System Upgrade Recommendation

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dna2243

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Sep 25, 2008
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Hey guys,
I currently am running:
Intel C2D E6300 Conroe 1.86
Asus P5B-E 775 (Intel P965)
4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 (just purchased and I know it's being downclocked to 800 on my current asus board)
Nvidia 9600 GSO
Decent 500w Power supply
2 250GB Sata drives

I am wanting to upgrade my mobo and cpu. I purchased:
Athlon 64 x2 7750 Kuma
GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+

But RMA'ed them back as the system was not stable at all. I know everything else is fine, because I rebuilt my old system and was back up and running in 45 mins.

I am looking at:
ASUS P5QL PRO LGA 775 Intel P43
and either the
Intel Pentium E5300 2.6GHz
or
Intel Pentium E7300

I have about a 200 dollar budget. All I do is play WoW and surf the internet on my desktop, so no real horsepower is needed.

Any thoughts, ideas, opinions, would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
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dna2243

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Sep 25, 2008
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Game performance is fine, no malware/spyware. I keep this desktop very clean. I want to upgrade just to upgrade to newer and faster while the wife says ok :p
 
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terr281

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Dec 22, 2008
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The E5300 and a good aftermarket CPU cooler should serve you well. (The CPU cooler will be used where you can overclock your machine.)

Recent builds have shown that the E7300 doesn't OC as well as the E5300, so no use to pay more for it. Further, the 9600 GSO and the E5300 should be "equal matches" for each other.

As for the MB, can't tell you much since you are looking at Intel. (I have been using Nvidia boards for my C2Ds due to SLI capability, so can't help with that aspect.)

Edit: However, I don't know how much real improvement you'll see with either of the Intel chips over your 6300.
 
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dna2243

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Sep 25, 2008
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interesting, I thought I would see improvement going from a 1.8 to a 2.X, you don't think so? Also, I have an aftermarket Xalman that I will be using for OC'ing.

I have the 1.8 stock right now. Also, I am not glued to that mobo... if you have a suggestion in the same price range, please let me know.
 
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terr281

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Dec 22, 2008
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First thing I notice when looking up your MB (to see whether it is micro-ATX or not) was the "Pro" from the first review of the MB on Newegg...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131070
"I’m OC the E6400 from stock speeds of 2.13Ghz to 3.7Ghz and have been running stable for a week now. CPU temps hover at 48c idle and right below 50c under intense load."

I would personally OC my current machine rather than buy new parts in your case. (Which is similar to mine, I have an E6750 / Nvidia 680i lt based machine.)
----------
However, if the money "is burning" (as you have said), ...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358

Would be a good upgrade option. It's the P45 chipset, has 2 PCI-E (good for a future Crossfire video card setup upgrade if you can in future), and can accept the newer C2D Intel chips (and your current one). (The current Nvidia chipsets do not match in quality to the Intel offerings.)

Save the remaining money from your upgrade budget, wait ~ 3 months, add a $100 dollars or so to it, and buy a video card upgrade.
 
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dna2243

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Sep 25, 2008
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Your new mobo and cpu werent stable? likely you didnt configure it properly and probably didnt even re-load windows either did you. Hmmm.....go figure its unstable with conflicting drivers on your hardrive.

Since your E6300 on a P965 will easily overclock to 3ghz, why would you upgrade to a 2.x processor??
Click to expand...

Wow, well considering I am sure you think I am a kid... so I won't be a jerk back. I have been building systems for over fifteen years, but I have never been a big OC'er.


Anyways...

I wiped the drive completely, and attempted a fresh install of vista, which would hang on install and error out. I then attempted a fresh install of xp, which installed, but then would bluescreen constantly. Hooked all old components back up, everything works fine. Thats not really the point. I asked for an opinion, and most of yours isn't really valid. Thanks, maybe I will consider overclocking my current hardware.

 
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terr281

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Dec 22, 2008
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True, but it proves your point that 2.x on a new chip is not going to be better than an OC of his current chip to ~3.0. (And, also proves the point that a CPU upgrade on the LGA775 platform shouldn't be done right now from his current E6300.)

That would be like me, with my E6750 (stable oc from 2.66 to 3.1...limited due to ram stability timing 4-4-4-12 at 775 Mhz <MB max speed of 800 Mhz>), going out and buying an E8400 and expecting massive gains in speed. It won't happen.

I don't "trust" Newegg reviews, but they are generally much better than other hardware sites. (Example: Tigerdirect) Further, the entire Internet is, truly, nothing but a massive "opinion board" anyway. (There is a reason Internet sites are still not generally allowed to be used for Academic articles at the collegiate level in non-technical fields of study.)
 
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terr281

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Dec 22, 2008
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...Thanks, maybe I will consider overclocking my current hardware. ...

Just ask you wife to allow you to keep the money "in reserve" for an upgrade in ~6 months to a year when Intel introduce the i5 series of mainstream chips for the new MB socket. The i5 series will be replacing the C2Ds, effectively phasing out the LGA 775 socket except for the low-end budget builds.

Then (as long as Asus has provided Bios updates for the new C2D chips for your MB), buy "the best for the price" C2D you can find at rock bottom prices. That is my plan.

Edited for wording...
 
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dna2243

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Sep 25, 2008
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and that would be a winning bet. Luckily UPS hasn't picked up the RMA box, and I was able to grab it. I will give it a shot.


Thanks, I appreciate it.
 
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someguy7

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Dec 12, 2007
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How about you just get a new cpu. Here is the list for your board.

http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&model=P5B-E&product=1&os=17

For some reason has most of the core2 line excpet for the e5 series.


For the price of a new cpu+board you could toss a q9950 or a lesser quad core. A e8500 8400.

I know you said you wanted to upgrade your board. But if its you dont have another reason than just do update it with a new cpu then there aint a need. If you dont overclock and need the features of board with a newer chipset than its a waste of money. If your old board is stable and not causing any problems keep it and toss in a faster cpu.
 
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dna2243

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Sep 25, 2008
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just purchased and I know it's being downclocked to 800 on my current asus board
Click to expand...

Oh and by the way oh experienced wise man, your memory is not being downclocked, lol. 1066 is really 800 thats "capable" of running 1066 if you overclock it to 1066. It wont run 1066 out of the box, only 800.

I was only trying to help you, NOW I'm being a jerk!
Click to expand...

Wow... just as I was showing you appreciation...

You win... I am the internet loser...

You may now go back to your moms basement.
 
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dna2243

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Sep 25, 2008
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Good advise, thanks, I appreciate it, I have a few days on the RMA.


 
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terr281

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Dec 22, 2008
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1. Because he may have wanted a new board and processor...
2. The fact that his chosen AMD purchased processor is much better than his current Intel one...
3. Intel doesn't necessarily have the best price/performance in the low/mid market right now if you shop around.

A particular person's hardware purchases are very individual to their needs and wants and amount of time allowed to do a project.

But, last message from me unless the OP changes his provided information or wants additional information.
 
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dna2243

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Sep 25, 2008
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Thanks to all, I appreciate that actual real input, and not the jabs from someone who just wants to win on the internet!

Much appreciated.
 
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someguy7

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Dec 12, 2007
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Hey zip. It depends on your board and mainly your board maker. I have giga p965 board and it will basically run all the core2s. They are not officially supported on the p965 chipset but if they release a bios for the cpu they do work. the chipset wasnt made by intel to support those cpus, its overclocked which is why its not offically supported. But alot of the 965 boards by the big mobo makers are certified to run 1333fsb and a bunch of it not all c2ds except the qx9970.

 
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someguy7

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And also to the OP. If you're going to keep your board and get a 1333fsb cpu like the e8500 or q9950 then I suggest you overclock your current cpu a little bit and see if thats good enough to not even upgrade the cpu at all

With those 45nm 1333fsb cpus you're going to overclocking the chipset anyways. Well the board will do it automatically but still. Raise your fsb to 333 now and make sure the ram stays in spec with its fsb/link or multi. That will require no additional volts/cooling or anything. Its just a very simple free upgrade. I know you said you're not a overclocker your current board does run 1333fsb and will be running overclocked with the new cpus anyways. Why not crank up your current cpu to at least that speed. Your e6300 will then be running at 2331ghz.

You wouldnt have to spend any money at all or take apart your system again. And it will eat up your daily task and WoW with no problems at all.
 
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