Is a CPU upgrade worth the it?

[merlin661]

I am looking to squeeze the most out of my current PC before building an new machine in about another year.
I have already upgraded my video card from a 8800 GTS to a GTX 260. I have also maxed out my ram.
I am currently have a Core 2 e6600 installed and I am considering a upgrade to a Core 2 e8500.
Do you think a e6600 to e8500 upgrade will yield a big enough performance boost to make it worth it?

 

[ujaansona]

E6600 => 4 MB L2 Cache 2.4 GHz 1066 MHz FSB
E8500 => 6 MB L2 Cache 3.16 GHz 1333 MHz FSB
The overall improvement will be noticeable depending on your programs. See this
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu,2492-6.html?xtmc=cpu_hierarchy_chart&xtcr=1

 

[szbxa]

welcome to the forum.
no, it's not worth it, think about the core2 quads or don't even upgrade.
if you want to upgrade, there are two best options:
1. go to core 2 quad 9000 series
2. get an AM3 board and a athlon ii 620 or 630, this costs a little more and u get less performance than the core 2 quad.
the core 2 quad is a dead end and u get no way to upgrade after the core 2 quad, but there's still a lot of options to go AM3. but considering your pc is old overall, u may just stick with the current parts and get a new pc after and reuse your video card and ram.

 

[jsc]

Or for $30 - $40 for a good aftermarket cooler, OC the E6600 to 3.3 GHz or so.

My E6600 was stable at 3.6 GHz.

 

[Raidur]

+1 overclock that cpu!! You can get a lot of performance out of that little chip when it passes 3ghz.

If not buy c2q q9xx0 or better.

 

[das_stig]

+2, a few quid on a good cooler, and o/c the puppy to 3GHZ+