Is it Worth upgrading my cpu and ram?

anthonyorm · Dec 14, 2015

My pc right now has a Core 2 quad q8200 2.33 ghz and 4gbs of ddr2 6400 ram and a GTX 750, I play games like CSGO, GTAV, Just Cause 2 and Cities: Skylines. I was looking at upgrading the cpu to a core 2 quad q9300 2.5 ghz and 8gbs of ram. Will I get any difference in performance?

Dan425811923 · Dec 14, 2015

Getting another Core 2 is pointless. If you had the money I would suggest upgrading to h97 but for the timebeing an extra 4 gigs ram will help.

celtic_warrior99 · Dec 14, 2015

Hi, with the CPU yes you will get a performance increase, those core 2 quad cpus are great!

But with the RAM, you wont notice any FPS increase, maybe some general windows performance increase, but not any increases of FPS in games. But the CPU will help FPS in game.

Martell1977 · Dec 14, 2015

Not a huge difference, but there should be an improvement, plus, depending on your motherboard and cooler, you could probably overclock it a good amount.

Best thing to do would be a new build, but I know that's not always in the budget. Depending on the motherboard you have, you might be able to upgrade the CPU further to something like a Q9550.

anthonyorm · Dec 14, 2015

celtic_warrior99 :

Okay, thanks!

Dan425811923 · Dec 14, 2015

The core 2 quads are all very similar and the ram will help.

anthonyorm · Dec 14, 2015

Martell1977 :

I would build a new PC but I only have the budget of 250. I might buy a new cpu cooler though.

nikoli707 · Dec 14, 2015

doubtful you would get any performance increase from the cpu upgrade. ram could definitely help though. but at this point you should consider the cost of a full upgrade vs the cost of used older parts.

Martell1977 · Dec 14, 2015

anthonyorm :

Kind of figured it wasn't in the budget. Here is a comparison of the Q9300 and Q9550, there are some advantages to the Q9550:
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core2-Quad-Q9550-vs-Intel-Core2-Quad-Q9300
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/822/Intel_Core_2_Quad_Q9300_vs_Intel_Core_2_Quad_Q9550.html

EBay is your best bet for getting a decent price on these older CPUs.

anthonyorm · Dec 14, 2015

nikoli707 :

Yeah, I might just get a CPU cooler instead and overclock the q8200.

celtic_warrior99 · Dec 14, 2015

AS he has said, he doesnt have the money for a new PC, so he will need to stick with platform 775 for now. . But the new CPU will give performance increase. Maybe not major but it will still help his performance. What motherboard do you have? There may be a better CPU you can get.

Dan425811923 · Dec 14, 2015

Sell your current system then build a 500 dollar gaming rig.

celtic_warrior99 · Dec 14, 2015

But an overclocked 8200 would be good. Core 2 Qauds overclock like a boss! SHould be able to get a pretty good overclock with a good motherboard and CPU cooler.

anthonyorm · Dec 14, 2015

celtic_warrior99 :

Yeah, I love the core 2 quads but the games I play are not running good anymore, I would love to keep using a quad. My mobo is a Asus Benicia

celtic_warrior99 · Dec 14, 2015

Well a overclock will defnitely help with performance. Dpending on how high you can overclock, the performance increase may even be better than a Q9300.

anthonyorm · Dec 14, 2015

celtic_warrior99 :

Okay, thanks, Im gonna also get a cpu cooler to go with it.

nikoli707 · Dec 14, 2015

if your board can indeed overclock then that would be your best bet by far and only cost around $30. otherwise you will need a new cpu, board, ram, and power supply.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $238.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-14 00:40 EST-0500

anthonyorm · Dec 14, 2015

nikoli707 :

if your board can indeed overclock then that would be your best bet by far and only cost around $30. otherwise you will need a new cpu, board, ram, and power supply.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $238.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-14 00:40 EST-0500

Okay, Im pretty sure my board can overclock.

celtic_warrior99 · Dec 14, 2015

Yeah, most motherboards can overclock, some very well. what model is your motherboard?

anthonyorm · Dec 14, 2015

celtic_warrior99 :

Asus Benicia

celtic_warrior99 · Dec 14, 2015

Ok well that motherboard comes from a prebuilt PC, so i cant guarantee that it will overclockm well, if at all. I have a feeling that the multiplier and other overclock options will be locked. But no harm in checking if you can overclock.

anthonyorm · Dec 14, 2015

celtic_warrior99 :

Yeah, Im going to research that

celtic_warrior99 · Dec 14, 2015

ok, good idea

Is it Worth upgrading my cpu and ram?

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