposed though.


Any thoughts? Thanks! :D
 
.. Another 2Core vs 4Core thread? Makes me want to Q.Q

Search, you'll find too many threads with the exact same question.
 
Actually, I'm not looking for any comparisons. I would just appreciate a few opinions on if the E8500 is worth the pick up as compared to my already dual-core E6600.

And the only reason I mentioned the quad-core is because there are a few titles that are coming out shortly that I'm very interested in playing. Dawn of War II and Empire: Total War being just two of them. I'm assuming these games won't be taking advantage of quad-core.
 
Well in that case, that would be your decision.
Is the price of the e85 at ~$180 worth it to you if and after you sell the e66? The performance gain will probably go unnoticed when you're playing.
 
lowteckh said:
Well in that case, that would be your decision.
Is the price of the e85 at ~$180 worth it to you if and after you sell the e66? The performance gain will probably go unnoticed when you're playing.
Click to expand...

Well I know I'll be able to get $60.00 for the E6600. What if we throw an OC of the E8500 into the mix and a 260GTX MC? I'm assuming I'll see some gains?
 
Proxy said:
Fail.
Click to expand...

He was saying that he didn't want comparsions on C2D vs. C2Q, but that he does want comparisons of E6600 vs. E8500.

OP: I upgraded from a E2160 OCed to 3.1 to the E8500 and I noticed a big increase in games. This was mainly because of the large cache increase, I have overclocked for other reasons, but it certainly is not needed with the E8500 in gaming. I would say for you it is a good upgrade because you prefer not to overclock and with both processors at stock settings there is a pretty big difference. The extra cache and new process also provide added improvements. Also E8500 will use less power.
 
I don't think you'll notice too much difference between the E6600 and the E8500. I don't think the difference in performance is justified by the difference in price, especially with the i7 about to be released. Furthermore, I think that a decently OC'ed E6600 can handle pretty much anything you throw at it. The the main differences would be added cache, less power consumption (65nm -> 45nm) and perhaps better OC'ing ability. Keep in mind that every chips overclocks differently, and you are not guaranteed 4GHz on the E8500 just like you are not guaranteed 3.6GHz on your E6600.
 
I'd like to squeeze a bit more out of the E6600. I'm assuming the I7s will not work with my mobo? It's looking more like I'll hold off on the CPU, but will take the plunge with the GPU.
 
if i were you i'd get a really good cooler, like the thermalright 120 ..try to get that cpu of yours to like 3.6ghz and get a better videocard ..the best for $200
 
there is no real point in upgrading the CPU and GPU at the same time. Snag a 4870 or 280gtx and if you are still unhappy then there is no pleasing you.
 
The Cisco Kid said:
Actually, I'm not looking for any comparisons. I would just appreciate a few opinions on if the E8500 is worth the pick up as compared to my already dual-core E6600.

And the only reason I mentioned the quad-core is because there are a few titles that are coming out shortly that I'm very interested in playing. Dawn of War II and Empire: Total War being just two of them. I'm assuming these games won't be taking advantage of quad-core.
Click to expand...



as said, search these threads come up daily which is better, for what price, for who, why what where when how.
 
The Cisco Kid said:
I'd like to squeeze a bit more out of the E6600. I'm assuming the I7s will not work with my mobo? It's looking more like I'll hold off on the CPU, but will take the plunge with the GPU.
Click to expand...

I like that idea if you could coax a few hundred Mhz more out of that 6600 that's certainly a possibility methinks. I didn't see what gaming res you're at but will assume given your monitor you're at 1680x1050; the GTX260 and the 6600 OC'd is a better combo than getting the e8500 and sticking with your 8800
 
The Cisco Kid said:
I'd like to squeeze a bit more out of the E6600. I'm assuming the I7s will not work with my mobo? It's looking more like I'll hold off on the CPU, but will take the plunge with the GPU.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you can get a few hundred more mhz, but keep in mind that there are no guarantees when it comes to OCing, and some chips overclock much better than others. On my E6750, I couldn't seem to go past 3.4GHz (with voltage at 1.53). In the end, just make sure that your system is stable (using Intel Burn Test, Prime95, OCCT, etc).

No, the i7 will not work with the 775 socket. I meant that you shouldn't jump to getting a new cpu now because the release of the i7s will cause prices on the 775s to fall.
 
I have used 3 ( I think, or was it 4 ) E6600's and they all hit 3.5-3.6ghz with ease.

You're only getting $60 for it anyways, might as well bump up the vcore and go for 3.6ghz and keep the temps under 75c.

Honestly, I have an E8400 @ 4ghz and it's not that much of an upgrade from a highly overclocked E6600.

Your 640mb GTS on the other hand, can use an upgrade.... GTX 260 anyone?
 
Thanks for the replies all. I appreciate the "discussion". It's nice read people opinions on your topic, even if there are similar posts :D.

I'm going to give the 6600 a small jolt this evening and see if I can squeeze just a bit more out of it. My concern is my RAM, but I think it'll be manageable. Stepping up the Vcore should help as well. I think I'd be happy with 3.2Ghz.

I may as well take the video card plunge. I've been mulling over this for too long now and when I purchased the 8800GTS I promised myself I would skip a generation. EVGA seems to have a good step-up program and they're now bundling Far Cry 2 with the new Core 216s. The game retails for $50.00 so I guess you'd be getting the card for $250.00 instead of the $300.00 since you won't have to purchase the game later. This is me helping reason out why I should make the purchase hehe.
 
The Cisco Kid said:
Thanks for the replies all. I appreciate the "discussion". It's nice read people opinions on your topic, even if there are similar posts :D.

I'm going to give the 6600 a small jolt this evening and see if I can squeeze just a bit more out of it. My concern is my RAM, but I think it'll be manageable. Stepping up the Vcore should help as well. I think I'd be happy with 3.2Ghz.

I may as well take the video card plunge. I've been mulling over this for too long now and when I purchased the 8800GTS I promised myself I would skip a generation. EVGA seems to have a good step-up program and they're now bundling Far Cry 2 with the new Core 216s. The game retails for $50.00 so I guess you'd be getting the card for $250.00 instead of the $300.00 since you won't have to purchase the game later. This is me helping reason out why I should make the purchase hehe.
Click to expand...
Yeah keep your current try to OC it a few hundred Mhz more and then get the GTX260. Unless you're an evga loyalist look around for deals. I think BFG hard it with FC2 for like $199AR last week
 
I run an E6600 and I have it currently at about 3.3 Ghz until I decide to put more volts into it but usually people say 3.2Ghz is where you get into GPU bottleneck and not CPU bottlenecking.
 
soulesschild said:
I run an E6600 and I have it currently at about 3.3 Ghz until I decide to put more volts into it but usually people say 3.2Ghz is where you get into GPU bottleneck and not CPU bottlenecking.
Click to expand...

There is no specific point where the bottleneck changes over, it all depends on your gaming resolution.
 
Thanks again for the continued replies.

I've increased the OC to 3.2GHz last evening. During the first pass of Prime95 Core 2 stumbled into an error. I upped the voltage a bit and ran it again this morning for a short period of time and didn't run into any errors. I'll run it again this evening for a few hours. 3.2Ghz does seem like a nice spot and once I can get it stable I'll stay with it.

One minor issue I'm having is with CoreTemp and CPUz. For some reason neither are showing the correct OC. They are showing both cores at about 2.1GHz in stead of the actual 3.2Ghz. Windows Vista 64-bit is displaying the correct OC though. Is this something I should be concerned about?

I've kind of backed off the 260GTX for now. A friend convinced me to hold off just a bit longer. I'm sure we'll see some price cuts in the near future with the approaching holidays.
 
The Cisco Kid said:
Thanks again for the continued replies.

I've increased the OC to 3.2GHz last evening. During the first pass of Prime95 Core 2 stumbled into an error. I upped the voltage a bit and ran it again this morning for a short period of time and didn't run into any errors. I'll run it again this evening for a few hours. 3.2Ghz does seem like a nice spot and once I can get it stable I'll stay with it.

One minor issue I'm having is with CoreTemp and CPUz. For some reason neither are showing the correct OC. They are showing both cores at about 2.1GHz in stead of the actual 3.2Ghz. Windows Vista 64-bit is displaying the correct OC though. Is this something I should be concerned about?

I've kind of backed off the 260GTX for now. A friend convinced me to hold off just a bit longer. I'm sure we'll see some price cuts in the near future with the approaching holidays.
Click to expand...
Sounds good, you're in a nice position now. As far as the waiting, I'd expect to see some reductions on those gpus. The 216 260 is surely going to drop and probably fairly quickly. Either that or the 192 260 will settle in even lower
 
Keep your cpu you have a good one compared to mine.I am the one who needs the cpu upgrade
 
Personally after going from a E6300 to a QX6700 I will not go back to a dual core. The quads really are nice.
 
Your E6600 should be able to clock up to 3.6ghz easy if you buy a TRUE. With a 62-70f ambient, I got mine to 3.6 at 1.36v (1.4625v in BIOS) with Orthos load temps of 58c and idle temps at 35c.
 
The Cisco Kid said:
Thanks again for the continued replies.

I've increased the OC to 3.2GHz last evening. During the first pass of Prime95 Core 2 stumbled into an error. I upped the voltage a bit and ran it again this morning for a short period of time and didn't run into any errors. I'll run it again this evening for a few hours. 3.2Ghz does seem like a nice spot and once I can get it stable I'll stay with it.

One minor issue I'm having is with CoreTemp and CPUz. For some reason neither are showing the correct OC. They are showing both cores at about 2.1GHz in stead of the actual 3.2Ghz. Windows Vista 64-bit is displaying the correct OC though. Is this something I should be concerned about?

I've kind of backed off the 260GTX for now. A friend convinced me to hold off just a bit longer. I'm sure we'll see some price cuts in the near future with the approaching holidays.
Click to expand...

First of make sure you have the latest version of CPUz, if so then it is just Speedstep clocking it down when there is no load on the cpu. I bet it is Speedstep because 3.2GHz = 355x9 and 2.1GHz = 355x6.
 
3.20 GHz is definitely a nice spot to be and is quite an improvement - 20% overclock. I'm currently at 3.20 ghz with my E6750 but I'm also limited due to the multiplier and the fact that my ram won't OC past 800 mhz. Run Intel Burn Test (LinPack) for about 50 rounds to make sure that you're stable after the OC.
 
Well I ran Prime95's torture test for a good 8 to 9 hours and didn't get a single error! I brought my RAM multiplier down (I didn't realize it was on auto) and she's running silky smooth. My temperatures have been truly amazing too. My idle temps hover around 20-21 Celsius and loads after the torture test haven't gone above 30 Celsius. The Noctua NH-U12P is doing a much better job than I had anticipated. It has to be the best cooler I've ever used before.

As far as the graphics card front goes I got a little impatient and started to look at the Core 216s again. Just as I was about to purchase an EVGA 260GTX Core 216 I stumbled upon a EVGA 280GTX SSC for $365.00! It was a bit more than I wanted to spend, but the deal was too good to pass up. It could also be a nice move if NVIDIA releases any new cards in the next 90 days. I also figured the 280 would give me just a bit more longevity.
 
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