Looking to update CPU

F

fuel911

New Member
Current system

Intel E4500 2.2ghz (OC@3ghz) /w ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro
4gb G.SKILL 4GB (4 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L
EVGA GeForce 8800 GT Superclocked
just upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate x64

I built it 2 years ago and haven't looked at comp hardware info since. So what would be a good CPU upgrade for this comp in the $150-$180ish range. Would be nice if i could reuse the arctic cooling also.

All i do on here is browse internet and play games(wow, gtaiv, cod4, etc). no video editing, cad, blah blah.

i see e8400 mentioned a lot here and there, but also that its overpriced... is quad core worth it for a gamer or core 2 duo still the way to go?
 
I love my E4500:) Yes, you can use your current cooler. Have you looked at the CPU's on Newegg? You can get them all at a glance and compare specs. E8400's are nice, but it's up to you if you want to spend that money. The E7300 also jumps to mind - just shy of 3 Ghz stock IIRC. I just used it's little brother (the E6300) on a build for a self-storage place and it's a fairly nice chip.

As far as Duo vs. Quad, again that's up to you. Personally, I'd stick with Duo in your case.
 
Hey, i've also got an E4500 at 3ghz. out of curiosity, what voltage are you running it at?

My cousin has a quadcore - definately worth it! see if you can pick up a used Q6600 or Q6700 somewhere, they are great at overclocking i hear, and in games you will notice the difference... you will also be somehwat futureproof.
 
That's a tempting deal if its still for sale. I am weary on buying used comp parts, i will more than likely use whatever i get for several years.

Would an upgrade like that be a decent boost or should i look to go higher? I can't spend a ton of money but i would want it to be worth it.
 
going to a faster dual core probably won't do much for you. Processor upgrades are the least noticeable in general, especially in incremental steps. Go big or go home basically in my opinion, especially considering prices. Your socket is at the end of its life right now, so you may as well get what's offered for it. While the majority of games don't use quads to their fullest extent, more and more are utilizing it to better effect, at which point, dual-core is going to suffer greatly. Some games even REQUIRE dual cores now. It's only a matter of time....
 
I would buy a quad over a E8400.

The base quad is the q8200 which is $150. But I would spend a couple bucks more and get a q9400 which is $190 but it has a faster stock clock and has 2mb more of L2 cache. As another member stated, cpu upgrades are not that noticeable unless you get a decent upgrade.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115131


Quite honestly though, you're gpu is holding you back more than your CPU at this point.
 
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