S775 upgrade options from Q6600

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wongnog

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Just wanted to see how viable it would be for me to upgrade just my Q6600 processor. Right now it's running at 8x405 (3.16 Ghz), and I want to keep my motherboard (ASUS P5Q-E) and memory (2 x 2Gb OCZ PC2-6400). I don't play any PC games so don't care about upgrading my video card (it's a 9600 GT btw), but I do some video/audio editing and multitasking.
 
A Q6600 at 3.1Ghz is no slouch. I'd consider a higher OC if you can manage it with that chip and heatsink / fan before a new chip.

Something like a Q9550 / Q9650 would be an upgrade, but it would be so small (and fairly expensive) a step up that you'd really be better off selling your current setup as it is and building a new i5 / i7 / AMD 6 core setup. All you'd really be getting with a Q9xxx chip would be a bigger L2 cache. With a newer machine, you'd get an entirely new architecture and the ability to OC much higher -- 4+ Ghz in many cases.

Ideally with all used parts from the FS/FT forum here to save cash you'd only be looking at $200-300 in additional cost after selling your current equipment. That's only ~$100-150 more than selling the Q6600 and replacing it with a Q9650 or similar would cost.
 
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You should be capable of 9x405 (more likely 9x400). What HSF are you running? Current temps?

I've ran 9x400 for as long as I've had my machine and it is still going strong. It's a dedicated folder (F@H) now, so it runs 3.6 24/7 and has done so since I had it.
 
Thanks for the tips. I don't think I'm ready to sell my rig to get a new mobo/cpu/ram because honestly it takes too much time to research and figure out how to overclock a new setup. I think I'll take the advice here and looks to OC my chip some more.

My system wasn't stable at 9x405 so I had to drop the multiplier to 8x. My cooler is an OCZ Vendetta 2. My cores are reading 36/36/28/30°C idle, after a few mins of Prime95 they read 60/60/56/56°C, but this is with fan speed on low. I do have CPU and Chassis Q-Fan mode on Turbo in my Bios because I can't stand the full fan speed noises.

I found this FrostTech link which ranks the best heatsinks by temp and noise. I'm looking for a good compromise, low noise with low temp!

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm
 
OCing an i5/i7 is actually dead simple. I wouldn't spend another cent on your current setup -- either use your current HSF and get the best OC you can with it, or sell everything and start anew, that's my advice. Also, a new setup not OCed would be considerably faster than your current setup. Keep that in mind too.
 
For your stated use, I dont see a good 775 ugrade for you. I think you should save your bucks and get an i5 system for your video editing, etc. I upgraded from a e5200 to a q9550, it was a pretty big increase, but in your case, I dont think you will see major improvements.
 
There's no such thing as a "good 775 upgrade" if you've already got a Q6600 or any quad core for that matter unless you have a friend with a Q9550 that will give the chip away beucaswe they're moving on to an i5/i7. Certainly would not spend any money on it though. Spend money an an SSD if you don't already have one.
 
Go at least i5 unless you have access to a very cheap used Q9650. I've priced i5 760 board/cpu/4gb ram upgrades for as little as $348
 
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another 2 cents worth on skipping upgrading on the 775 platform, I had the same situation - Q6600 doing video stuff, went up to a 1156/i860 for $250 leaving everything else alone. Sold just the Q6600 and recouped half the investment and it's significantly faster
 
Remember, as of jan 5 I think you'll have better upgrade options. Just wait a few weeks and see what SB brings to the table.
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys! Guess I'll hold off on the upgrade for now. I love OC'ing but I almost dread upgrading, I usually do it every 2-3 years. After being away from CPUs and mobos, I find I'm back to square one and need to read up on core i5/i7. Looks like the i5 760 is a well priced quad, but i7 930 or 950 might be better for my usage? I didn't even know what SB meant til I looked that up. I'm in no hurry to upgrade so guess I should wait for Sandy Bridge?
 
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There isn't much going forward on 775 besides a Q9450 or up. Just keep your setup and wait to do a complete overhaul when you can.
 
Running my Q6600 for 2.5 years now, and I agree - overclock up to 3.4-3.6GHz, and it will still work well.
 
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