e6550 upgrade suggestions

Forum Overclocking : CPUs e6550 upgrade suggestions

Long time lurker, first time posting. My question is what advantage do I get by upgrading this CPU? I have an E6550 @3.33 it runs cool (36 idle 58 loaded (Core Temp 0.95.4) and passed 12 hour ORTHOS test. The 3DMark06 CPU score is 2934. I bought this CPU as a budget item on a new computer build with the plan of upgrading at a later time. I just read this review (http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/11/08/dual_vs_quad/page36.html) that shows a 3DMark06 score of 2945 for the E6750 @3.30. Is there any advantage to upgrading to a faster C2D? Unless I’m missing something I can’t get much of a performance boost for games. Should I just wait for quad prices to drop?

This machine is mostly used for playing games, internet and Email.

System: - EVGA nForce 650i Ultra (A1 Version), C2D E6550, XFX GeForce 8800 GTS Extreme, Seagate barracuda 7200.10 8MB SATA II (x3), Ultra X-Connect V-Series (XVS) PSU, Corsair Dual Channel TWINX PC6400 DDR2 memory (2x1024), Thermalright Ultra-90.

I think that this forum is among the best it terms of the quality of information and appreciate the effort many people put into replies.

Reply to OldWolf

I would suggest what a I'm using. Core 2 E6850. With a solid copper Zalman you can push it up to 3.6 easy. I would recommend taking the Speed Step off (The voltage can be left on auto) but Careful! to not overheat the CPU and I say this for my sake and I don't know how cool the room it is being stored in and case air flow qualities are. But then again it's not for everyone.

-Steve

Reply to nxcmp

Upgrading to the E6850 @3.6 would provide less than a 10% performance improvement. Could you provide a 3DMark06 CPU benchmark rating for comparison? I don’t understand turning speed step off once you have established a stable over clock can you explain what the down side to speed step would be?
The clear advantage to the E6850 if I understand you is that you can obtain higher speeds with less voltage, which would decrease stress on components and heat problems. Thanks for your reply.

Reply to OldWolf

You could get a quad core CPU as a nice upgrade from your E6550, but would it be worth it? If you can use four cores, sure. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. The Q6600 quad at $266 is a nice value proposition for someone building a new system. But for those of us with a fast dual core CPU, there just isn't much reason right now.

My advice is to start saving your pennies for the next generation Nehalem gear.

Reply to Mandrake_

OK heres some 3Dmark06 links and a screen of my machine before and after slight CPU and GPU OC
(Opps its not in the GPU-Z screen but I had to increase fan speed to 75% to keep temp down. At stock core and fan speed the card would top at 91 C, EVGA said the coolers are rated for 100 C on their 8800 GT's. Program used for GPU overcloack was RivaTuner, and I successfully got it to work with the new Nvidia Beta Display Driver 169.12)

Image: http://img251.imageshack.us/img251 [...] oc1aq4.jpg
Just by that slight improvement for example frames for Crysis for CPU and GPU build in Benches
(Note: Program Used - Crysis Benchmarking Tool v1.05 Link: http://www.gamershell.com/download_22125.shtml Since I switched to the new beta display driver I was already getting 40+ frames till I switched to this driver and it cut my fame count in half. So with these modifications I'm back to 40+ again!
-------------------------------------------------
Map-island, Demo-benchmark_gpu
Run #1- DX10 1024x768 AA=2x, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 22.84

Run #2- DX10 1024x768 AA=2x, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 45.675
-------------------------------------------------
Map-island, Demo-benchmark_cpu
Run #1- DX10 1024x768 AA=2x, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 19.96

Run #2- DX10 1024x768 AA=2x, 32 bit test, Quality: High ~~ Overall Average FPS: 33.53
-------------------------------------------------
3Dmark Compare: No-OC http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=3704482
3Dmark Compare: OC http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=3949999

Note: And about the Speed Step thing, If you overclock the (Intel procs) E6850 with it on, if it reaches a high Temp or voltage the system board tries to slow it down for protection and that decreases performance. With it off, what ever Frequency you choose it will stay at that speed 100% and never fluctuate. (Can be dangerous.) And Mandrake_, as for the quad cores, I would have went with one myself but I still prefer 32bit possessing so I'm limited to the 2 core and 3gig Max ram functionality.

-Steve :sol:

Message edited by nxcmp on 11-29-2007 at 06:56:43 PM

------------------------------ General - "Mr.McKittrick, after very careful consideration sir, I have come to the conclusion that you, new defense system sucks." McKittrick - "I don't have to take that you pig-eye sack of ****!" - Wargames (1983)
Reply to nxcmp

NxCmp – Thanks for the quick reply. I appreciate the data and links it kind of makes me wonder about a few things. The difference in performance between our two systems can be explained by your higher clock speeds and better GPU, very impressive speed on the GPU. How long do you run the GPU under full load to determine if it’s stable?

If I didn’t already have the E6550 I would consider the E6850 as an excellent choice. I can’t see myself dishing out the additional cash for less than 10% upgrade at this point. I think I see a quad in my future but no rush as the prices will continue to drop.

If you’re interested in comparing 3DMark06 scores take a look at the link. I ran 3DMark06 again tonight with the video cranked up a bit. I need to figure out a good stress test to determine stability and get a feel for the heat problems before I’d feel comfortable pushing it higher. Thanks again for your replies.
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=3958184

Reply to OldWolf

Sure no problem. As for you GPU max load question, what I do is run 3Dmark06 (all tests minus CPU tests) and I have a GFX card temp monitor on my desktop. I use PC Wizard 2008. When 1 test is over, as it goes to start the next, I write down the current temp. I do this twice. Oh and that link you provided Is not working for me. Thanks

-Steve

I don't know how compatible it is with the new 8800GT VC's, but ATI Tool usually shows the temp of your GPU and allows overclocking and a kind of stability test (where it scans for architects and the like. which I believe puts the VC under a lot of stress).

Just an idea if your interested, I'd take a look into it...

Sorry I was playing with 3DMark06 and published a new score. I guess you can only have one published at a time. http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=3959494

Both burn-in ideas look good to me. The best thing I could come up with is to fire up Oblivion with all graphics set to high and tab out to check temps I don't know what the load is but I suspect its way high. I was thinking maybe something "like" Orthos or TAT was a standard for GPU testing.

ATI tool won't mess with Riva Tuner will it? I love Riva for its auto fan control and overclocking profiles and it’s nice to see GPU temps in the system tray.

Thanks for the help guys

Reply to OldWolf

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