Looking to upgrade (from a 6000+ to Core2)...

[Phoenix89]

Hi all.

Hope you all can offer some advice and inspiration here!

I've been rolling quite happily with AMD-based systems for some years now, but I'm now looking to move on to the Intel side again, just because of the success of the Core2 range, and the performance/price crown it has at the moment (so far as I can see).

Ok, so this is what I have at the moment:

AMD Athlon X2 6000+ @ stock 3Ghz

4GB (2x 2GB) OCZ Platinum PC6400/DDR2-800

Gigabyte GA-MA770-DS3 Mobo

Nvidia (Inno3D) Geforce 9600GT

Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic

I initially thought about overclocking the 6000+, and I could get it to near 3.5Ghz stable after lowering the memory clock and hypertransport, but to be honest the extra heat was ridiculous, so I would need to invest in a better cooler for it and probably better cooling for my whole case. I've currently got a big Akasa HSF which resembles it's stock cooler actually. It does the job at stock temps.

I'm looking to go to intel now, to try and really push a Core2Duo. I have my eye on the E8400 and have heard good things about this (about it getting to 4Ghz on air cooling etc). I want to keep the existing graphy and sound cards for now. I'm on a bit of a budget... if I said no more than £350 that would be about right. Just replacing the 'core' of the system really. Mobo, CPU, Memory (possibly) and hard drive (possibly).

I want to hold off on Core i7 for now, and I don't want to go the quad core route for various reasons. Just to summarize, I want some advice on what to get in the way of intel stuff. A decent overclocking combo of a mobo and Core2Duo would be right up my street. I haven't gone with Intel for quite some time, so i'm a bit behind the times What's the hot stuff these days? Any cheap(er) CPUs that can be clocked into 'high' territory etc?

Finally, I will be gaming fairly often. I try and keep up with all the new titles. And I do also use the PC for media encoding and lots of compression-type activities too, so an all-round beast would be nice, hehe.

Thanks. Looking forward to suggestions!

 

[Ham]

If I we're you simply grab a phenom II 940. They're on par OC wise with the intel chips around the same price and you can just drop it straight in (maybe a bios flash 1st). The extra cores will help with endoding etc too.

Cooling wise if you want to stick to air i guess the TRUE or noctua ones that i can remember the name of would be a good bet.

Say £220 for CPU and the HSF.

 

[Rastalovich]

I don't see the gaming experience improving without going down the gfxcard route.

 

[tinytomlogan]

Aye if its gaming upgrade you need to switch the GPU first of all, then as ham said to keep costs down a phenom II would make alot of sense

 

[Phoenix89]

The AMD 6000+ I currently have bottlenecks up on crysis (and some more reading around some reviews confirmed this). Not to mention the fact that this cpu runs very hot... can't really overclock it much because of that unless I overhauled my case and cpu cooling situation.

Other than some scientific benches, the E8400 outperforms many quads when overclocked to near 4Ghz and for it's current price I think it's a steal. I know, I could drop a phenom in here with my current board, but I just don't know why i'd be doing it. I'm fairly sure I can squeeze the max out of this graphy card if I grab a new CPU... don't think this is quite maxing out yet.

Any further thoughts? Thanks guys

 

[Rastalovich]

If we talk about bottlenecking - which I usually immediately dismiss - the previous generations of cpus from intel don't benefit gaming performance past something like 3.3ghz. Pretty much negating any need to push them anywhere near 4ghz.

Seen some graph somewhere, be damned if I'm gonna go look it up. Other than that, the 6000+ running at 3ghz+ isn't going to make any real difference. Benchmarking is one thing, actual gaming is another.

Either way, with a 6000+ x2 @ 3ghz+, apart from the excuse of upgrading to an Intel mobo, I`d stick with it. The mobo will make more difference than a cpu upgrade.

 

[Phoenix89]

Thanks for helping me see some sense (I guess) Rastalovich! You know how we all get excited when looking at upgrade options, lol.

Suppose I stick with my current setup, could anyone recommend a decent aftermarket cooler for my 6000+? It gets warm as it is. Into the 60's when pushed, and that's all at stock speeds, with fairly good case cooling/circulation. I'm dreading summer coming round again as I think it might lose it's life fast.

I'm honestly not sure what to got for so far as cooling is concerned. People all say different things, and there are so many different prices options. Can you recommend a good CPU HSF that won't break the bank? Is the Freezer64 any good? It certainly looks a good design with the copper fins, and fan adjustable to spit the hot air directly towards the case far, rather than a traditional top-down design which fills the case. I almost forgot, I currently have an Akasa HSF, but it's basically the same as the AMD stock cooler for this chip, just with a slightly bigger fan I believe.

Sorry to be a pain. Thanks so much for the input

 

[adidan]

If you want to do a mini upgrade your board looks like it will support an AM3 720 BE with a bios update.

Extra core, highly overclockable on air by the looks of things and about two-thirds the cost of a 940 (costing about £120) as well as being cheaper than the E8400.

But yes, your GPU will be holding you back somewhat. A 4870 may do you just as well for less than the cost of a 940 if that was a choice you were thinking about.

 

[Phoenix89]

That's definately an idea adidan, thanks for that Given me some more to think about.

 

[adidan]

That's definately an idea adidan, thanks for that Given me some more to think about.

No probs.

Actually, just so you know, I have a 4870 running with a 5000BE @ 2.8 (sometimes 3.0, depending on my mood) and, for example, I'm playing Dead Space at the moment and it's flawless.

Of course some games will cause me problems, I have GTAIV (which needs at least 3 cores) and X3 waiting in the wings. Oh and then I have to get a hold of the Crysis duo which, again, will probably need more umph.

But, for me, the most noticeable impact has been from plonking a 4870 in.

 

[Phoenix89]

Yeah, I can see your info was confirmed after I looked more into it. Good, good