Upgrade options for an ASUS P5E motherboard based PC

[Zanfeth]

I have an older computer based on an ASUS P5E (not the deluxe) motherboard.  I have little to no money to spare but would like to upgrade it to it's maximum potential if possible.  It currently has a Core 2 Duo 2.66  CPU, 4 gigs of DDR2 RAM from patriot rated at 600 MHz, the included SUPREMEFX II sound board and an NVIDIA 8800GT graphics card.  So what CPU, GPU and memory Should I buy to bet the best performance I can out of it, keeping in mind that I am just a first year second semester student of Computer Support Specialist and not yet experienced in overclocking things.So basically the biggest out of the box bang for the least amount of bucks as going to school and supporting oneself on a fast food cashier income is kinda crap for extra cash.

[terrytek]

I think you should get a Q8200, with 8GBs of DDR2, and maybe a 750Ti if that's all you can get.

[Maheshvara]

I agree with @terrytek. I'd just get a 270/x, since it's similarly priced as 750Ti, but has better performance. And to my knowledge, q8200 shouldn't be a huge bottleneck.

[ZetZet]

I think you should get a Q8200, with 8GBs of DDR2, and maybe a 750Ti if that's all you can get.

q9xxx could work.

[Aniallation]

I think you should get a Q8200, with 8GBs of DDR2, and maybe a 750Ti if that's all you can get.

Isn't Q6600 better then 8200?

[ZetZet]

Isn't Q6600 better then 8200?

6600 overclocks better, but they perform about the same.

[Zanfeth]

Almost forgot, I am using a mid tower, which noctua CPU heatsink would be best for it?

[Aniallation]

Almost forgot, I am using a mid tower, which noctua CPU heatsink would be best for it?

Getting a Noctua is not worth the money for such old hardware. At most get a 212 Evo

[Zanfeth]

I was looking at the 750 TI but didn't know if it would work, it's good to know it will. To be honest I'm surprised cause I'm just now after all these years having issues running FPS games and stuff.  This has been quite a good build, but all builds need upgrades eventually.  So the Q6600 overclocks better but it and the Q8200 have the same ability out of the box?

[Zanfeth]

Getting a Noctua is not worth the money for such old hardware. At most get a 212 Evo

Well all I've seen suggests the noctuas are the best out there.  Was also thinking of replacing all my fans with them if I could swing it.  You say it's not the best choice considering?  I have this tower, minus the shit PSU:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811209018

[Zanfeth]

Isn't Q6600 better then 8200?

Currently running an E6750

[Aniallation]

 So the Q6600 overclocks better but it and the Q8200 have the same ability out of the box?

Yes

 

 

Well all I've seen suggests the noctuas are the best out there.  Was also thinking of replacing all my fans with them if I could swing it.  You say it's not the best choice considering?  I have this tower, minus the shit PSU:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811209018

It's not the best choice for the money. Remove the CPU duct and use Hyper 212 EVO as CPU cooler. Replace front fan with an Arctic F8 and rear with something like a Bitfenix Spectre. Not worth spending a bunch of money into putting expensive Noctua products in a PC like this.

[Zanfeth]

I think you should get a Q8200, with 8GBs of DDR2, and maybe a 750Ti if that's all you can get.

I still have an IDE hard drive in this, but have a newer ASUS SATA based Supermulti burner waiting to go in it.  Can you suggest a good affordablr SATA hard drive for this motherboard?  Currently have Western digital, but want a seagate, for reasons I shouldn't have to explain.

[Zanfeth]

Yes

 

 

It's not the best choice for the money. Remove the CPU duct and use Hyper 212 EVO as CPU cooler. Replace front fan with an Arctic F8 and rear with something like a Bitfenix Spectre. Not worth spending a bunch of money into putting expensive Noctua products in a PC like this.

remove the side fan completely, or just the duct attached to it?  Could I replace it with an arctic F8 as well and still use the suggested heatsink, or would I need to remove it completely?  I could have mounted a fan in the top as well, but the PSU I put in it (which if I remember correctly is a 700 W PSU) kinda sticks out too far for that.

[Aniallation]

remove the side fan completely, or just the duct attached to it?  Could I replace it with an arctic F8 as well and still use the suggested heatsink, or would I need to remove it completely?  I could have mounted a fan in the top as well, but the PSU I put in it (which if I remember correctly is a 700 W PSU) kinda sticks out too far for that.

You'll probably have to remove the side fan as well to use a tower heatsink

[Zanfeth]

You'll probably have to remove the side fan as well to use a tower heatsink

Alright, hope that doesn't lower cooling/airflow capacity too much.  Then again the only time warm air even comes out of this thing currently is when it starts coming out the back of the GeForce 8800 GT cause I'm taxing it running some more modern game.  The GPU upgrade should help with that maybe. 

[Aniallation]

Alright, hope that doesn't lower cooling/airflow capacity too much.  Then again the only time warm air even comes out of this thing currently is when it starts coming out the back of the GeForce 8800 GT cause I'm taxing it running some more modern game.  The GPU upgrade should help with that maybe. 

Yeah, the 750 Ti is only rated for half the heat output of the 8800GT and most of them come with bigger coolers then many of the 8800GT's came with, so GPU heat shouldn't be an issue.

[Zanfeth]

Thanks guys, this has all been really helpful information

[Zanfeth]

One last thing, should I buy another 4 gig set of the same ram since there is 4 ram slots, or should I buy the 8 gigs of ram on 2 sticks like my current RAM is to get to the 8 gigs?

[NumLock21]

DDR2 single sticks tops out at 2GB, but they're 4GB single sticks. Its really expensive.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: VisionTek Adrenaline 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR2-800 Memory  ($115.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $115.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-24 22:29 EDT-0400

[terrytek]

I still have an IDE hard drive in this, but have a newer ASUS SATA based Supermulti burner waiting to go in it.  Can you suggest a good affordablr SATA hard drive for this motherboard?  Currently have Western digital, but want a seagate, for reasons I shouldn't have to explain.

Just get a 1TB Barracuda. They're like 50 bucks or even less on Newegg. Also, if you don't mind doing a little modding from 771 to 775, you can get a X5450 and outperform even a QX9650 with less heat.

[Zanfeth]

DDR2 single sticks tops out at 2GB, but they're 4GB single sticks. Its really expensive.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: VisionTek Adrenaline 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR2-800 Memory  ($115.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $115.99

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-24 22:29 EDT-0400

What I meant is should I just buy another 2X2 set to go with the 2X2 sticks I already have installed, or buy a whole 8 gig set.

[NumLock21]

What I meant is should I just buy another 2X2 set to go with the 2X2 sticks I already have installed, or buy a whole 8 gig set.

Buy another 4GB (2x2GB) and combine it with the ram that you already have. It's a waste to get 2 sets of (2x4GB) kits. About that board you got, it uses the high-end Intel X38 chipset, capable of running 2 video cards in x16 by x16, the mainstream would be Intel P35 and that runs dual video cards at x8 by x8. Much like today's X99 vs Z97.

[Zanfeth]

Buy another 4GB (2x2GB) and combine it with the ram that you already have. It's a waste to get 2 sets of (2x4GB) kits. About that board you got, it uses the high-end Intel X38 chipset, capable of running 2 video cards in x16 by x16, the mainstream would be Intel P35 and that runs dual video cards at x8 by x8. Much like today's X99 vs Z97.

Yes, well when I got it I was wanting a motherboard that was affordable, but potentially good for gaming.  This was my solution.  This PC has been running fairly strong since it was built in 2008 and is just now starting to show issues on running games, I think largly due to the lack of RAM in it and the GPU.  the 700 W PCU I put into it was probably also overkill though, since it's not even overclocked at all.  I've not learned enough yet for overclocking, though it's kinda built into the BIOS of the motherboard if I remember.  The capacity for it anyway.

[NumLock21]

Yes, well when I got it I was wanting a motherboard that was affordable, but potentially good for gaming.  This was my solution.  This PC has been running fairly strong since it was built in 2008 and is just now starting to show issues on running games, I think largly due to the lack of RAM in it and the GPU.  the 700 W PCU I put into it was probably also overkill though, since it's not even overclocked at all.  I've not learned enough yet for overclocking, though it's kinda built into the BIOS of the motherboard if I remember.  The capacity for it anyway.

Have a similar board to what you got, a Asus Rampage Formula with also with 4GB of DDR2. Games ran great on it, with a HD5850, can play GTA IV on high settings at 1920x1200, with decent FPS. I doubt it's your ram. but adding more is better. Also try to find the cheapest quad core and get a new gpu.