Would upgrading my Q8200 OC do any good?

[TurtleCrusher]

I do not live near a Microcenter. Just getting that out there.

I have the system in sig. More details here:

Intel Q8200, 2.33ghz (333x7), 4MB L2, 24/7 100% stable OC at 2.8ghz (400x7), 1.18V, can go higher.
Gigabyte EP45-DS3L ATX Motherboard.
Patriot 4GB (2x2GB) DDR800 2V 5-5-5-15.
Arctic Freezer Pro HSF.
Sapphire Radeon 4830 512MB (710/940 is the usual OC)
1TB Seagate 7200.12, 200GB Seagate SATA 1.5, 80GB Maxtor IDE, IDE DVD/RW optical.
Soundblaster Audigy 1 24-bit PCI sound card (never getting rid of it, love it).
Antec TruePower Trio 550w (3x12V@18amps)
Antec Silver P180 case.
Acer 22" 1680x1050, Dell 17" 1280x1024.

So I built this computer a year ago and I plan to hold on to it longer than I did with my s939 x2 4200+. I need this computer to last for a few years (sans GPU upgrades) and I'm thinking about maxing out my processor while I can. I can get my CPU all the way to 3.2ghz, but a few years from now I still want it to be fast enough.

Would upgrading to a Q9550 do any real benefit above my Q8200 @ 3-3.2ghz? Really 3.5-3.6ghz would be my max with the q9550, and i'm unsure whether to suck it up now and upgrade.

I do encode videos here and there, but mostly single threaded audio transcoding is my thing. I also game a bit (GTA4, NBA 2K10, DOD:S, CoH: Valor, Starcraft 2 and D3 on the way) so I want to make sure it's fast enough.

Any opinions? Is it worth it?

 

[Hey Zeus]

12megs of L2 cache would DEFINITELY help

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=89&p2=50

 

[Maximilian]

Bleh i wouldnt bother unless you can get it really cheap. If your Q8200 is fine for now then just leave it, upgrade when you need to, the Q9550 will only fall in price over time in case you reconsider in the future.

 

[Spicedaddy]

I'd put the money aside for a complete CPU/mobo/ram upgrade in a year or two.

 

[n7]

I'd put the money aside for a complete CPU/mobo/ram upgrade in a year or two.

I'd agree.
OC your chip as far as possible i'd say, but save toward a new rig, especially a new video card.

I don't see how a Q9550 is going to make a drastic difference for your uses.
Also, your mobo sux for OCing quads, which means you won't get the most out of a Q9550 anyway.

 

[MagickMan]

I'd agree.
OC your chip as far as possible i'd say, but save toward a new rig, especially a new video card.

I don't see how a Q9550 is going to make a drastic difference for your uses.
Also, your mobo sux for OCing quads, which means you won't get the most out of a Q9550 anyway.

My EP45-DS3L really sucks for OCing quads... I can only get my Q9550 up to 3.8GHz on stock volts. What a dog, I should just throw it away. :\


OP, if you can get a new Q9550 for around $200 you might want to go for it. I did that not too long ago, and the improvement is amazing. But, I upgraded from an E7200. You won't see as much of a difference as I did.

 

[Arkaign]

If you sell your Q8200 for the going rate on Fleabay and the like, then the upgrade price to a Q9550 could be worth it. The q8000 series kinda sucked compared to q6000/q9000.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Just save your money for a new system. The Q8200 is a competent chip, especially when overclocked.

If you sell your Q8200 for the going rate on Fleabay and the like, then the upgrade price to a Q9550 could be worth it. The q8000 series kinda sucked compared to q6000/q9000.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=52&p2=53

Q8000 is not that bad.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

My EP45-DS3L really sucks for OCing quads... I can only get my Q9550 up to 3.8GHz on stock volts. What a dog, I should just throw it away. :\


OP, if you can get a new Q9550 for around $200 you might want to go for it. I did that not too long ago, and the improvement is amazing. But, I upgraded from an E7200. You won't see as much of a difference as I did.

That OC is pretty good. If I do buy a Q9550, post your settings. I'm still on the fence right now so no need atm. Doesn't your NB get crazy hot???

Decisions...

 

[tno]

I'll second the wait and see approach. The iX series are great but are almost overkill in most circumstances, but that will change with time. In a year, your Q8000 will still be competitive, especially with the overclock, and the lower end iX platforms will be significantly cheaper and impressively more capable than your current rig. The only other thing you might consider is a platform swap ::holds hands up to block incoming thrown vegetables:: I'm not actually advocating this approach, just playing devil's advocate.

So, again, my advice, start an upgrade fund with the money you have now (and don't spend it), and add to it till you can afford to make the jump to i7!

Jason

 

[tweakboy]

I agree with spicedaddy .

For me my next upgrade is in 2020 when CPU's can do what GPU does and ray tracing in realtime gaming... thx