Best CPU for me, help me choose!

[morron]

Alright guys, first post on here so be nice


Im looking at replacing my CPU, My current set up is:

E4300 @ 2.6ghz (333x8)
nvidia 280gtx
4GB kingston hyperx 800mhz ram
Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L mobo 1333mhz fsb max
Corsair 650watt psu
And all the usual other crap.

Right, Im not looking to changing motherboard due to funds ( )

Feel this e4300 is bottlenecking my set up badly when in hard to run games like crysis as Im not getting the frame rates that the card gets in the reviews with better cpus.

Looking for something with a low FSB so I can overclock it, would settle with something that was good standard though

Seen the e5700 with a nice low fsb(and price), what sort of clock speeds can that get too?


Let me know what you recommend!

Cheers

 

[deadjon]

If your board supports it, Q9550. If not, pickup a Q6600 and OC it to 3ghz on stock cooler. your current Cpu can OC to 3gig as far as I remember though.

I reccomend a quad core for games nowadays over a dual, as most come with support for 4 threads nowadays. just avoid the Q8xxx series like the plague, and if you go for a Q9xxx series, go for the ones with 12mb Cache, its huge.

EDIT +++++++++

After seeing your board supports it, go for the Q9550 - if you cant afford one of these, it would have to be an E8400 and an aftermarket cooler. A 4ghz dual core would be plenty enough.

 

[sportsfanboy]

Like said above, you can pick up a q6600 on ebay or a used q955. Sell you current chip and overclock the Q to around 3.0 to 3.2, that will solve your bottle neck issue.

Option 2: depending on your budget would be to sell everything except your power supply, video card, and case. Then buy a motherboard,cpu,and ram upgrade combo. I would recommend doing that if you can, more bang for the buck

 

[Embra]

^ +1 ... recommend this. Save your money to do a better upgrade later.

 

[morron]

Cant really afford a q9550 unfortunatly, nor can I afford a total upgrade (to i5 or i7 im assuming you mean)

I think I may get an e7500 (found one for 50 quid used) To get a reasonable increase untill my student loan comes in next year and then maybe I5 quad

Would I get a reasonable increase with an e7500 @ about 3.6ghz?

 

[deadjon]

Massive. I still reccomend the e8400 if your gonna go dual...they have more cache and overclock like monsters.

E4500 vs E7500 - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/87?vs=65

E4500 vs E8400 - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/56?vs=65

All are at stock here.

 

[morron]

I wouldnt be able to overclock the 8400 due to my max fsb being 1333

Thats the only reason for me going for the 7500 rather than the 8400. Am I right in saying that the 7500@ 3.6 would be faster than a standard 8400?

 

[deadjon]

e8400 has a standard need for a 333mhz fsb

your motherboard has got the ability to OC to 400mhz and more.

I took the liberty of reading a reveiw on it

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2183&page=4

EDIT+++++++++++++++

These numbers represent your FSB at its naitive speed (not the quad pumped one normally seen...333mhz = 1333mhz and 400mhz = 1600mhz) so in your terms, it can go to 1600mhz after OC

 

[morron]

Ofcourse, I've pushed my e4300 past 333fsb, how could I not of realised haha.

I'll definatly be going for the 8400 then! Cheers lads

 

[hell_storm2004]

Does Q8400 fit into your budget?

I also say that if you are upgrading from dual to dual E8400 is the best one you can get. E8500 is another, but heard that its quite unstable while overclocked!

 

[morron]

Right guys, I have a choice now.

q6600 for 80 GBP
E8400 for 70 GBP
E7500 for 55 GBP

Really tossing between the e8400 for the higher clock and the q6600 for the quadness.

Bearing in mind im gonna be OC'ing and mostly gaming (no encoding etc) which should I go for?

 

[hell_storm2004]

I would go for the E8400, since you are overclocking anyways.

 

[deadjon]

A Q6600 will struggle to get past 3.5ghz - (its bang tidy if you get it there though)

An E8400 can overclock to 4ghz without breaking a sweat.

Most games run dual or triple threaded.

As a conclusion, the E8400 would be the best choice.

If your multitasking alot, the Q6600 is still an AWESOME chip - I reccomend it as a cheap quad.

Still, for gaming, the E8400.