E6400 @3.2GHZ, Which CPU does it Match?

[bushwickbill]

I finally Got my E6400 at 3.2GHZ and am wondering at that speed does it compare to a Core 2 Extreme or something similar?
I have read this Article'
http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.aspx?i=2802
That got my Blood pumping, Knowing that in Gaming Performance it is close to a $1000.00 Dollar chip(At the time of Article)!!
But seeing as I am above the speed in that Article 2.88Ghz, What CPU could it Match? I guess my E6400@3.2Ghz outdoing a Quad in Dual threaded Apps is a no go??
I am thinking of Upgrading my CPU in the new Year, So what would be a Good step up in Gaming Performance for me.
Thanx

 

[DSF]

Running a Core2Duo at 3.2GHz, you're probably not going to see much of an increase in gaming performance no matter what you choose. In dual-threaded apps, your chip would beat a quad-core of a lower clock speed. Did you mean multi-threaded?

Either way, you don't really have much reason to bother upgrading right now.

 

[harpoon84]

It would closely match a E6850 (or the then $1000 X6800 as you mentioned). As DSF said, you won't really be CPU bottlenecked in games. Your GPU is pretty decent too, I'd say wait for the next gen GPUs to come out, and nab one of those. If gaming performance is what you want, always prioritize the GPU over the CPU.

 

[Phunk0ne]

If I were you, I would keep that cpu running @ 3.2GHz and enjoy gaming for a bit. Wait until next year Feb/March if you want to upgrade to a quad and go for a penryn instead. At this moment hardly any games make use of more then 1 core, let alone quad, unless you're a hardcore audio/video editor. As your overclock stands with your setup, you should have ample power to play any game to date.

 

[sutahz]

I dont know the actual effect cache has on different kinds of applications (photo/video editing, games (in general?), physics equations, etc) but you have 2MB cache, other processors have 4MB (since your asking what your 2MB 3.2GHz processor is comparable to). But perhaps thats why the E6850 was mentioned. It runs at 3GHz but has 2x the cache. It's safe to say your at 1333FSB or greater.
There is no real reason for you to upgrade your rig for practical reasons. But if you have the itch you have the itch. And that E6400 isnt getting any more valuable. Looking at your sig, i'd upgrade your monitor... 19"WS is 1440x900 right? tahts way too little for your video card. Make that video card earn its keep, get a 22"WS. Sell that 19" for what.. 150-200 on craigslist/ebay/buddy and buy a 22" for 250-320.
Just looked up your mobo, 965chipset... You could also get a better mobo which may let you overclock even more (then you may also want a new HSF, dunno). I enjoy knowing I have a quad-core, but I do agree w/ people you don't need one yet. Get a X38 mobo, or X48 if its out by the time you scrath this itch.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

I'm in the same boat, P965 + E6400 @ 3.2

Considering upgrading to a Wolfdale, just not sure if it's worth it. Even if I keep the same board I'm probably looking at $250 for an E8400 after early adopters premium.
And from all comparative reviews if I was able to OC to 4ghz it would give a 28% performance boost in the apps that scale with clockspeed, which is nothing to sneeze at but I don't do alot of CPU intense stuff and for gaming the $250 would be better spent upgrading the GPU.

For me it almost comes down to do I wanna pay $250 to hit 4ghz on air:evil:

But then there is the power consumption savings Hmmm

 

[Denithor]

I'm also in a similar state--e6400 @ 3GHz. E8400 would be nice but I don't see spending $200-250 on a cpu that frankly won't do much more for me. By the way, don't bother upgrading your motherboard--you already have about the max out of your cpu you are likely to get and that is the only reason people like the P35 (better OC). The older P965 chipset runs cooler/lower energy so just stick with that.

And I agree with Harpoon, your best upgrade option will be to a new GPU in March or whenever nVidia launches the truly next-generation video cards. That will probably be my next upgrade, unless I decide to get a PS3 and jump into the console world instead.

 

[amenx]

I'm skipping Penryn altogether and will just wait for Nehalem (end 08?). At 1680x1050 res and 3ghz, dont think I'll see much of an improvement with Wolfdale for what I do or care about in CPU performance.

 

[TC91]

yeah i would wait for nehalem, k11 or whatever next gen there happens to have the best price/performance. a 3ghz+ c2d wouldnt bottleneck any current gpu setup, maybe triple sli or quad crossfire as exceptions, but it should be more than enough for the upcoming new 9series/r700/r680/9800gx2 cards and the generation right after.

 

[Hulk]

One of the great things about this forum is the fact that it will keep you so far ahead of the curve you won't have to upgrade until a new core comes out that is much better IPC-wise and frequency-wise.

Thanks to all of my fellow Anandtechers I built my current system for a small amount of money over a year ago. It was faster than the fastest dual core processor available then and it still is today. I could go to a quad but I'm pretty satisfied with the dual right now. There is NO WAY I could have put together such a good system without these forums. It went together easy as pie and hasn't given me any problems. I built a HTPC last night and that went smoothly as well.

I too might skip Penryn all together and wait for Nehalem. My P5B won't work with Penryn so if I'm going to be upgrading the mobo I might as well wait and do it with Nahalem. I think 3.2GHz of C2D dual core goodness can hold me over for another year or so. Heck if the Quads that work in my system come down in price to around $150 I might just pop for one of them before moving to Penryn.

Unless those new instructions really do some damage in my video applications...

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Hulk
Unless those new instructions really do some damage in my video applications...

How much damage would you require? In case you hadn't already heard, TMPGEnc gets a ~38% boost and this one has Divx and more TMPGenc.

 

[Hulk]

myocardia,

Those results are exactly why I haven't written off Penryn completely. If similar improvements can be made in the video apps I use, namely Sony Vegas Pro 8 and Nero Recode, then I will probably have to upgrade my mobo so I can go with Penryn.

TMPGEnc is actually a great MPEG encoder but it's such a hassle to have to frameserve to it from other applications or take the extra step to render to an uncompressed format and then compress using TMPGEnc.

The great thing about architectural improvements making huge gains in performance, like the extra instructions in Penryn for video, is that the speed improvements come without a speed bump and the associated increase in heat production. I guess the extra instructions when used to make the cpu use more electricity but I'm saying it's not significant compared to the increase in frequency it would take to achieve the same performance by simply cranking up the clock.

 

[Tempered81]

hulk - why wont your mobo work with the 8400 penryn? is the p5b deluxe a 965 chipset?>

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
hulk - why wont your mobo work with the 8400 penryn? is the p5b deluxe a 965 chipset?>

I would be really surprised if it doesn't, Asus has already released a bios with penryn support for my P5B-E. I can't imagine the top of the line deluxe model would be left out

I just checked the Asus site and bios 1226 for the deluxe supports penryn

 

[Hulk]

You guys are right!

I thought I remembered reading somewhere on Anandtech that 965 would not support Penryn. I'm glad I waited on a Q6600 as I think I'll hold off for a Penryn core.

Once again without this forum I'd be getting ripped off with a Dell or something.

Thanks guys.

- Mark