I am poor/flat broke/ however you want to call it. I live on old PC equipment obtained for free, cobbling together "Frankenstein" machines to fulfill my needs. once in a while I have a few bucks to spend if it REALLY is worth the expense. I am at that moment right now.
My System in question:
ASUS P5N-B rev 1.02
BIOS REV 1401 (Last update released)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
8 GB OCZ Gold PC6400 RAM (4 matching modules 2GB each, sequential S/Ns)
Saphire Vapor-X Radeon HD 5770
Windows 7 64 Bit Ultimate
I know it is not worth spending much on this system but I see one chance for a decent upgrade.
for under $50 I can install a Quad Core Xeon E5450 using the LGA775 to LGA771 adapter MOD, and then going for a decent overclock. I have heard that some of the Xeon E5450s can reach 4GHz. This particular Quad core CPU is the same speed as my current E8400 Core 2 Duo but runs at a lower voltage, leaving lots of headway for OC'ing. It runs a little hotter than my current CPU (TDP of 80 compared to TDP of 65) but my MB is rated to a TDP of 130. And I have a couple of 120 mm heatpipe cooling options laying around (Coolermaster Hyper 212 and Thermaltake Volcano) that I could make work if needed. This is well withing my skills, but I am not familiar with all of the performance gains. I am asking for advice on the performance to dollar ratio. Will this type of upgrade increase general performance by 20% - 25% or more? I would not consider a 10% - 15% increase worth the money. I thank you for your time and expertise.
My System in question:
ASUS P5N-B rev 1.02
BIOS REV 1401 (Last update released)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
8 GB OCZ Gold PC6400 RAM (4 matching modules 2GB each, sequential S/Ns)
Saphire Vapor-X Radeon HD 5770
Windows 7 64 Bit Ultimate
I know it is not worth spending much on this system but I see one chance for a decent upgrade.
for under $50 I can install a Quad Core Xeon E5450 using the LGA775 to LGA771 adapter MOD, and then going for a decent overclock. I have heard that some of the Xeon E5450s can reach 4GHz. This particular Quad core CPU is the same speed as my current E8400 Core 2 Duo but runs at a lower voltage, leaving lots of headway for OC'ing. It runs a little hotter than my current CPU (TDP of 80 compared to TDP of 65) but my MB is rated to a TDP of 130. And I have a couple of 120 mm heatpipe cooling options laying around (Coolermaster Hyper 212 and Thermaltake Volcano) that I could make work if needed. This is well withing my skills, but I am not familiar with all of the performance gains. I am asking for advice on the performance to dollar ratio. Will this type of upgrade increase general performance by 20% - 25% or more? I would not consider a 10% - 15% increase worth the money. I thank you for your time and expertise.