Are you happy with your upgrade to an E8500 or Q6600? I wanna know

[scheibler1]

Right now I've got a intel e2180 that is only stable @ 3.0ghz. However the size of teh cache makes the cpu only as fast as a 2.6ghz E6700 stock clock for clock. I am positive I am cpu bottlenecked b/c I don't gain much(if any) fps in games by loweing the resolution down from 1920x1200. I have benched the e2180 @ 3.4ghz and noticed a few fps improvement(I'm concerned about minumum and average fps), but it isn't orthos sp2004 stable

I think I need to pick up an E8500 and overclock it to 3.6-4.0ghz or a Q6600 and hope for 3.2-3.4, but would most likely get 3ghz.

A part of me is telling me to get the E8500 cause its clocks so high with a 6mb L2 cache(probly 1ghz faster then the q6600) and is newer tech. However I don't want to buy the E8500 if it is going to be obsolete for gaming in late 2009/early 2010. The other part of me is saying to get the Q6600 b/c games may take advantage of it next year. What games are going to be optimized for quad cores...everyone says the will?

I do not multitask. This rig is strictly for gaming, surfing the net, and watching dvd's.

 

[soccerballtux]

what volts are you giving your e2180 to get to 3.4?

what games are cpu bottled? What fps are you getting in those games?

 

[scheibler1]

I gave it 1.5v in the bios and 1.456v in cpu-z. However to run 3.0ghz I only use 1.375ghz in bios.

I am cpu bottlenecked in all games, but notice it in Crysis, Grid, and WiC.

In Crysis my framerate drops when there is a lot of moving objects. In grid my fps are still good, but I notice a slow down whenever there is a large pack of cars ahead. WiC and CoH both showed improvements even by just overclocking the e2180 past 3.0ghz, but it's not sp2004 stable(even under 15min)

 

[nomagic]

See my sig. I am happy with my current rig. I spent countless hours doing cable management inside it. Yet, I dont have a side window to my case.

But WTH, back to the topic, I had an E2140 @ 3GHz before. The upgrade to E8400 @ 3.6GHz was very noticeable. Image editing is light year faster. (A0 300x300 dpi) Time to re-encode videos decreased 30~40 percent.

The chip also runs cooler. I don't trust any temperature monitoring software any more. (delta T junction anyone?) I admit they are very precise individually, but they lack in accuracy when I do cross comparisons. Additionally, I didn't need them to know that E8400 runs cooler because my PC case wasn't hot to touch any more.

But I will tell you. Improvement on gaming performance was minimal. But, my graphic card was the bottleneck, so you will find some improvement with your GTX260.

 

[Gillbot]

I went from a E6550@3.5GHz to a E3110@4GHz to a Q6600@3.4GHz to a E8500@4.25GHz to a Q9400@3.7GHz to a X3330@3.7GHz and in all honestly, I should have stopped at the E3110 or the E8500. I saw little to no gains with the quad core and small gains from the E6550 to the E3110. If I could have, I should have skipped from the E6550 right to the E8500 and stayed there.

 

[RussianSensation]

Here are benches of 2160 @ 3.0ghz. Although tested with a slower 8800GTS OC card, there is practically no difference in World in Conflict or Crysis of Q6600 @ 3.2ghz over E2160@3.0ghz that will result in any more playability at 1920x1200 (that's without AA). The advantage the extra cache isn't evident. Of course the videocard is much slower than yours. Since you are going for gaming, I would wager that your videocard will 'expire' a lot quicker than an E8500 @ 4.0ghz.

Before you go out and spend $ on a new cpu, overclock your graphics card and see if there are any changes. Grid runs much faster on ATI cards, Crysis is just a poorly coded engine so I wouldn't worry about that one.

 

[jeffw2767602]

if i were you i would try to grab a used, good clocking q6600 or even a new one if you cant find one. you probably arent going to notice a diff between a 4ghz dual and a 3.4ghz quad, and the quad will be a little more ready for the future of computing. the price is roughly the same and the quad in my opinion has a few more pros than the dual. either way tho, youll be happy

 

[hclarkjr]

i just upgraded from a E6600 that was over clocked to 3GHZ to a Q6600 and have no regrets at all. and that is without even over clocking the quad

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Gillbot
I went from a E6550@3.5GHz to a E3110@4GHz to a Q6600@3.4GHz to a E8500@4.25GHz to a Q9400@3.7GHz to a X3330@3.7GHz and in all honestly, I should have stopped at the E3110 or the E8500. I saw little to no gains with the quad core and small gains from the E6550 to the E3110. If I could have, I should have skipped from the E6550 right to the E8500 and stayed there.

Hah, you're pretty much a testament to why not to upgrade.


Sheibler, you're definitely CPU-bound, unless you're running that GTX260 @ 2560x1600.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: scheibler1
I gave it 1.5v in the bios and 1.456v in cpu-z. However to run 3.0ghz I only use 1.375ghz in bios.

I am cpu bottlenecked in all games, but notice it in Crysis, Grid, and WiC.

In Crysis my framerate drops when there is a lot of moving objects. In grid my fps are still good, but I notice a slow down whenever there is a large pack of cars ahead. WiC and CoH both showed improvements even by just overclocking the e2180 past 3.0ghz, but it's not sp2004 stable(even under 15min)

Interesting....sorry to hear that. You could try going a bit higher on the voltage first if you want, you seem to have higher than average vdroop. For what (most? IMO...me at least, too) use their PC for, the transients don't occur very often (going to 10x mult and back down), so you'd probably be ok. I think my 2180 is 1.472-1.48 in CPU-z under full load at 10x340, what I usually run at.

I imagine vdroop would be worse with a quad (mostly q6600-- not sure about the penryns) at full load.

Also, Vdroop is probably less when gaming than when Orthos Smalling...which means the CPU isn't drawing as much current, which means at that higher voltage, for the computations it is doing, it technically _is_ stable.

 

[taltamir]

i upgraded from an X2 6400+ to an E8400 oc @ 3.6ghz, I was happy with it.
Then I upgraded from it to a Q6600 oc @3.0. I was happier with it

 

[scheibler1]

If I do upgrade I'm gettin the Q6600. I'm either going to order it in a couple days or wait for a price drop. I don't think a price drop is gonna happen though

 

[SolMiester]

I went from 2.2Ghz AMD 3500+ w\ 6600GT to rig below, probably didnt need the Quad, however as more and more game are quad aware, I see it coming into its own....There was an interesting article posted a week ago about the difference between Quad and Dual with same cards etc, getting better rates with the quad and in some cases 100% better.

Edit - My 9600GT has no problem driving GRID 16x10 with no slow downs, all the eye candy, however this is on DX9, not DX10....

If you are struggling @ 19x12, I would of suggested trying DX9, however just realsied you are!!!

Guess the CPU really is holding your card back!

 

[scheibler1]

The game is perfectly smooth except if a large pack of cars is in front of me. I'm runnign grid completely maxed on ultra w/ 4xAA, 16xAF @ 1920x1200. Company of Heroes Opposing fronts is what I'm aggrivated about...I get a constant 50-60fps in the normal view, but when I change camera angles or zoom in the fps drops into the teens

 

[OLpal]

Unless you have special needs for a Quad , theni'd stick with a E8600 for the nice stuff you allready have in your system !!
Although if you can be assured of getting the newer stepping a E8400 or E8500 would be great also !!
New Stepping is the important part !!

These will run @ a much higher Mhz & cooler than a Quad !!

 

[LOUISSSSS]

i'd go for the Quad, overall system performance will feel better with 4 cores running all your apps/virus scans/games at once... imagine trying to run decoding a dvd, recording with fraps, virus scan, 2 x spyware scan and play crysis at the same time. just make sure u have 4gbs of ram or more for this

 

[demiurge3141]

Q6600 kicked ass for me?But then again I run two virtual machines constantly?

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: Gillbot
I went from a E6550@3.5GHz to a E3110@4GHz to a Q6600@3.4GHz to a E8500@4.25GHz to a Q9400@3.7GHz to a X3330@3.7GHz and in all honestly, I should have stopped at the E3110 or the E8500. I saw little to no gains with the quad core and small gains from the E6550 to the E3110. If I could have, I should have skipped from the E6550 right to the E8500 and stayed there.

Hah, you're pretty much a testament to why not to upgrade.


Sheibler, you're definitely CPU-bound, unless you're running that GTX260 @ 2560x1600.

I've been through the whole line front to back and back to front with certain OC/Performance goals in mind. Needless to say, I have been let down nearly every time with the exception of my trusty E6550 and then the nice E8500. I've had a few very nice quads run through my hands and when compared to the raw speed of the dual, the duals win in everything I need them for. Until more apps become utilized for quads, they are a marketing gimmick.

Originally posted by: OLpal
Unless you have special needs for a Quad , theni'd stick with a E8600 for the nice stuff you allready have in your system !!
Although if you can be assured of getting the newer stepping a E8400 or E8500 would be great also !!
New Stepping is the important part !!

These will run @ a much higher Mhz & cooler than a Quad !!

Exactly!

This is why I get so frustrated when I see people get overwhelmed with the typical "QUAD QUAD QUAD" recommendation. Unless you will really utilize the quad, there is no point in spending the extra $ for it. Do you think every average Joe needs a quad for Solitare, email and internet? Sure, many here are not the typical Joe but then again, many here also don't run F@H 24/7 either. A simple game every now and then, some email and of course, neffing on good old Anandtech!

 

[soccerballtux]

yeah yeah that's what everybody said back with the FX-55, then 6 months later games came out that made use of dual core, and the FX-55 couldn't keep up. Myocardia has one of those stories, he gave it just recently.

 

[scheibler1]

In for a Q6600 from newegg ;-)

 

[QuadDamage2k]

I upgraded from a air cooled E6400 @ 2.88mhz to a E8500 on Water
GTZ
655
1/2 tubbing
3x rad
4 x syn e fans
I LOVE IT
http://i35.tinypic.com/1zptkly.jpg
Well worth the upgrade. I know i can push it alot more
It's very stable idels at 26c up to 45c max playing warhead

 

[Gillbot]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
yeah yeah that's what everybody said back with the FX-55, then 6 months later games came out that made use of dual core, and the FX-55 couldn't keep up. Myocardia has one of those stories, he gave it just recently.

Not everyone upgrades hardware or software every 6 months. I waited till LONG after supreme commanders initial release to buy so the price would drop below the crazy $50+ price point. When it hit $20 on a sale, I finally grabbed it.

 

[OnePingOnly]

Q6600 made a huge improvement over the E2160 I had before. I had the E2160 @ 9x266 mostly.

 

[OnePingOnly]

Q6600 made a huge improvement over the E2160 I had before. I had the E2160 @ 9x266 mostly.

 

[jeffw2767602]

q6600 ftw!