Will I notice an upgrade from an e5200 to a e7500?

[kristina_kim]

Hello,

I'm running a E5200 on a Biostar G31M7-TE. I want to upgrade, and the E7500 looks like my most cost-effective option - I can snag an OEM boxed for $90. I know it's not the best mobo for OCing, but I think stock speed will do okay.

However, I could also pick up a core i3 2100 for $100 and a either a MSI P67a-G43 or an ASUS P8P67 LE for $100. Would it be worth it to ditch my current architecture and jump on the SB bandwagon?

BTW my GPU is a Radeon 5770 running at stock. My PSU and everything else will carry over, so it's a matter of spending another $100 on a new mobo.

 

[kristina_kim]

...I think I might have just answered my own question LOL.

And I can get DDR3 RAM for dirt cheap, so it's a non-issue.

 

[kristina_kim]

Yes i'm buying a p67 board for future upgrades. Down the line I plan on getting an i5 k-series. Right now it's out of my budget.

I should say though that the 5770 performs amazing for a midrange card. The only reason i'm upgrading my CPU is that it's clearly bottlenecking my GPU.

 

[etk]

Wait...is your E5200 at stock clocks? There are a ton of coolers out there with brackets for 775 ans 1155, just buy one and when you do make the transition to sandy/Ivy bridge you can bring it over.

 

[kristina_kim]

It's OCed to 3.0 with a 240 FSB on a 12.5x multiplier. I can't get it higher than that even with a fan upgrade - my mobo just doesn't have the voltage necessary.

I've decided to go for the i3. I'm a "stepping stone" upgrader - I'll upgrade a little at a time, in the most cost-effective way. Seems like the best way to upgrade IMO, because CPUs have a lot of longevity now.

 

[kristina_kim]

Best answer selected by kristina_kim.