CPU recommendations?

flake99

flake99

flake99

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Joined
30 Dec 2007
Posts
49
Hi there.

I previously bought my current computer from OC at the beginning of the year. I've now decided its time to upgrade my CPU and maybe other parts of my system if need be.

I'm mainly using it for gaming therefore it's focusing on that perspective.

Below is my current spec etc. so you can base it around that.

CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180 "LGA775 Core 2" 2.00GHz (800FSB)
MB: Abit IP35 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
GPU: Leadtek GeForce 8800 GT 512MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express)
RAM: GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit x2
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA-II 16MB Cache
PSU: Corsair HX 520W ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU
PSU-Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler
Case: Lian-Li PC-7A PLUS II Aluminium Midi-Tower Case
Monitor: LG L204WS 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor

What I'm looking for is a new CPU, I've browsed the shop and I just can't determine what to get. My budget is around £100-150 for the CPU alone and more if I require additional upgrades to my system e.g. memory, motherboard, GPU etc.

Also I have a vent (a fan attachment palce or whatever :P) on the top of my case as was wondering what fan would be best suiting there?

Anyways thats it, I hope you can help me with this and hope to hear from you soon in regards to what I should get.

Thanks :)
 
I would try to OC your E2180 first. If you can get it to 2.8+ then spend the cash on a 4870. Put a Xilence XPF80R Red Wing 80mm Quiet Fan in the top.
 
Your spec look OK for me, but if you really want to upgrade why not wait for abit then Intel core i7 and P58 chipset come along. ike BarKeep post, try to o.c your rig, the IP35 not a bad board for o.c. Worth for try;)
 
Hi and thanks for replying.

I've actually OC my CPU I jsut forgot to mention it :P it's currently running at 3ghz though cant rememebr the full details.

You mentioned getting the 4870, would I see a huge difference from my 8800gt? and which of the 4870 should I get?

If I was to get Click Here or Click here would I see a big difference or?

Finally any idea when the new intels would be coming out?

Thanks
 
Mmmmm really hard to say.

There is obviously a good increase in performance from E2180 to E8400, even E7200 but to make it worth you will need to get extra 2gb of ram and upgrade your GPU to minimum 4850. And that is already a bit over your budget.

To be honest I would just grab 2gb of ram - cheapest and biggest upgrade for you.
After that just save your pennies for some more serious upgrade ( full rig ).
 
Actually I reckon upgrading to an e8400 (esp if you overclock it) will give a much bigger boost than more ram. 4gb is only useful in some situations, if you get a cpu like the e8400 (or the q6600, but I would recommend the e8400) which is so much faster than the e2180 you will notice it much more and would benefit you a lot in pretty much all circumstances. After that GFX, then ram.
Although if you're gaming a lot then I would upgrade the graphics first, maybe sell your gt and get a gtx260/4870/whatever...
 
Thanks again for your replies.

I actually have 4gb of RAM note the x2 at the end of the product :P

Anyways I might actually upgrade my CPU to a Intel E8400 however I may also purchase a new GPU though not sure which one to go for. Any pointers?

But thanks so far :)
 
sp1ke said:
1 thing is for sure invest in a ati 4870 for your gaming needs!
Click to expand...

agreed, that will net you the biggest increase in gaming performance. just grab the cheapest priced 4870.

if your current cpu is at 3GHz, i would not bother upgrading that at all at this point in time.
 
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