Socket 775 - Worth an upgrade?

zoofie

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Hi there
I currently run an Intel Core 2 Duo e6600 2.4ghz - and will want to play Diablo 3 on at least medium settings. I don't really have the budget to upgrade my whole motherboard and get a new CPU such as an i5 or i7 unfortunately.
I could, however, get a socket 775 CPU second hand such as a e8400 3.0ghz for around £60 - would you say that would make a difference with Diablo 3?

As i said, aslong as i can run Diablo 3 at 1440x900 with low-medium settings i would be happy!

Thanks in advance
 

antonisrsx

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Recommended Requirements
Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz
Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5600+
GeForce GTX 260
Radeon HD 4870
2 GB
Win Vista 32
i think you cpu is ok.what is your current GPU?
 

zoofie

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I am getting a HD 6850, as an upgrade from a 4850.
I don't want to do any major upgrades as i've never played next gen game that require 40000 ghz and watercooling (you get my drift). D3 will be the most demanding game i will play by far for quite awhile, other than that i play games such as League of Legends, maybe WoW occasional!

But a GPU update to 6850 will definitely happen, and perhaps an upgrade to a Core 2 Duo e8400 3.0ghz - if you think it's worth it!
Thanks agian
 

farrengottu

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with that video card and your current cpu im very sure that you will be happy with how it runs. you dont need a new cpu. diablo 3 will run on a computer with half your cpu power, so your fine.
 

Uther39

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What i would do in your shoes is get the new GPU that you stated keep your current CPU, and buy this aftermarket cooler
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/arctic-cooling-freezer-7-pro-v2-s775-1155-1156-1366-am3-am2plus-am2-939-up-to-130-watts
And OC your CPU to 3.0 ghz, you will be surprised at how easy this is to do with the core duo range, it would also be nice to have your full system specs, such as RAM, PSU, Motherboard, PC Case, HDD, OS etc etc.
 
G

Guest

Guest

that cooler looks just above the stock heatsink you get from intel. something like:
http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/Coolermaster-Hyper-412S-4-Heatpipe-CPU-Cooler_42142.html
would help get a better overclock and keep temps down.
(get a better cooler/heatsink that will be compatible with socket 1155 if you are upgrading the whole rig in a year)
 

zoofie

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Ooo sounds tempting, as i could get a Q6600 for £60 off Ebay. However, it's whether to get a Q6600 2.4ghz, or an E8400 3.0ghz Dual Core. Tough choice, i will check out benchmarks.

But at least with either of those CPU's, overclocked and with a 6850 i could at least be looking at playing D3 at decent fps at low/medium 1440x900! All i want, i've never been so excited about a game coming out - but D2 the best thing ever :p
 

wavetrex

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Yes, definitely Q6600 - Running one at 3Ghz now + R4870, didn't have any problems even with new games ( however, no anti-aliasing, that's too much for the 3.5 year old video card )
 

zoofie

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So you would say i'm better off buying a 2.4ghz quad core is better than a 3.0ghz dual core, even for a game like Diablo 3 that isn't stated to utilize multiple cores?
 

Uther39

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Yes, especially as you can the OC it extremely easily to 3.0ghz.
 
You have not said what kind of motherboard you have. But if your motherboard permits overclocking, you can easy run a Q6600 or an E6600 Conroe at 3.0 GHz with the stock cooler and 3.3 GHz with even a mediocre aftermarket cooler. After that, things get a little tricky.

It is generally not too difficult to push an E8400 to 3.6 GHz either.
 
Your motherboard will support the first gen, 65 nm Core2 CPU's. With a BIOS upgrade, it should support the 45 nm Wolfdale dual core CPU's, but not the 45 nm Yorkfield quads the (Q9000 series).
 

zoofie

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Thanks mate didn't know that. Do you tell what CPU your mobo can support by looking at the MHz FSB?
 

zoofie

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Wow that's insane, 3.6ghz from 2.4!
Only have a 450w Antec psu, so would probably push it to a maximum of 3.0ghz - but still, that SHOULD be ample for Diablo 3
 

zoofie

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Will give OC'ing a go, and buy a new cooler!
After buying a new gpu, i have the funds to afford one of these :
http://ark.intel.com/products/35605/Intel-Core2-Duo-Processor-E8600-(6M-Cache-3_33-GHz-1333-MHz-FSB)

Tough choice, because that would give me the option to overclock even higher,