Is my Q6600 bottlenecking my system (i.e. is it worth upgrading?)

[Disgruntled Architec]

Hello all:

Someone suggested that my CPU (Q6600) was bottlenecking my system and that upgrading would give my computer a boost (I primarily use it for gaming and CAD)

System: Q6600, 650il chipset, 4GB DDR2 800, ATI/AMD 5850.

I assumed that the CPU was 'good enough' not to affect games or adversely affect the performance of the GPU; obviously, a complete upgrade would be best, but the arrival of a baby has put a lot of my lofty upgrade plans on the back burner, so if it's worth it, I could pick up another LGA775 CPU, possibly even a faster-clocked dual core, if it would 'balance out' my system performance.

Thanks!

 

[Cygnus x-1]

It's not bottle necking for the cad work, but it is holding the gpu back a little. Try overclocking it to around 3.0 to 3.2ghz, that should be a pretty good match for the two. you'll also notice a boost in cad work with the clocks being higher.

 

[Disgruntled Architec]

It's not bottle necking for the cad work, but it is holding the gpu back a little. Try overclocking it to around 3.0 to 3.2ghz, that should be a pretty good match for the two. you'll also notice a boost in cad work with the clocks being higher.

I have no experience overclocking, but I might as well try; would picking up a higher-clocked dual-core, like an E8400, have the same effect? I had originally picked up the Q6600 because I was doing a lot of freelance rendering work, but that's no longer the case.

 

[lilotimz]

It's not worth putting any money into an LGA 775 system + E8400's don't exactly come cheap anymore ($170ish last check) and an intel i5-2400 is at the same price and completely destroys it.

If i were you, i'd get a better cooler to overclock that as bipedal said. It's the cheapest and most effective option for you till you can afford a new build.

 

[Cygnus x-1]

No for cad your better off with the quad, same thing with games. Even a small tweak to say 2.8 will help a decent amount. The 680 chipset isn't the greatest for overclocking but you should be able to get around 3.0ghz fairly easily with just about stock voltage or stock voltage.

 

[Disgruntled Architec]

Best answer selected by Disgruntled Architec.

 

[Disgruntled Architec]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey