E8400-Ci5 how noticeable?

[crabdog]

I've been using my C2D for some time now and it has been great - actually it still easily handles my needs very well. However... recently my old MB died (GA965P-DS3) so I rushed out to find a replacement. I picked up an Asus P5P41D and was terribly disappointed to find that I could only use 2 of the 4 ram slots due to "chipset limitations".

Rather than buying another 755 mobo or more DDR2 I've decided that an upgrade would be the wiser choice in the long run, although more expensive. I was wondering how much of a performance increase I'd notice by moving up to an i5 or PHENOM II X4 925. I mostly play WoW (looking forward to SWTOR) but I often pick up and burn through latest release FPS and RTS games too. I'm content with my GTX260 for the moment.

Basically what I'm wondering is this: would I see a significant boost in performance from a new CPU - disregarding GPU here. And if so would a dual core be sufficient for gaming if I decide to go Intel again (the AMD is 4 core obviously)?

 

[mosox]

IMO E8400 is a very good CPU and you're safe for now, I would wait until late this year/early next year to change the platform. Then you can get a quad like the i5 750 or Phenom II X4 955/965 or even the X6 but in most of the games won't be any big difference still.

 

[iqvl]

Dual core i5 is overpriced, you could get a PII-X4 by paying a few dollars more.

IMO, PII-X4 would be your best bet if you can't afford an i5 750.

 

[crabdog]

I agree, the 8400 is still good but I'm only able to use it with 2GB of ram because of this @$## new motherboard. With Windows 7 I have noticed a significant "sluggishness" since going from 4GB and it grinds on me every time I do something. I can't bear it for another six months so I figured I would have to start upgrading rather than waste money on another MB or 2x2GB of DDR2.

From what I have read lately the PII-X4 is a good performer. If I do upgrade I would prefer to get a mobo that supports USB3 and SATA3. That will nudge the price up but should still be significantly cheaper than an Intel alternative. It looks as though after 5 years with Intel it might be time for me to go back to the AMD side.

Thanks for the replies btw.

 

[GhislainG]

In the QVL, Asus list several DDR2 667 and DDR2 800 memory kits that are certified to work when all 4 slots are populated. I guess your modules are not single-sided and/or not on the QVL.