should i upgrade now..how much perfermance increase?

newbieclocker

Member
Dec 14, 2007
25
0
0
right now im running

e4500 running oc at 2.8 ghz
4mb ddr 2
ati 6850 graphics card.

am i cpu limited with this proccessor.

how much of a performance increase would i see going to

2500k oc'ed to 4.5 or whatever on stock cooling
8g ddr3

i only play games , mostly FPS and MMOs
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,572
10,208
126
Yes, your CPU will bottleneck you for recent games that require a quad-core. Bottlenecking not so severe for games that only require a dual-core.
 

sm625

Diamond Member
May 6, 2011
8,172
137
106
ebay "Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz CPU 8MB Socket 775" Current price $84, ends in 2 minutes. That's what I'd do.

update: it just sold for $84.13 with free shipping. That is pretty much where I'd set my price target. This was a G0 too.
 
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Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
10,408
10
0
What specific games do you play and at what resolution?

Not many games take advantage of quad cores....and let's face it, visually games haven't really improved much past 4 years or so.
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
21,053
3,537
126
where does everyone pull this magic 4.5ghz number??

seriously... do you guys go up to some window and ask the lady... i want a 4.5ghz SB... give me NOW?


Overclocking is ALWAYS YMMV... sometimes u get it.. sometimes u dont... sometimes u get super lucky.. sometimes u dont...

There is no gaurentee'd overclock besides what turbo on promises you.


And also guys if u are the overclocker let me tell u in a little secret ive learned from experience.

Launch Date CPU's are always the best.... its been a trend.. but launch date cpu's are typically the most durable.. and scale better then mid launch cpu's.

Late launch cpu's tend to be leftover inventory from earily launch cpu's and they tend to oc better as well, unless they completely sold out of earily launch cpu's and mid launch is all they have left.

So what does that tell ya? if u want a good overclocking cpu... get it at launch, or near the end of line retail... odds play the best ur going to get the OC or close to the OC u were hopping for.
 
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newbieclocker

Member
Dec 14, 2007
25
0
0
4.5 was just a guess...just gonna overclock to whatever is stable and runs good.

btw i play all games at 1650X1050 rez

im basically gonna play the new modern warfare and star wars Old republic.

im just wondering how much performance ill gain, if its worth spending $500 bucks for new meomory, proccessor,mobo,power supply.

or if i should wait till next gen stuff comes to upgrade.
 

Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
10,408
10
0
For those 2 games, it's not really worth an upgrade. Just play at whatever settings it's playable.

It's not like these 2 games are achieving some kind of new gaming milestone.

COD will be based on the old outdated engine....no DX11 (not that DX11 is worth much now days anyways).

At the end of the day you have to ask yourself "can I justify spending $xxx to play this game at these settings"

I can't

Battlefield 3 might be that game, but judging by the beta...it's no milestone (even though EA/Dice tells us that they went up and beyond to minimized visuals....when the game is half broke).

I believe when I see
 

jacktesterson

Diamond Member
Sep 28, 2001
5,493
3
81
I've overclocked three 2500K's for 3 builds.

One was on A INTEL BRANDED mATX (Foxconn made I believe) board....P67.. and was able to get it 24hr prime stable @ 4.4 GHz.

One was a MSI G43 P67 @ 4.4GHz Prime95 24hr stable/OCCT 8 hr Stable

The other was on a Asus P67 Pro board... was able to get it 4.6 GHz 24hr Prime stable ...

Both have never crashed as far as I've heard. Both were being cooled by Eco Coolit 120's

I think 2500/2600k's pretty much all will hit 4.2, with majority hitting 4.4 or higher.
 

jacktesterson

Diamond Member
Sep 28, 2001
5,493
3
81
Related to topic at hand....

Pick up a Q6600 and overclock it. It will give you extra life on your setup without replacing the motherboard too.

They can be had in ebay auctions for $75
 

newbieclocker

Member
Dec 14, 2007
25
0
0
basically i wanna be able to play old republic with most of the graphic goodies and not a ton of lag in high pop areas
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
20,736
1,379
126
Wait a week and look at Anand and other credible BD reviews. The smart money is that it's actually gonna be released imminently now. And it may be a fairly compelling choice with midrange SKUs after overclocking (yay for unlocked CPUs).
 

tweakboy

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2010
9,517
2
81
www.hammiestudios.com
Without having to overclock the chip. I can tell you its about 10000 percent faster and more powerful then your current duo chip. Games on avg take up 60 percent of CPU soo you got breathing room, on your DUO , it goes to 100 percent and bottlenecks... You will not see a difference between a 2500k or 2600k overclocked to 5Ghz or what not. Its already fast as heck,, no difference only people with DAW or Video editing will notice the difference.


Your taking a big leap from a 2006 chip to a 2010 2011 chip. Trust me its a night and day difference, ... and make shure to couple a good video card with it, and your FPS will be 60 and never drop no matter what scene or what @ 1080p 8xAA 16xAF vsync on,, high quality... gl But if you want the ultimate upgrade, put a SSD with that 2600k Then you will see a HUGE difference ... and apps and what not popping up in 0 seconds,, My dads rig, 2600k and 128GB SSD SATA 3 , I dont feel a difference from his to mine, except the fact his stuff comes up quicker cuz you have 0.000001 latency, so files are read instantly.. Its worth it even if you pay 300 dollars for a SSD. Its the final step in making your rig NON bottlenecked...

gl

BTW, Stock HSF I wouldn't go above 3.8Ghz If you want 4.5 then you have to raise your CPU voltage and the stock heatsink/fan is not enough for a voltage and OC like this. You need a big big heatsink and a fan and your comp will sound like a Jet @ 4.5Ghz then... You might not like the noise.

But once again Im warning you as Im sure other members will agree. Don't increase your voltage until you have a nice 40 or 50 dollar HSF You can go to 3.8Ghz without touching voltage, gl


right now im running

e4500 running oc at 2.8 ghz
4mb ddr 2
ati 6850 graphics card.

am i cpu limited with this proccessor.

how much of a performance increase would i see going to

2500k oc'ed to 4.5 or whatever on stock cooling
8g ddr3

i only play games , mostly FPS and MMOs
 
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mrjoltcola

Senior member
Sep 19, 2011
534
1
0
If all you do is game, it'll be a waste of money spending money on a "Core" based quad unless you can indeed overclock it significantly past your current Conroe's speed. Most games will use one core very heavily, and a second core not so heavily. So by moving to a slower quad core you may actually slow down your experience, and be out 80 bucks!

The only catch here is your E4500 happens to only have 2MB cache. If you go the replacement "Core" route, only consider chips with 4M cache so you'll see a pop just from more cache. Don't overlook the E6600 or the X6800 as those overclock nicely and generate less heat than the Q6600, though the Q6600 is the better chip, but only if you can bump it past 3Ghz would I spend my $80, and you may then need a new cooler, depending on what you have. Else save it for a 2500K.

If you aren't overclocking, moving from a 2.8Ghz Duo to a 2.66Ghz quad will absolutely not enhance your gaming. You need 2 fast cores and good cache, then the rest is gravy. This may change as games come out, but we are talking about your system, today.
 

ThatsABigOne

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 2010
4,422
23
81
Without having to overclock the chip. I can tell you its about 10000 percent faster and more powerful then your current duo chip. Games on avg take up 60 percent of CPU soo you got breathing room, on your DUO , it goes to 100 percent and bottlenecks... You will not see a difference between a 2500k or 2600k overclocked to 5Ghz or what not. Its already fast as heck,, no difference only people with DAW or Video editing will notice the difference.


Your taking a big leap from a 2006 chip to a 2010 2011 chip. Trust me its a night and day difference, ... and make shure to couple a good video card with it, and your FPS will be 60 and never drop no matter what scene or what @ 1080p 8xAA 16xAF vsync on,, high quality... gl But if you want the ultimate upgrade, put a SSD with that 2600k Then you will see a HUGE difference ... and apps and what not popping up in 0 seconds,, My dads rig, 2600k and 128GB SSD SATA 3 , I dont feel a difference from his to mine, except the fact his stuff comes up quicker cuz you have 0.000001 latency, so files are read instantly.. Its worth it even if you pay 300 dollars for a SSD. Its the final step in making your rig NON bottlenecked...

gl

I do not understand what you just said.:thumbsdown: I would like to understand you, but your use of gl, thx, gg does not fit in the sentence structure.

If you want to upgrade, go with Q6600 to prolong the life of your computer.
 

ChippyUK

Member
Jan 13, 2010
99
1
71
basically i wanna be able to play old republic with most of the graphic goodies and not a ton of lag in high pop areas

MMO's are generally not geared to the absolute latest spec or they will have difficulty selling it. Lag occurs as more of a gaming engine design, so even those using a top specc'd system will experience issues in very crowded areas.

Well the launch date is a few months away so perhaps wait unless you want an Q6600 (check your motherboard to see if it supports it though as not all boards do). I agree with sm625 & adam_the_giant it's still a great chip especially overclocked and you may delay your need to upgrade by at least another year.

Anyway if you want to wait until late November, the bulldozer lineup from AMD are arriving around then which may present you with another option and if anything, should push down Intel CPU prices a bit.
 

mrjoltcola

Senior member
Sep 19, 2011
534
1
0
where does everyone pull this magic 4.5ghz number??

seriously... do you guys go up to some window and ask the lady... i want a 4.5ghz SB... give me NOW?

I agree with you, nothing is promised, OC is about rolling the dice to see what you get, but the fact is, most sides of the Sandy Bridge dice seem to have high numbers. :)
 

newbieclocker

Member
Dec 14, 2007
25
0
0
yeah im waiting for the AMD chips since release isnt till december..im hopin to get into a beta before December so i can see if i need to upgrade, but i never get beta invites hehe.