Is it worth upgrading cpu?

[Cheesepie]

Currently, I have a 775 Celeron Wolfdale E3300 in a G41-ES2L board overclocked at 3.5 ghz/1.4 volts. The board's FSB doesn't go past 280 so I can't overclock any higher. Would a Pentium E5400 be a worthwhile upgrade while i throw the E3300 into my HTPC? Or should I just grab a cheap core 2 duo? The reason I favor the Pentium over the core 2 is because i don't think the core 2 has any overclocking ability on this board, since the fsb doesn't go past 280..

PS: My budget is around $50, so don't suggest a quad, unless there's one for under $50.

 

[Homeles]

Go do some internet surveys or something and buy an i7 3770k.

 

[Maximilian]

Used core 2 quad or bust!

Snag a Q6600.

 

[Hatisherrif]

I wouldn't suggest getting a used CPU. Wait a little for your budget to grow and upgrade the whole platform.

 

[ShintaiDK]

I wouldn't suggest getting a used CPU. Wait a little for your budget to grow and upgrade the whole platform.

This.

 

[TroubledBuilder]

Go quad Q6600 or a Q9550 (both great) till your pocket fills up a lil more

 

[dbcooper1]

Depending on what you need more performance for, you might get the best bang for buck by going for something with more cache than clock speed. My experience has been that for everyday use, things tend to level off after about 3 GHz with some notable exceptions of course. If you're doing rendering or video encoding, you'll want all the clock speed and cores you can get.

 

[MustangSVT]

3.5ghz should already be performance limit for most c2d c2qs can reach.

Save whatever money u have for complete system upgrade.

 

[Cheesepie]

The thing is, my budget will never be high enough for a full system upgrade. Only certain parts here and there every few years.

Depending on what you need more performance for, you might get the best bang for buck by going for something with more cache than clock speed. My experience has been that for everyday use, things tend to level off after about 3 GHz with some notable exceptions of course. If you're doing rendering or video encoding, you'll want all the clock speed and cores you can get.

I'm using this CPU for gaming and web browsing, except the E3300 overclocked can't handle games like TF2 and Left 4 Dead. I had a Core 2 Duo a few years ago that COULD, but it was overclocked and I doubt I can do that on this board. So is a stock core 2 duo (2.4 - 3 ghz) viable for these type of games?

 

[Hatisherrif]

I don't know what to say. I think that in this case GHz matters more than the CPU itself, but it's your call.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

The thing is, my budget will never be high enough for a full system upgrade. Only certain parts here and there every few years.




I'm using this CPU for gaming and web browsing, except the E3300 overclocked can't handle games like TF2 and Left 4 Dead. I had a Core 2 Duo a few years ago that COULD, but it was overclocked and I doubt I can do that on this board. So is a stock core 2 duo (2.4 - 3 ghz) viable for these type of games?

Yes. You should be able to pick up a used E8400 or E6850 for < $50. A friend of mine plays L4D on an E8400/5670 at 1080p with no issues.

 

[Denithor]

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/celeron-e3300_5.html

Based on this, increasing the L2 cache from your e3300's 1MB to an e5x00's 2MB would yield about 10% better fps in games at the same clockspeed. And you could expect somewhat more going to an e8x00 chip with 6MB cache.

Which would actually be my recommendation. Your board supports the e8x00 chips and they are quite cheap on eBay these days. I picked up an e8400 on an Intel board with heatsink/fan for $70 last week for a cheap build for a friend.

One thing - you say your board won't go above 280 fsb. Is a memory timing or something else holding you back? Because the cpu support chart shows all of the C2D lineup supported - the e8x00 chips run 333 fsb stock - so something's up with your settings.