advice on cpu for gaming pc build

[toyota]

well Im still trying to put together exactly what I need and I have a few questions. I was going to go with a Q9550 but I have run into slight budget problem. Newegg sold out of the power supplies while I was in the middle of paying for the the $84 Antec case combo deal. the 500 watt Earthwatts psu is now back in stock but the price went up $40 plus the $25 combo special along with free shipping is over. also the case went up $5 in other words thats well over $90 more for the same deal that was in my cart. grrrrr

now I need to go with something a little cheaper unless I wait a few weeks. so should I just go with the E8400 and be done with it or wait? this pc is just for general usage() and gaming. it seems that even the games that do take advantage of quad core can be compensated by a little higher clock speed on the dual core. then again I dont want to be regretting saving a little money now if any games come out next year that really utilize multi cores.

Im sure most of this dual vs quad stuff has been discussed to death but Im really tired of waiting and my budget has got to stay under $850 for cpu, motherboard, OS, memory, case, hard drive, psu and dvd. Im getting the Antec three hundred case and WD 640gb but everything else has not been decided on.

any advice is appreciated.

 

[Nightsilencer]

Go with E8400. That CPU will keep you gaming for many years (at least until 2011) to come. As any decent Dual Core will. Don't believe everything Quad Whores tell you.

People seem to underestimate the power of a decent dual core nowadays. They will kick any game's ass, and yes even when the so-called "multi-threaded games" come along, Dual Core CPUs will still be around to kick ass. Mark my words

People nowadays just make it seem like a Duo isn't enough for ANYTHING, which they absolutely ARE.

And yes, My E8400 will kick gaming ass for the next years. I just don't see anything this baby can't run properly any time soon

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Nightsilencer
Go with E8400. That CPU will keep you gaming for many years (at least until 2011) to come. As any decent Dual Core will. Don't believe everything Quad Whores tell you.

People seem to underestimate the power of a decent dual core nowadays. They will kick any game's ass, and yes even when the so-called "multi-threaded games" come along, Dual Core CPUs will still be around to kick ass. Mark my words

People nowadays just make it seem like a Duo isn't enough for ANYTHING, which they absolutely ARE.

And yes, My E8400 will kick gaming ass for the next years. I just don't see anything this baby can't run properly any time soon

yeah I have been looking at benchmarks all day long. at the settings most people use a quad core will be slightly faster clock for clock in only 2 or 3 games. that difference can be made up with just a slightly higher cpu speed on the dual core. in other words I should get the same performance out of a stock E8400 as I would a Q9550.

I want this build to last 12-18 months so I should be fine with the E8400. the problem is we dont know whats coming next year. bang for buck though the E8400 cpu is the better choice for now. also it should be an easy oc to 3.6 if more power is need.

 

[andrei3333]

Thats right my man Night silencer... a proper dual core setup will do the OP good, dont forgt the FREE OC to 3.6 GHZ ( it literally takes like 2 or 3 changed settings for the adjustment)... i am at 4.1. GHz and slowly rising on my E0

 

[Nightsilencer]

"I want this build to last 12-18 months so I should be fine with the E8400. the problem is we dont know whats coming next year. bang for buck though the E8400 cpu is the better choice for now. also it should be an easy oc to 3.6 if more power is need."

I really think you don't need to worry. It will last you WAY more than 18 months in terms of gaming if you decide to keep it for longer than that. So if you get the E8400, you may rest assured that the only thing you need to worry about in the next few years is the GPU. That CPU will keep you a happy gamer for a long time

My new computer is barely 1 month old, and I went with the E8400 over the Q6700 and man... I couldn't be happier with this CPU!

I know, most people will tell you "Get a quad if u want to play future games!" Yeah, but what future games? 10 years into the future?

If they are talking about games that will come out in the next 2 or 3 years, you bet that a Dual Core CPU will still be enough for any game at that time.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Nightsilencer
I really think you don't need to worry. It will last you WAY more than 18 months in terms of gaming if you decide to keep it for longer than that. So if you get the E8400, you may rest assured that the only thing you need to worry about in the next few years is the GPU. That CPU will keep you a happy gamer for a long time

My new computer is barely 1 month old, and I went with the E8400 over the Q6700 and man... I couldn't be happier with this CPU!

I know, most people will tell you "Get a quad if u want to play future games!" Yeah, but what future games? 10 years into the future?

If they are talking about games that will come out in the next 2 or 3 years, you bet that a Dual Core CPU will still be enough for any game at that time.

well I think it will come sooner than 2 to 3 years but thats a non issue since even the current quad cores will be relatively outdated at that time too.

its twice the price for the Q9550 as it is for the E8400 and gaming benefit is almost nil so I guess I am really leaning to the E8400 since I like bang for buck. probably around the time the i7 gets its 32nm shrink it will be time for an upgrade to an all new rig with ddr3 and such.

 

[Nightsilencer]

What will come sooner than 2 years?

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Nightsilencer
What will come sooner than 2 years?

games that more effectively utilize multi core. FC 2 already is 25-30% faster clock for clock on a quad vs dual at 1280 and very high settings. bump that up to 1680 though and its only about 10-15%. the time is getting closer for those type games but I guess we will just have to wait and see how long it takes. remember the single vs dual debate lasted for a while but now a single core cpu is horrible for most games.

 

[Nightsilencer]

Yeah, but don't forget that the step from single core to Dual Core was a HUGE one. Dual core Pentium 4's (called pentium D) have nothing on these Core 2 CPUs! The technology is so different you can't even compare them.

And of course I don't deny that in the next years games will adopt multi-core support, but don't forget that that also includes Dual Core.

Honestly man, you really think great CPUs like the E8x00 and even the older E6x00 won't be able to play games in 2 years? I say they will, and will pretty much do it without breaking much sweat

Remember: E8x00 = 6MB L2 cache, SSE4.1 instructions, 3ghz, highly Overclockable... doesn't sound like it's going to run out of juice any time soon does it?

I know I'm not worried. The only thing I'll bother to upgrade in the next 2-3 years is the GPU. The E8400 will always be there laughing at games, kicking game ass with it's mighty megahertz and huge cache

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Presuming you are keeping the 4670... that will be the bottleneck in your gaming experience. And if you aren't gaming at a high resolution, even that will be fairly negligible.

E6x00 are just now starting to suck wind on certain games - in some cases, the top end dual-cores and quad-cores are doubling up on frame rates, all else being equal.

EDIT - sorry Nightsilencer, just ninja-edited...

Anyway, while I agree with the choice of the E8x00 as the best deal for gamers, the chances of it being a high-level performer in 3 years in virtually nill. Look at the top CPU's from 3 years ago - dual-core Pentiums and AMD X2's - and they've been struggling with games @ higher resolutions for a while now.

 

[Nightsilencer]

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
What video card?

I plan upgrade my GPU at least 2 times in the next 3 years, because for gaming it's what matters the most.

With that said, I trust my E8400 will do the rest

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Nightsilencer
Yeah, but don't forget that the step from single core to Dual Core was a HUGE one. Dual core Pentium 4's (called pentium D) have nothing on these Core 2 CPUs! The technology is so different you can't even compare them.

And of course I don't deny that in the next years games will adopt multi-core support, but don't forget that that also includes Dual Core.

Honestly man, you really think great CPUs like the E8x00 and even the older E6x00 won't be able to play games in 2 years? I say they will, and will pretty much do it without breaking much sweat

Remember: E8x00 = 6MB L2 cache, SSE4.1 instructions, 3ghz, highly Overclockable... doesn't sound like it's going to run out of juice any time soon does it?

I know I'm not worried. The only thing I'll bother to upgrade in the next 2-3 years is the GPU. The E8400 will always be there laughing at games, kicking game ass with it's mighty megahertz and huge cache

yeah all cpus certainly arent created equal. my 5000 X2 is horrible in some games and it not really worth it to upgrade to better video card. I have tried many different cards in my system and the minimum framerates stay about the same. I cant really oc the 5000 X2 since this is an HP pc that I have so its time for an all new rig.

the reason I got on the quad core kick is that I bought a Dell with a Q9300. I was floored at the difference it made over the 5000 X2. even though I only have a 4670 video card it made a 25-30% increase in performance in games at 1280x960 and highest playable settings in each game. my whole gaming experience changed in games like Far Cry 2 and Crysis. the 4670 was finally getting those scores that review sites had showed that were not possible with a 5000 X2.

the Dell was a killer deal. it was a Q9300, 750gb, 6gb ddr2, and 2600xt(lol) for $585. it was listed for $899 with a sale price of $764 but it rang up as $585 so go figure. sadly the noisy Seagate hard drive drove me nuts and also the temps had me worried because it idles at 50 C and would get to nearly 70 C load even at night in a cold room. then the video card that came with it had a defective fan. I just said screw it and returned it.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
Presuming you are keeping the 4670... that will be the bottleneck in your gaming experience. And if you aren't gaming at a high resolution, even that will be fairly negligible.

E6x00 are just now starting to suck wind on certain games - in some cases, the top end dual-cores and quad-cores are doubling up on frame rates, all else being equal.

no I will be upgrading the 4670 after I get everything up and running.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
Presuming you are keeping the 4670... that will be the bottleneck in your gaming experience. And if you aren't gaming at a high resolution, even that will be fairly negligible.

E6x00 are just now starting to suck wind on certain games - in some cases, the top end dual-cores and quad-cores are doubling up on frame rates, all else being equal.

no I will be upgrading the 4670 after I get everything up and running.

I think your idea of getting the E8400 is the best one... in 2 or 3 years "typical" CPU's are going to be more powerful than today's top-end.

 

[nyker96]

for gaming pc, I'd go for E8400 and save the rest money for a top g-card.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: toyota
well Im still trying to put together exactly what I need and I have a few questions. I was going to go with a Q9550 but I have run into slight budget problem. Newegg sold out of the power supplies while I was in the middle of paying for the the $84 Antec case combo deal. the 500 watt Earthwatts psu is now back in stock but the price went up $40 plus the $25 combo special along with free shipping is over. also the case went up $5 in other words thats well over $90 more for the same deal that was in my cart. grrrrr

now I need to go with something a little cheaper unless I wait a few weeks. so should I just go with the E8400 and be done with it or wait? this pc is just for general usage() and gaming. it seems that even the games that do take advantage of quad core can be compensated by a little higher clock speed on the dual core. then again I dont want to be regretting saving a little money now if any games come out next year that really utilize multi cores.

Im sure most of this dual vs quad stuff has been discussed to death but Im really tired of waiting and my budget has got to stay under $850 for cpu, motherboard, OS, memory, case, hard drive, psu and dvd. Im getting the Antec three hundred case and WD 640gb but everything else has not been decided on.

any advice is appreciated.

Antec 300 case is now $55 w/free shipping and Antec TP3 650w PSU is $70 w/free shipping.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle

Antec 300 case is now $55 w/free shipping and Antec TP3 650w PSU is $70 w/free shipping.

yeah Im still going to get the case but that psu seems to have too many negative reviews. Im leaning towards the Corsairs but they are pricey up front. also its still in my mind the deal that I lost and knowing how much more I have to spend now. damn you newegg. grrr

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

How many of you dual core users have experienced running games on a quad core?

I use to have a Q9300 & I would prefer to be running my games on a quad core. As you can see in my sig, I am currently building another quad core based around the DDR3 I used on the Q9300 system. I played games like COD4 & Unreal Tournament 3. Refer to 1st sentence 2nd paragraph.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: BTRY B 529th FA BN
How many of you dual core users have experienced running games on a quad core?

I use to have a Q9300 & I would prefer to be running my games on a quad core. As you can see in my sig, I am currently building another quad core based around the DDR3 I used on the Q9300 system. I played games like COD4 & Unreal Tournament 3. Refer to 1st sentence 2nd paragraph.

well I will just repeat what I aid earlier..... I have been looking at benchmarks all day long. at the settings most people use a quad core will be slightly faster clock for clock in only 2 or 3 games. that difference can be made up with just a slightly higher cpu speed on the dual core. in other words I should get the same performance out of a stock E8400 as I would a Q9550.

Far Cry 2 is probably the most muti threaded game out there and yes even at real world gameplay settings a quad core will beat a dual clock for clock. but the higher clocked dual core cpus will keep up. that means either way you are going to end up with the same performance. at stock speeds the E8400 will deliver 95% of the gaming performance as the Q9550 for only half the price.

 

[latexblanky]

Trying to make the same decision as the OP. Been leaning towards a quad because I like to multitask and want to be able to watch a movie on one monitor while playing a game on the other, etc. Would a Q6600 be a good choice for a quad core for gaming? I plan on overclocking it once I learn how.

 

[jeffw2767602]

q6600 is the best value out there, especially if you can get one that can get to 3.4-3.6GHz on air cooling.

 

[Nightsilencer]

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
Anyway, while I agree with the choice of the E8x00 as the best deal for gamers, the chances of it being a high-level performer in 3 years in virtually nill. Look at the top CPU's from 3 years ago - dual-core Pentiums and AMD X2's - and they've been struggling with games @ higher resolutions for a while now.

Yes, I know that. But I'm actually glad you mentioned that because this is a very different case. The oldest X2's and Pentium D's already had SMALL amounts of cache even for games back in the day.

Now, these top Duos of today were clearly made to be able to handle anything you throw at them for a long time. Especially the E8x00 family of CPUs. 6MB cache, SSE4.1, 3GHZ (a very good stock speed) and the list of features goes on... but I think you must admit it's hard for these top Duos to be out of juice for games in 2 years.

Maybe the lower ones like E2180 or E2200 will stuggle by then... but even then are highly overclockable... which might make them stand their own for a bit longer than that.

And yes, while I agree that any Duo will not be top of the line in 3 years, my point is that they won't suck at games either. Not with these specs.

 

[Nightsilencer]

The bottom line is, in my opinion: Any E8400 owner should only worry about upgrading their GPU in the next 3 years or so.

The E8400 will take care of all your gaming needs when it comes to CPU power.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: Nightsilencer
The bottom line is, in my opinion: Any E8400 owner should only worry about upgrading their GPU in the next 3 years or so.

The E8400 will take care of all your gaming needs when it comes to CPU power.

well Im 90% sure that the E840 is what I am going with there are cases where the quads do make sense for gaming. in games like Far Cry 2 when you are using a 4870X2 or running gtx280 in SLI having a quad can make a huge difference. the reason is that you get to a point where cant oc the dual core any more and therefore the extra cores will help. of course I wont be running anything like that but within 2 or 3 years more mainstream cards will have that kind of performance. I mean look how silly dual 6800gt cards are even compared to a 9800gt.

in my situation where I will be running probably no better than the equivalent of a single gtx280 for the next 12 to 18 I should be just fine. for longer term use and/or a higher graphics card setup the quad would be the better choice.

 

[Nightsilencer]

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: Nightsilencer
The bottom line is, in my opinion: Any E8400 owner should only worry about upgrading their GPU in the next 3 years or so.

The E8400 will take care of all your gaming needs when it comes to CPU power.

well Im 90% sure that the E840 is what I am going with there are cases where the quads do make sense for gaming. in games like Far Cry 2 when you are using a 4870X2 or running gtx280 in SLI having a quad can make a huge difference. the reason is that you get to a point where cant oc the dual core any more and therefore the extra cores will help. of course I wont be running anything like that but within 2 or 3 years more mainstream cards will have that kind of performance. I mean look how silly dual 6800gt cards are even compared to a 9800gt.

in my situation where I will be running probably no better than the equivalent of a single gtx280 for the next 12 to 18 I should be just fine. for longer term use and/or a higher graphics card setup the quad would be the better choice.

E8400 + Top-of-the-line GPU = Gaming bliss for many years to come. Don't forget that GPUs tend to show their age much earlier than CPUs. That's why I'm advocating that ANY decent Duo paired with any powerful GPU will be all you need to feel and indeed BE a gamer.