Will core2duo gel on this configuration?

[baccilus]

I have the following system:
ASRock Conroe945G mobo
512X2MB of DDR2 667MHz RAM
SATA I 80GB hard disk
nvidia 8500 GT Graphic card
I am currently using Intel P4 2.66GHz processor
1. I have a budget of around 5K. My mobo already supports a core2duo but not the upcoming quadcore.
2. Which will be the best option for me. Will it give a significant performance boost considering the fact that my current processor has an FSB of just 533 while my mobo supports 1066
3. Is it any use saving up more money for a better processor considering that I have a mediocre system over all? Note that only thing I may upgrade anytime soon is my RAM.
4. I will need this system for Gaming and may even overclock. My current processor falls below minimum requirement of latest games.
5. How much should i charge for the current processor ?That money will go into the upgrade budget.

[ravi_9793]

Go for core 2 duo E4400
Price 5k
Best option for you.

[baccilus]

OK thanks....... anything about point no 3?
And I just found it has a bus speed of 800 MHz. My mobo also supports 1066 MHz. And RAM is 667MHz. I am running in dual channel so RAM is effectively functioning at twice that speed. So shouldn't I go for a processor with more FSB to extract the max out of this mobo. And the upgrade may last longer. I can wait longer and save more money if it's worth it.

[ravi_9793]

It depend on you.If you want to wait...you cant wait for few more months..to find few more cheap processor.

But i dont think processor C2D price is going to fall in ear future.So go for E4400

best deal for you.

[arun_chennai]

get the E4400...u may even slightly overclock it to 266 FSB (2.66ghz)...very good VFM...

[nish_higher]

2ghz------2.66ghz.is that ''slightly'' overclocking??

[ravi_9793]

Originally Posted by nish_higher

2ghz------2.66ghz.is that ''slightly'' overclocking??

But you can do this..

[baccilus]

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=32888
He too suggests E4400 is a better choice. But this is not in relation to games.

Originally Posted by nish_higher

2ghz------2.66ghz.is that ''slightly'' overclocking??

And I have heard it's possible on stock cooling. I think E4400 will be a great choice then.

[assasin]

^^^ yeah E4400 is a gr8 overclocker.u can easily oc to 3GHz on stock.

[nish_higher]

cool..!!!!
any ideas about Q6600 and E6850 on that overclocking issue?i m buying one of them.along with a below 8k board.that means i can too overclock it to a gr8 extent??

[ravi_9793]

^^^^^^^^
No, idea of over clocking.Prefer Q6600

[assasin]

@nish_higher get the Q6600 instead of E6850 cuz Q6600 being a quad will help in future apps and games.Q6600 G0 stepping is a gr8 overclocker.u can easily reach 3GHz and go beyond.there has been reports of ppl crossing 4GHz using 3rd party cooling solutions.
in 8k u'll get Asus P5N-E SLi which is a good oc'ier

[nish_higher]

thanks.just one more question--asus crash free bios.does it mean that if i go beyond my proc's ovrclocking capabilites it will automatically reset and prevent from toasting?
all my overclocking experience is today's only-i oc'd my friend's x2 3800+ on a m2n-mx to 2.54ghz and my fx55 to .1ghz more (2.7 now)

[assasin]

^^^ crash free bios wont save u from a fried proccy.all it wud do is save u from having to reset the bios by taking out the battery if ur bios crashes due to some wrong vals in bios.

[moshel]

well if u can wait for sometime, then save some money and get a Proccy+mobo. lets say it wud be arnd 12K to 15K. but if u go in for a decent mobo, like the P5N ultra, u will get overclocking+support for later processors.

it wud be gud for u as u dont have to spend on Ram or graphics card or HDD...

[ravi_9793]

Originally Posted by nish_higher

thanks.just one more question--asus crash free bios.does it mean that if i go beyond my proc's ovrclocking capabilites it will automatically reset and prevent from toasting?
all my overclocking experience is today's only-i oc'd my friend's x2 3800+ on a m2n-mx to 2.54ghz and my fx55 to .1ghz more (2.7 now)

Overclocking is good idea...but be careful while doing this.Because, it may can damage your processor ..and warranty is not applicable in this case.

[baccilus]

Moshel, was that for me or nish?
And how will E4400 perform in comparison to my current processor in 3D games, considering that latest games are known to be CPU intensive.

[assasin]

^^^ E4400 is far better than ur present proccy.

[arun_chennai]

Originally Posted by nish_higher

2ghz------2.66ghz.is that ''slightly'' overclocking??

Hey E4400 can be easily overclocked to 3ghz....but the thing is ,he is having only uATX (945G) Board...so only slight overclocking is possible...

[baccilus]

But i think this asrock mobo will manage well. It has got untied overclocking feature and crashfree BIOS. See that mobo link. I even overclocked my current processor to 2.82GHz once without any problem but had to pull back when I got my graphic card as it wouldn't give any display on an overclocked system. That's because of overheating problems in my 8500GT( It's quite common I have heard). Hope I don't face this problem when i get my new procy.

E4400, here I come

[The_Devil_Himself]

C2Ds are made for overclocking.

And how will E4400 perform in comparison to my current processor in 3D games, considering that latest games are known to be CPU intensive.

Actually latest games are graphic intensive not cpu intensive.

[moshel]

Originally Posted by baccilus

Moshel, was that for me or nish?
And how will E4400 perform in comparison to my current processor in 3D games, considering that latest games are known to be CPU intensive.

thats was for you m8.

as for E4400 i have heard that u can overclock it to the speeds of a Quad Core. I do currently own E4400 with 8500GT and although i dont get the best graphics, i can play all games easily.

[baccilus]

Originally Posted by The_Devil_Himself

C2Ds are made for overclocking.

Actually latest games are graphic intensive not cpu intensive.

Yes that's correct but I heard that they are making the latest games to utilise multiple cores. And also the minimum requirement for CPU is increasing for newer games. For a very long time 2.4GHz processor used to be enough in CPU dept although a good GPU was required. But now both CPU and GPU should be good.

@Moshel: I too think I should wait and see how the quad core of both Intel and AMD turn up. Till then I can collect more money and play some low graphic games. If I am not able to save enough money by then, E4400 seems to be a good option.

Thanks everyone. This thread was really helpful for me.