CPU upgrade for homebuilt PC

[bloodandsoil]

Greetings fellow PC builders,

What would be the best CPU upgrade that fits my motherboard and memory?

My system has an Asus P5B-Deluxe motherboard and 4 GB of PC2 6400 Crucial Ballistix memory.

The current CPU is an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz.

 

[fffblackmage]

A Q9xx0? They're still rather expensive for a dead socket.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Yeah, don't keep investing in a dead socket. You're probably better off overclocking that 6600 to 3.0 Ghz, and look into an SSD and/or a beefier video card upgrade (if you game). Plus, Sandy Bridge's right around the corner.

 

[brencat]

Greetings fellow PC builders,

What would be the best CPU upgrade that fits my motherboard and memory?

My system has an Asus P5B-Deluxe motherboard and 4 GB of PC2 6400 Crucial Ballistix memory.

The current CPU is an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz.

Concur with other posters so far -- plan to build new or overclock.

You have an awesome OCing mobo. Push that E6600 to 3.4ghz... 9 x 377 FSB should be a cakewalk. Don't forget to set FSB: DRAM ratio to 1:1 if you want to continue to use 4-4-4-12 timings, OR use the 1:1.25 (4:5) and loosen to 5-5-5-15 @ 2.0v.

 

[Vette73]

I also have a 775 system and just overclocked my CPU to 3gh and am waiting for Llano/Bulldozer/SB

So overclock your current CPU to 3gh, easy, and ride it out till new sockets come out.

If you have a upgrade bug get a new video card. You can carry that over to a new system.

 

[jjmIII]

DDR3 is cheaper than DDR2.

I'd sell off the old, and go mobo/cpu/DDR3. Maybe a cheapish i3/i5 build?
Everything else in your sig can be re-used.

 

[SorryImLate]

You can pick up an E8xxx series and overclock it to 4ghz+ for about $100 off ebay.

 

[bloodandsoil]

I have an application that is CPU bottlenecked and it is worth it to just upgrade the CPU for this application.

I don't have the budget at the moment to do a motherboard/CPU/memory upgrade on this system.

So, back to my original topic: What would be the best CPU to put into my existing system as an upgrade? Budget max $350

Thanks!

 

[bloodandsoil]

Would this work? Core 2 Quad Q9650

I found one new in retail box for $329.

 

[BoomerD]

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=bswT66IBSb2rEWNa

http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-ASUS/P5B_Deluxe.html

By the time you pay for one of the high-end processors, you SHOULD be able to replace CPU, mobo and ram for about the same price...
i5-650 at Newegg...$179.

 

[perdomot]

A good SSD like OCZ Vertex or Agility would make a huge difference in your systems performance and you can get a smaller one to use as a boot drive for $100. Best possible upgrade move you can make right now.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

For $350 you can buy an Intel Core i5 750 or 760, motherboard, and RAM, and that should net you better performance than a Q9650.

Otherwise just invest in a cheaper Core 2 Quad like the Q9505. Q9550, Q8400, or Xeon X3330 (Core 2 Q9400). You might be able to find these cheaper somewhere besides newegg.

All current sockets, that you can get if you were to upgrade platforms, are basically dead. Socket 1156 (Core i3 and i5) and socket AM3 have basically seen their best days. You would, in a way, be upgrading from one "dead" socket to another. So I don't really think you need to worry about it. The Core 2 Quad processors still perform pretty well. Despite being more expensive, you wouldn't have to change motherboards and RAM.

If "dead" sockets were a priority for you, then waiting to pick up one of the cheaper Sandy Bridge processors along with a new board and RAM is the smartest option.

Although one option is to pick up an AMD Phenom II X4 955, 965, 970, or an X6 along with a compatible DDR2 motherboard. That should get you Q9550/Q9650 performance for a cheaper price than newegg's listings. If you're using applications that are threaded beyond four cores then perhaps getting an X6 processor would be more beneficial than getting a Q9650. MSI AMD 790X board + Phenom II X6 1090T would be more potent than a Q9650, and roughly the same price on newegg.

 

[bloodandsoil]

Would an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz for $195 be a worthwhile upgrade to my existing CPU?

Or slightly less expensive, an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz for $168?

Would either of those 2 processors offer much of a CPU performance improvement over my existing Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz?

 

[cusideabelincoln]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/61?vs=56

E6600 -> E8400 would be a decent boost.

But you never mentioned what applications need the improved CPU performance. There's probably a good chance a quad core will give you better results than a dual core.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

at this stage, with sb less than a month away i wouldnt do anything. if youre on a budget id just save my money until i had enough to do a real upgrade. intel is really touting this new generation so im sure it will be quite the upgrade from current i's. 3 ghz on core 2 is SLOW these days

 

[Concillian]

Would this work? Core 2 Quad Q9650

I found one new in retail box for $329.

For 329 you can almost get an i5 760 + motherboard + RAM, need like $30 more.

Consider also that your current motherboard, CPU and RAM can be sold for probably $150ish, and you come out well ahead if you sell your current stuff. e6600s are decent still, check FS / FT, you can get okay money for them.

If $329 is in your budget, go for the i5-760, or go for the i5 750 and OC it to 3.3 or so on the stock cooler.

The other thing to consider is that with SB right around the corner, you're likely going to see people upgrading from their i5 750s to Sandy Bridge CPUs. i5 750 and 775 quads will be more prominent in the used market. I really would not spend "new" money on a S775 CPU.

 

[VirtualLarry]

3 ghz on core 2 is SLOW these days

compared to a modern quad-core, yes it is.