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BlackJack10

Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
Location
Washington
Hey guys, first post on this forum, I've been looking at some threads and I'm liking what I'm seeing. :)

So, my dad graciously offered to get me whatever I wanted for Christmas, as long as it was at or beneath $150 in price.

Computer specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 OC'd to 3.078Ghz; V-core of 1.296 (My baby, I've had it since it's launch :D)
Cooler Master Hyper 101i
MSI G41M-E43 Motherboard, PCI-e 1.0, FSB of 342Mhz (the board won't go any higher than that)
4GB (2X2) DDR3 1066Mhz RAM, Running at 1094Mhz
Zotac GeForce GT520 1Gb Synergy Edition, OC'd to 1055 Mhz Core, 639Mhz Memory, 2110Mhz Shader
Reliable 500W PSU, been using it for a year now with no issues. Very highly rated model.

So, I was hoping to upgrade either the CPU, GPU, or both. I can't really save up any money or get a job to earn any money, so $150 is really all I have to work with. If I do end up going for a CPU + GPU upgrade, I'm pretty decent with OCing and I have the things I need to do so.

Thanks in advance!
 
Of course REfurbished means generally the cpu has been used before but when I first started dealing with computers I bought a goodly number of pieces from this e-tailer. When money was tight. I looked for the cpu and video card at the same place so there are not two shipping charges as often happens when buying from more than one location.

Your video card is fair, considering the 'platform' you have all the pieces in, but these two items together should easily improve your computer processing power. Made a special effort to stay 'with-in' your stated budget.

Core 2 Duo E8400 Stock speed 3.0Ghz with 6MB L2 Cache. REfurbished.


XFX Radeon HD 6750 1GB DDR5 PCI Express (PCIe) Dual DVI Video Card w/Mini-DisplayPort & HDCP Support. NEW.
 
Of course REfurbished means generally the cpu has been used before but when I first started dealing with computers I bought a goodly number of pieces from this e-tailer. When money was tight. I looked for the cpu and video card at the same place so there are not two shipping charges as often happens when buying from more than one location.

Your video card is fair, considering the 'platform' you have all the pieces in, but these two items together should easily improve your computer processing power. Made a special effort to stay 'with-in' your stated budget.

Core 2 Duo E8400 Stock speed 3.0Ghz with 6MB L2 Cache. REfurbished.


XFX Radeon HD 6750 1GB DDR5 PCI Express (PCIe) Dual DVI Video Card w/Mini-DisplayPort & HDCP Support. NEW.
Thanks a lot, that should really help me out.
Just wondering did you set your memory to 1:1 ratio when you did your overclocking to get your highest FSB setting?
Yes, I did actually. Why?
 
Thanks a lot, that should really help me out.

Yes, I did actually. Why?

I would get a Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz Quad-Core because a E8400 will get you the same performance you have now with your cpu clocked at 3.0GHz because the FSB of the E8400 is (1333MHz 333X4) (9X333=3.0GHz.)

So getting a E8400 wont help because it will only be a small gain with overclocking, vary small.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-...age-/160937897981?pt=CPUs&hash=item2578a56ffd
 
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I would get a Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz Quad-Core because a E8400 will get you the same performance you have now with your cpu clocked at 3.0GHz because the FSB of the E8400 is (1333MHz 333X4) (9X333=3.0GHz.)

So getting a E8400 wont help because it will only be a small gain with overclocking, vary small.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Core-...age-/160937897981?pt=CPUs&hash=item2578a56ffd
I was looking at a Core2Quad, they were very appealing to me. :D
Thanks for finding me that, it isn't any more expensive than that Duo that RGone recommended for me.
So, if i were to stop using the 1:1 ratio when I overclock, would that make it so I can push my FSB speed any higher?
The highest I've gotten to with the ratio set to 1:1 is 342Mhz, I'm wondering if i disabled that if I could push the FSB any higher.
 
You are doing it correctly 1:1 is the best for memory speed, keeping it low to see what your FSB will do. I was just making sure because the E8400 won't be a improvement if that is all you can do with your FSB, it will only be 342X9=3.078GHz For E8400.:eh?:

The E8400 has a multiplier of 9X333=3.0GHz.
 
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You are doing it correctly 1:1 is the best for memory speed, keeping it low to see what your FSB will do. I was just making sure because the E8400 won't be a improvement if that is all you can do with your FSB, it will only be 342X9=3.078GHz For E8400.:eh?:

The E8400 has a multiplier of 9X333=3.0GHz.
Oh, oh, I see now. Thanks!
So, why would the motherboard (MSI G41M-E43) only go to a certain FSB speed? I've heard about messing with the V-core helping with overclocking, but I've never actually put it into practice. Would the V-core affect how high the FSB could go?

This is turning into an overclocking thread. ._.
 
Adding vcore could help however with the CPU only at 3.0GHz I think it's your north bridge voltage (MCH), try 1.3v
 
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