Need help with choosing CPU??

[zoizoipe]

I have a system:
MB: Asus P5Q Pro turbo
VGA: Ati HD 4870 1gb
Ram: 6gb DDR @ 800mhz
CPU: c2d E4700 @ 2.66ghz
I want to upgrade CPU for gaming. My budget is around 150-170. what CPU i should buy for best performance. Thanks

 

[masterasia]

Get this one http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0299412
It used to be $150 a before the new i3 and i5 came out. Now it seems all their Intel CPUs have gone up in price except the i7 860.

 

[saaiello]

well for you budget u obviously sticking with the 775 socket with that in mind you really only have 2 or 3 choices
1st is a q6600 its an older 65nm quad but can be overclocked nicely 160 to 170

2nd choice would be a q9400 which is about 180 to 190

3rd which would be my choice not evetyone will agree but its what i just built and it runs great is an E 8200 which i just picked one up new for 130

Now with the E8200 i t can be overclocked alot i have mine running at 4ghz on air with just a touch above stock voltage. If you look at benchmarks for games a higher clocked core duo will beat a lower clocked quad core ar "MOST" games there are a few that use more then 2 cores but most only run at 2 so in your budget to get most bang for your buck get an e8200 and overclock it it can go up to 3.4 -3.6 ghz without even breaking a sweat and with a lil know how and alot of tweaking u can get 4ghz duo that will mop the floor with all the quads in ur price range

 

[saaiello]

Get this one http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0299412
It used to be $150 a before the new i3 and i5 came out. Now it seems all their Intel CPUs have gone up in price except the i7 860.

If you can afford this nodoubt get this its a great deal and an awsome processor but i think you meant it used to be $250

 

[masterasia]

If you can afford this nodoubt get this its a great deal and an awsome processor but i think you meant it used to be $250

No, I did mean $150. It was a Microcenter in store exclusive.
The i5 750 used to be $150 too, but now is $190.
The i7 920 used to be $199, but now is $229.

No deals on AMD processors though, just Intels.

 

[saaiello]

i never seen a Q9550 for 150 at microcenter im there all the time i never seen it that cheap i go to the on ei n pa weekly so not sure whwere u saw it for 150

 

[deadlockedworld]

E8400 is $167 free shipping. Will easily overclock to 4ghz+ Its the highest rated 775 socket on newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037&cm_re=e8400-_-19-115-037-_-Product

Cheaper choice would be E7500--it has a high clock but the other stats are weak.

If you are concerned with gaming performance this is the way to go because of the rediculous overclocking power and massive cache-- however if you are concerned with longevity a quad core may age better.

 

[zoizoipe]

I think I'll go for Q9550. I forgot to check at Micro Center. This is a great deal for Q9550. Thanks a lot to all of you .

 

[13thmonkey]

depending on what you are playing you might not see much difference.

 

[linaaslt]

If he can get that q9550 from MicroCenter for 169 there is no reason why he should be going for any other CPU...

 

[deadlockedworld]

Yea if he can afford it its much better than a dual.

 

[zoizoipe]

OMG now it's only for 169.99. Yesterday, it was 199.99.

 

[masterasia]

Price has come down again.