Planning on an upgrade need some help!

[Ebrahim23]

So I have never tried to upgrade a CPU before and am a total newbie at this stuff. I currently have the Dual Core E4300 1.8 Ghz and I want to upgrade to a Quad core and I want to know which one I should get?

My system Specs

GFX: nVidea 8600 GT
CPU: E4300 CPU intel core 1.8ghz
RAM: 2GB Corsair
MOB: MSI MS-7293VP (FSC OEM)

Cheers in advance

 

[PermaBanned]

Budget, intended uses etc...?

 

[R34pz]

If you are going for a total budget rebuild. I would encourage you to go for a nice Phenom II setup. If you really don't want to overspend then the X3-720BE is an incredible CPU for under £100, massive overclocker and sometimes even beats the equvalent quad core for gaming. You wouldn't get close to the price/performance ratio by getting say an i7.

 

[feeddagoat]

If you are going for a total budget rebuild. I would encourage you to go for a nice Phenom II setup. If you really don't want to overspend then the X3-720BE is an incredible CPU for under £100, massive overclocker and sometimes even beats the equvalent quad core for gaming. You wouldn't get close to the price/performance ratio by getting say an i7.

Athlon II 425 x3 matches the phenomII 720. Although it lacks the unlocked multiplier it can still overclock as far if your willing to fiddle with the bios. ATM dual core is all you need for gaming but some games are starting to use quads.

theres no pint in buying a new mobo and ram etc if you just need a new CPU. If you look around you might be able to pick up a second hand Q6600 very cjeaply. It was an awesome cpu. The other CPU I would look for is the Q9550. Since LGA775 is discontinued tho these are getting harder to come by. You just need to check that your mobo suppports quads. A guick google will give you that info. Happy hunting.

 

[R34pz]

I wasn't sure if the OP's motherboard would support a quad, or if he wanted a new machine. If rebuilding that's what I would build personally from what he has now. If it supports the chip though I agree a q6600 would be a really good upgrade, which should give a nice overclock if wanted too.

 

[scotty365]

What do you want to do with your PC?

I find that I have no probs gaming with my PC (see sig), although SKT775 is outdated its far from incapable. If I was on a budget with your rig then an O/C'able dual core would be 1st choice for gaming - if you do lots of video encoding and use CAD software then a Quad core would be better.

Depending on what monitor you have will depend on what GPU you need (if you want to run at high settings then more resolution the faster card you need) - Mine is a 22" monitor and run everything at 1920x1080

Take a good look round the forums - its ALWAYS worth your time - being happy with what you purchased is better than wishing you had got something else later