Should I build an I5 or get a second 6950?

[mendedsoul]

Hello,
I am currently using a q6600 @3.0 ghz on a gateway OEM pc with a 2gb 6950 unlocked. I am debating about wether I should save up and build an I5 2500k system piece by piece, or get a mobo and case for my current cpu so I can overclock it and drop in a second 6950. Any advice?

 

[popatim]

You're not going to overclock a gateway so IMO its time to build as the quad core you have is selling really good on auction sites.

 

[seumas_beathan]

But he has already overclocked, the q6600's standard speed is 2.4ghz

 

[mendedsoul]

I did the infamous tape mod that got it to 3.0 ghz lol. WHat I was thinking was getting a case and mobo so i can push the clocks further and drop a second 6950. At the same time an I5 system looks really good to. The thing is to, how much would q6600 hold back a 6950, especially in crossfire? If I go the I5 route I will build it piece by piece hoping to finish it by the fall

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

At the same speed the 1st generation Intel® Core™ processors can outperform a Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Core 2 Quad by about 15% to 20%. The 2nd generation Intel Core processors like the Intel Core i5-2500K, can outperform the 1st generation Intel Core processor by around another 10% to 15%. So at the same speed a 2nd generation Intel Core processor would outperform a Intel Core 2 Quad by maybe 30%. Now since games performance is heavily based on a video card you may not see this big of a performance increase in a game due to the importance of a video card.


Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[mendedsoul]

What about going from ddr2 to ddr3? I have heard that there is some noticable gains in stepping up to the new standard but havent read anything personally. I just dont want to get a second video for crossfire to have it crippled. Anyone seen any benchmarks with q6600 overclocked and an i5?

 

[omega21xx]

IMO upgrade to an i5-2500k
You won't see a huge increase aside from CPU heavy titles and better minimum frames, but on your current CPU, you will have a CF bottleneck. Once you upgrade to an i5, then I'd think about saving for a second 6950.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/53?vs=288
At the bottom you see a comparison between your CPU and an i5 in games, this does not show CF/SLI, but it gives you an idea of what to expect before throwing CF into the mix.

http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/radeon_hd_5870_crossfire_cpu_scaling_performance_part_2,4.html
This shows CPU scaling with CF. It doesn't have the 2nd gen SB CPU's or the 6950's but it's got the 1st gen SB and the Core 2 CPU's paired with 5870's. It should give you a better idea on the overall performance difference on core clocks and such between the cpu's. Example: Your CPU at 3.6ghz would get a minimum FPS of 20, an i3 5xx (dual core none-the-less) at the same posts 32 FPS minimum which is playable compared to 20.

 

[mendedsoul]

Wow that is almost a 100% improvement over the q6600 and thats the previous generation of I5's as well. I guess I will be conservative with my money and focus on building an I5-platform. I guess by the time I finish this, the 6950 may come down a lot more in price, might even go for a triple crossfire if they are cheap enough lol......or turn to the dark side and get 6xx series card lol

 

[mendedsoul]

Best answer selected by mendedsoul.

 

[omega21xx]

Wow that is almost a 100% improvement over the q6600 and thats the previous generation of I5's as well. I guess I will be conservative with my money and focus on building an I5-platform. I guess by the time I finish this, the 6950 may come down a lot more in price, might even go for a triple crossfire if they are cheap enough lol......or turn to the dark side and get 6xx series card lol

I, myself, have been tempted to get a 6xx series. Last time I had a Nvidia card was back in the gtx8800 times.

The improvement is roughly 50%+ in minimum frames which is pretty significant when running crossfire/sli since you're already dialing in stutter possibilities by going for a dual setup. If you can go for a triple that'd be amazing 4-4.5ghz with 3 6950's you'll have less chance of microstutter and the such compared to a dual setup. Not sure why this is but there are benchmarks and the like showing so. lol

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995-6.html
article regarding CF vs Trifire and the like

 

[popatim]

Dont buy anything until you can afford it all unless you find it on a heck of a sale. PC parts dont generally go up in price unless they're really scarce so thelonger you wait the cheaper it will be.

 

[mendedsoul]

Well I would get a case and other things that dont get cheaper such as the PSU, the mobo and cpu would be the last things i would buy

 

[mendedsoul]

I, myself, have been tempted to get a 6xx series. Last time I had a Nvidia card was back in the gtx8800 times.

The improvement is roughly 50%+ in minimum frames which is pretty significant when running crossfire/sli since you're already dialing in stutter possibilities by going for a dual setup. If you can go for a triple that'd be amazing 4-4.5ghz with 3 6950's you'll have less chance of microstutter and the such compared to a dual setup. Not sure why this is but there are benchmarks and the like showing so. lol

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995-6.html
article regarding CF vs Trifire and the like

I hat an 8600 for like a week but I didnt like it for some reason and got a 4850 lol. Though I had a nvidia 6600, ran BF2 pretty great but died violently on crysis at low settings lol