tootall82103

I built my first computer a couple years ago now. I Just recently upgraded the GPU though. The PC itself is still quite outdated but I like to think it's no slouch. Due to the increase in games/programs that are supporting more than 2 cores I was wanting to upgrade my E8400 to a Q9550 which I can find in the low $200s. I'm hoping this will stretch out the life of my PC in the gaming area for a few more years with the exception of a GPU of course.

Current setup is
Antec P182
Asus P5E x38
Intel E8400
8gb Mushkin DDR2-800
MSI GTX 275
2x500gb Western Digital SE16
Sound Blaster Fatal1ty X-Fi Gamer
Corsair HX-620 PSU

Would a Q9550 be worthwile for 2/3 more years or is buying a dead end socket design no good now? Is it a good upgrade from an E8400?

comp_ali

I think you won't have a problem with Q9550 for 2 years at least. The issue with going i7/phenom II route , you will have to replace you motherboard and Ram , ho much is your budget ? , If you don't have a tight budget , you'd better go i7/phenomII platform for future proof and better performance.

tootall82103

Don't really have a budget. I'm just cheap. I went ahead and bought the Q9550. Hopefully I notice a decent improvement from my E8400. I figure in 2012 I'll be due for a new computer now.

BlueMak

I have a Q9550 and I am very satisfied with it. One year now. Before it I had a E6600 and the difference is there to see.
It is always a dead end buying a dead socket, BUT in my experience, by the time you upgrade your CPU you are better off to get the next best thing (6 or 8 cores CPUs) anyway.

As long as you have a 64bit OS, you will be fine with your system. If you keep your graphics card you will obviously need to lower details resolutions as time passes by, but the whole thing should hold you for another year to 2, depending on the games and your demands.

__________________
The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis
This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm Sic semper tyrannis.

Judas

Q9550 would be a slick setup..

people with Q6600 are doing VERY well right now still with stock timings.. i mean it's no i7... but it's still working more then well enough with room to spare..

Dual cores are basically obsolete now though imo

__________________

Optix

__________________

BlueMak

I wouldn't call them obsolete, but they more and more look like 486 in the age of the first Pentium.

__________________
The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis
This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm Sic semper tyrannis.

kris23

go with a Q9550 or Q6600 both are great

__________________

comp_ali

Good , it should be nice .hardware upgrades never ends what games will you play and what your resolution

tootall82103

I want the hardware upgrades to end. Stuff is expensive! That's why I want this current outdated Q9550 processor to last me for awhile so I don't need to buy a new mobo/ram and everything else.
I'm playing on a Asus 24" 1920x1080 res. Going through Fallout 3 and Borderlands right now. Both games should provide plenty of gameplay hours to keep me occupied for awhile.

comp_ali

In this resolution you should be able to run any game out on maximum with no problem for more than two years I guess.
Your rig is considered a high-end one judging by your specs.

BlueMak

You are not going to be able to run new games at that resolution with that graphics card. Well, you would, but the frame rate will not be very playable.

__________________
The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis
This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm Sic semper tyrannis.

tootall82103

Crysis is the only game I can't play right now maxed out at 1080P (1920x1080) So I drop that one down to 720p (1280x720). I know I'll have to upgrade my GPU down the road, hopefully later than sooner. I got my GTX 275 a couple months ago brand new for $200 though so I jumped on it. It was a nice upgrade from my 4850 512mb. My computer was high end when I built it in 2007! I don't know about now. It's still good but not compaired to what is out there.

BlueMak

Friendly advice, do not use Crysis to compare your system to others. Crysis is horribly optimised. Your system, together with a good quad core cpu, should last you another year or two. Just don't expect it to be able to play new games 2 years down the line at 1920x1080 with most details to high. But it could possibly at 720p or so.

__________________
The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis
This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm Sic semper tyrannis.

comp_ali

Mostly no problems unless with DX 11 titles or games like crysis 2 IMO.

procupine14

Yeah I'm thinking that's probably enough for the near future without any major issues. Basically just run it until you can't stand the low detail levels and then upgrade

__________________
Laptop: HP dv6000 - Windows 7 Pro 64bit - AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60(2.0GHz) - NVIDIA GeForce Go 7200 256MB - 4GB Kingston DDR2 667 (2x2GB) - 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive

HTPC: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Athlon 5200+ x2 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - Samsung EcoGreen 1TB - Hauppauge single tuner HD - ASUS Radeon HD4550 512MB - ECS RS485M-M mobo - Creative X-fi soundcard - Seasonic 300W SFX PSU

Other PC: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon 4200+ X2 - 1x 2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - HIS 4850 512MB - DFI Infinity NF570 SLI-M2/G - CoolerMaster 400W PSU

tootall82103

That's the plan!
Hopefully I get my Q9550 in next week. Re-mounting my Tuniq Tower 120 is gonna be A &#$!@ though.
Next PC will have a removable mobo tray!

comp_ali

Yes , Case manufactures should have been aware of these issues before but still some stupid or lazy ones produce the classic case which requires you to remove the motherboard each time if you want to install a new cooler.

tootall82103

Haha, I don't even remove the mobo. Too lazy. I just cram my hands in there and turn the screws slowly.. I have a freezer 7 pro still in its box. Maybe I'll just throw that on there if I have too much trouble with the Tuniq.

Here is my computer btw.

comp_ali

Nice case you got

tootall82103

I love the Antec Performance cases. My next one will be the P183 or whatever takes it's place. It's quiet, nice looking (I'm not a fan of windows and lights) and has good cable management which I like even though the insides are hidden.

Kein

For multitasking, video encoding, file compressing and so on, it's an awesome upgrade. The PC will be more smooth while gaming even if it doesn't reflect on the max fps displayed. Forget about it if the concern is just gaming though.

tootall82103

I had another question also. Since I have an x38 motherboard with 2 PCI-E slots can I run 2 differant cards? My primary for gaming and such would be my GTX 275 but could I get an ATI 4670 or something similar with an HDMI out and have that run to my TV?

SeraphicSorcerer

That won't work the way you want, you're best using the primary graphics card for HDMI/TV out. you shouldn't take much of a performance hit. if you get a nice graphics solution, 275 should handle it fine.

__________________

tootall82103

Q9550 has been installed. I must have seated my Tuniq Tower 120 much better this time. My E8400 was sitting about 41c idle and about 50 load which is fine for me since it's well below it's limits. The Q9550 idles about 31c and my high core is 45c on load. I'm gonna let Prime95 run though the night. Now I can toss my E8400 in my girlfriends computer and look for somebody to buy an E6600.

crowTrobot

You can run another nvidia card on the other slot as a PhysX card but that's about it.

comp_ali

Good to hear , enjoy your toy