Lga775 upgrade: worth it or not?

ojrules · 1 Jan 2015 at 17:12

So, I've got quite an old system, which I use from time to time, but it simply won't cope with new games even on some of the lowest settings.

Dual core E2180 @ 2.6ish
4gb ddr2
1gb 6850.

Is it worth a go for an lga775 quad core? - if any are still even about?

cheers!

Jumper118 · 1 Jan 2015 at 17:37

ojrules said:
So, I've got quite an old system, which I use from time to time, but it simply won't cope with new games even on some of the lowest settings.

Dual core E2180 @ 2.6ish
4gb ddr2
1gb 6850.

Is it worth a go for an lga775 quad core? - if any are still even about?

cheers!

unless your cpu is bottle necking your gpu then you wont befit much. you might as well build a whole new system now as that is quite outdated. if you play older or less intensive games at 1080P, then you might want to look at second hand pc's.

eddyr · 1 Jan 2015 at 17:38

Have been watching the bay recently for 775 quads (debating whether to upgrade my Dad's machine or get him a new mitx system to save space) and they go for about £25 (Q8200) to £40 (Q9xxx). So not particularly expensive.

It should improve things a bit, but the 1GB 6850 won't be helping.

Rroff · 1 Jan 2015 at 17:40

If you can find one cheap then it'll help a bit - most games should be playable with a 6850 and 4GB of RAM with an OK CPU.

andy_mk3 · 1 Jan 2015 at 17:44

You ideally want a new system if you want to upgrade. But if you are on a budget then then a Core2Quad and a used GPU of some description will certainly help you along.

Randomface74 · 1 Jan 2015 at 17:51

Spending money upgrading that system isn't a good use of money because you'll only be buying a little more time and then you're left with components you can't re-use.

It's smarter to save up for a new system, along the lines of:

Intel i5
Nvidia 970
SSD

paulo7 · 1 Jan 2015 at 18:00

I'd start again maybe try and get a second hand i5 750 build.

andy_mk3 · 1 Jan 2015 at 18:04

Something like a Q6600 and a HD6950 can be picked up for next to nothing these days, will be a hefty upgrade. It really does depend on the budget though.

s innes · 1 Jan 2015 at 18:24

had a look on the popluar auction site and a Q6600 can be had for around the £20
if your board will support it or higher a Q9550 for around £40 these would help eck out a little more life in your pc. perhaps paired with a gxt480 for about the same money

won't be a gaming monster but should run most new games with lowered settings comfortably

wam7 · 1 Jan 2015 at 21:36

OP you really need to state your budget as that way you will get more precise answers to your query.

ojrules · 7 Jan 2015 at 16:44

Thanks very much for all the responses, i hadn't realised quite how far the new gen of processors had come, looks like i'll have to save up and get a second hand system or something

- If I was going to get a 775 processor I would have only looked to spend £40ish, but obviously i'm prepared to spend a lot more on an i5 system.

Dave2150 · 7 Jan 2015 at 17:49

I'd recommend an I5 or I7, along with a 280x gpu.

Though depends how long you want to keep your new pc - new technologies such as DDR4 are already out, though at the moment only available on the x99 (expensive) platform.

If you would want 6 months or so (maybe less), Skylake (new generation of i5's and i7's) will be out, which should be a similar price to the current i5 and i7's, but be the latest technology and will support ddr4.

Usually I'd say just buy whatever is available at the time you need it. Though in this case, I believe it would be worth going for a ddr4 system, rather than buying the already outdated ddr3.

It's just up to you if you want to buy a x99 system with ddr4 now - or wait for the cheaper mainstream skylake ddr4 parts later this year.

abui1806 · 7 Jan 2015 at 22:01

your current CPU is the main problem since it has only 2 cores, reduced architect and low clock speed, it is bottlenecking the graphics card to run at its maximum potential. Upgrading to a Q8200 or a Q9xxx will improve a lot since it has 4 cores and run at a higher clock as well as larger cache and stuffs.
The most efficient way for me is to get the Q9xxx since it performance is behind the i5 750 by around 10-15% in gaming. Otherwise, don't aim for a used 1st generation i5 or 1st generation i7, instead aim for the second or third generation core i series. The reason for that is the 1st generation (socket 1156, 1366) has very limited number of motherboards and CPUs. The second and third gen (socket 1155) have plenty from pentium to i7, so plenty of option to choose from.

JustCallMeVlad · 8 Jan 2015 at 02:18

Q9550 or start saving for Broadwell

Akagi · 8 Jan 2015 at 02:29

I'd just grab a Q6600 for say, £25

I have a system with a pair of socket 771 Xeon quad cores (essentially 775 Core2Quads) and it copes fine with almost anything I throw at it.

(usually only one of the CPU's would be utilised by a game)

ALXAndy · 8 Jan 2015 at 14:42

I've seen the Q6700 Extreme sell for around £40.

I would definitely upgrade. The Q6600 paired with something like a 750ti would make for a decent little entry level gaming rig, capable of medium to high settings

ghost.florian · 8 Jan 2015 at 15:09

If I were you, I'd take a punt on a Q6600 and see if that gives you a noticeable increase in performance. If it doesn't work out, you will at least have a better system and won't be too deep in the red.

But like most people have said, a new system will give you a much better experience. Even a Core i3 will be a great choice, together with an R9 270x or 280 and a cheap SSD.

Akagi · 8 Jan 2015 at 15:23

Friend of mine has a Pentium K paired with a 270X, it is a cracking little system. It replaced his Q8300 and HD6850.

Luke_Bowman · 8 Jan 2015 at 15:28

My 2p:

I had a Q6600 and it did not perform as well as everyone makes it out.

A cheap i3/Pentium K paired with a second-hand 270/280 will be a good combo. However don't forget to account for the cost of a new mobo and RAM for the different platform

Armageus · 8 Jan 2015 at 15:34

Acme said:
Friend of mine has a Pentium K paired with a 270X, it is a cracking little system. It replaced his Q8300 and HD6850.

Luke_Bowman said:
A cheap i3/Pentium K paired with a second-hand 270/280 will be a good combo. However don't forget to account for the cost of a new mobo and RAM for the different platform

+1 for Pentium K

Even at stock it seemed massively quicker than the Overclocked Pentium Dual Core E5300 I replaced.

Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £61.99
Avexir Core Blue Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U16001104G-2CW) - Blue Light £59.99
Retail Intel Pentium K Anniversary G3258 Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £57.59

£180