[TC] Gaming Forums

Soo... yeah. Title says it all. Im looking for a new CPU since the CYRI (can you run it) site recommends a better one to play games like GTA IV, Arma 2, Dirt 3, etc smoothly. Currently I have an "intel core 2 duo e74000 @ 2.8GHz". I'm pretty sure its on a LGA 775 socket (correct me if i'm wrong. )

so i'm looking for a good CPU that is:

1: Compatible with LGA 775 (or whatever it is )
2: Can play games smoothly (bonus points if i can render videos fast)
3: relativity cheap ( don't know my price range yet)

Also, i don't know how to install one so a tutorial video would be nice.

~A

Hope you understand.

LGA 775 is what socket the motherboard is compatible with, which in your case is a Intel chipset (Socket 775). Not really sure what's best when it comes to intel. If your looking yourself, make sure the CPU is compatible with Socket 775.

Just out of curiousity, what's your graphics card?

Anyway, the cheapest solution here, is to look at hardware and computer forums (As geeks know what stuff like this is really worth, it's cheaper to buy from them), for a Socket 775 CPU. Your best shot here would be the Q9550. The Q6600 is not bad either.

Another option could be to upgrade both CPU, Motherboard and Ram, but that'll cost you a bit more, though you will get greater performance. (If you choose this, you should go for a Socket 1155 CPU. Preferably an Intel Core i5 2500k or 3570k)

Cola, I have an HD Radeon 5770.

Just looked up the Q9500 and the Q6600 and from what I see, they look good. (quad core ) I still don't understand what difference the GHz makes.

Also, I don't really feel like replacing the whole motherboard because of a tight budget. But i think I could add ram ( it's easy )

But how do i check what sockets/etc my motherboard has so i can use it for quick reference for when i want to add ram/change cpu, etc.

I stil don't really know how to change the CPU and what thermal paste does ( ) so a good tutorial video or something would be helpful. All the videos on youtube were filmed by a calculator so I couldn't really see anything.

(2012-08-20 12:24)Aus Wrote: [ -> ]Just looked up the Q9500 and the Q6600 and from what I see, they look good. (quad core ) I still don't understand what difference the GHz makes.

All other things being equal, more GHz = faster (linearly). However, in the real world it's not that simple, because there are so many CPU variations and differences other than just GHz. GHz can only really be compared with CPUs of the same type.

The Q9500 is a more modern design than the Q6600, so is probably more efficient (more performance per GHz). The fastest socket LGA 775 CPU is probably the QX9775, although that uses a lot of power (up to 150W). The Q9650 is probably a better bet at only 95W. What exactly you get will probably depend more on price though, as new LGA 775 cpus are hard to come by.

(2012-08-20 12:24)Aus Wrote: [ -> ]But how do i check what sockets/etc my motherboard has so i can use it for quick reference for when i want to add ram/change cpu, etc.

Download CPU-Z go to the mainboard tab and post the model here.

(2012-08-20 12:24)Aus Wrote: [ -> ]I stil don't really know how to change the CPU and what thermal paste does ( ) so a good tutorial video or something would be helpful. All the videos on youtube were filmed by a calculator so I couldn't really see anything.

How to do it depends on the CPU socket and specific thermal paste.

Thermal compound (typically in the form of a paste) provides a highly thermally-conductive layer between the CPU and the heatsink, which gets all the heat away from the CPU. The better the heatsink + thermal compound, the cooler the CPU runs at. Without any thermal compound at all, there will be a very poor contact between the CPU and heatsink, and the CPU will overheat.

You don't *need* to use seperate thermal paste if the new CPU comes with a heatsink, as they usually come with a thermal compound pre-applied. Good thermal paste (ie Arctic Silver 5) will work better though, provided you're reasonably confident in how you apply it. There are good instructions for applying AS5 on most CPUs on their website http://www.arcticsilver.com/instructions.htm

Well, here's what the CPU-Z thing said. :

Elmo Wrote:What exactly you get will probably depend more on price though, as new LGA 775 cpus are hard to come by.

I agree with that because all the LGA 775 cpu's are discontinued. I didn't build my own PC. It is an Inspiron 530 with a few mods (Graphics card). It was a 2009 model (i think) so it's dated. PC parts develop so fast these days that everything is obsolete really fast.

Your processor is fine for running the games you mentioned.

Look on classifieds like craigslist and find a used one, because it's not worth $300 for a new one. A few months ago I saw a Q6600 for $40 on craigslist.

In all honesty, keep the current CPU and save up for a new motherboard configuration. I can preach to you about current configurations if you'd like.

Prebuilt PC's don't do upgrades very well in most cases. You'd be best saving up and build your own, that way you have a better chance of knowing that stuff will actually work together.

(2012-08-24 04:19)Stephen Wrote: [ -> ]Prebuilt PC's don't do upgrades very well in most cases. You'd be best saving up and build your own, that way you have a better chance of knowing that stuff will actually work together.

That.


Allthough there is some places that makes premade computers of REAL parts. (Not brands like Asus, acer, hp and all that crap).

Examples: (From denmark though, but just to give you an idea of what I mean)
http://www.topdata.dk
http://www.sharkgaming.dk
http://www.komplett.dk/k/kd.aspx?bn=10306