Upgrading a q6600 worth it in the currents state or wait for ivy

[TheCannonFodder]

I know upgrading from q6600 is all over the internet i've read a few they haven't quite convinced me either way and they are old Ivy was not just around the corner then.

Well my spec is as follows:
Q6600 @ 2.5 ghz (i played with it a little need to buy better cooler)
Asus P5K
2GB ddr2 800mhz RAM
500W Enermax PSU
AMD Radeon 5850

I'm looking for a build of ram CPU and Mobo around 400$ trying to keep as much of the parts i already have.

processor i think a 2500k would be somewhere around what im looking for since this machine would be used for gaming but idk. w/ 8gb ram

kinda don't wanna spend 400$ if the improvements in games will be minimal (everything is running fine tho Crysis 2 had no issues).

How big of a difference do you thing the new parts would make? if any real improvement.

thanks in advance CannonFodder

 

[clutchc]

Going from a Q6600 to a i5-2500K will be a noticable improvement in gaming as per Tom's Hierarchy Chart for gaming CPUs: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-overclocking,3077-5.html ...especially if/when you upgrade to a faster graphics card.
Upgrading from 2GB of memory will be another big improvement; not to mention you'll probably be going from DDR2 800mhz up to DDR3 at much higher MHZ speeds.
I would recommend a good brand Z68 board for the Sandy Bridge.

Yes, supposedly Ivy Bridge is soon to be released, but prices will be high for awhile.

 

[HostileDonut]

The core i5 2500k if you want to overclock. Just a 2500 if you want to stick to stock, as the multiplier is locked. For RAM, Patriot, G. Skill, Corsair, ADATA, and Kingston are all pretty good. ADATA is not always good, but some RAM gets really good reviews. I own an ASROCK Extreme3 Gen3 and it is a good budget board, but so is the MSI p67 gd55 for a budget board. They both support CF/SLi and overclock well.

 

[HostileDonut]

Going from a Q6600 to a i5-2500K will be a noticable improvement in gaming as per Tom's Hierarchy Chart for gaming CPUs: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-overclocking,3077-5.html ...especially if/when you upgrade to a faster graphics card.
Upgrading from 2GB of memory will be another big improvement; not to mention you'll probably be going from DDR2 800mhz up to DDR3 at much higher MHZ speeds.
I would recommend a good brand Z68 board for the Sandy Bridge.

Yes, supposedly Ivy Bridge is soon to be released, but prices will be high for awhile.

Ivy Bridge's prices are supposed to take over SB's prices is what a Tom's article said, and I think they got that info from Intel.

 

[clutchc]

Ivy Bridge's prices are supposed to take over SB's prices is what a Tom's article said, and I think they got that info from Intel.

Ahh, that's good to hear. But there's also motherboard prices to consider. And I'm one of those skeptics that will believe it when I see it

 

[TheCannonFodder]

Yeah that's what bothers me... if i buy a cpu now and in 2 months i can get for the same price a "big" (20%) improvement is it worth it the ram i know is cuz its the bottleneck since i bought the build.... u think my PSU will be able to handle all that new hardware?

 

[clutchc]

Yeah that's what bothers me... if i buy a cpu now and in 2 months i can get for the same price a "big" (20%) improvement is it worth it the ram i know is cuz its the bottleneck since i bought the build.... u think my PSU will be able to handle all that new hardware?

I would use a PSU calc like this one to get an idea of PSU size. 500W seems minimum, but probably enough.
http://www.thermaltake.outervision.com/

 

[deadjon]

If it helps, approximatly 2 hours ago I ordered a 2500k, P8Z68-V-PRO and 8GB Corsair Vengance White LP.

I cannot wait.

I'm upgrading from a Q6600 @ 3.4, as per my sig.

 

[jaguarskx]

Ivy Bridge is not expected to be a major CPU processing improvement over Sandy Bridge. I estimate only a minor 6% (+/-) performance increase at best. Intel is focusing most of their resources on Haswell which is expected to be released in 2013 and will probably have a good performance increase over Ivy Bridge.

The biggest boost in performance in Ivy Bridge will be the integrated graphics core (Intel HD 4000) which is currently estimated to be 60% better than the Intel HD 3000. Sounds impressive, but that basically going from a Radeon HD 5450 to a Radeon HD 5550.

 

[jsc]

Well, while you are waiting, a Q6600 will run at 3.0 GHz with the stock cooler and at 3.3 GHz with just a halfway decent cooler. And you can always move the cooler on to the next build.

Just make sure it comes with both LGA775 and LGA 1155 mounting hardware.

 

[13thmonkey]

i'm on a Q9550 and waiting for IVB, i've no need to upgrade but I want to, and getting what will probably be the best i5 on 1155 before it goes gives me the longest run with that setup. So I'd wait, it also might shake the 2500k prices up a little as stocks get low, as who would buy 2500k when 3570k costs the same?

 

[jaguarskx]

^^^

Why not just wait for Haswell? That's what I'm doing.

 

[warezme]

I'm a tech junkie and I think that is a great question. Going from a Q6600 (which I used to own), to an i7 was a huge difference let lone going from a Q6600 to lets say SB or IVB. However the whole thing still confuses me. I forget what tick or tock Intel is on.

I just bought an Alienware m17x laptop that supposedly has a brand new second gen SB chip the i7 2860QM but the next upgrade is supposed to be IVB. However I read somewhere that IVB would be technically identical to the SB chip but of the 3000 series with a die shrink? I though the second gen SB was the die shrink and IVB was a new architecture? So I am confused unless that only applies to desktop CPU's and Cedertrail is the mobile side of it. In which case is Cedertrail a new architecture or a die shrink?

 

[mayankleoboy1]

that exactly my dilkemma.
so far using the q6600 @ 3.0ghz.

 

[clutchc]

Depending on the resolution you game at, your Q6600 is still a decent processor when mated with a fast graphics card and enough system memory. So, if you want to wait for 'the next big thing' from Intel, just up your memory to at least 4 GB and wait it out. At 1920x1080 and lower, you won't be hurting for framerate with your current system. And giving it a bit more RAM will help make things happen faster.

Btw, I just ordered an i5-2500K, Z68 board, SSD, and Hyper 212 EVO cooler recently. It should be delivered today. I will be moving back to the Intel camp...

 

[13thmonkey]

^^^

Why not just wait for Haswell? That's what I'm doing.

I saw that on another thread by you, and the truth of it is I want to build something

but come that time I might decide to stick, when's haswell due again?

 

[HostileDonut]

Ahh, that's good to hear. But there's also motherboard prices to consider. And I'm one of those skeptics that will believe it when I see it

Yes, but you can run an Ivy Bridge CPU on an LGA 1155 board. So, that is pretty sweet!

 

[jaguarskx]

I saw that on another thread by you, and the truth of it is I want to build something

but come that time I might decide to stick, when's haswell due again?

Nothing more precise than 2013.

That means 12 - 23 months from now.

 

[13thmonkey]

I think i'll be a tocky person rather than a ticky person, and go for 2nd gen of every other meta generation, so that'll be every 4 years, maybe try to stretch this to 6.

 

[TheCannonFodder]

I'm gonna wait for now might overclock to 3.0 now for fun.

I'm gonna upgrade when i have more cash to do it and just buy a system

 

[HostileDonut]

I'm gonna wait for now might overclock to 3.0 now for fun.

I'm gonna upgrade when i have more cash to do it and just buy a system

That's a good idea.

 

[speedbird]

I went from a Q6600 that I had overclocked to 3.0Ghz to an Intel 2500. There's a big improvement when rendering videos. If you're upgrading for games then you'll see an improvement, but nothing huge. I noticed Crysis and Metro2033 were a bit smoother with the same graphics card.

 

[TheCannonFodder]

Best answer selected by TheCannonFodder.