Will an OC'd E8500 3.8ghz still keep up for 2015 gaming?

[Shadowman357]

Hi all - just would like to get some opinions on my fairly old setup vs. newer games that are coming out like DA Inquisition, Witcher 3 next year, ect.

e8500 OC'd at 3.8ghz
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P, can't do SLI
8GB DDR2
650W cooler master
GTX 460se 1GB at 850mhz gpu / 1900mhz mem
1 TB West Dig 1001FALS

On the Witcher 2 at ultra settings with all shades/blur/shadow/ect:
CPU cores run about 100% and 50% RAM
GPU runs about 100% and max mem 1GB
20 fps in busy areas - 30 fps in quiet spots
going down to a mid-high mix gets about 30 fps at the worst

I'd like to keep the newer games at least mid settings 30 fps. A full gaming PC rebuild is out, so I'm considering really 2 options - upgrades to this machine or move on and buy a PS4

What do y'all think?

 

[i7Baby]

Witcher - http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=860&game=The%20Witcher%20II - should be OK, especially if you got a low res monitor eg 720p

Its not worth spending money on this PC. DDR2 isn't helping. Your CPU isn't either. And I've seen plenty of gtx460s die on this forum. Everything is at end of life with your build.

A PS4 won't be much better. They only play in low res anyway - to help with fps. A new one costs $400. Another $200 and you could get a PC that would kill it.

 

[FishNoobCrack]

Get a used Q6600 or better, OC it to atleast 3.2GHz, OC the GTX 460 and you should be set.

 

[Shadowman357]

Thanks for the feedback! Looking at Newegg they have Q93's and Q95's available (the 93 is much better priced).

Given my current DDR2-800 I'm going to get at most a 3.0ghz overclock with a Q93, correct?

DDR2-1000 is fairly expensive but would that be the key to getting any real gains with a Q93 - also would I see any real impact dropping to 4GB of 1000 vs. 8GB of 800?

Or I suppose another option could be to get the Q95 for a bit more cash but keep the DDR-800 then I could hit 3.4ghz.

 

[FishNoobCrack]

The Q9500 has a higher multiplier. Get the Q9500.
Also, 8GB is a MUST if you want to game. If you're getting a Q9300 and DDR2-1066, get 6GB at the minimum.

 

[Shadowman357]

Should I be concerned about the Q95 being a refurb? One review claims overheat problems, my Freezer keeps the current OCd E85 at 50C tops.

So I'm thinking a mid-term upgrade of the Q95 and a GTX 760 which could obviously be re-used for the next full proc/mobo build.

 

[WhiteSnake91]

check out used AMD cards on ebay if you want some serious power cheaply, you should be fine as long as it's from a good seller. You can get an hd7950 for a little over $100 on ebay now, along with getting a core 2 quad and giving it a modest overclock, you should get by just fine. Ram speed doesn't matter for gaming, your 8gb is fine. Here's a vid on the subject, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWgzA2C61z4

 

[Xyos]

AMD quad core cpu's are your best bet for cheap processing. That processor is too old!

 

[synphul]

Aside from the gpu, you could get a decent upgrade to your system for the same price as the ps4 (if we're talking around $400 usd). I'm upgrading a family member's pc for the holidays and just picked up an i5 4690k, gb ud5h z97 mobo and 8gb ddr3 ram for right at $420 or so with sales and rebates.

i5 4690k is right around $230, a z97 board can be had for around $125, 2x4gb ddr3 around $70 and an r9 250 for $142. Give or take (that gpu is just a reference for an inexpensive mid grade card). Keep an eye out for deals and sales, rebates etc and I bet you could do a nice upgrade for around $500.

Honestly while a middle ground temporary upgrade may seem attractive due to the price, that money would be a better investment into newer hardware that will take you further down the road. $200 spent now for slightly better outdated stuff, before long you're in the same boat. Now you have to spend out another $500 or so in addition to the $200 on parts that you won't recover your money on likely because they're outdated. Often times because they perform well, people want top dollar for their older quad cores like the q series. For another $50-60 you can get a brand new quad core with newer tech that won't require an old socket that's going nowhere. Good luck with your build.

 

[Shadowman357]

Appreciate the feedback from everyone, I ended up with a Q95 from Newegg at $150 and a GTX760 for $200 that I'll be keeping around for a while.

Seems a little crazy I know, but just changing the proc is half the fun for me... and seeing what I can push out of this "old" system too. Keeping savin $$ and I'll get a fancy mobo/proc/ram sometime next year to go with the 760

Rebuilding this week, then we'll see if I gained anything on some Witcher 2 ultra settings!