Questions about the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400

[Tavreth]

So my friend is looking at buying a computer that has a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400. We're wondering how well would it do on games and what is about is the highest he can go in terms of gpu power before the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 becomes the bottle neck?

[GrayTech]

3 minutes ago, Tavreth said:

So my friend is looking at buying a computer that has a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400. We're wondering how well would it do on games and what is about is the highest he can go in terms of gpu power before the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 becomes the bottle neck?

Replace the Core2Duo with a Core2Quad, they cost almost nothing nowadays.

[AvocadosGuac]

2 minutes ago, GrayTech said:

Replace the Core2Duo with a Core2Quad, they cost almost nothing nowadays.

I bought a q8300 for like $15CAD. 

 

Its in my plex server... 

[AvocadosGuac]

a 1050ti would be a good match

[GrayTech]

Just now, Jrock said:

I bought a q8300 for like $15CAD. 

 

Its in my plex server... 

Yeah, I still have an 775 motherboard and thought about reusing it with an Core2Quad but I don't know what to do with it.  Thought about an HTPC.

[AvocadosGuac]

Just now, GrayTech said:

Yeah, I still have an 775 motherboard and thought about reusing it with an Core2Quad but I don't know what to do with it.  Thought about an HTPC.

Problem is, they're 90w chips lol

 

Although my HP system is very quiet for this chip...

[aisle9]

It's a ten-year-old dual core processor without hyperthreading. Don't expect it to get very far, even with e-sports titles. I've paired one with a GTX 750 Ti in the past, and the C2D was the limiting factor.

 

Bear in mind that old Core 2 PCs can be found at yard sales with 4GB of RAM and 250GB HDDs for literally $5-15 these days. Don't spend more than $25 on one, and that's if it's clean and in perfect working order. I also highly recommend spending the extra $10-12 on a Core 2 Quad Q6600 (make sure the motherboard can handle quad-cores) and tape-modding it to 3GHz. That opens you up to a GTX 960/1050/1050 Ti before the CPU starts to really limit things.

[aisle9]

4 minutes ago, Jrock said:

I bought a q8300 for like $15CAD. 

 

Its in my plex server... 

The thing about Q8XXX series, and the reason I steer clear of them, is that they have pitiful amounts of cache. They're basically quad-core Celerons. Given that Q6600s are only a couple dollars more, if even that, and Q9XXXs aren't too far past that, I usually go that route instead.

[AvocadosGuac]

Just now, aisle9 said:

The thing about Q8XXX series, and the reason I steer clear of them, is that they have pitiful amounts of cache. They're basically quad-core Celerons. Given that Q6600s are only a couple dollars more, if even that, vs. the Q8200 and Q8300, I usually go that route instead.

Is the q8300 not better than the q6600?

[aisle9]

4 minutes ago, Jrock said:

Is the q8300 not better than the q6600?

Clocked ever so slightly higher with a faster FSB, but half the cache with no power savings. A 30-second, reversible tape mod to the Q6600 throws the clock speed advantage way over to the it, and makes the Q6600 into a "1333MHz" FSB chip as well. 

 

A quick skim of eBay shows Q8300 CPUs right aroung $10, and Q6600s at the same price. For my money, the Q6600 is the better buy.

[themctipers]

9 minutes ago, Jrock said:

I bought a q8300 for like $15CAD. 

 

Its in my plex server... 

I have a Q9650 for $25 CAD 

[AvocadosGuac]

Just now, aisle9 said:

Clocked ever so slightly higher with a faster FSB, but half the cache with no power savings. A 30-second, reversible tape mod to the Q6600 throws the clock speed advantage way over to the it, and makes the Q6600 into a "1333MHz" FSB chip as well. 

 

A quick skim of eBay shows Q8300 CPUs right aroung $10, and Q6600s at the same price. For my money, the Q6600 is the better buy.

But the q8300 overclocks just as high, and runs cooler.

[aisle9]

Just now, Jrock said:

But the q8300 overclocks just as high, and runs cooler.

Depends on priorities. For a Plex server, a Q8300 is going to do just fine. Anything with four cores this side of an Atom is going to hold up ok. For an ultra budget gaming PC/prebuilt upgrade, I would go with the tape-modded Q6600 100% of the time. There is no better value out there.

[dexT]

46 minutes ago, themctipers said:

I have a Q9650 for $25 CAD 

That's a great deal. Would buy if was local.

[themctipers]

Just now, dexT said:

That's a great deal. Would buy if was local.

I paid only $5 more than a Q6600  

It's now sitting .. sadly in my dad's basement PC, forced to live with a GS 8400

[dexT]

43 minutes ago, themctipers said:

I paid only $5 more than a Q6600  

It's now sitting .. sadly in my dad's basement PC, forced to live with a GS 8400

Lol i don't know if Id want it back after service time as the dreaded Dad's Basement PC. 

 

I paid $90 USD for a QX9650 EE with the right batch/stepping recently lol.