C2D E6400/6GB/8800GT to Phenom II X2 550/4GB/8800 GT ?? Should i do it ? Cost $80

[gsethi]

My current setup is as follows:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13 GHz / Gigabyte P35 DS3L Motherboard
6GB DDR2 Ram (2x 2GB, 2x 1GB)
nVidia 8800GT Video card

Got the Frys combo (impulse buy - Phenom II X2 550 and the Gigabyte cheap nforce630a board)) but I can return it and wait :
AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.10 GHz
4GB DDR2 RAM (2x 2gb - Motherboard limitation since it has only 2 slots)
same nVidia 8800GT Video Card

Current have Vista running but will be doing a reformat to Windows 7 Pro.

Games I play occasionally(1920 x1200 resolution):
CoD:MW1
AA

So the question is...should I do the upgrade and is it worth $80 (minus whatever I can sell my C2D setup for) ? or should I just wait. I dont want to do any OCing. I believe the motherboard for Phenom will not unlock extra 2 cores and dont want to spend $$ for a new motherboard.

or

Should I spend the $80 or so towards a better Intel CPU ?

or

Just wait ? I just dont want to go towards i5/i7 yet because my DDR2 ram will be useless.

 

[lopri]

Should I spend the $80 or so towards a better Intel CPU ?

Yes.

 

[gsethi]

Yes.

so you suggesting to return the AMD combo and stick with my current setup and just upgrade the CPU ? What Intel CPU should I upgrade to ? Would like to stay under $100 (including CA tax)

thanks

 

[lopri]

PII and nForce just aren't a good combination. (Though there is a recent surge of updated 980a boards for AM3 CPUs - which are overpriced for SLI crowd)

I haven't kept track of C2D/C2Q prices, so someone else might have better answers wrt your CPU upgrade. I'd think a 45nm C2D would fit nicely, if the board supports it.

 

[21stHermit]

My current setup is as follows:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13 GHz / Gigabyte P35 DS3L Motherboard
6GB DDR2 Ram (2x 2GB, 2x 1GB)
nVidia 8800GT Video card

Your $80 threshold is a challenge. Except for a low end 45nm Wolfdale (E5x00) theirs not much you can get. Have you tried overclocking the E6400? You have a great MB, you should be able to get to 3 - 3.5GHz. Perhaps a good cheap HSF.

Do a search on NE for S775 CPU's and see what the reviewers are getting with $80 CPU's on your MB.

With 32nm shipping later this month, I'd not put a lot into your rig. We're always trapped by the new socket, new DDR cycle, but at least DDR3 is pretty cheap. I remember paying $400 for 2GB of DDR for a s939 rig, this spring I got a 2GB stick of DDR2 for my Atom for ~$22.

 

[Denithor]

Just overclock your e6400? 3-3.2GHz should be easily doable with your setup - at which point it will skunk that PhII hands down. Add an aftermarket cooler ($30-40) and you should be able to hit 3.4-3.6GHz with some tweaking.

 

[nyker96]

i doubt you will feel as big a jump in performance vs. a move to x4 620 i.e. get a quad core.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

the chips coming out next month will be clocked higher than 3 ghz. they will make any upgrade you could do now look totally gay. save your money

 

[gsethi]

Thanks for all the help guys. Just cranked up my C2D E6400 to 3.0 GHz and am going to return the AMD PII x2 550 combo to Frys.

I guess will wait another 5-6 months before an upgrade. This E6400 has really lasted me for ~3 years now (what a great chip & architecture C2D is)

 

[aigomorla]

pick up a xigmatek 1295 heat sink while your at frys.

Its like 29.95

Put that cooling on your CPU and see if u can get 3.2ghz.

They start moving at 3.2... and FLY @ 3.6, and shoot to the moon @ 4.

 

[gsethi]

pick up a xigmatek 1295 heat sink while your at frys.

Its like 29.95

Put that cooling on your CPU and see if u can get 3.2ghz.

They start moving at 3.2... and FLY @ 3.6, and shoot to the moon @ 4.

Thanks... I am already using a Scythe Ninja 1000p HSF w/ a quiet 120mm fan. I prefer quietness over speed/loudness.

Will try 3.20Ghz-3.40Ghz shortly and see how it works