Intel price cuts...

[greatromances]

Right now I am running a Pentium D 805 @ 3.5ghz and 2gb DDR2-667 with an Arctic Freezer 7 Pro, running an x1800xt for my games. I built this on a tight budget for the best gaming possible, and now that intel is going to be cutting prices in half on the Pentium D line, i'm thinking about upgrading my CPU. Before I start, I just want everyone to know i'm NOT considering a conroe, or an AMD chip. It's simply out of my budget to get a new mainboard and HSF if I were to switch platforms.

So with that said, my goal would be to get a pentium D chip that I can get up ~4ghz or higher with the Freezer Pro 7. my 805 can get up to 3.5 w/ out TM1 throttling, so I wouldn't think those o/c goals for a chip such as the PD 940 would be out of reach would it? I'm looking to spend less than $230, but with the performance equal to or greater than an FX-60 after I overclock it. Which intel chip should I go with, and how much is intel planning on lowering the high-end pentium D chips price? I haven't seen any new pricing info on the 940, 945, 950, or 960 so far, just the 805-930. A 4ghz + pentium D would greatly outshine my 3.5ghz 805 w/ lower FSB, as they get the biggest performance gains over 4ghz. A $230 FX-60 beater sounds good to me. What should I do and what should I wait for?

 

[cmrmrc]

if you really want to squeeze a bit more performance from the cpu, then get a 930 or 940 and overclock it to ~4.0ghz...but ill tell you that 4.0 vs 3.5 on a Pentium D is not a big improvement and not worth the price that you'd pay for the cpu

 

[krotchy]

Honestly, If you already have a Pentium D at 3.5 Ghz, your not going to find a cheap way to improve yourself. Minus well wait a year and get a conroe/am2 (whatever fits then) when you do have the budget, because right now there is no point to going from an 805 to another P-D, except maybe to get a 900 series which might run a tad cooler. Worth it... probably not.