New Q6600 based system, need feedback

[Japhez]

Alright, so I've been looking to upgrade my system a bit. Right now I have (thanks Xfire):

Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Hard Drive: 407 GB Total
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Monitor: SyncMaster 940BF,SyncMaster Magic CX903B/CX916B(Digital)
Sound Card: HTO STRIKER 7.1 Audio Device
Speakers/Headphones: TekNmotion TM-PSX100A 3.5mm/ USB Circumaural Pulsewave / Pulsar SX PC Gaming Headphone
Keyboard: Microsoft Ergonomics Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech HID-compliant G5 Laser Mouse
Mouse Surface: A blue, circular mousepad
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition
Motherboard: BIOSTAR TForce TF7025-M2 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7025 <----No idea why I bought this originally
Computer Case: Antec 300 Black ATX

I know only a few of those are applicable, but I figure more information is more, eh?

Anyways, I've been looking up reviews and checking around Newegg, and I think that a Q6600 based system would be pretty sweet for a poor starving college student such as myself. I considered an i7 based system after a friend told me about them, but the motherboard is quite a bit more expensive and I don't think I'll need top of the line right now. I've also considered a Dual Core solution, but I need multitasking support for activities such as online broadcasting of gaming sessions. This system is geared to gaming (of which I am a avid fan), but I don't need insanity level performance.

Alright, now that that is out of the way, these are the parts I'm looking for (motherboard, CPU, 2gigs ram [I can purchase more later], cooler).

Right now I'm looking intently at the following choices:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066

Any changes? Ideas? Witty remarks?

 

[WR2]

Athlon 64 X2 6000+ is an excellent multitasking CPU.
To be honest your Q6600 choice look like a downgrade to me.
What software do you use for online broadcasting?
What games?

 

[fatcat]

Honestly, for gaming purposes I think I'd go with a good dual core. Q6600 is a good processor but would need to be over clocked to get the best gaming peformance. To this day not many game take advantage of 4 cores. A CPU like the 8400 or 8500 would serve you well. I am just curious, why do you want to change your rig ? Are you experiencing any slow down in the game your actually playing ? The system you are using now is still pretty decent and if you on a tight budget you might still get some time out of that system.

 

[Japhez]

@ WR2 I use Dyyno for my broadcasting via Xfire. I play most most mainstream games such as Fallout 3, Crysis, Call of Duty 4, Left 4 Dead, etc. I do not experience CPU slowdown on any of these games normally, but multitasking such as listening to music in the background, or demanding broadcasting can lower my FPS significantly. This is especially true of games like Fallout 3.

@fatcat Yeah, I was planning on overclocking it pretty extensively if possible. I know a heavily overclocked dual core might be better overall for games, but can they provide significant multitasking? If they can I could just go with that. I suppose other than broadcasting I don't experience much slowdown.

Maybe I'm not as far behind as I thought by what you guys are saying. Any followups? It sounds like maybe I should wait it out a bit?

 

[batuchka]

If you want more frames maybe consider a HD4850 or HD4870? Another option is get an AM2+ 750a SLI motherboard and add another cheap used 8800GT and sit back with an upgrade path to Phenom 2 Deneb/Heka?

 

[WR2]

I can't find anything to indicate that Dyyno is multithreaded and will do better on a slower, but quad core, CPU. Having four cores doesnt mean your programs will "spread" themselves evenly across all cores.

Anyway can borrow or arrange to use a quad core CPU and do a test of gaming and Dyyno? I'd hate to see you "upgrade" and end up having worse performance.

 

[theAnimal]

If you do go with a quad get Q8300 or Q9400, not Q6600.

 

[Japhez]

Thanks for the replies guys! I guess I don't need to upgrade yet. I just am having system-builder's itch I suppose. If I did upgrade, I'd probably grab an E series dual core and overclock it extensively, as it should provide the multitasking I'd need (setting core affinity).

I really appreciate it, you guys saved me a lot of money, haha.