Going from Q6600 to FX-6100..worth it ?

[aly369]

Hello there,

I have been running on my Core 2 Quad Q6600 for just over a year know. Sadly I have to run it at stock clocks due to of incompatibility issues with my Asus P5N-T motherboard, which does decrease its potential to run at high clock speeds (if anyone can shed some light on this issue I would be most happy as well ).

As we all know by know, the Q6600 is quite an old CPU now and I believe its time for an upgrade. But I am not really sure if it will be worth it ?
I do play alot of GTA 4 and EFLC which has been known to be very resource hungry. I also do also a fair amount of video converting as I do alot of video projects at my school.

But because the FX-6100 has just come out, I cannot find some good comparisons against my Q6600. I am new to the AMD market, the only AMD powered devices I have owned was some old Socket A chips (Althon XP 2000's).
Another reason why Is DDR2 is know starting to get quite expensive. With getting a new mobo it will reduce upgrading in the near future. Which is what I want to avoid! (future proof it atleast a year)

So here is what I was thinking of buying

Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz XMS3 Memory Kit CL9 1.5V unbuffered
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev 2 Socket 775, 1156, 1155, 1366, AM2, AM3 Heatpipe CPU Cooler
AMD FX-6 6100 Black Edition 6 Core 3.3Ghz Socket AM3+ 8MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor
Asus M5A78L-M LE Socket AM3+ 760G Onboard VGA DVI 8 Channel Audio mATX Motherboard
Total Price : 223£ from ebuyer

SPECS:
ASUS P5N-T DELUXE
ATI RADEON 5830 1GB GDDR5
INTEL CORE 2 QUAD Q6600 @2.4Ghz
4GB DDR2 667Mhz (I know its crap )
500GB HDD
BENQ G2222HDL 22Inch LED 1080P
Dell 1905FP 19inch 1280x1024
Be Quiet 530Watt PSU 80Plus rating
Cheers

Alex

 

[o1die]

No. Three six core phenom II's are ranked higher than the fx-6100. Stick with Intel; the 2500K is still a great value. And get a new power supply first before you get anything else. Corsair and antec are better brands than the one you have now. http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Core2+Quad+Q6600+%40+2.40GHz

 

[aly369]

Thanks for that, but parts for a core i5 2500k are a little on the steep side (I am only 15 and income aint the best). But I would be getting a core i5 be as beneficial for the amount of money (around 270£!) ?

 

[cuecuemore]

That's a solid sidegrade. If I were you, I'd keep saving and wait for Ivy Bridge, if you can't stretch for a 2500k right now.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

no. if you want to get a new cpu, go for a phenom x4 at the least, not a crappy FX chip. The problem is, the FX6100 has worse per-core performance than your current core 2 quad, AMD's FX range is a flop if you have not read this already. The phenom II has on par, and in some cases slightly faster performance than your core 2 quad. If you want a 6 core processor for whatever reason (only certain high end 3d design, graphic design and video editing software make use of more than 4 cores), get the phenom II X6, its faster and uses less power. If this is a gaming PC, forget all that and get something from Intel, any of the core i5 2xxx cpus would blow away what AMD has to offer and at least it has decent upgradeability. Even the lower end i5 2320 is great.

 

[thebski]

You can get the 2500K for $10 more at Microcenter than the FX-6100 at Newegg. And the performance isn't even in the same universe. Do yourself a favor and don't go from Intel to AMD. That would be like trading a Ferrari for something that can't get out of it's own way.

 

[aly369]

Wow, thanks for that. I'll probably hang onto my Core 2 Quad untill prices come down then....
Now to fix this damn issue with this motherboard -_-

Cheers

A;ex

 

[asnorton44]

Yeah I have an AMD X6 and love it but as others have suggested I would say 2500K over the FX.

 

[aly369]

I never knew there was that much difference gaming wise when It came to AMD. Clearly I have fallen behind with times, I will probably save the extra cash and go for a 2500k then. Or should I wait for Ivy bridge instead ?

 

[cuecuemore]

You certainly can get a 2500k setup (motherboard, CPU, and RAM) for 270£, depending on what features you want on your motherboard and how fast you want your RAM to be.

 

[o1die]

Ivy bridge could be too expensive and require a new board chipset to take advantage of all it's features. I never trust Intel to carry over board chipsets to a new cpu. They make too much money off their chipsets. If you live in the usa, check newegg's open box section each evening Mon-Fri for possible 2500K open box specials. They've had a few for only $133 shipped. If you find one, order it immediately; they sell out in seconds.

 

[capttoilet]

I never knew there was that much difference gaming wise when It came to AMD. Clearly I have fallen behind with times, I will probably save the extra cash and go for a 2500k then. Or should I wait for Ivy bridge instead ?

I wouldn't say there is THAT much difference between them. I got rid of my phenom II x2 555 and replaced it with the phenom II x4 830 and it made a mountain of improvement in Crysis 2 and Bad Company 2. Best 50 bucks I ever spent on a processor. Yeah Intel will rule the roost when it comes to single threaded apps and lower resolutions, but at high resolutions they all seem to even out. Keep in mind I am talking purely games here and nothing else.

 

[simon12]

I suggest a new GPU before you get a new CPU.

 

[spentshells]

Im really sorry to hear about the motherboard issues for overclocking.
That is a super bumber because it could totaly avoid a upgrade.

 

[aly369]

Yeah We'll I will be playing at high resolutions with my 1080p monitor
I live in England where Electronic prices are more expensive. I have always used usually amazon or ebuyer for pc parts.

So heres what I am at

Asus P8H61-M LE/USB3 Intel H61 Socket 1155 8 Channel HD Audio mATX Motherboard (I do like my asus motherboards)
Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor
Crucial 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz/PC3-10600 Memory Kit CL9 1.5V
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro rev 2 Socket 775, 1156, 1155, 1366, AM2, AM3 Heatpipe CPU Cooler

Total: 252£

That still seems a little expensive... with the core i5 being 165£... (These were all taken from buyer.co.uk)

Thanks

Alex

 

[aly369]

I suggest a new GPU before you get a new CPU.

You would be surprised at how well that little XFX 5830 can do.... Under benchmarks its really good ! (especially with mine being the OC edition).

 

[aly369]

Im really sorry to hear about the motherboard issues for overclocking.
That is a super bumber because it could totaly avoid a upgrade.

Yeah I know, I have only just recently purchased it as well (so I could get PCI-E 2.0) :/ Apperently its a known issue with all of them,

Thanks

Alex