upgrade core2duo with core2quad?

C

clear_lot

Journeyman
so this is my dilemma:
current rig

intel c2d e7300 @ 3.33ghz (OC with "tape mod")
intel dg35ec mobo (with no OC options)

i am thinking of upgrading my CPU to a second hand/used (no warranty left) q9550 @ 6k. then i will buy a lga775mobo with OC features and OC the chip to 3.3-3.6ghz.

is it worth it to invest in such a old platform?
cost of upgrade(CPU+ mobo)= 6k+2.5k= 8.5k
old parts resale( old CPU+mobo) = 3.5k
total spent=~5.5k.

if i dont go with this upgrade, i will have to wait till ivy bridge in next april or so.

if i go with the upgrade, i will wait for at least a year before upgrading.

is it worth doing this upgrade or should i save more till ivy bridge and buy a spanking new platform?


edit: reason for upgrade is that crysis2/ bfbc3 are heavily multithreaded and 2 cores are still bottleneck @ 1080p. i dont do any other CPU dependent work.
 
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asingh

asingh

Aspiring Novelist
For that price the change is nice. But it would be hard to find an OC'able LGA775 motherboard.
 
Cilus

Cilus

laborare est orare
I didn't get it. You are planning to spend 6K for an EOL processor with no warranty and 2.3K for a motherboard, at this price you can get better than that.
C2Q 9550 performs at the same level of a Phenom II 955 (may be slightly better) in Phenom's stock speed but since P II 955 is a Black edition processor, it can be overclocked to 3.4-3.5 GHz with its stock cooler to gain some extra performance. Now a new Phenom II 955 is retailing @ 5.5K with 3 Yrs of warranty and there is no point of getting the old 9550 now.

You can find 760G or 780G based AM3 or AM2+ boards within 3K with all the overclocking options available in BIOS.

So sell of the old parts including your existing DDR2 rams and get a new CPU + Mobo + DDR3 ram combo

My suggestion:
Phenom II X4 955 + Asus M4A78LT-M LE + 2 GB Corsair 1333 MHz DDR3= 5.5K + 2.6K + 0.8K = 8.9K
 
saswat23

saswat23

Human Spambot
Cilus' idea is just perfect. Really, there is absolutely no point in getting an OLD C2Q proccy w/o warranty for 6k. IMO PII 955 BE will be a much better option.

It will be even better if you save up a bit more and go with a IVY Rig.

Check the comparision here:
AnandTech - Bench - CPU

Both beat each other in diff. Benches. So, both are equally good. So, going with PHENOMII 955BE will be a better choice as AMD will give better on-board gfx with 3yrs warranty.
 
OP
C

clear_lot

Journeyman
i dont want to buy a PII when BD is just round the corner. the nearest intel offering is still >9 months away.
the PII has a 400mhz speed advt and yet is almost equal to a 2.8 ghz c2q.
 
Skud

Skud

Super Moderator
Staff member
An article published in KitGuru was speculating that AMD might have stopped production of X2 and X4. In any case, it will be, starting from next year for sure. So I think investing in a new platform, which is already a dead end, is not wise.

But the best option will be to hold on your cash and wait for some time for a complete overhaul.
 
saswat23

saswat23

Human Spambot
BD's launch is not yet confirmed.
Any ways you wont regreat going with P2 at all.
Also why don't you try the new Llano CPUs. They very good gfx and you can also X-Fire with the on-board gfx for better performance.
Waiting for BD, SB-E CPUs and IVY Bridge is not a bad idea at all.

Go with any of the above three catagories.
 
desiibond

desiibond

Bond, Desi Bond!
I agree with Cilus's suggestion. Also, it would be to good to wait a bit and get 880G based board along with a decent processor (and later next year, upgrade to next gen AMD CPU.
 
Cilus

Cilus

laborare est orare
You don't want to get a Phenom II when bulldozer is not even launched but wanna get a Core2Quad, after which two generation of new CPUs have been launched? If it looks like a better alternative then go for it, what more I can say.

Skud, buying and AM3 based platform is not at all any dead end solution.There are plenty of budget AM3 motherboards available from MSI, Gigabyte and ASUS with already confirmed Bulldozer CPU support. GIGABYTE GA-880GM-USB3 AM3 , available @ 4.75K has Bulldozer support.
 
OP
C

clear_lot

Journeyman
@ saswat23
i have a gtx 580. i am not interested in on board graphics/llano.

BD is confirmed to be released on 19 september.
 
ssb1551

ssb1551

Technomancer
I totally agree with Cilus' idea!! also if you can save up more while waiting for BD is also a good option!! But if you aint ready to wait that long then go with Cilus' suggestion & aint Sept 19 a rumor??
 
desiibond

desiibond

Bond, Desi Bond!
asingh said:
How can he get a BD setup in:
Click to expand...

cost of upgrade is 8.5k. OP can go for 880G board (4.7k) and a Phenom II X4 9xx for some 5k, which will be more than enough for next 1 year or so and then once BD is stabilized, he can make the jump!
 
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