Which CPU upgrade makes most sense

[kevinmscs]

Hi all,

I currently have Pentium D 930 and Nvidia 8500 GT. I did nothing but web surfing and office stuffs so i have been ok. But recently i bought the Canon HD camcorder and since i transferred HD video's onto the PC, it plays them horribly. I have not done any video editing yet but my assumption is it would be worse.

So i think i need an upgrade. For this task which CPU and/or CPU/video card combo should i look at?

Thanks all in advance.

 

[warmon6]

Hi all,

I currently have Pentium D 930 and Nvidia 8500 GT. I did nothing but web surfing and office stuffs so i have been ok. But recently i bought the Canon HD camcorder and since i transferred HD video's onto the PC, it plays them horribly. I have not done any video editing yet but my assumption is it would be worse.

So i think i need an upgrade. For this task which CPU and/or CPU/video card combo should i look at?

Thanks all in advance.

So video editing is what your needing to do..

Well it will depending on budget, i would recommend core i7 860. Although budget will be deciding factor.

 

[jimishtar]

agreed. dont go less than i5 750.

 

[saaiello]

well an i5 or an i7 would be great choice but all depends on your budget and how serious you are about video editing a good core 2 quad core would suite your needs just fine all depends on your budget. Depending on your mobo since it is a lga775 socket it will probally support atleast a q6600.

 

[kevinmscs]

I dont have a large budget so if i could jump on a Core 2 Duo or Quad without replacing the MB that would be nice. But can you guys be more specific about which CPU and the price range of those i5/i7?

 

[notty22]

You chances of putting a core2duo/quad in that m/b are slim and none. You can check but there are a lot of chipsets that were introduced then and even more when the core 2 duos came along a year later. What chipset is it, you can use cpuz to check.

 

[kevinmscs]

You chances of putting a core2duo/quad in that m/b are slim and none. You can check but there are a lot of chipsets that were introduced then and even more when the core 2 duos came along a year later. What chipset is it, you can use cpuz to check.

its a Gigabyte P35-DS3L

 

[someguy7]

1. Get a Q9950 EO stepping if possible. If you live near a microcenter get it from there. If not from newegg or whatever online retailer has it for the cheapeast.

2. Update your BIOS if needed. F9 for the EO and F8 for C1

3. Do a clean install of your OS.

4. Be happy.

 

[hell_storm2004]

Going for an i5/i7 rig would need you to chnage the mobo, ram and processor. So i would also suggest Q9550 if you don't want to go all the way with the upgrade. But looking at the future, upgrading now with a little more dough in your pocket would make sense.

 

[boonality]

You have a P35.... Any E6XX or Q6600 will work without any extra effort. But a BIOS update is easy if your up for the challenge.

 

[warmon6]

Going for an i5/i7 rig would need you to chnage the mobo, ram and processor. So i would also suggest Q9550 if you don't want to go all the way with the upgrade. But looking at the future, upgrading now with a little more dough in your pocket would make sense.

agree, Q9550 will be th best upgrade with out a complete overhauling. ( update you bios before getting a new cpu!)

 

[kevinmscs]

Thanks guys. I just did an BIOS update to F9 and starting to shop for the Q9550 now. Will let you guys know how it goes after the upgrade.

 

[kevinmscs]

The Q9550 is as expensive as the i7-860?
Should i just expand my pocket and get the i7 then?

 

[warmon6]

The Q9550 is as expensive as the i7-860?
Should i just expand my pocket and get the i7 then?

You'll probably wont notice the difference between the 2 systems.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=50&p2=108


If seconds matter with video editing, then core i7 may do you good. if not then, stick with the Q9550.

We recommend the q9550 because you have a motherboard that can use it. You wouldn't need to change motherboard and ram which can cost you an extra $200 to $300 (on top of the cpu)

Q9550 Prices:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-19-115-041-_-Product
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0299412 (if you got one near you.)

Core i7 860:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317378

Motherboard and ram for core i7 860:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128406 (motherboard)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 (ram)


In my option, stick with the q9550

 

[kevinmscs]

Thanks warmon6. I will check at the local Microcenter. They have the Q9550 but not sure which stepping that is ($199). Its stormy here this week so probably have to call and see first tomorrow.

 

[kevinmscs]

Long time no follow up!

OK long story short. I updated BIOS to F9 and got a chance to grab an E7500 for little money so i did. Now the PC is much faster (i did not do clean install of OS, just swap the CPU only).

But i tried to watch some HD clips (recorded by Canon camcorder HF20) and the clips played with micro-freezing issue - not smooth.

I assume Core2Duo would be ok to play HD video, yes?

Or should I re-install the clean OS?

Thanks all.