Will Q6600 bottle neck my upgrade ?

dazfpearson

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May 9, 2013
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I'd like to upgrade my machine but don't really want to shell out of a new motherboard & cpu

My current build is :
Q6600 stock cooler
Micro-Star MS-7510 mo bo
850w Coolermaster psu
GTX 260
4 gig ram

I'm looking at a GTX 670 or equivalent and another 4 gig of ram.

Is it worth me shelling out on these or will my gains be negligible due to my old cpu

Also I've never overclocked before so don't really fancy giving it a go.

Thanks

Daz
 

Maxx_Power

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If you play any CPU-bound games like Starcraft 2, your system will be severely CPU-bound. I had a similar system (exact same CPU, with a slight OC) and it was CPU-bound in all CPU-limited games.

Instead of opting for the GTX670, I would save for a system upgrade. UNLESS, what you play and do are not dependent on CPU performance, but even then, you might consider upgrading soon anyway. Try to time your upgrades around the release of Intel's Haswell in a month. You'll be able to get a choice of discounted current generation Ivy Bridge platforms, or the brand new Haswell.
 
Depends on your resolution and what games you are playing, but the short answer is that demanding titles will be hindered by your CPU long before a GTX 670 (or similar). Even if you were able to OC the Q6600 to 3.0GHz you are still not in an ideal situation. Since you can always move the GPU into a new build later, I would say go ahead and pick up a GPU and see where that puts you. It may be acceptable for what you do...
 

Hard Line

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Apr 15, 2008
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You will see a difference regardless. AND you can use the card when you upgrade the platform at a later date ppl over analyze on bottlenecks.. it won't limit the card as much as you think.. will you get better performance form it if you got a current cpu? yes.. will you see a difference between the 260 and the 670? yes
 

dazfpearson

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May 9, 2013
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Thanks guys.

I run at 1920 X 1200 on a 22"

I play a lot of SC2 "Your computer is slowing down the game" appears from time to time so I guess these upgrades wont help to much in that respect ?

I guess if I can afford a 'phase 2' upgrade on the mobo, cpu and ram before the end of the year then all should fall into place.
 

spawnkiller

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Jan 23, 2013
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i had a Q6600 Oc to 4.05ghz and that was a bottleneck in all CPU intensive game with my 680, even an I3 3220 is faster in those games...

That said, you'll enjoy your 670 anyway as the Q6600 is still a beast but if you can, plan on a Cooler Master Hyper 212 (20-30$ cpu cooler) and try to get at least 3ghz, that'll help a lot !! (3ghz is generally obtained via stock voltage so it's a really safe OC)

PS: at that resolution, the 670 will perform really well in 1920-1200 comparing it to a 260, seriously, you we're able to play a game at that resolution with a 260 ?!?!?