Budget Upgrade

[LunaticDan]

Hi guys, i'm currently running a dated Athlon X2 4200+ i'm looking to do an upgrade at around the cost of £130-£150.

I want to go Intel but i've seen a huge rise in prices lately. Ideally i'd like to go for a Mobo + Intel E8200 but the E8200 is so highly priced now considering it used to be just £100.

I could right now buy the E7300 and a mobo that is within my price range and will only cost about £130-£140 or i could wait a while then buy an E8400 and a mobo for about £170.

What are your thoughts on this?

Btw, my uses are Programming, 3D development and gaming.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[TheCenturion]

wait, the 8400 overclocks better.

 

[LunaticDan]

Is the difference that great though? I don't really overclock because i like stable temperatures. The 4200+ currently works rather well for me but with games such as GTA IV it suffers, i'm thinking the extra £50 might not be worth the speed difference...

 

[gamesaregood]

Which graphics card are you using?

Is your X2 4200 S939 or AM2?

 

[LunaticDan]

Which graphics card are you using?

Is your X2 4200 S939 or AM2?

I'm on AM2, and i have an XFX 8800 GTS 320mb.

|EDIT|
I ended up buying an Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 with a Gigabyte Motherboard which is reviewed to be good at overclocking. After a lot of research it seems the E5200 will be more than enough for me, even more so when overclocked.

 

[UltimateBadger]

Good choice. Enjoy.

 

[95thrifles]

You can still get stable temps, just make sure you get yourself a decent cooler if you dont already have one

 

[LunaticDan]

You can still get stable temps, just make sure you get yourself a decent cooler if you dont already have one

Well i'm currently running an Antec 300 with 3x additional 120mm fans. I'm hoping this should be cool enough for it.

 

[95thrifles]

yes good case for cooling, I was referring to CPU cooler though, have you got a decent aftermarket cooler? youre not just planning on using the stock???

 

[LunaticDan]

I've not ordered one yet, i've been looking at the Artic Cooling Freezer 7 though...

 

[rikesh]

get akasa 965
great coler, performs better in a lot of situations and its cheaper
dropped my temps by a whole 20oC

 

[LunaticDan]

get akasa 965
great coler, performs better in a lot of situations and its cheaper
dropped my temps by a whole 20oC

Thanks for the suggestion, i've read a few reviews of it and and for the price, the cooling is pretty good! I went ahead and ordered it!

 

[gamesaregood]

I'm on AM2, and i have an XFX 8800 GTS 320mb.

If you were on AM2 why did you not just upgrade your CPU?

 

[LunaticDan]

If you were on AM2 why did you not just upgrade your CPU?

Well, i wanted to go Intel so that i can in a few months upgrade my processor to one of the higher wolfdales. So i bought a motherboard that supports up to 1333mhz.

Also, the only options would have been to buy an Athlon X2 6000+ which the E5200 at a lower price, out-performs by miles!

And one additional point, i wanted to use my old parts for another system.

 

[Vince]

Could have had a look at the AMD 7750BE, but either way you won't be dissapointed with your new C2D.