CPU & Motherboard Upgrade Advice

[bettz]

If i overclocked the E8400 would i need all my fans on high all the time? i've got a antec 902 with fan controller and i wanted the fans on the lowest speed as my pc is in my bedroom.

Also Laguna X i noticed you've got a E8500 better than E8400?

 

[Ketxxx]

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

P5Q-E has some issues the Pro does not, such as a lot of -Es tend to have sensor problems and LLC doesnt work correctly (if at all) no such probs with the Pros

Also, if your looking for a good gaming system C2D/Quad perform better than Phenom 2. If it were me I would pick up;

Asus P5Q Pro (be sure to use one of my mBIOSes to get the most out of it )
Q6600 (no point getting a E8400, some games are starting to use more than 2 cores. For £25 more its worth it.)
Zalman 9500 or better CPU cooler

 

[LagunaX]

If i overclocked the E8400 would i need all my fans on high all the time? i've got a antec 902 with fan controller and i wanted the fans on the lowest speed as my pc is in my bedroom.

Also Laguna X i noticed you've got a E8500 better than E8400?

1) No
2) E8500's and e8600's can hit higher ghz (4.4, 4.5) easier than e8400's in part due to higher multiplier in part due to higher binning. High ghz is sometimes cpu limited, sometimes ram or motherboard fsb limited. With the e0 e8400's you can expected 4.0-4.3ghz. Beyond that unless your (ram) motherboard + northbridge (good or active cooling) can run close to 500fsb stable, you're not going to get 9 x 500. 9.5 x 474 or 10 x 450 is easier to achieve with voltages/ram/motherboards unless you go high end.

But if you goal is 4-4.2ghz, the e8400 is the easy choice.

 

[bettz]

At the moment my list is currently
Cpu
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Intel-Core-2-Duo-E8400-Wolfdale-Core-S775-30-GHz-1333MHz-6MB-Cache-9x-Multiplier-Retail
Motherboard
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Asus-P5Q-iP45-S-775-PCI-E-20-(x16)-DDR2-1200-1066-800-SATA-II-SATA-RAID-ATX

I've been offered a XFX 790i Ultra for £120 is this a better option that the P5Q?

Cooling
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Thermalright-Ultra-120-eXtreme-120mm-Heat-Sink-Fan-for-Intel-CPU-(Without-Fan)
or
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Xigmatek-HDT-S1283-(HDT)-120mm-PWM-Fan-x3-Heat-pipe-LGA775-K8-AM2-Cpu-cooler-Quad-Core-Ready

Any Thoughts? is this worth all that money & will it last a while?

 

[Ketxxx]

Don't shop at scan, your being ripped off You want the P5Q Pro not the regular P5Q, scan are also massively expensive for that E8400.. ah hell let me just do your shopping for you

P5Q Pro £105
C2D E7400 £100 (if you want to save money, it'll OC like a champ still)
and if you want a quad
Q6600 £128
or if you really want that E8400
E8400 £99 (out of stock atm)
AC Freezer Xtreme £30 (Fantastic cooler. LINK)

Sorted.

 

[bettz]

Don't shop at scan, your being ripped off You want the P5Q Pro not the regular P5Q, scan are also massively expensive for that E8400.. ah hell let me just do your shopping for you

P5Q Pro £105
C2D E7400 £100 (if you want to save money, it'll OC like a champ still)
and if you want a quad
Q6600 £128
or if you really want that E8400
E8400 £99 (out of stock atm)
AC Freezer Xtreme £30 (Fantastic cooler. LINK)

Sorted.

Thanks for that whats the bit about the cpu being e0 stepping? any info on the XFX 790i Ultra for £120

 

[Ketxxx]

Don't get the 790i, you'll regret it. 680/780 chipsets are plauged with all kinds of problems, from them Killing RAM sticks to DIMM slots actually MELTING!

 

[bettz]

Ok so sorted on motherboard P5Q Pro it is just cpu Q6600 runs hotter when Overclocking and my pc will be on alot E8400 runs cooler? I've also been reading more games will be supporting Quad core cpus at the end of the year

Also as i've currently got a Athlon X2 6000+ in this list its higher than the Q6600
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html

Also seen the Q9550 or 9650 mentioned quite alot would that cpu last longer for future games? that with a P5Q Pro could maybe stretch budget to this?

I've had this posted on another forum
On the subject of Quad Cores, i'd recommend waiting a few weeks. AMD's new quads are due out very soon and could well upset the market a bit. The 955 looks particularly promising, it's a 3.2GHz AM3 quad core part that looks set to overclock to 4GHz on air Even if you decide against going with that chip, or the Phenom II 945 that will accompany it to market, it'll still spur another Intel price drop.
As for the Q6600, i've said all i need to say on that chip. It's beaten. Since the Phenom II release and the subsequent Intel price drop on the Q9400 et all it stopped being good value for money. Another price drop will kill it off completely (Intel won't drop the Q6600's price, they've been bumping it up for months while they wind down production and phase it out)

 

[Ketxxx]

Q6600 is a diamond chip, tbh it sounds like whoever wrote that post is a AMD fanboy. I like both AMD and intel and own systems based on both. Bottom line intel CPUs are better performers at this time, AMD are caching up, but slowly, and they really do lag a couple paces behind what they should do at this time. If you can grab a G0 Q6600, your laughing, those things are not unknown to go as high as 4GHz on air, and on low volts. If you can getting a newer Quad based on 45nm is naturally better, they run cooler than 65nm, but are also considerably more expensive.

 

[bettz]

What about upgrading to AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 940 as its alot cheaper than most intels and its quite high on the benchmarking list

 

[red268]

P5Q-E has some issues the Pro does not, such as a lot of -Es tend to have sensor problems and LLC doesnt work correctly (if at all) no such probs with the Pros

Thanks Ket! I could never understand why the hell people would go with the 'lower' board when it's only a few pence more for the 'upgrade'. I was going to buy the -E next week as well!! Perhaps I'll get the pro instead and add some heatsinks to the mosfets. (And obviously download your latest BIOS for it!!)

 

[Ketxxx]

What about upgrading to AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 940 as its alot cheaper than most intels and its quite high on the benchmarking list

You can go with a AM3 rig if you want, you'll just have to accept that its not AS fast as a intel offering.

 

[bettz]

Right guys think i've made my mind up on the following
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Asus P5Q Pro

Just need a cooler now
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-025-AS&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-017-AS&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-016-AS&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150981

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Thermalright-Ultra-120-eXtreme-120mm-Heat-Sink-Fan-for-Intel-CPU-(Without-Fan)

 

[Bluefox1115]

how much are you looking to spend here? I can come up with a few viable options..

 

[Ketxxx]

Right guys think i've made my mind up on the following
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Asus P5Q

Just need a cooler now
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-025-AS&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-017-AS&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-016-AS&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150981

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Thermalright-Ultra-120-eXtreme-120mm-Heat-Sink-Fan-for-Intel-CPU-(Without-Fan)

You really getting a P5Q (pretty crap) when for a measly £5 or so more you can get the P5Q Pro? (much better) Golden rule: Do not skimp on a quality mainboard or PSU, otherwise you will run into problems. I'd still go with the Freezer Xtreme, that link I gave you shows how well it does, and its damn near silent

 

[francis511]

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

I was thinking of getting a psq pro . What is the difference in the p5q-e ?

 

[Ketxxx]

I was thinking of getting a psq pro . What is the difference in the p5q-e ?

P5Q-E has some issues the Pro does not, such as a lot of -Es tend to have sensor problems and LLC doesnt work correctly (if at all) no such probs with the Pros

Only difference is a better onboard audio chip, extra BIOS chip and a extra PCI-E slot. Perhaps literally a couple extra BIOS options for OCing too, but thats it.

 

[bettz]

Sorry forgot to put P5Q Pro lol

 

[Bluefox1115]

I think the Phenom II 940BE is a very viable option. It keeps in step with the Q9450 and Q9550, and it's also cheaper, and AMD motherboards are also cheaper. Honestly, what difference is he gonna see between the two? Probably none if he's gaming. He wouldn't even have to OC if he got the 940BE, seeing how it already starts off at 3.0GHz, where as most Intels are what, 2.4 or 2.66?

 

[BradleyKZN]

+1 Q9550! getting one next week, im so excited i could wet myself.

 

[bettz]

Well i was all set on getting a Q9550 but scan.co.uk have Q6600 On offer at the mo for £130 Is this chip worth spending that amount on it & what sort of performance increase will i get from a Q9550 over a Q6600 bear in mind i've never tried Oc'd so i'd be a total newbie. I'm not sure about upgrading to a Q6600 as it's been out since 07, and within the next year people would have moved on from it? was thinking of a chip that will be around for a bit longer

 

[Ketxxx]

Q6600 is brilliant, and you shouldn't have any issues running it in the P5Q Pro. I'd say you can happily clock the Q6600 to 3.6GHz 450FSB, or a easy 3.2GHz 400FSB. Just remember being 65nm the Q6600 will run hotter than the Q9550 and require more volts.

 

[bettz]

But is it worth spending a bit more cash on something that will last longer than a Q6600?

being 65nm the Q6600 will run hotter than the Q9550 and require more volts
I'll be running it on air aswell

 

[Ketxxx]

Essentially they are both the same CPU only the Q9550 has more cache and is based on a new fab process to the Q6600. If you can get a G0 Q6600 you should be laughing, low volts and high OCs. If not and the price difference isn't too much, get the Q9550.

 

[bettz]

Is this G0 stepping you mean? from scan.co.uk

This CPU is overclockable The BEST choice for your 1066 FSB Motherboard! We have in stock the Overclockable version too.

This Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Pro Q6600 G0 SLACR CPU will run up to 3.30Ghz or higher (when overclocked) and used in conjunction with the correct Memory, Motherboard and updated Heat Sink Fan

Unquestionably and STILL - THE Best all round CPU available for the price - Our best Selling Intel CPU!. This Legendary CPU will go down in History!

This CPU is certified for SLI use: Please Click Here

Energy Efficient Version 95W - SLACR G0 Stepping. This New 95W part runs cooler and greener!.