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Interim Skt775 Quad Upgrade

Arthalen

Arthalen

Arthalen

Associate
Joined
20 Apr 2006
Posts
2,037
Location
Leeds, UK
Hey y'all,

Fancying an interim upgrade from the current Xeon 3210 @ 3.05Ghz I have atm. Mainly for a new toy to overclock as much as possible, but more to drive a quad into the 3.6Ghz+ region, just to make sure that I'm driving the Crossfire I have as much as possible.

Bizarrely, I'm actually tempted by the Q6700 and its 10x multiplier, the basic thinking here is that this will give me a better overclock with less FSB/NB strain.

Or the other choice would be a 9550, higher FSB/Memory clocks to get the same kind of overclock as what I might get out of a Q6700.

Suggestions on what to do, anyone?
 
Agreed.

I have two Q9650's both running at 4050MHz.

As long as you have a motherboard with a good chipset (X48 or P45) you should be good to go.

P45 uses less vcore to achieve the same overclock.
.
 
Q9550 @ 3.4GHz on stock volts using a 750i mobo with 4x1GB DDR2.
Theyre definitely great chips.
 
Ok then, a 9550 it is then. A 9650 is bit beyond my kind of budget tbh.

*Starts saving pennies and keeps eye on MM*
 
Your making the correct decision. The Q9550 offers all the things you require. With some luck you might be able to grab a right deal as many are selling of in favour of i5 and i7.

McT
 
Oh and by the way, if you buy a used one just make sure it's E0 stepping and not C1. Thought I should mention that but you most likely already know. :)
 
Ok, big question time. Is the 9550 worth the extra over the 9450.

The 9450 is at excellant prices at the moment, although I can afford the extra towards the 9550....
 
If you plan on keeping your system the way it is for some time to come I would stretch the extra way and get a Q9550 E0 stepping.

Try looking for a 2nd hand one, or even a Q9650. With your setup and an E0 quad you can hope for a nice 4ghz clock.

Otherwise go for a Q9450, but many have FSB walls around 450-470 so you better be happy with 3.6-3.8ghz
 
I'm going to be sticking to 775 for a while too, thinking of selling my Q6600 and picking up something that'll hit 4Ghz under water, is a (second hand) Q9650 my best bet?
 
gurusan said:
If you plan on keeping your system the way it is for some time to come I would stretch the extra way and get a Q9550 E0 stepping.

Try looking for a 2nd hand one, or even a Q9650. With your setup and an E0 quad you can hope for a nice 4ghz clock.

Otherwise go for a Q9450, but many have FSB walls around 450-470 so you better be happy with 3.6-3.8ghz
Click to expand...

3.6Ghz is the overclock I'm aiming for, everything over and above that is nice brucey bonus.

I think I'm gonna save up the extra for 9650, if I can wait that long lol!
 
Hairybudda said:
I'm going to be sticking to 775 for a while too, thinking of selling my Q6600 and picking up something that'll hit 4Ghz under water, is a (second hand) Q9650 my best bet?
Click to expand...

All depends on the Rig you have now, what your budget is and what your aim is in upgrading your processor?......
 
Arthalen said:
Ok, big question time. Is the 9550 worth the extra over the 9450.

The 9450 is at excellant prices at the moment, although I can afford the extra towards the 9550....
Click to expand...

Arthalen said:
3.6Ghz is the overclock I'm aiming for, everything over and above that is nice brucey bonus.

I think I'm gonna save up the extra for 9650, if I can wait that long lol!
Click to expand...

In my opinion i tend to think yes purely for clock ability. However the Q9450 is a really decent CPU. It offers lots of what the Q9550 and Q9650 offer just without the extra high clocks.

The more i think about it though its hard to recommend anyone going and spending £170+ on a now old tech 775 cpu. When you can get the Q9450 significantly cheaper.

If your happy with a 3.6ghz clock then you can consider the Q9450 and the Q9550. For me its not worth spending that much to obtain a Q9560. When you can get a cheap i5 1156 setup for not too much more than a cost of a Q9560.

I still recommend the Q9550 as i have experience with this chip. But i do agree that the Q9450 is excellently priced and could do the job and fill the gap without costing the earth.

Good luck

McT
 
Thanks for the input, McstylisT!

I'm not going to upgrade to i7 anytime soon, the Motherboard and RAM investment is too costly for me at this point. I have a very decent X38 based motherboard and a decent amount of RAM, so having a quality processor on this rig is whats key.

The higher the clock I obtain on a 45nm the more I stand to gain in Crossfire, and as I said, 3.6Ghz is the 'I'm ok with that' overclock, everything else is going to make me very happy :D

So, I figure I'll get the most out of my platform I have with a 9550/9650, keep this platform for atleast 18 months and see whats about then. I always thought that I would sit out the first round of Nehalem, and see what the refresh brings on a lower process. Hell, we'll probably have ATI 6870 cards by then! :D
 
I can see your point Arthalen. They do say patients is a virtue , i just do not seem to learn it myself. lol !!

I would then lean towards the Q9550 ( must be E0). With your board you should achieve 4ghz with the right settings. That is more than enough i would think. Although the Q9650 can clock even higher at £220+ i still cant recommend this personally. :(

As an outside shot , you could achieve 3.6ghz with the Q9450 with your board. But 3.4ghz is a sure bet. But i understand you need the better clocks for your crossfire performance.

Just trying to save you some wonga in the process.

Best of luck

McstylisT
 
The good news in all this, is that I have a £40 credit note to use towards the processor, which dips the 9550/9650 down nicely in price :D
 
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