Q9550 upgrade?

[teatime0315]

Hey everyone, I'm debating on whether to get an i5 2500k or not. Currently MC has it on sale for 180 dollars. Would that be a substantial upgrade over my Q9550? And what is this Ivy Bridge I keep hearing about? Should I wait for that?

Current rig:

Intel Q9550 (stock)
8GB RAM
4850 512mb (soon to be 6950 1gb)
Intel 160GB G2
1920x1200 Resolution

Games that I play:

SC2
Bad Company 2
Battlefield 3 (hopefully I can handle it with the HD6950)

What would you guys do in this situation?

 

[toyota]

I would just oc the Q9550 and get that 6950. 2500k would be okay upgrade but nothing massive for gaming over an oced Q9550 while using a single 6950. plus you will need new mobo and ram so its not really worth it IMO. then next year you can go with Ivy Bridge which is basically going to be a 22nm Sandy Bridge.

 

[OCGuy]

IB is the next line of chips coming from Intel, generally accepted as being released in 2012.

OC that Q9550, and sit on it. If you need to buy a $35 cooler to do it, that is well worth it to squeeze another 6-10 months out of that chip.

 

[pantsaregood]

Careful about suggesting Ivy Bridge. Ivy Bridge is a die shrink. It will, per-clock, be absolutely no faster than Sandy Bridge.

 

[toyota]

Careful about suggesting Ivy Bridge. Ivy Bridge is a die shrink. It will, per-clock, be absolutely no faster than Sandy Bridge.

for one thing you do know exactly what it will be as there could be some small changes. and just the the shrink alone to that new 22nm process would be enough to hugely increase efficiency and have much higher clocks. and the point was that he might as well with until then because his current cpu is fine if he overclocks it.

 

[pantsaregood]

Ivy Bridge has continuously been referred to by Intel as a die shrink of Sandy Bridge.

This is similar to Westmere vs. Nehalem. The architecture of both Westmere and Nehalem is the same; Westmere is simply a 32nm version of Nehalem.

Smaller transistors may allow for better energy efficiency and higher clocks, but the per-clock performance will be no different.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

If you are willing to give me your 9550 for free, then I think its a HUGE upgrade.

 

[Tsavo]

Ivy Bridge has continuously been referred to by Intel as a die shrink of Sandy Bridge.

This is similar to Westmere vs. Nehalem. The architecture of both Westmere and Nehalem is the same; Westmere is simply a 32nm version of Nehalem.

Smaller transistors may allow for better energy efficiency and higher clocks, but the per-clock performance will be no different.

So, IB has 3D transistors. Do I need to wear those silly blue/red glasses to use it? :hmm:

 

[Dadofamunky]

Oh, I think it's a huge upgrade, especially if you OC it. The 9550, however, is still a valid platform and has really held its value. I think you could sell it for enough to cover the entire cost of the new CPU - easily. If I were running Nehalem I wouldn't do it, but upgrade from Yorkfield to SB? I'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

[edplayer]

What would you guys do in this situation?

Have you read any reviews on it yet?

A lot depends on your finances and what you plan on doing with the old parts. Selling the old parts would offset a large portion of the upgrade. I would do it (and did, had a Q9550/UD3P/4GB Pi Black) because the upgrade is substantial (not huge though) and the value of your S775 parts will just go lower.

 

[Brent]

A lot depends on your finances and what you plan on doing with the old parts. Selling the old parts would offset a large portion of the upgrade. I would do it (and did, had a Q9550/UD3P/4GB Pi Black) because the upgrade is substantial (not huge though) and the value of your S775 parts will just go lower.

I'm in a similar boat as the OP. In my case, I'd rather keep my Q9550 & 8GB RAM and use them to give my wife's PC an upgrade since she has enough tech envy to want something "new" herself, even if it's a hand-me-down.

I've just OC'd my Q9550 to 3.6GHz @ 1.2375V on my P5K-E Wifi/AP (P35-based motherboard) with 8GB of Corsair XMS2 DHX (TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX). Prime95 is running smoothly so far, for about 8 hours now.

 

[OCNewbie]

If you are willing to give me your 9550 for free, then I think its a HUGE upgrade.

LOL

 

[nanaki333]

just wait. microcenter always has these chips on sale

 

[Borealis7]

die shrink or no, 3D tri-gate transistors should be enough of a reason to get IB

 

[Kenmitch]

just wait. microcenter always has these chips on sale

More like a everyday low price than a sale.

I'd at least wait to see what bulldozer brings to the table. Most likely microcenter will also be the place to purchase a bulldozer chip and should have a nice combo deal on them....Not long to wait and see if the rumours are correct!

 

[IndianScout]

I'm running a Q9550, as others have stated just overclock it, mine holds up well in everything I throw at it

 

[teatime0315]

Thanks for the insight guys. You guys probably just saved me some money. I'm going to try and OC it for the first time. I'm running on the stock fan right now. Any recommendations for an aftermarket one that can take it to 4.0ghz?

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Thanks for the insight guys. You guys probably just saved me some money. I'm going to try and OC it for the first time. I'm running on the stock fan right now. Any recommendations for an aftermarket one that can take it to 4.0ghz?

The cooler isn't going to be the main deciding factor on hitting 4.0. Hard to go wrong with a Noctua if it fits in your case and in your budget. A Tuniq will also be a good choice at a lower price. They are out of stock at newegg, so look elsewhere.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608018

 

[tweakboy]

I would just oc the Q9550 and get that 6950. 2500k would be okay upgrade but nothing massive for gaming over an oced Q9550 while using a single 6950. plus you will need new mobo and ram so its not really worth it IMO. then next year you can go with Ivy Bridge which is basically going to be a 22nm Sandy Bridge.

As long as your with ATI/AMD your CPU is gonna be screw

Wait it out like toyota said. Because believe me you will not see a desktop diff in speed with th Q9 , you can take that to 4.6Ghz if you had proper cooling or water.

Wont see a difference too much in games.


All with Quads should just sit tight and wait for a real upgrade , Ivy Bridge 22nm and 12 core desktop .. :wub:

 

[teatime0315]

As long as your with ATI/AMD your CPU is gonna be screw

Wait it out like toyota said. Because believe me you will not see a desktop diff in speed with th Q9 , you can take that to 4.6Ghz if you had proper cooling or water.

Wont see a difference too much in games.


All with Quads should just sit tight and wait for a real upgrade , Ivy Bridge 22nm and 12 core desktop .. :wub:

Dont understand this part

 

[skipsneeky2]

i know a friend who plays alot of bc2 using a q8200 and a single 9800gt for him its been running pretty alright so i would think since bc2 is like the god of cpu whoring games out right now that the q9550 has plenty of life in it even still i would focus more on a video card upgrade then a cpu upgrade now when bf3 who knows what that game will do for you if the game is of interest to you,but i havent seen a single gamer yet bash bf3 yet or say its gonna be a flop who could?lol

 

[MrTransistorm]

Dont understand this part

Don't attempt to extract any sense from tweakboy's posts.