Core2Duo@3.4ghz + GTX470 Shouldn't this run smoother?

arghdamnregistering · 01-22-2011, 02:29 AM **#11**

(01-22-2011, 12:14 AM)Squall Leonhart Wrote: his cpu isn't even enough to push his GPU let along the the game :p

Yeah I'm aware of that. This processor has been in this PC since its inception. However, I dont think I can justify dropping another 240 bucks for a decent quadcore.... wouldn't that be money I would rather save towards switching to i7 when the time comes? I'd love to hear your suggestions...

I'm on a 650i mobo, and I think that is the limit for my overclocking, and I can only seem to hit 3.4ghz stable while not pushing the voltages too high for my liking.

my g.Skill ram is rated at 1066 so that isn't the limiter... the e6750 only has a 8x multiplier so that doesn't help :[ My northbridge has a fairly inadequate heatsink so I dont wanna push her too hard.

Do you know any quads that could help my system out? Would the Q8300 be a waste for me? Something tells me it would... the cache is really small (though i'm not sure how much that would affect me compared to what I've got).

**Ocean** · 01-22-2011, 03:26 AM **#12**

Yes, buying a c2q it would be a waste at this point.

You can just grab a core i5 2500k at about 220 bucks, the motherboards aren't that expensive either. The performance gain will be massive compared to your current C2D processor.

Or buy a 2600k, it almost rivals the thousand dollar 980x in performance, only costs 250 to 300 bucks or so.

arghdamnregistering · (This post was last modified: 01-22-2011, 04:04 AM by arghdamnregistering.)

I just read that the q8300 sucks because of its low cache and low multiplier (7x). They did away with the q6600 because its more powerful and would be cheaper.

Can anyone chime in on this? on ebay I found q6600 new for like 170. Would that be my best bet? Because i know i7 is a whole different layout of mobo, but i'm really poor at the moment and dont forsee myself upgrading new ram, new mobo, and new processor all at the same time. That would not happen soon.

Does anyone know how the q6600 fairs? or if there is a better alternative quad i'm overlooking?

or would I be better off looking for a more suitable dual core? like the e8400's? I hear they can OC well. and with the 9x multiplier, i could keep my current FSB of 425mhz which would throw me up to 3.8ghz, and possibly higher (if its my e6750 thats holding back my OC).

**NaturalViolence** · 01-22-2011, 05:12 AM **#14**

Neither a q6600 or an e8400 would make a significant difference. You need to save up money for an i7.

**skid** · 01-22-2011, 08:46 AM **#15**

3.4ghz is a pretty decent speed. Most games would run fine with that clockspeed. I also think you should keep what you have and save up for a 2500K or 2600K + total system upgrade. In the meantime, you can always play SMG2 on your Wii.

RaptorZX3 · (This post was last modified: 01-22-2011, 10:54 AM by RaptorZX3.)

it's not about the speed, it's about the cache size and multiplier

it's like buying a digital camera with 10+ Megapixels, but the lens is so low-quality you can't see crap when taking pictures.

I was able to spend a bit more for a better CPU here because i already had my video card, good enough power supply (Corsair TX650W), sound card, speakers, meyboard, mouse, monitor...so it saved money on that dept, so i invested a little more for the i5 750 instead of the i3 line

**NaturalViolence** · 01-22-2011, 11:26 AM **#17**

Cache size actually doesn't impact performance with dolphin very much unless it's below 3MB. Whereas core clock rate tends to have an almost linear relationship with performance in dolphin.

obscured · 01-23-2011, 03:23 AM **#18**

definitely not all about cache and multiplier (which directly relates to cpu speed). even my 4.3ghz c2d doesn't run all the games full speed. will fire dolphin up again once i get my heatsink for my sandy bridge build and hopefully get it running 5ghz then i'll run the game gamut again.

RaptorZX3 · 01-23-2011, 10:05 AM **#19**

yeah, for some reasons some North Bridges tend to heat up more than others. Mine seem to be fine with stock cooling

arghdamnregistering · 01-24-2011, 02:43 AM **#20**

Yeah... mine just has a tiny passive heatsink on it... and its certainly hot enough to cook an egg in good time... so i definitely dont wanna destroy this system... but I'm thinking of pushing the voltages up more for more clock speed...

Ok, how about this... you can get q6600's off ebay used for about 80 USD. Do you think that would be a worthy upgrade? I've never bought used parts before though, so that worries me quite a bit... does anyone have any experience with this?

I kinda worry they weren't as careful with their parts than I might have been... but if the CPU doesnt work i could always get a refund, no?