Help me decide: Q6700, G850, or all new?

[Blue_Max]

After selling off all my "good stuff" at tasty profit, I'm now back to the old fallback system. I can either use or raid parts from them... but I'm debating between spending zero (and waiting for the next "big thing") - a smaller amount for more performance NOW - or blowing the wad and going big immediately. 😀

I have:
Dell 9200 Core2Quad Q6700 2.66GHz w/ 4x1GB DDR2-667 and my very nice GTX 660 video card (which I'll keep!)
It's not baaaad... it plays my 1080P games with only a little choppiness since the CPU is just barely keeping up with the amazing video card. I could save the whole bankroll for a complete upgrade later when something new and amazing comes out . (?)

HP mini-system w/ Intel 1155 G850 processor and laptop-style RAM which can't be used elsewhere unless it's a rare ITX board. No graphics option for this tiny system (MXM only) so I'd raid out the processor for better overall & gaming performance NOW, and the ability to move back up to an i5/i7 in the near future.
I'd have to buy a new case, 1155 mobo and DDR3 desktop RAM. I can re-use the processor and upgrade to i5/i7 later when a great deal presents itself.

OR just buy a whole new 1150 i5 combo NOW.

The games I play most are Euro Truck Sim2, Fallout New Vegas, WoW, various Facebook games (which are surprisingly demanding and run pokey on anything but the latest gen processors!)

I also like Folding@Home for cancer research.


So.... your thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Ken g6]

I'm debating between spending zero (and waiting for the next "big thing")

Well, in terms of processors, there isn't any really big deal in the pipeline. (Unless AMD has something up their sleeves, but that seems unlikely.) The next big deal appears to be AMD's GPUs, but you have a nice GPU.

a smaller amount for more performance NOW

Have you tried overclocking your Q6700 at all? Would you consider getting a nice heat sink for it to help it overclock more?

Edit: I missed the word "Dell". No OC for you, then. 🙁

HP mini-system w/ Intel 1155 G850 processor and laptop-style RAM which can't be used elsewhere unless it's a rare ITX board.

Are you sure the G850 isn't soldered onto the mobo here? (BGA instead of LGA?) In any case, that's an $80 part that's the equivalent of a <$70 part. I'd forget reusing that in another system.

or blowing the wad and going big immediately.

If you want us to figure out a whole new build for you, please answer [thread=80121]these questions[/thread].

I also like Folding@Home for cancer research.

For our team, TeAm AnandTech? (198?)

And run all the systems!!! 😉

 

[Blue_Max]

Lol... Intel 6c/12t was tempting for folding alone but I can't justify the $500+ extra cost for doing so, nor has anyone been able to really tell me how much more those 4 hyperthreading cores of a standard i7 would help the numbers...

The G850 definitely comes out - I put it IN there in the first place (after raiding the i5 2500S for myself (now sold.) The 1155 route is tempting because the G850 will run all my *current* games better than my Q6700 would, and leave me the upgrade path of an i5/i7.

Of course, if I can just sell off this fun HP 8200 Elite superSFF (as seen in Anandtech's review!) I can pump that money into the upgrade budget. My landlord doesn't like big electric bills, so selling off the Dell Q6700 rig should be the final step of the equasion (maybe keep the low-voltage HP as my "fallback" machine) and go for one big upgrade!

Of course, keeping the HP machine gives me the option of 1155 board NOW, enjoy the speed boost, upgrade to the best i7 for 1155 a little later. 1150 isn't THAT much better - it simply opens the future upgrade path... right?

I should be trying to sell off BOTH the HP and Dell systems, then keep the one left after one is gone. (With a 7900GT video card in the Dell, it might get more interest as a "tight budget gamer".)

The HP will be painful to use for long though... stuck on Intel HD video. Bleh. 🙂

 

[Ken g6]

Selling the HP as a whole system looks fairly appealing to me. Here's a faster LGA1150 Pentium for $70. No, LGA1150 isn't much better than 1155, but it looks like low-end LGA1150 boards are about the same price as the LGA1155s. And they all take the same DDR3 RAM.

But, please, answer [thread=80121]these questions[/thread]. Like, do you plan to overclock? Because you can't with those low-end boards (or low-end processors).

 

[Zaxx]

I agree with Ken...nothing too astonishing coming soonish. And yeah...'Dell' is the word of death regarding overclocking. My very first system was a 1.6 Dell and I was crushed when I found out they can't be o/ced...I was indeed a noob who didn't do his homework.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Sell both.

HP mini struggles to game due to graphic restrictions. Dell could be upgraded but by the time you swapped CPU and RAM plus factored in no OC it's not worth it.

You need to find a good home for your orphan GTX 660.