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Whats the fasest CPU I can drop in this box?

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dippindivin   09-30-2009 at 09:52:55 PM

I have a Dell XPS 420.

The cpu is:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Mainboard

* Chipset type Intel X38 Express
* Data bus speed 1066.0 MHz

Whats the fasest CPU I can drop on that motherboard? Can I upgrade from what I have without swapping the mobo out?

Thanks!

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obsidian86   09-30-2009 at 09:56:25 PM

qx9775 i do believe but it was never worth its price and still isn't so get the q9550/9650

Reply to obsidian86
dippindivin   09-30-2009 at 10:18:52 PM

What socket type is that CPU?


Message edited by dippindivin on 09-30-2009 at 10:20:24 PM
Reply to dippindivin
obsidian86   09-30-2009 at 10:31:34 PM

socket 775 the qx9775 was the fastest 775 cpu released

Reply to obsidian86
dunklegend   09-30-2009 at 10:39:14 PM

dippindivin wrote :

I have a Dell XPS 420.

The cpu is:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Mainboard

* Chipset type Intel X38 Express
* Data bus speed 1066.0 MHz

Whats the fasest CPU I can drop on that motherboard? Can I upgrade from what I have without swapping the mobo out?

Thanks!



The CPU you have right now is not that bad, why do you want to change it?

------------------------------ Never argue with a fool, people might not know the difference
 Reply to dunklegend
englandr753   09-30-2009 at 10:51:02 PM

I would keep that system in tact as it is and use it until it blows up. Don't waste your money on upgrading that rig when its perfectly capable of doing most anything you want.

What's the reason you want to upgrade?

------------------------------ EVGA 780i mobo | EVGA GTX 275 | Q9550 OC @ 3.6Ghz | 8Ghz 1066Mhz Corsair Memory | Corsair 1000 watt PSU | Coolermaster Stacker CM830 Case | Ultra TEC CPU Cooler | Vista Ultimate 64

 

Reply to englandr753

dippindivin   10-01-2009 at 04:57:38 AM

Well I just bought the HD 5970 and I was debating if I should upgrade any bottlenecks I might have in my rig. Do you think my CPU wont bottle neck the card?

Reply to dippindivin
dippindivin   10-01-2009 at 05:16:15 AM

typo - clearly i meant i bought the 5870 =)

Reply to dippindivin
englandr753   10-01-2009 at 12:51:42 PM

Can you overclock that cpu on that board? If so then do that and you will be fine. OC to at least 3.0ghz and you shouldn't have any problems.

Message quoted 1 times
------------------------------ EVGA 780i mobo | EVGA GTX 275 | Q9550 OC @ 3.6Ghz | 8Ghz 1066Mhz Corsair Memory | Corsair 1000 watt PSU | Coolermaster Stacker CM830 Case | Ultra TEC CPU Cooler | Vista Ultimate 64

 

Reply to englandr753

myriad46   10-01-2009 at 03:40:42 PM

That card is a bit overkill for that system. You may want to think about a new system, if you are looking for a substantial system boost. Or return/sell the 5850 and get a cheaper card. I doubt you'd be able to utilize that card on an x38/1066mhz setup.

------------------------------ GA-EX38-DS4 | E8400 @ 3.6 ghz - Hyper TX2 | 2x2G Patriot Extreme DDR2800 | GeCube HD3870 OC Ed. CF w/Sapphire HD3870 | Vista Home Premium 32 | Antec SLK-3800B Case | Corsair 650TX PSU
 Reply to myriad46
jitpublisher   10-01-2009 at 04:03:38 PM

The "Dell" part of your system is the bottleneck, and yes a Q6600 at stock 2.4 ghz is a huge bottleneck for a high end gaming card. It would be a bottleneck for a 3870. The only reason the q6600 was such a great processor is because it would easily clock to 3.0ghz, and beyond. That made it a great gaming processor. At 2.4ghz, it is too slow, well too slow for most gamers anyway.
And as for upgrading the CPU's everyone is tossing out at you, I say they most likely will not work. Your Q6600 is older 65nm technology. The CPU's people are suggesting are 45nm, and not all 775 boards will support them. Many would with a BIOS update, but not all. You have a Dell, which means the BIOS in your system is bare minimum, CPU upgrades on a Dell are extremely limited. Before you spend money, you are best advised to contact Dell and find out what you can and cannot do.
My advice, you should part with the Dell and build your own if you are looking to get great gaming performance.


Message edited by jitpublisher on 10-01-2009 at 04:08:06 PM
Reply to jitpublisher
Scotteq   10-01-2009 at 04:04:48 PM

englandr753 wrote :

Can you overclock that cpu on that board? If so then do that and you will be fine. OC to at least 3.0ghz and you shouldn't have any problems.




On a homebuilt rig, I'd agree absolutely. But in this case it's an OEM (Dell) system - The chances are pretty overwhelming the Bios is locked and he'll be unable to change the necessary params.

------------------------------ Which Chip? Well, it depends on which set of thieving b@stardz you choose to support: The ones who use insider trading to enrich themselves while running their company into the ground, or the ones who illegally pay vendors to not support the first group.
 Reply to Scotteq
dippindivin   10-01-2009 at 04:32:14 PM

Yeah the BIOS is locked so I can't over clock the mobo.

I think my next upgrade will be a new mobo/CPU/Ram/SSD and an additional 5870 to run crossfire.

Reply to dippindivin
dippindivin   10-01-2009 at 04:34:35 PM

Or actually, would it be a good idea to just get a new motherboard and CPU fan? That would allow me to overclock the stock CPU to 3.0 ghz...

What's a good motherboard to buy that would support my chip and is recommended for overclocking?

Thanks guys!

Reply to dippindivin
rand_79   10-01-2009 at 08:27:30 PM

what kind of dell has a powersupply that can run that videocard... and processor is my question

 

sell that computer to someone

 

go build a whole new one.


Message edited by rand_79 on 10-01-2009 at 08:28:06 PM
Reply to rand_79
englandr753   10-02-2009 at 01:55:28 AM

I would buy a new mobo for 60-80 bucks and OC. I figured the BIOS was locked as most prebuilt systems are, i know.

Your cpu has great potential with the right motherboard...

------------------------------ EVGA 780i mobo | EVGA GTX 275 | Q9550 OC @ 3.6Ghz | 8Ghz 1066Mhz Corsair Memory | Corsair 1000 watt PSU | Coolermaster Stacker CM830 Case | Ultra TEC CPU Cooler | Vista Ultimate 64

 

Reply to englandr753

ryohei   10-02-2009 at 02:06:17 AM

well you could get a 9650 and oc it, thats probably the most cost effective thing to do

Reply to ryohei
jennyh   10-02-2009 at 02:06:20 AM

Would be better off buying a phenom II 940 and am2+ mobo. I have both that and a q6600 @ 3.4ghz, the difference in gaming between each is starting to get more and more noticable.

 

When I'm playing WoW, the Phenom II plays better with a 4770 than the Q6600 does with a 4870. PhII at 3.6, Q6600 at 3.4 and the difference is unbelievable. The q6600 was great but now it's just old.

 

Note - I had the same systems for the last year, except I had two 4770's in my phenom2 rig. I sold one of them and i have not seen any difference in performance (in wow). It must be the q6600 just not being good enough and wow is a cpu intensive game much more than gpu.


Message edited by jennyh on 10-02-2009 at 02:32:47 AM
Reply to jennyh
englandr753   10-02-2009 at 04:08:47 AM

I have had the Q6600 and the Phenom II 940. I never noticed a huge difference between the two and at the most there would be maybe a 10-15% performance difference at the max. I have the Q9550 which is on par with the 940, the only reason I upgraded the Q6600 to the Q9550 is I sold the Q6600 for almost what I paid for the Q9550. Not a huge difference but there is small difference that later can be of more value to your gaming abilities.

 

The 940 and a good motherboard will total around 300.00. A good overclockable motherboard to go with your Q6600 (80.00-130.00). The only question is will your recovery cd work with the new motherboard. If not then you are going to have to spend at least another 100.00 to upgrade either way.

 

Personally I would get a motherboard that supports all of the 775 socket quads and keep the Q6600 and OC the heck out of it unless you have plenty of money to do otherwise.

 

Then I would suggest you ditch the prebuilt system overall and keep it in tact to use as a backup pc and build from scratch with all new stuff...


Message edited by englandr753 on 10-02-2009 at 04:09:11 AM
------------------------------ EVGA 780i mobo | EVGA GTX 275 | Q9550 OC @ 3.6Ghz | 8Ghz 1066Mhz Corsair Memory | Corsair 1000 watt PSU | Coolermaster Stacker CM830 Case | Ultra TEC CPU Cooler | Vista Ultimate 64

 

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