Long overdue CPU upgrade - what to expect?

cowacowa

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Hello everyone!

I've come to realize that my CPU needs an upgrade. My current specs are:

Intel celeron 3.33 ghz single core (this is ****, i know)
Intel D975XBX motherboard
8800GTS 640mb
2 gigs of RAM
(I'm not entirely sure about my power supply, i think it's some Corsair 550W)

I use my computer primarily for gaming, mostly games about as demanding as, say, oblivion. However i also play Crysis once in a while, (though with some lag)

So, I'm going to get myself a new CPU. I've checked the ones compatible with my motherboard on Intels website, and set my eyes on the Intel Core 2 Duo - E4700 2.6 ghz.

So my question is: what should i expect if i were to buy this CPU in terms of performance? Will it enhance slightly, greatly, etc?

Are there any other CPUs that would do the job better, and still be compatible with the rest of my system?

Thanks in advance!
 
it took me 3 second to copy and paste your motherboar don google and it says it supports 1066cpus.

there is a list from newegg i pulled up featuring native 1066fsb so your motherboard will be 100% compatible
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010340343+1051707842+1051107412&Configurator=&Subcategory=343&description=&Ntk=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

I personally would go for the q6600 ($180) and a aftermarket heatsink :)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115018
+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887011


Hope that helps!
 

mtyermom

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no no no NO! Dig deeper and find the exact processor compatibility for that motherboard
Compatible Processor(s) for Board "D975XBX"

As far as what is currently available on Newegg, the following are your two choices:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 Allendale 2.4GHz 2MB L2 Cache $119.99
or
Intel Pentium E2220 Allendale 2.4GHz 1MB L2 Cache $82.99

Both processors have a 12x multiplier (which only matters if you plan on overclocking), so the only real difference is the e2220 has 1MB of L2 Cache, while the e4600 has 2MB.

The higher cached e4600 has the slightest of edge in performance, but in real world practical application (ie: gaming) the difference is negligible, you won't notice the difference.
 

cardio

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What do you have for a Video card? That may be a better upgrade for the money ~ depending.......Certainly in Gaming a GPU change can be huge. Even a major CPU upgrade will really not make a terriffic change.
 

mtyermom

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Do you read before you post? He's got an 8800GTS (G80) 640MB, and a single core celeron processor.

While the old G80 8800 is showing it's age, it should be fine for Oblivion level gaming, not to mention that the celeron is most certainly the bottleneck in that machine.
 

stonedallday420

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He states what kind of gpu he has if you would read, 8800GTS 640mb.

The main reason i have to call you out is you have not a clue what your talking about with a CPU upgrade, in the op's current set up the CUP is the bottleneck.

I ran a p4 3.0ghz with 2gig of ram 1900gt 256mb for a good long time I thought if I were to just upgrade the GPU to a 4670 512mb that this would make my games run a lot better (I only run 1280x1024max) WRONG WRONG WRONG, my CPU was bottle necking entirely to much to see any real noticeable difference in performance from upgrading 3years ahead of my old 1900gt. Once i upgraded my cpu to a e7200 there is a day and night difference.

So to the OP it is very smart to upgrade your CPU your 8800gts will be fine for now, you will see an extensive upgrade from getting a dual core CPU and overclocking it to the low 3s.
 
Yes, indeed.

Some testing I did a couple of years ago with an E6600, same video card, and a 680i motherboard indicated that the GTS started bottlenecking the CPU at 3.3 GHz. Frame rates stopped linearly increasing with CPU speed at 3.3 GHz.
 

mtyermom

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@cowacowa: the consensus here is that you should most certainly upgrade that processor, and overclock it.

The e2220 or e4600 should be fine.

An upgrade of the video card sometime down the road won't hurt, but the CPU should absolutely come first.
 

DXRick

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No! You need to stick to a CPU on Intel's list for that board. It does not support the Q6600 (or any quad for that matter).

The E4700 is $139 on Newegg (and is out of stock). This is not a cheap upgrade for that old system. An E7300 CPU + Gigabyte P43 mobo would cost more but give you a real speed increase. You could use your memory and 8800 GTS in it.
 

mtyermom

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Dude... you and Cardio need to read, refresh, and read again before you post. I've already posted the compatibility list for that board and made recommendations for processors accordingly.

Whats the point of upgrading to a more recent skt775 chipset just to support the 45nm procs? He might as well just drop in a proc on what he has and save his money for a future skt1366 i7 build.
 
The stock recommendation for an improvement in gaming is to upgrade the vga card. In this case, it looks to me like the current system is relatively well blanced, and that no single upgrade will bring about a big change.

Run the task monitor while gaming, and see how cpu bound you really are. If you are cpu bound, adding another core and better architecture will certainly help.
The E4700 is a reasonable start. Install it, and see how it goes.

Lack of ram can look like a slow cpu. I suggest adding 2gb more. It is a cheap upgrade these days.

The 8800GTS-640 is a decent card. Unless you jump a few levels to a GTX260 class card, the benefit will be disappointing.
 

jamesgoddard

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I'm baffled the 975 wont take a 1066 fsb when a 965 does. intel wtf?

The 975 takes 1066 just fine - also takes 1333 just fine - my 975 (Asus P5W) is running a Q6600 @ 1333 / 3GHz...

Just the Intel D975XBX never got the post sales support lovin like the Asus built models do...
 

grieve

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Obviously the e2220/e4600 Dual cores would be significantly faster then your present Intel Celeron 3.33 ghz single core.

Although gaming is like 95% Vid card in this case your Celeron is likely holding the 8800gts back...

I vote for an e2220 or e4600.
 

DXRick

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Dude, the E4700 is $139 and out of stock (as are the other E6xxxx procs on the compatibility list). A E7300 is $109, and the GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L is $85, for a total of $194.

I looked at the latest CPU charts before making this suggestion. I doubt the Intel 975XBX allows any OC abilities (does it?). He can OC the E7300 on a P43 mobo, if he wants to, and get it near the performance of a X6800. He would then have a puter capable of running many of the latest games for $55 more than a E4700 proc.

Of course, I have no idea how an E4700 or E4600 would perform on a 975XBX mobo compared to a P43 one. If he is using DDR2 667 memory now, it will work well in the P43.

And BTW, all those posts after alvine's appeared after I submitted mine. It was a surprise to say the least.
 

radguy

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Hate to say to say it but the system is not balanced. The user is likely to see 20-40% faster framerates by upgrading his cpu depending on the game. I went from a pentium d at 3.8 ghz to a E5200 at 2.5 ghz with an 8800gt. Framerates increased by an average of over 25% and up to 50% in some situations (crysis cpu bench being one of them).
 

jamesgoddard

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Just out of interest - have you even tried just overclocking the Celeron - I had a Celeron 356 (65nm D0 stepping) that could hit 5Ghz - at that clock rate even the humble Cele was trading punches with the newer C2D's....

Worth a try...
 

mtyermom

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Dude, you're STILL not reading. I recommended the e4600, not the e4700 (and I also recommended the e2220, which I think is the smartest upgrade in this situation).

I agree completely that upgrading the motherboard and getting a 45nm proc will yield even more performance gains, but we're talking about the most simple upgrade path here. That would be simply dropping in a 65nm dual core. Again, it makes more sense for him to do that, rather than spending more just to still have skt775. He should take the least expensive option now (the e2220), maybe add some ram, save the rest of his money and look ahead to making a complete platform upgrade down the road.
 

cowacowa

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Hey all, and thanks for the replies!

The e2220 and the e4600 are both unavailable to me from where i reside sadly.

I think I'm gonna stick to the e4700. But that brings me to another question (Forgive my newbness)

I have the choice beetween bying:

1: Intel Core 2 Duo - E4700 - 2MB - 2.6GHz - TRAY

2: Intel Core 2 Duo - E4700 - 2MB - 2.6GHz - BOX

What really annoys me here is "BOX" and "TRAY". What exactly is the difference? Will my system be compatible with either one?
 
Tray (aka oem) means that the cpu does not come with a cooler, and has a shorter warranty. The retail version usually costs a bit more. If you are overclocking which supposedly voids your warranty, and use a oem cooler, then oem is OK. Otherwise retail is probably better.