CPU & Motherboard Upgrade Advice

[bettz]

Hi all I've decided its time to upgrade my cpu & mother board currently i've got a Athlon X2 6000+ Cpu with a Asus M2V motherboard.My motherboard limits me to anymore updates.

Ive always had Athlon cpu's i had a started a thread about motherboards with my current cpu but decided to upgrade both .I'm not really to fussed about Athlon or Intel, i know alot of my mates have told me to go with intel as there killing athlons at the mo?? just after the best upgrade i can get with £250- £275 to be spent on a motherboard & cpu any advice?

 

[Ketxxx]

E8400 about £125
Asus P5Q Pro about £105

They are great parts, regardless of if you choose to OC them or not. Theres the great "platform switch" going on atm, but AM3 and i7/5 are still very much in their infancy, best to let them mature a little.

 

[Darknova]

Phenom II X3 720BE - £120
Foxconn A7DA-S - £105

Just to add an AMD side to it.

 

[bettz]

Thanks for the reply I've currently got 4 gb of Corsair Ram & and Radeon 4850 oh and my psu is 600w Kingwin Modular.

I've no clue when it comes to which motherboard or cpu i just want the best that i can get for say £250 - £275 that will last a while & i can maybe stretch to £300 got some spare ram & i can sell and a coolermaster cavalier case to sell

If you were building a computer what would you opt for?

 

[LagunaX]

I would agree with Ketxxx and overclock the e8400 to 3.6ghz.
It could probably do 4ghz easy on air if it is a newer e0 stepping but then your ram and cooling might hold you back unless your ram can do 445fsb (ddr2 900: 9 x 445 = 4ghz).

 

[bettz]

The ram i've got is this http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-(2x2GB)-Corsair-TwinX-XMS2-DDR2-PC2-6400-(800)-240-Pins-Non-ECC-Unbuffered-CAS-5-5-5-18
I wouldnt have a clue how to overclock

 

[Darknova]

I would agree with Ketxxx and overclock the e8400 to 3.6ghz.
It could probably do 4ghz easy on air if it is a newer e0 stepping but then your ram and cooling might hold you back unless your ram can do 445fsb (ddr2 900: 9 x 445 = 4ghz).

The X3 720BE at 3.6Ghz? You can do that really quite easily.

 

[Ketxxx]

720BE is still less powerful clock for clock than a C2D. I sence a slight shift in the force though, hopefully Phenom 3 will be a true beast.

 

[Darknova]

720BE is still less powerful clock for clock than a C2D. I sence a slight shift in the force though, hopefully Phenom 3 will be a true beast.

Benches only. Up until yesterday I had both, and the 720BE is the better choice. The extra core is making a big difference in games that are taking advantage of it (ie GTA 4). Except for that there is no difference in gaming.

 

[Ketxxx]

Yeah, it takes that extra core for the 720BE to scale up, Q6600 @ 3.6GHz would kill it. I've seen Q6600s around for £150 new.

 

[Darknova]

Yeah, it takes that extra core for the 720BE to scale up, Q6600 @ 3.6GHz would kill it. I've seen Q6600s around for £150 new.

Had you said the 8750BE then yes I would have agreeded, but not the 720BE.

Oh well, I provided a valid alternative, it's up to him which he gets.

 

[Ketxxx]

I have nothing against AMD, their just not a good choice at this time, their a few footsteps too far behind intel for my liking.

 

[bettz]

Ok so at the moment its between

E8400
Q6600 i have no idea how to overclock & isn't this chip a few years old?
Phenom II X3 720BE

its going to be mainly for gaming

 

[a_ump]

it's q6600, and yes it is older but it's still a very good performing chip for it's price. I luv mine, i've never lagged no matter how many apps i have open, and i only have mine overclocked to 3ghz due to my mobo holding me back :/. A lot can reach 3.2ghz-3.6ghz. which is great for a quad

 

[LagunaX]

For a newer e8400 E0 (SL9BJ) they all will do 3.6ghz stock volts.
All you have to do in the bios is set the ram for 667 instead of auto/800 and raise the cpu fsb to 400 instead of auto/333. You can probably even leave eist still turned on.
I would recommend at least a better cooler though even the small xigmatek or freezer pro.

 

[bettz]

That sounds quite easy to Overclock hopefully not even i could mess that up at the mo i've got a Zalman http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_2622.html so it looks like i'll need to get another fan

 

[LagunaX]

That sounds quite easy to Overclock hopefully not even i could mess that up at the mo i've got a Zalman http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_2622.html so it looks like i'll need to get another fan

That is an am2 socket fan that will not fit on a intel 775 socket.

This cheap one is good for 3.6ghz but not for 4ghz:
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_2626.html

 

[LittleLizard]

get the e8400 for gaming. most games now want megaherz and two cores, then also pick as ket said the p5q pro. when ur pc can with the games any more, just add another 4850 and exchange for a core 2 quad that by that time are going to be dirt cheap

 

[bettz]

Would you go for the E8400 setup then?

Yeah i like the look of the Xigmatek fans im sure i've seen some with blue led fans on them?

I think this is the fan i was thinking of Thermalright Ultra-120A with a blue led fan on the side

Would it be worth saving abit more cash for a core i7 setup?

 

[sneekypeet]

Would you go for the E8400 setup then?

Yeah i like the look of the Xigmatek fans im sure i've seen some with blue led fans on them?

Would it be worth saving abit more cash for a core i7 setup?

No Xigmatek to date has blue LED fans, but purchasing one and using it on the Xig corrects that issue.

Also with the 9500, I had the copper version and mine came with hardware for both AMD and LGA775. I know there is a hardware kit they sell too, may want to look that route if you really like the Zalman. Owning both the Xig has a higher heat threshold before it saturates, making it a better choice to OC with.

 

[red268]

P5Q-E can be bought for a few pence (Literally) over the P5Q Pro .... so deffinately worth considering.

 

[bettz]

Would a E8600 be worth considering over a E8400 or would it just be wasting money as you can overclock the E8400?

 

[sneekypeet]

Would a E8600 be worth considering over a E8400 or would it just be wasting money as you can overclock the E8400?

really depends on the motherboards abilities. I have a DFI P35 that the NB has a 475MHz cap to the FSB, so in my case the E8600 is a better choice, and matches the low 800MHz ram better. If the ram will run along with the bus required to keep an E8400 at 4.0GHz, go with that as its cheaper.

 

[bettz]

Would a Rampage Formula board be anygood with a E8400 cpu? the ram i've got is http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/4GB-(2x2GB)-Corsair-TwinX-XMS2-DDR2-PC2-6400-(800)-240-Pins-Non-ECC-Unbuffered-CAS-5-5-5-18

 

[LagunaX]

You don't need to spend the money for the Rampage.
P5q pro is quite good.
Spend the extra on ddr2 900 capable 2x2gb ram and a decent cooler.
For 4ghz you don't need an e8600 - an e0 e8400 is fine if your ram can do 445fsb.