GPU after upgrade

Hi Guys

I just upgraded my pc to include the following

Intel Q9400 CPU
MSI G31 motherboard
4gb ram
Geforce 9800GT OC edition

I also have a samsung 2333sw which is 1920x1080 and I can play Crysis at that resolution with everything on high. And this is with a rebranded 8800GT. I managed to get the GFX card for R1500 brand new, it is a great card.

You will also probably never be able to overclock that CPU by much. These cheap G31 motherboards cannot handle it.

If I am not mistaken the Q8200 has a multiplier of 7x. To get it to 3Ghz you will need to oc that things FSB to 429, impossible on a G31 motherboard.
 
That's why the E5200 is king in overclocking and can be had for less than R800. 12.5 multiplier. All you need to do is raise the FSB from 200 to 264 and you go from 2.5Ghz to 3.3Ghz :) Any G31 mobo should be able to do that. The E7*** series are not worth it and cant overclock as high as the E5200.

Choices of CPU's should be:
E5200 (budget chip+budget mobo)
E8*** (best core 2 duos)
Q9*** (At least the Q9450's, the lesser ones cant go much higher)
Core i7 (ultimate performance)
 
The E5200 only has 2mb l2 cache (iirc) - king of overclocking it may be but it's always going to be limited by the cache. E7200 has 3mb, and for most users it can clock to 3+ghz easily. Also if you can show me where to pick up an e5200 for R800 i'd be grateful. I can't see them for less than R1000, which i paid for my 2ndhand e7200.

And don't forget AMD as an alternative for budget performance. Friend said he could pick up a 775 black edition for R750 - that's equivalent to E8500 for a fraction of the cost. AMD prices are unbeatable.
 
Ladies and Gents ... Q6600 is the fantastic for OC (must be G0 stepping) Might be old, but pumps like anything !!! A couple of lucky guys with good chips have gone to 3.6ghz with air cooling. The average is between 3.0ghz and 3.4ghz... and that from 2.4ghz stock! And remember it has 4X2mb L2 cache !
 
cerebus said:
The E5200 only has 2mb l2 cache (iirc) - king of overclocking it may be but it's always going to be limited by the cache. E7200 has 3mb, and for most users it can clock to 3+ghz easily. Also if you can show me where to pick up an e5200 for R800 i'd be grateful. I can't see them for less than R1000, which i paid for my 2ndhand e7200.

And don't forget AMD as an alternative for budget performance. Friend said he could pick up a 775 black edition for R750 - that's equivalent to E8500 for a fraction of the cost. AMD prices are unbeatable.
Click to expand...


The E5200 is R682 at PC international. Most other online shops are around the R800 mark as well. Games want Mhz. If you can get a few more mhz more with the chip then the slightly lower cache wont make a difference. At the same clock speed the difference between 2MB cache and 3MB cahce is 1-2% anyway.

http://www.pcinternational.co.za/components.php
 
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