Upgrading cpu, maybe change platform?

[teves]

current hardware:
intel C2D e6750
Gigabyte P35 DS3L
3 giga Ram DDR2 800mhz
sparkle 250gts
enermax liberty 400W.
Resulotion of screen - 1280*720

My problem - the cpu usage in games such as CoD black ops is 100%, even in very low settings, and it's not playable.
Even with pes2011, cpu usage is 90%, so I think it's about time to replace it.
my question is
1. Is my diagnostic correct and the cpu is the limiting component in my system?
2. If it is, I can save my current setup, and just upgrade the cpu to one such as intel Q8XXX or Q9XXX
3. For about the same amount of money as buying a new Intel cpu, I can buy a motherboard that can handle DDR2 ram (so I don't have to change those too), and buy an AMD cpu such as the ‏"Athlon II x4 Quad Core 640 Socket AM3"

Which option will give me better gaming performance?

 

[MU_Engineer]

current hardware:
intel C2D e6750
Gigabyte P35 DS3L
3 giga Ram DDR2 800mhz
sparkle 250gts
enermax liberty 400W.
Resulotion of screen - 1280*720

My problem - the cpu usage in games such as CoD black ops is 100%, even in very low settings, and it's not playable.
Even with pes2011, cpu usage is 90%, so I think it's about time to replace it.
my question is
1. Is my diagnostic correct and the cpu is the limiting component in my system?
2. If it is, I can save my current setup, and just upgrade the cpu to one such as intel Q8XXX or Q9XXX
3. For about the same amount of money as buying a new Intel cpu, I can buy a motherboard that can handle DDR2 ram (so I don't have to change those too), and buy an AMD cpu such as the ‏"Athlon II x4 Quad Core 640 Socket AM3"

Which option will give me better gaming performance?

The best option for you would be to swap out the dual-core E6750 for a quad-core chip. Many games today like to have more than two CPU cores, and since yours are both pretty much pegged, I think that adding more cores would be of some benefit. I'd recommend the Q6600/Q6700 over the Q8xxx series since the Q6xxx chips have more cache and are of the same clock speed as the very crippled Q8xxxs. The Q6xxx and Q8xxx units perform pretty similarly to the Athlon II X4 640, so it's really your choice as to which way to go. The advantages of buying a new AM2+ board are that you can most likely upgrade to far faster CPUs in the future, such as the Phenom II X4 Black Editions or Phenom II X6s. Those will be faster than most anything you can get for an anywhere-near-reasonable price for your existing LGA775 board. However, you'd really want a Socket AM3 board with DDR3 to wring the full performance out of the faster chips, especially the Phenom II X6s, rather than using DDR2-800.

 

[rand_79]

I'd either wait or do a full upgrade dont do some half-arse upgrade and reuse old memory.

you could possibly even put your old mobo/memory/proc in a cheapo case for a christmas present.. or upgrade a family members pc.

Not sure what your budget is but Definitely dont stay with a dated platform.

go AM3 or 1156/1366

or as mentioned wait another 5-6monthes for when the next series comes out.

also the chip you have stock is 2.66ghz? its overclockable usually to at least 3.2ghz

you might try .. a 20% oc might do for now.

 

[teves]

Thank you for your replays.

I downloaded yesterday the first patch Steam has released, and finally I can play at 1280*720, medium settings, with an occasional frame drop here and there. Black Ops was really the only game giving me hiccups.

Since the PC is dead quite now, and I don't want to use a faster fan speed, Over-Clocking is no option for me.

I don't have a defined budget for the upgrade, just wanted the best low-cost first aid to keep it running a bit longer, till I can't escape from a major upgrade.

I thought I'll take your advise and wait for 6 months till a new platform is available, but a friend working in "Intel" told me this morning, he could get me the Q9300 for about 95$.
What do you think, will this quad-core give me any boost, or is it better to just save the dollars for a decent upgrade in 6 months from now?

 

[loneninja]

If you can get a new Q9300 for $95 I would take it, breath some life into that aged system of yours.