CPU Upgrade!

[NeoReloaded]

Hey guys i currently have an overclocked E6600 @3.02ghz and i need a decent upgrade for my gaming needs! My other main specs are Windows 7 64bit, 4gb RAM, ATI 4870 1gig. The cheaper the better for this upgrade as im off on holiday in 2 weeks so trying to keep spending to a minimum

 

[Dark_Angel]

In before 50 people say Q6600.

It's the best option really... usually have tons of head room for OCing to at least 3GHZ plus.

 

[NeoReloaded]

None on the OC store

 

[Dark_Angel]

You might be able to get one in MM - possibly second hand.

 

[Redmint]

What's your motherboard? (just to check it does actually support quad cores )

 

[Jimbo Mahoney]

What resolution do you game at?

It's almost certainly not worth upgrading for games if you're gaming at 1920x1200 for example.

If you just want a new CPU to play with, that's different, but if you're upgrading to improve your FPS, I think you'll be disappointed.

Take a look at games performance in Dirt2 @ 1600x1200 for example:

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/18581/7

i7-980X = 74 FPS and £800
Core2 E8600 = 62 FPS and £129 (this is roughly equivalent to your overclocked chip)

In Left4Dead @ 1600x1200:

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/18581/9

i7-980X = 97 FPS
Core2 E8600 = 97 FPS

As you can see from my sig, I'm huge believer in spending twice the cost of the CPU on the GPU.

In short - my recommendation is to get a new GPU if you want better performance in games.

 

[Dark_Angel]

The 4870 isn't bad - and some games do prefer quad (won't bother to list them though). But depending on the games, yeah, a new card such as the 460 could be worth it.

 

[NeoReloaded]

AW9D-MAX.

I game at 1680x1050.

 

[PhoenixUK]

What resolution do you game at?

It's almost certainly not worth upgrading for games if you're gaming at 1920x1200 for example.

If you just want a new CPU to play with, that's different, but if you're upgrading to improve your FPS, I think you'll be disappointed.

Take a look at games performance in Dirt2 @ 1600x1200 for example:

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/18581/7

i7-980X = 74 FPS and £800
Core2 E8600 = 62 FPS and £129 (this is roughly equivalent to your overclocked chip)

In Left4Dead @ 1600x1200:

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/18581/9

i7-980X = 97 FPS
Core2 E8600 = 97 FPS

As you can see from my sig, I'm huge believer in spending twice the cost of the CPU on the GPU.

In short - my recommendation is to get a new GPU if you want better performance in games.

I thought you need i7 920/30 @ 4.2ghz for gaming, that's what someone on those forums says. The benchmarks must be fake !

 

[-=Vect0r=-]

AW9D-MAX.

I game at 1680x1050.

Q6600 is definitely the chip to go for although the AW9D Max was/is notorious for clocking quads as the 975x chipset usually struggles with FSB past 310/20. You might be lucky though! If you go down this route make sure you flash to the latest BIOS v17.

This board handles duals fine and you will hit 400+ FSB on it. I ran my e2160 at 8 x 425 successfully until recently.

 

[Redmint]

AW9D-MAX.

I game at 1680x1050.

In before 50 people say Q6600.

Not a great motherboard for overclocking quad cores, are you sure you've maxed out your current chip? Might be able to get an extra 400-500mhz out of it with a decent cooler.

 

[Subliminal Aura]

Why mess around with the CPU when you *should* ditch your 4870 'now' and buy a GTX 460 ?

 

[NeoReloaded]

Why mess around with the CPU when you *should* ditch your 4870 'now' and buy a GTX 460 ?

Well im buying a new system just before christmas and was looking for one last little upgrade to squeeze the last bit of juice out of my currant ageing build! And as far as I can tell the biggest bottleneck is the CPU.