C2d e4300 ->????

[Dark_MadMax]

My current rig lasted unusually long and I am have grown fond of it for that reason, but everything must go eventually and now that my mobo sata controller died it seems like its time for upgrade.

What I liked about it 4300 was a steal as it oc'ed to 3+ years of stable 3.15 GHz from stock 1.8 , which turned to be enough for long time. Only thing I was upgrading was my GPU. So mainly I am looking to replicate same kind of good deal with next CPU. -CPU which is under $200 and can last over 4 years !

Basically i655k and pII 1065 BE are two main candidates right now . I frankly would go with i655k if it had quad core. But since I already have dual core right now upgrading to another dual core seems like not that much of future proof upgrade.

On other hand amd is 45nm and seems not much of an overclocker. For long lasting rig I d have to have plenty of breathing room in OC area. So thats tilts the scales toward intel again. Only if intel had some quad core 32nm at sub $200 price range....

So anyone would be so nice to share any thoughts?

p.s. I am a "power user" - I run lots of various stuff (1 or 2 VMs, Visual Studio, and having ten thousand firefox tabs open is the typical "hard load" scenario), but performance wise the only time I am really concerned is for gaming, most everything I play (f3, BF:BC2 if looking at recent titles) worked fine with that setup , but I do start getting feeling I am getting constrained more and more. I absolutely don't give a damn about encoding or photoshop

 

[toyota]

i5 760 is the best overall bang for buck if building from scratch.

 

[fffblackmage]

Intel dual core is not recommended. They typically cost too much for them to be good buys.

The i5-760 toyota mentioned is well priced and an excellent performer. Really can't go wrong with that.

 

[Dark_MadMax]

inst 760 45 nm though? Wouldnt that stunt the OC potential quite a bit compared to dual core 32 nm intel ones?

Also I just checked i3-530 seems like a bargain and great OCer if I go dual core

 

[toyota]

inst 760 45 nm though? Wouldnt that stunt the OC potential quite a bit compared to dual core 32 nm intel ones?

so? an i3 530 dual at 4.5 is still going to be slower than an i5 760 quad at 4.0

 

[LoneNinja]

so? an i3 530 dual at 4.5 is still going to be slower than an i5 760 quad at 4.0

Wouldn't surprise me if a 3.5Ghz I5 760 can out perform an I3 530 @ 4.5Ghz in well threaded applications honestly.

inst 760 45 nm though? Wouldnt that stunt the OC potential quite a bit compared to dual core 32 nm intel ones?

Also I just checked i3-530 seems like a bargain and great OCer if I go dual core

I5 760 is 45nm, but with good cooling it will still reach 4.0Ghz usually, and it's much more powerful than an I3 when 4 cores can be used. I3 is a good budget chip, but the problem is AMD has cheaper quads that still overclock decently and beat the I3 in multithreaded tasks, and up the price bracket there are far more powerful processors out.

Personally I would grab an Athlon II X4/Phenom II X4/Phenom II X6 or I5 760. I don't even consider dual core for a new build in anything but the most budget restricted of builds, especially if your already running a decent dual core.

 

[Soulkeeper]

I agree with LoneNinja, I'd go the AMD route rather than messing with I3's
The platform as a whole has more of a future (atleast if rumours of bd working with current boards are to be believed).
The athlon II X4's are a good entry, coupled with a nice motherboard you can upgrade to whatever might come out next year if you like.

 

[toyota]

I agree with LoneNinja, I'd go the AMD route rather than messing with I3's
The platform as a whole has more of a future (atleast if rumours of bd working with current boards are to be believed).
The athlon II X4's are a good entry, coupled with a nice motherboard you can upgrade to whatever might come out next year if you like.

actully BD is not going to be compatible and going i5 760 makes much more sense. its faster and will hold out better for the next of couple of years with new gpu upgrades.

 

[Dark_MadMax]

I agree with LoneNinja, I'd go the AMD route rather than messing with I3's
The platform as a whole has more of a future (atleast if rumours of bd working with current boards are to be believed).
The athlon II X4's are a good entry, coupled with a nice motherboard you can upgrade to whatever might come out next year if you like.

I never upgrade cpu separately (cooler, ram, mobo - too much hassle ), I usually change the whole platform, as use my builds for 3-4 years, I only upgrade GPU every 2 years or so.

 

[jackace]

I'm in a similar situation to the OP. I have been just waiting to see if prices change, but my E4200 is just not cutting it anymore. I might have to bite the bullet and get something new in the next couple weeks.

 

[MrK6]

I agree with toyota - the i5 760 is an incredible bargain right now. They can be had for as low as $170 and will do 4GHz with a decent cooler (see my sig, the i5 750 is the same chip with one less multiplier). If you're looking for bang-for-your-buck as well as longevity, the i5 760 is a great choice.

 

[mindwreck]

i5 760 or even a 750 are crazy performers for the money.

My i5 750 hits 4ghz easy. at stock speeds this is a pretty fast cpu. at 4ghz it leaves ever other stock cpu behind.

 

[Dark_MadMax]

Hmm so how this looks like

GIGABYTE GA-H55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard +

CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop

To pair with i5-760? Not too sure about memory. I heard triple channel does not make much difference.

total with cpu comes to $414.97 from new egg. With cooler it will be $450. Kinda pricey , but I if it will last 3 years why not

 

[MrK6]

Hmm so how this looks like

GIGABYTE GA-H55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard +

CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop

To pair with i5-760? Not too sure about memory. I heard triple channel does not make much difference.

total with cpu comes to $414.97 from new egg. With cooler it will be $450. Kinda pricey , but I if it will last 3 years why not

You don't live near a MicroCenter do you? They always have the i5 760 for $170. It's kind of too bad, because Newegg had it for $171 last week. However, there's still good deals around. I would grab this combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492250 with this promo code: MBTEN923 , and then add on this RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231274 , should come out to $361 shipped. Since the i5 760 runs pretty cool, you don't need a really beefy cooler. I've built a couple of i5 750-based systems with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 and it's been very capable - http://www.buy.com/prod/cooler-mast...-x/q/sellerid/11408470/loc/101/211418069.html . For ~$390, that's a great setup.

 

[TheKub]

Wow, I just realized my main system is a little over 3 years old. I bought the e6750 from MicroCenter Aug 07. Its had its memory upgraded from 2GB to 4GB to 8GB over the years (mainly because 1yr+ ago 4gb kits were $25 after rebate) and the video card has been swapped once or twice. I do a fair amount of gaming and it hasn’t really felt like its been holding me back.

 

[jackace]

is the I5-760 included heatsink and fan not very good? I see everyone replacing them.

 

[toyota]

is the I5-760 included heatsink and fan not very good? I see everyone replacing them.

people replace them so they can safely oc it. at stock speeds its adequate but just barely.

 

[jackace]

people replace them so they can safely oc it. at stock speeds its adequate but just barely.

In the past stock Intel coolers have been good enough for modest overclocking, but if this one is barely good enough for stock speeds it sounds like Intel has cheapened up on their stock coolers.

 

[toyota]

In the past stock Intel coolers have been good enough for modest overclocking, but if this one is barely good enough for stock speeds it sounds like Intel has cheapened up on their stock coolers.

I have no personal experience but from what I have read the stock cooler is not really adequate for overclocking especially if want to have decent temps.

 

[Dark_MadMax]

people replace them so they can safely oc it. at stock speeds its adequate but just barely.

Exactly . I am planning to OC 24/7 for 3-4 years, I dont want to save a buck and get dead processor , piece of mind is worth $30

You don't live near a MicroCenter do you? They always have the i5 760 for $170. It's kind of too bad, because Newegg had it for $171 last week. However, there's still good deals around. I would grab this combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...211418069.html . For ~$390, that's a great setup.

Wow great thanks man! I wish I could rep you up! Thats what I am gonna do!

 

[GundamF91]

If you have good LGA775 board, and DDR2 memory, then you can see about getting Q9550. It's really quite sufficient in today's computing world, depending on what you use it for though.

 

[faxon]

Just FYI intel's 32nm isn't an improvement really in terms of OC potential on current chips. The transients actually switch slower than their 45nm transistors without some special process of putting pressure on the chip at manufacturing, which seems to still hold true with current samples and won't be really fixed till sandy bridge launches. Per clock 45nm i5 7x0 and i7 8x0 chips are about the same vs their i5 dual core counterparts in per clock performance, and actually OC quite high. The 760 can be had as low as $150 some places on sale.

 

[RussianSensation]

Hmm so how this looks like

GIGABYTE GA-H55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard +

CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop

To pair with i5-760?

Not so good....

Why are you getting an H55 chipset? It won't produce video with i5 760 since i5 760 lacks onboard GPU. Get the P55 chipset instead. Something like P55A-UD3P or P7P55D-E. Much better mobos!

I would grab low voltage DDR3 ram. Core i family runs cooler with lower voltage DDR3 (Plus lower voltage DDR3 overclocks better if you need to).

G.Skill Eco 1.35V
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 1.35V