I have a 2 year old PC, and i've slowly updated the hardware over the years, except for the processor. I have an intel core 2 duo e4500, and I feel like it's time to upgrade. My local microcenter has an intel core 2 quad q9550 on sale for $170, and was wondering if it would be a big upgrade, or should I wait a couple of months (like 6-8) and maybe build a core i7 system.
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Upgrade worth it?
- Thread starter Nauthez
- Start date
The thing about the LGA1366 is that it is a little expensive. I hope to have the money by summer, but if the books are more than I expected, then I won't be building it until end of 2010, and by then who knows what will be out. I just saw a good deal, and I have an old processor, so I figured it was time for an upgrade.
If your E4500 (when overclocked) is enough to handle what you need, then there's no point in upgrading. However, if you feel that it doesn't perform as well as you want and/or bottlenecks, the Q9550 would provide a noticeable and substantial boost in performance for a lot less than building a new system.
In what way are you bottlenecked by your CPU? In what applications or games? And what are the most system-intensive tasks you regularly use your computer for?
Might I ask how much RAM you have in your system? Which hard drive are you using?
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do yourself a favor and get the q9550. sell the e4500 to help make up the cost.
forget the i7 deal too. the q9550 will be more than enough for a good year or two. when you then feel it is slow, then overclock it.
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forget the i7 deal too. the q9550 will be more than enough for a good year or two. when you then feel it is slow, then overclock it.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
For a really cheap cpu+mobo upgrade that will hold you till you can afford an i7, I say go for:
Athlon II X4 620 - 2.6ghz stock, goes to 3-3.2ghz@stock voltage on stock hsf easily
Any 785G/sb710 mobo - there are several to choose from, your choice of AM2+ w/ddr2 or AM3 w/ddr3, for 79.99. Newegg has at least 1 combo deal with a 620 and ddr2 785g board for $150; Reuse your current ddr2, and you have a 150-180 dollar upgrade that will carry you till the end of the year when you can upgrade till whenever.
If you want serious gaming performance, you can spent 160 on a 955 C2 125w variant that does 3.8ghz relatively easily, or 175 on a 95w C3 955 that will do 4ghz quite easily. It costs 60-75 more up front but you will get a 4ghz cpu with all 6mb of l3 cache intact. The latter will do more than just carry you till the end of the year, youll likely end up loving it and keeping it thru the entire Phenom II/7 generation. By then you will have 6 core i7's and maybe even amd's new bulldozer architecture to consider.I realize this is the intel forum but its crazy to spend 160+ on a dead architecture when for less than just the cost of the cpu u can get a modern quad core that isn't a dead arch. Want to get a usb3 mobo in a few months? SOL with a core2*. How about the new SATA which will go mainstream prolly around summer? Also sol =)
Just a suggestion from the other side, no flames needed.
Now if you are just dropping the core2quad into your existing mobo its worth considering more closely, as it will be faster than an Athlon II 620, but if you need a new mobo too, then its gonna cost A LOT more than a 620 and 785g mobo. Even just the cpu is the same or more than a 620+785g mobo depending if u grab a combo deal or not. The PhII 955's will be faster than that low end core2quad, and will oc much better too. And even a 955BE C2 or C3 +785g mobo will be cheaper than the cheapest core2quad + mobo for it.
Athlon II X4 620 - 2.6ghz stock, goes to 3-3.2ghz@stock voltage on stock hsf easily
Any 785G/sb710 mobo - there are several to choose from, your choice of AM2+ w/ddr2 or AM3 w/ddr3, for 79.99. Newegg has at least 1 combo deal with a 620 and ddr2 785g board for $150; Reuse your current ddr2, and you have a 150-180 dollar upgrade that will carry you till the end of the year when you can upgrade till whenever.
If you want serious gaming performance, you can spent 160 on a 955 C2 125w variant that does 3.8ghz relatively easily, or 175 on a 95w C3 955 that will do 4ghz quite easily. It costs 60-75 more up front but you will get a 4ghz cpu with all 6mb of l3 cache intact. The latter will do more than just carry you till the end of the year, youll likely end up loving it and keeping it thru the entire Phenom II/7 generation. By then you will have 6 core i7's and maybe even amd's new bulldozer architecture to consider.I realize this is the intel forum but its crazy to spend 160+ on a dead architecture when for less than just the cost of the cpu u can get a modern quad core that isn't a dead arch. Want to get a usb3 mobo in a few months? SOL with a core2*. How about the new SATA which will go mainstream prolly around summer? Also sol =)
Just a suggestion from the other side, no flames needed.
Now if you are just dropping the core2quad into your existing mobo its worth considering more closely, as it will be faster than an Athlon II 620, but if you need a new mobo too, then its gonna cost A LOT more than a 620 and 785g mobo. Even just the cpu is the same or more than a 620+785g mobo depending if u grab a combo deal or not. The PhII 955's will be faster than that low end core2quad, and will oc much better too. And even a 955BE C2 or C3 +785g mobo will be cheaper than the cheapest core2quad + mobo for it.
angelicvoices
Limp Gawd
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going from LGA775 to AM2+ is a side step, not an upgrade, and a total waste of money for someone already on a LGA775 motherboard which supports the newest CPUs. Going to AMD means have to get a new motherboard, plus CPU and possibly RAM.. there's just no point to spending all that when they could just upgrade CPU for less and get equal or better performance.
Also the Phenom 550 costs equal the that Athlon x4 and is superior for gamers.
Also the Phenom 550 costs equal the that Athlon x4 and is superior for gamers.
I say your best route is to wait for an i5 or i7, though personally, as an AMD guy, I'd go for a cheaper AM2 combo, like an Athlon II x2 or a phenom quad, and upgrade to a phenom II quad 965 in the future, as noted above. Though this will require you having to get a new Mobo, obviously.
Depending on the game, the CPU can be a significant bottle neck. Your current CPU is way out of balance with your video card and the Q9550 could make a definite difference in how you PC runs. (I just did this Microcenter upgrade from an E5200.) I really think that with the Q9550 you could get another 2 years out of your present system, with maybe a video card upgrade along the way.
I think that for you it would be a very cost effective move.
I think that for you it would be a very cost effective move.
The hope is that the OP has a good, solid, Yorkfield-friendly mobo. What annoys me is that we are guessing what he has. Nauthez - please update your sig so we can better help you. If you have a P45 mobo, for example, then you just drop in the Q9550 and be done with it. At stock you are already competitive with the PhII offerings (not to mention the cache-castrated Athlon II).
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If your mobo supports quad cores, then get the Q9550. Don't even bother with that AMD setup a mentioned a few post earlier. The Q9550 is a better cpu than the AMD x4 620. Even if you can get an AM3 mobo + cpu for the same price as the Q9550, it's not 'better.' While the 620 is no slouch, you can get more performance for the same cost, so stick witht he Q9550; all you do is swap out the cpu and be done with it. Yes S775 is dead architecture, but the Q9550 will give YOU more time to save money for an i5/i7 or whatever comes after it while at the same time giving you a huge upgrade for another year or two.
I don't see how unless you're playing CPU intensive games like Grand Theft Auto, or World in Conflict. Hell WiC runs fine on my notebook in my sig, which is probably slightly less powerful or as powerful as your current setup.
Really, all you really need is probably 4GB of ram if you don't have it already. OC that E4500 and save some $$. The Core2Duos really aren't obsolete at all yet.
Sorry for the late responce. I have a WD 500gb 7200RPM HD, 4 gigs of ddr2 800mhz ram. I feel like it bottlenecks with a couple of games. Even on Team Fortress 2, the graphics are set to the recommended level, and it sometimes lags. I have a preformace monitor and it shows my cpu at 100% the entire time. Hell, an HD video on youtube takes my cpu to 100%. I was thinking of maybe considering a corei7 rig sometime in the future, but for now my setup works for what I need it. It's only my processor that's aging, and I'm starting to notice the difference. My entire rig is about 2 year old, but the videocard is around 4 months old.
fullvietFX
[H]ard|Gawd
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No point of getting a new mobo, just go for the Q9550.
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qft ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
CyberJunk
Supreme [H]ardness
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there is nothing that taxes the Q9550
Except Crysis. >_>
Believe me, there are a lot of things that can tax a Q9550.
Not even Crysis. Crysis is almost entirely GPU dependant.
heatlesssun
Extremely [H]
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On a single GPU sure. Multi-GPU is another matter. Crysis performs quite a bit better on my sig rig than even by 790i QX9650 @ 3.67GHz with the same 3 280s.
I was being sarcastic.