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Aging system in need of a new lease of life, on a budget

gpherber

gpherber

gpherber

Associate
Joined
8 Jul 2008
Posts
44
Location
Oxford, UK
Hi

I'm looking to put some life back into my machine which is about 3 years old now and was bottom of the range back then. I don't do any gaming just video editing and photography.

My current system is:
Pentium Dual Core 1.6Ghz 1MB Cache
5GB Crucial Balistix 800MHz DDR2
Asrock P45XE
Geforce GT240 1GB
2 x Samsung F1 750GB HDD

My Motherboard and Graphics cannot change so i would like to stick to Socket 775 CPU's. Which would give me the best bang for my buck?

For my purposes would it be worth going to 8GB of ram? (im using a 64bit OS)

Are SSD's worth the cost? how dramatic is the performance increase over my current harddrive?
 
RJC said:
I wiuld lok for a a second Hand Q6600
Click to expand...
A used Intel® Core™2 Quad Q6600 is a good suggestion . . . and overclock it a "little" :)

RJC said:
Intel® Core™2 Quad Q9400
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I know gpherber said his "Motherboard cannot change" but for that money he could pickup a good AMD® Athlon™ II X4 processor with a decent AM2+ (DDR2) board for less money, get a great upgrade and leave the door open for a AMD® HexCore a few years down the line! :cool:

gpherber1.gif


gpherber said:
I'm looking to put some life back into my machine which is about 3 years old now and was bottom of the range back then. I don't do any gaming just video editing and photography
Click to expand...
Welcome to OcUK forums! :)

RJC's used Intel® Q6600 suggestion is probably the easiest and most cost effective route forward, assuming you are ok with a used CPU . . . but if there isn't a genuine reason for not wanting to swap-out your mobo (like a complex O/S install etc) then this looks like another good option! :cool:

 
OP I'd go with the Q6600 as suggested. It's pretty much what I'm doing for my brother, He bought the intel dual core e5200, and clocked it at 4ghz.

The only logical step for him now without buying a new mobo, is a Q6600. And i'd recommend it to you
 
Big.Wayne said:
Hmmm, I know gpherber said his "Motherboard cannot change" but for that money he could pickup a good AMD® Athlon™ II X4 processor with a decent AM2+ (DDR2) board for less money, get a great upgrade and leave the door open for a AMD® HexCore a few years down the line! :cool:
Click to expand...

That was in the back of my mind, AMD quad and the op can re-use the ram from his current rig.

Yes Welcome to the forums :) (not you Big.Wayne :p )
 
+1 for the Q6600. Grab yourself a half decent air cooler such as the Arctic cooling freezer 7 for about £18 and follow the guides on the net to give it a mild overclock. You should be good for 3.2 -3.4Ghz without too much trouble.
 
+1 to the suggestions above

If you don't mind 2nd hand CPUs and you really don't want to swap out the board the the Q6600 is the best choice. You should be able to pick one up second-hand for around £80.

The Athlon II X4 is certianly the best option if you only want to buy new kit (with the warranty intact). Going for the CPU + mobo Big Wayne suggests will get you a system that supports current generation CPUs, allows you to re-use your RAM, gives you full warranty and leaves you free to sell your old motherboard (A P45 board should net you least £40 if its in good nick) - so the final cost would be a good deal less than a new Core 2 Quad, and not too far off a second-hand Q6600. The Athon II X4 is also generally a bit faster than the Q6600 at stock speeds.

This AMD option is certainly much better than buying a new Core 2 Quad, which are end-of-life and generally overpriced for what they are.
 


Used Intel® Core™2 Quad Q6600
  • Buy for £80?
  • Remove heatsink, install new CPU, re-install Heatsink
  • Sell old DualCore (£15?)
  • Slower "stock" system
  • Easier upgrade process
  • £65 approx spent
New AMD® Athlon™ II X4 + AM2/DDR2 mobo
  • Buy for £157
  • Remove Mobo/CPU, install new Mobo/CPU, re-install Heatsink & DDR2
  • Fresh install of Windows and all programs
  • Sell Old DualCore (£15) and LGA775 mobo (£42?)
  • Faster "stock" system (+ IMC low latency)
  • AMD® Phenom™ II X6 door open
  • £100 approx spent
cmndr_andi said:
This AMD option is certainly much better than buying a new Core 2 Quad, which are end-of-life and generally overpriced for what they are.
Click to expand...
 
RJC said:
What do you use the pc for, link below shows the performance of each cpu.

Have you thought about overclocking your cpu.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/89?vs=50
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link - gets used for a bit of everything, gaming included.

I have overclocked my CPU - it started running too hot in the summer so I clocked it back though.
I got myself a nice new cooler, but then I figured as I'm fitting a new cooler I might as well do the CPU upgrade at the same time.

Is a Q6600 actually better than a Q8400, or just cheaper because it's used?
 
I'm sorta new, I've been a member for 2 years, but this is my first post. Thanks for the suggestion, sort of what I was thinking. Another supplier are still selling the G0 version of the Q6600 but its more expensive than the Q9400 here, which would you choose?
 
Hey gpherber! :)

gpherber said:
I'm sorta new, I've been a member for 2 years, but this is my first post.
Click to expand...
Wow pro "lurker" :D

gpherber said:
Another supplier are still selling the G0 version of the Q6600 but its more expensive than the Q9400 here
Click to expand...
£160+ for an old processor? . . . what good value! ;)

gpherber said:
which would you choose?
Click to expand...
Questions:

  1. Would you be happy picking up a used processor?
  2. Are you intending to overclock or just fit and go?
  3. Are you against the idea of swapping out your mobo and "fresh" installing your O/S & programs?
  4. Are you able to sell any used hardware you don't need?
 
gpherber said:
I'm sorta new, I've been a member for 2 years, but this is my first post. Thanks for the suggestion, sort of what I was thinking. Another supplier are still selling the G0 version of the Q6600 but its more expensive than the Q9400 here, which would you choose?
Click to expand...

Please don't listen to Waynes Suggestion of getting rid of a perfectly good
P45 mobo.

I have no idea why this stupid suggestion was made.

I guess the notion of saving the planet and all that doesn't matter for some. We have enough Land fill as it is...Never mind the hassle of swapping out mobo's and installing OS for no speed gain or improvement whatsoever.:rolleyes:

The Q6600 for 75-80 is the best option. You can pick one up easily clock it to 3ghz + and be set.

END OF THREAD :D
 
Need stability, needs to be quiet and last at least 3 years so overclocking is out. Rather not go the used route for the same reasons, as you don't have warranty or any idea of how long it may last. Cannot change motherboard/GPU due to my operating system of choice.

So looking for a 775 based cpu to improve my H.264 encode times.

I'm guessing the Q9400 is best for me, as the jump to the 9550 or 9650 is a bit steep for the small speed increase. Also Overclockers don't stock the 9550 or 9650.

(another reason for not changing the motherboard is stated above, never get rid of my computer hardware until it is of no use to anyone. Family get machines I build from parts I've replaced and suit them fine.)
 
RE You ask if going from 5GB to 8GB is worth it.

On 64bit i've gone from 2GB, 6GB then 8GB. 6GB is the sweet spot, and for most applications you be lucky to see 4GB in use. I do photography and shoot in RAW, I can take 1000's of pictures. When I have been viewing / working with these (100's open) is the only time my 8GB was used up. Premier Pro CS4 does not appear to use more then 4gb also.

If your memory is stable (running well) I would keep it, and spend cash in other areas.
 
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