Old Q66 CPU - benefits of new cpu?

[jamok99]

I have an old intel Q6600 quadcore CPU, with an 4GB of ddr2 800mhz memory on an Asus board. Last year, I replaced the Nvidia GTX8800 CPU with a Radeon 7770 GPU - and the difference was quite noticeable and helpful. Black Friday got me to buy a PowerColor Radeon AXR9-280 card for $100 net (how could I resist)? But I'm wondering - have I already maxed out my potential GPU gain already, and the faster clock, larger bus, and 3GB of DDR5 (vs. 1GB in the 7770) will or won't be much different in terms of results? I'm not tech proficient enough to OC much of anything, although if, in addition to this question, people have suggested upgrades - (like more RAM) - that don't mean a whole system overhaul I'd be very grateful. I know the Q6600 limitations q's have been asked before, but never in quite my situation. TIA to all who respond - truly appreciated. (BTW, my powersupply is a reliable 850W Antec Quattro, so power consumption is not an issue - heat, maybe? Running Win 7 ultimate, if that matters.

 

[TheDualshock]

You will see a big difference going from a 7770 to an R9 280. The old Q6600 is holding back the full potential of the R9 280 and I'd recommend swapping it out depending on your budget.

 

[bambiboom]

jamok99,

I'm not sure of the uses of your system and performance expectations, but where a Q6600 at 2.4GHz has gone before, a QX6800 - that = a Core2 Quad Extreme at 2.93GHz should work.

http://ark.intel.com/products/30720/Intel-Core2-Extreme-Processor-QX6800-8M-Cache-2_93-GHz-1066-MHz-FSB?q=QX6800

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Extreme-QX6800-2-93GHz-SLACP-G0-Quad-Core-LGA775-Processors-/400808536831?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d520ceaff (Ebahh completed listing ffor $85)

These older systems with upgrades can have respectable performance. I was recently given a Dell Precision 390- same socket and series as Q6600- and spending about $125 (I had the Firepro V4900 lying around):

Precision 390 (2006) Original : Core2 Duo 6300 @ 1.86Ghz, 2GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Quadro FX550 Passmark system rating = 397, CPU = 587 / 2D= 248 / 3D=75 / Mem=585 / Disk = 552

Dell Precision 390 Revised : Xeon x3230 quad core @ 2.67GHz > 6 GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Firepro V4900 (1GB)> 2X WD 320GB > 2X Dell 19" LCD > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit [Passmark system rating = 1458, CPU = 3642 / 2D= 433 / 3D=1346 / Mem= 853 / Disk=582]

Notice the important change in the 3D score from 75 to 1346. In Passmark baselines, the highest 3D score for a Firepro V4900 is 1453. The 1346 is probably about No. 40 of 168 scores, but this means that these systems can get up the steam in a decent GPU.

Also, using the full capacity of the RAM- 8GB?, and a BIOS update should produce a positive result.

You could also get a big boost by changing your OS/Program drive to an SSD and the new Crucial MX100 series makes this inexpensive:

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=128GMXSSD1

Cheers,

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro K2200 (4GB)> Samsung 840 SSD 250GB /Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > AE3000 USB WiFi > HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 > Windows 7 Ultimate 64 >[Passmark Rating = 3949 > CPU= 9222 / 2D= 835 / 3D=3553 / Mem= 2573 / Disk= 2118]

 

[jamok99]

jamok99,

I'm not sure of the uses of your system and performance expectations, but where a Q6600 at 2.4GHz has gone before, a QX6800 - that = a Core2 Quad Extreme at 2.93GHz should work.

http://ark.intel.com/products/30720/Intel-Core2-Extreme-Processor-QX6800-8M-Cache-2_93-GHz-1066-MHz-FSB?q=QX6800

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-2-Extreme-QX6800-2-93GHz-SLACP-G0-Quad-Core-LGA775-Processors-/400808536831?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d520ceaff (Ebahh completed listing ffor $85)

These older systems with upgrades can have respectable performance. I was recently given a Dell Precision 390- same socket and series as Q6600- and spending about $125 (I had the Firepro V4900 lying around):

Precision 390 (2006) Original : Core2 Duo 6300 @ 1.86Ghz, 2GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Quadro FX550 Passmark system rating = 397, CPU = 587 / 2D= 248 / 3D=75 / Mem=585 / Disk = 552

Dell Precision 390 Revised : Xeon x3230 quad core @ 2.67GHz > 6 GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Firepro V4900 (1GB)> 2X WD 320GB > 2X Dell 19" LCD > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit [Passmark system rating = 1458, CPU = 3642 / 2D= 433 / 3D=1346 / Mem= 853 / Disk=582]

Notice the important change in the 3D score from 75 to 1346. In Passmark baselines, the highest 3D score for a Firepro V4900 is 1453. The 1346 is probably about No. 40 of 168 scores, but this means that these systems can get up the steam in a decent GPU.

Also, using the full capacity of the RAM- 8GB?, and a BIOS update should produce a positive result.

You could also get a big boost by changing your OS/Program drive to an SSD and the new Crucial MX100 series makes this inexpensive:

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=128GMXSSD1

Cheers,

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro K2200 (4GB)> Samsung 840 SSD 250GB /Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > AE3000 USB WiFi > HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 > Windows 7 Ultimate 64 >[Passmark Rating = 3949 > CPU= 9222 / 2D= 835 / 3D=3553 / Mem= 2573 / Disk= 2118]

 

[jamok99]

Thanks to you for your answer - I wish I could mark both of them as a solution!