Processor upgrade. Need some help.

[Drayk]

Hey guys,

I am thinking about improving my old pal: mister computer.

I currently have a old pc from mars 2008. I build it myself but I am far (far) from an expert.
It's starting to show it's old age and it struggles, in medium, in games like Witcher 2 or GW2.
The pieces weren't top notch at the time and I am wondering = can change my processor and keep my old MB ?

For now I use this MB:

[4Core1600Twins-P35] ASROCK

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/4Core1600Twins-P35/

And It runs a Intel dual 2.4 core

LGA 775 Core 2 DUO 2.40GHz DUAL CORE [E4600]

I overclocked it a bit, recently, (last year) and changed my graphic card for a Asus GTS 450. I was impressed by the upgrade.

I am also using 3go of ram, because I still have to change to 7 (it's installed on another drive but I still have to re-install... basically everything)

What should I do ? I saw that those I7 2600 pack quite a punch.

• Is it what I should be aiming for ? Is it overkill ?
  
• Will my MB support it ? If not what would be a wise choice?
  
• can I keep the cooling system and just buy a new chip ?
  
• should I put some more ram instead ?
  

Thanks a lot !

Drayk

[Wolfenswan]

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/4Core...s-P35/?cat=CPU

Highest you can go is a Core 2 Quad/Extreme. Even without OC it's still a decent choice. If you're lucky you might get one cheap somewhere.

Per RAM i'd suggest either 2*2 DDR3, which is the maximum supported by your board (with DDR2 2*4 would be possible). Ram's not expensive and 4GB is enough for day to day stuff.

[Drayk]

Thanks !

Hum.. I took a look at some benchmark and those 2008 processors are quite obsolete. Plus I haven't seen any cheap one. The ones I saw were at +- 200€

Maybe it's time that I build something from scratch...
I have some trouble to evaluate the gain from my old CPU.

EDIT: Ok I read some good stuff about the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550

I saw someone selling one for 160€ in germany.
Worth it ?

[Finicky]

c2q 9xxx is indeed your best and only valid upgrade path on that motherboard. It's a very capable cpu on par with the higher end phenom II's.

As you already found out, the problem is that every gamer with a c2duo (which is now downright shit for gaming) wants that cpu (since it's the only good upgrade), they are almost impossible to find second hand at a decent price and the retail price (the few places you can still find them) remained super high.

That cpu alone costs as much as an am3 amd mobo + a high end phenom II (of similar performance to that c2q), just to show how overly expensive that c2q cpu is.

The next step up (i5 2500k/3550k) combined with a new mobo will cost you almost 320 euros....(so double)

Welcome to a competitionless 2012, it sucks for everyone.


PS don't buy lower end amd cpus or the new FX ones, they are dogshit.
Source: http://techreport.com/review/23246/i...ith-today-cpus
Those shitty overly hot bulldozer cpus deliver decent average framerates but are completely worthless for gaming because they provide inconsistent framerates. If you get 60 fps average but 10 percent of the frames take as long to update as an average of 20 fps would, then you still get stutter, so there is absolutely no point to buy these for gaming.

[Drayk]

c2q 9xxx is indeed your best and only valid upgrade path on that motherboard. It's a very capable cpu on par with the higher end phenom II's.

As you already found out, the problem is that every gamer with a c2duo (which is now downright shit for gaming) wants that cpu (since it's the only good upgrade), they are almost impossible to find second hand at a decent price and the retail price (the few places you can still find them) remained super high.

That cpu alone costs as much as an am3 amd mobo + a high end phenom II (of similar performance to that c2q), just to show how overly expensive that c2q cpu is.

The next step up (i5 2500k/3550k) combined with a new mobo will cost you almost 320 euros....(so double)

Welcome to a competitionless 2012, it sucks for everyone.


PS don't buy lower end amd cpus or the new FX ones, they are dogshit.
Source: http://techreport.com/review/23246/i...ith-today-cpus
Those shitty overly hot bulldozer cpus deliver decent average framerates but are completely worthless for gaming because they provide inconsistent framerates. If you get 60 fps average but 10 percent of the frames take as long to update as an average of 20 fps would, then you still get stutter, so there is absolutely no point to buy these for gaming.

Yeah. Figured as much...

I don't want to change MB AND CPU so I know what to do.

Thanks guys.

[Sakkura]

The next step up (i5 2500k/3550k) combined with a new mobo will cost you almost 320 euros....(so double)

You could always get a cheaper CPU and motherboard. You'd have to go pretty low to avoid getting a big improvement over a core 2 duo E4600. For example, a Core i5-3450 gets the same performance in many games as a more expensive Core i5-2500k or 3570k, simply because many games don't need more CPU power than the 3450 can deliver. Even a Core i3-3220 can do well in most games, but it wouldn't have the same longevity because it's only a dual core CPU and ever more games will be making use of 4+ cores in the coming years.

[Finicky]

You could always get a cheaper CPU and motherboard. You'd have to go pretty low to avoid getting a big improvement over a core 2 duo E4600. For example, a Core i5-3450 gets the same performance in many games as a more expensive Core i5-2500k or 3570k, simply because many games don't need more CPU power than the 3450 can deliver. Even a Core i3-3220 can do well in most games, but it wouldn't have the same longevity because it's only a dual core CPU and ever more games will be making use of 4+ cores in the coming years.

The problem is that the non K cpus and cheap mobos don't allow overclocking, meaning there is a large value gap between the 2500k and everything below it.
The cost of trying to save a few bucks on the intel side is really large.

2500k etc would be the next stop for 'meaningful upgrades', if he settles for a cheap intel mobo and one of those pentium cpus (which are still better for gaming) then he might as well just buy that overpriced c2quad or a phenom II and am3 mobo...

There is no value to be had in the 200 euro range for someone looking to upgrade from a c2duo, full stop. It's spend 160 ish on a dead end quadcore or new dead end mobo , or spend 320 for some higher end value, there is nothing in between because of the locked multiplier shenanigans.
It was a very deliberate move from intel.

[Sakkura]

You can overclock most non-K Core i5 CPUs, just not by as much. 400 MHz instead of ~1000. There is a difference, but not enough to make the value proposition significantly worse when you include the extra cost of a better cooler and motherboard (both of which are necessary for serious overclocking). Plus, like I said, most games don't even need the extra CPU performance anyway.

So there is clearly plenty of value to be had in the 200 euro range for someone upgrading from a core 2 duo.

[stevenjoywell]

yeah, i think so,

core 2 duo E4600 it ok, You could always get a cheaper CPU and motherboard. You'd have to go pretty low to avoid getting a big improvement over it

[Drayk]

So, I bought that Quad core Q9550 2.83mhz. It's seems like a decent CPU for gaming and can be overclocked easily.

I took a look at the benchmark on Passmark. It's on par with a AMD Phenom and the lower I5.
It's still worlds better than my old Dual core.

I hope I will finally be able to play some WvWvW in GW2 with it. My CPU couldn't keep up during big battles.

[Sakkura]

Passmark scores aren't that reliable. Still, it's a big upgrade over your old CPU. Enjoy! :)