is MY C2D E6400 @3.1Ghz Holding my Gaming Back?!

[bushwickbill]

I bought this C2D E6400 Last January And I have been slowly adding Better things here and there. But When I first go above 3Ghz on my CPU I remember people saying I wouldn't see much more benefit trying to Overclock any higher??
Now this is a Quote from a review from OCC Website discussing a GTX"

The 9800GTX did the best here, but it is very evident that the CPU is holding this card back."

And they had a Quad Q6600 At 266*9!!
Here is the Article
http://www.overclockersclub.com/revi..._9800gtx/5.htm
If I were to try and Through a E8400 OR a Cheap Quad that will fit my ASUS P5B Vanilla, How much Gaming Performance will I really see?!?
Just wondering is it really worth it to purchase a new CPU or just hold out till my next MOBO and CPU and Case next Year
If I will only see only 10-15FPS increase then INMO it is not worth the hassle. I hardly do anything else besides Surfing and playing Games Now, So is it worth it guys or is there another upgrade that would serve me well??
Thanx as always for your Advice

 

[GuitarDaddy]

You might see 5-10fps by going to a nicely o/c'd E8400, not worth it. You might try clocking the E6400 higher?

 

[bushwickbill]

I can get to 3.2Ghz, But To get than extra 100Mhz I have to really start jacking up the V.Core to around 1.5 Volts in BIOS (1.37 Volts showing in CPU-Z). Seems 3.1Ghz is the sweet safe spot for my CPU, At least till I get a better case with improved Air Flow.
Thanx for the Reply!

 

[error8]

A 3ghz core 2 duo cpu is the best combination with a powerful geforce 8 card. Of course that a E8400, OCed to 4 ghz for example, will give you a couple of fps over your current cpu, especially at lower resolutions, but I don't think it will worth the money. Just keep your mobo and cpu until Nehalem appears and get then a newer generation quad core, since they should be cheaper and games will probably start using more then just 2 cores.

Your cpu now is just perfect for gaming and it should remain like this for some time.

 

[happy medium]

With a 24inch monitor? Probrobly not enough gains to justify a upgrade.

 

[hooflung]

No way is going over 3ghz on an older C2D going to provide you with a better experience. I wouldn't even go over 3.4ghz on a 8400 because its just not worth it until your at the last leg of the chip/platform and need it to compete with next gen chips.

3.0 C2Ds with 2mb or more cache is the sweet spot of gaming currently.

 

[myocardia]

If you have either Supreme Commander or M$'s FSX, you'd see some gain from a quad-core, as long as it was overclocked. Any other games, and you've got plenty of CPU power, especially @ 1920x1200 resolution.

 

[BolleY2K]

I would save the money and use that CPU till the next platform with the new Intel 45nm CPUs arrives on the market.

 

[secretanchitman]

no way...any c2d at/above 3Ghz is damned fast.