Want to upgrade from Core 2 6600 with about 400 dollars

[Postbiological]

I want to upgrade my motherboard, CPU, and ram from a Core2Duo 6600 system to something more powerful... for about 400 dollars... is this realistic? If so, what CPU would you recommend, and is it likely I'll see a significant difference?

Thanks

 

[adlep]

It is realistic. Keep ur case, PSU and DDR2 RAM.

Then buy one of these AMD/Mobo combos from MicroCenter
http://www.microcenter.com/specials/...ndlePROMO.html

Some of the AM3 mobos there will let you use ur current DDR2 RAM. For example:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0332148

Spend the money that you'll save on a good AMD Quad or Hex Cored CPU and better graphics.

This is what I did, and have no regrets.

 

[Rifter]

as mentioned a AMD board with DDR2 is a good option on the cheap but with a $400 budget you can do better.

If you do want to do a full upgrade of mobo/ram/CPU then I would go with this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188064
$75 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115067

$204

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211410

$51

Thats $330 which will give you enough for tax/shipping and will be a large upgrade over a 6600.

 

[Arkaign]

OP, what clocks speed, mobo, video card, and memory type do you have?

I ask because going from an OC'd Q6600 to a PhII X4 is a sideways move, the X6 is a little step up, but primarily only in encoding/heavy multitasking. Don't get me wrong, they're great chips and I have one myself, but if you have say a 3.2ghz Q6600 and 4gb of DDR2, then getting a PhII X4 965BE or so isn't going to be very much different at all.

Probably best at this point to try to sell your current CPU/mobo/ram and going for at least an i5-760, or preferably at least an i7-930 (microcenter special). If you can wait a short while, perhaps the new 2600K will be to your liking.

I'd just think that you would be disappointed to spend $400 and not get a real leap in performance. If your Q6600 is stock for some reason, then grab a nice 120mm heatpipe cooler and get it from the 2.4ghz to at least 3.2ghz (this is really easy with most Q6600s), it will be night and day, the C2D/C2Q series really comes to life starting at 3ghz or so.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

He's coming from an E6600, not a Q6600. Any modern quad would be a huge benefit.

Although you might want to wait as EVERYONE is talking about Sandy Bridge.

 

[adlep]

He's coming from an E6600, not a Q6600. Any modern quad would be a huge benefit.

Although you might want to wait as EVERYONE is talking about Sandy Bridge.

He also stated $400.00 budget constrain.

 

[Arkaign]

Ah, my bad, I'm tired and saw Q lol

 

[adlep]

DP

 

[perdomot]

as mentioned a AMD board with DDR2 is a good option on the cheap but with a $400 budget you can do better.

If you do want to do a full upgrade of mobo/ram/CPU then I would go with this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813188064
$75 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115067

$204

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211410

$51

Thats $330 which will give you enough for tax/shipping and will be a large upgrade over a 6600.

I agree with the choice of cpu and ram but you can get a combo here and for about $10 more you get a better mobo with USB 3 and Sata 3:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.570318
If you can afford to go $50 above your budget, I would strongly recommend getting this SSD for your boot drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227610
Can't emphasize strongly enough how much of a performance boosts a good SSD gives a system.

 

[adlep]

i5 2500K = ~$220
Entry level P67 mobo (ie. Gigabyte P67 UD3) = ~$120

With 4GB DDR3 he will be under budget, with 8GB slightly over.

Going AMD/DDR2 route will let the OP upgrade to a fast AMD PhenII (like X4 965 Black Edition) and a new board for under $200.00
The Black Edition will OC to at least 3.8GHz

The leftover funds can be applied toward a better graphics, SSD, or anything else. If you are upgrading on a budget, AMD is THE choice by far.

 

[Zargon]

depends on what he is doing.

SB leaves the next upgrade with the possiblilty of reusing ram/mobo and going 6-8 core as well.

its a great time to jump to DDR3 if you can afford it, its wicked cheap.

if he goes AMD he should definately go am3 compatible though, those microcenter deals are insanely good !

 

[jacktesterson]

What I'd Suggest:

AMD 1090T for $229, All O/C to 3.8, Most due 4.0, Some do 4.2 Ghz
BIOSTAR TA890FXE 890FX @ 139.99
CORSAIR 4GB DDR3 1333 Kit @ 41.99

All Free Shipping

Total: $419.00

Thats a HUGE upgrade and a hexcore!

All on Newegg.com

Its a Biostar Board, but that particular board has awesome reviews on the net and actually holds a few O/C records with the 1090t

 

[TekDemon]

With a $400 budget I'd wait for Sandy Bridge and get the 2500K or go buy the i7-950 for $199.99 at Microcenter (starting Sunday) with a cheap x58 motherboard (see the hot deals). Could probably come in nicely under $400 even with i7.

As far as AMD goes if his budget was lower I'd probably get the Phenom II X2 then go for an unlock and insane clocks with a Microcenter bundle but honestly even then the jump in day to day performance isn't going to be great. Most people aren't going to notice going to a quad-core, let alone a hexa-core since most stuff isn't multi-threaded enough to show real benefit.

I'm not hating on AMD or anything, I'm sitting here typing this on a Phenom II bundle from Microcenter but it was an upgrade for a really ancient Athlon 64 (socket 754 model). An E6600 isn't quite as desperate and he can probably hold out for Sandy Bridge with a budget of $400. The 2500K plus a motherboard and RAM will probably come in right around that mark.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Surprising list of good choices here. If I were him I'd take a hard look at the 2500K setup. By far the best bang for the buck. And the newest technology to boot.

 

[BoomerD]

Absolutely...wait for the i5-2500K to hit the streets.
SHOULD be about $216, or at least, that's the latest price point...get a good motherboard and some DDR3 and you'll rock any of the AMD offerings for most purposes. Yes, there are a couple areas where the 6-core Phenom II are faster...but for most uses...Intel wins this round...especially for gaming.