Most useful upgrade to my system?

[Sephy]

Hey guys,
Recently lost my Windows drive with a bunch of stuff on it due to the infamous Seagate 7200.11 firmware issue, so I'm gonna use this as an excuse to upgrade with a new install. SSD and large drive are already planned.

Specs:
Q6600 @ 2.4
4GB DDR2
8800GTS 512mb

The question is: what will be the most bang for my buck as far as improving the system's performance? I'm considering:

i5 750/760, new MB, new RAM
vs.
Picking up a GTX 460 and sticking with current hardware for awhile.

Obviously the card alone is cheaper. Thoughts? I figure if I do the card now I'll get acceptable gaming performance and then be set when Sandy Bridge comes around and gets more affordable to upgrade then. But I'm open if someone thinks the i5 set up would be a better bet for me right now. Thanks!

 

[biostud]

overclock + GTX 460 1Gb

 

[darkewaffle]

overclock + GTX 460 1Gb

Yep.

Those C2Q chips overclock like mad, you should be able to get close to 4.0 without much trouble, though I would consider upgrading your heatsink to keep it up there. Something like a Cooler Master hyper 212+ is a really good value choice.

 

[Zap]

Those C2Q chips overclock like mad, you should be able to get close to 4.0 without much trouble

I don't think 4GHz is a realistic expectation of a 65nm Q6600, regardless of stepping. The 3GHz was pretty easy for a B3 but most petered out in the low 3GHz range. The G0 was better by a few hundred MHz so chances are better for a mid 3GHz range. 4GHz on air cooling would be pretty rare for even a G0.

Maybe you are thinking of the 45nm C2Q? Those put more stress on the motherboard and older 3-series boards didn't fare well, but with the right board and cooling mid 3GHz range was easy and 4GHz was not out of reach (though far from guaranteed).

For the OP, are you running Windows 7? SSDs work best with 7. Also, make sure you enable AHCI in BIOS. New drives plus a new graphics card and a CPU overclock (with new cooler?) should do the trick.

 

[darkewaffle]

I don't actually know, I could quite possibly be mistaken. I guess over 3GHz is more realistic than close to 4GHz, I'm just going by word of mouth on this one. Either way, it'll be pretty significant.

 

[DSF]

I don't actually know, I could quite possibly be mistaken. I guess over 3GHz is more realistic than close to 4GHz, I'm just going by word of mouth on this one. Either way, it'll be pretty significant.

Going on what I recall from the consensus on here a couple years back, 3 GHz was generally pretty straightforward. Anything more than that was nice, but not guaranteed.

 

[mfenn]

overclock + GTX 460 1Gb

:thumbsup:

Something cheap like a Hyper 212+ should get you to 3Ghz easy.

 

[superccs]

As long as that hardware holds out you should be fine with an OC and GPU. I would still be running my C2D 8400 if the MB didnt go belly up.

 

[Spikesoldier]

q6600 is a nice chip. 3.6 is usually upper end as far as OC goes on the G0 kentsfield chips.

q6600 @ 3.0/3.2 and 4gb ddr2 is still a good system. i would go with the video card, ssd and hdd and you should be sitting pretty.

 

[Sephy]

Gave a quick go at overclocking and the system quickly didn't tolerate anything, and just started shutting down after being in Windows at most settings for very long.

After using a temp program, I can see why! I know I'm using the stock cooler, but WTF, my core temps range from 83-90 at IDLE at stock speed/voltage. Isn't that, like, 40 degrees C too high? Its ice cold in my room, too. If I grab an aftermarket HSF and some AS can I get this puppy to 3.0?

 

[betasub]

Assuming your case fans carry your cool room temps through to your case contents, you are right to be looking at your CPU HSF. The older quads like the Q6600 do produce a lot of heat, especially if overvolted. Check your Vcore, and make sure that the current HSF isn't clogged with dust. After that, investing in a mid-range HSF would a good idea.

 

[mfenn]

Gave a quick go at overclocking and the system quickly didn't tolerate anything, and just started shutting down after being in Windows at most settings for very long.

After using a temp program, I can see why! I know I'm using the stock cooler, but WTF, my core temps range from 83-90 at IDLE at stock speed/voltage. Isn't that, like, 40 degrees C too high? Its ice cold in my room, too. If I grab an aftermarket HSF and some AS can I get this puppy to 3.0?

83-90C is pretty damn hot! When you OC, I'd shoot for low 70s load. You're probably actually throttling even at stock speeds.

 

[Sephy]

Yeah, its stock voltage right now cause its at stock everything. Think I might just buy a new card/SSD and the Hyper 212 as mentioned before.

 

[Sephy]

Yeah the heat is puzzling me. Even a clogged stock fan shouldn't get that hot.

 

[Davidh373]

I agree with the crowd, get a 460, 6870, or 470 and you'll be golden. I don't OC, but one significant enough should get you a good processing boost as well.

 

[biostud]

remember never set any voltage to auto in the bios when o/c, just specify stock voltages for those you don't plan to alter.

 

[Sephy]

OK, I think I'm gonna grab a 6850, SSD + larger drive, and the Hyper 212. Thanks folks!