# Upgrade for my Q8300..



## Gas2100 (Mar 15, 2010)

i want to stay LGA775 so i know im limited to my upgrades but i was looking at this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CP-260-IN&groupid=701&catid=6&subcat=567

or is thinking is the Q9650 better i:e worth the extra ££? **i wont be buying from overclockers..im gonna shop around for the best prices a overclocker are master rip off**

i want to get more out of my GX2 without it costing a bomb (like upgrading to i7 hardware)

thanks


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## afw (Mar 15, 2010)

Q9550 is an awesome processor ... no doubt about that ... but im not quite sure how much of an upgrade it would be from your Q8300 .... higher clocks, higher cache and high multiplier all helps  ... and certainly you can easily overclock it past 3.6GHz ...  ... 

buying a q9650 is not that sensible since it cost almost $100 more than a q9550 ...

EDIT: check this review ---> http://hothardware.com/Articles/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q8400S1/?page=1
its a review on Q8400 and there are comparison charts with a Q9400 in it ... so a Q8300 vs. Q9550 difference would be much more than whats shown in the charts since q9550 is better than a Q9400 (6mb Vs. 12mb cache and higher clocks) and q8300 will be weaker than a q8400 (lower clocks) ...


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## Tatty_One (Mar 15, 2010)

I have owned both, both are excellent CPU's, the Q9650 should clock a little better in most circumstances but unless you are an "extreme" overclocker then I would suggest sticking with the Q9550, it is a more cost effective solution, just make sure you get an E0 stepping chip, coupled with the right motherboard (P45 tend to be the best, Gigabyte especially) it will fly, probably at 4gig+.


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## Gas2100 (Mar 15, 2010)

will the 9550 unlock my gx2 a lil more? (i will lightly overclock it to 3.2-3.4ghz)


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## Tatty_One (Mar 15, 2010)

Gas2100 said:


> will the 9550 unlock my gx2 a lil more? (i will lightly overclock it to 3.2-3.4ghz)



It will, I would lightly overclock it to 3.6gig, with these chips you will need so little voltage to acheive 3.6gig it's almost foolish not to, just get some decent aftermarket cooling and you will be flying.


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## Gas2100 (Mar 15, 2010)

Tatty_One said:


> It will, I would lightly overclock it to 3.6gig, with these chips you will need so little voltage to acheive 3.6gig it's almost foolish not to, just get some decent aftermarket cooling and you will be flying.





is a corsair h50 good enough after market cooling?  wat im usin to cool my q8300 lol


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## afw (Mar 15, 2010)

yeah i think it would be sufficient  ... you can take it upto 4Ghz with the h50 for sure ...


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## Gas2100 (Mar 15, 2010)

afw said:


> yeah i think it would be sufficient  ... you can take it upto 4Ghz with the h50 for sure ...



then i could join the 4ghz club  lol wonder wat temps id get a 4ghz tho..i get 30's with my 8300 o.c'd to 3ghz


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## afw (Mar 15, 2010)

well the temps i get with my Prolimatech megahalems is (@3.85Ghz)
ambient temp ---> 27C
idle --> 44C 42C 39C 37C
load--> 70C 68C 64C 63C (Prime95 for 3hours - no errors) 

now running @ 3.6GHz ... just lowered the clocks a  bit to make sure its super stable  

the core-1 and core-4 difference is always 7C ... i think its because I haven't applied the thermal paste properly ...  ... dint bother to reapply since the temps are fine ...

and BTW im on the 4GHz club  ... got it upto 4.165Ghz ... couldn't go higher .. i think i might have hit the FSB wall ..


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