Hi guys, I wanna upgrade my rig, mainly the proccy and vid card, here is my current rig  
 
C2D E6400 -Stock  
Asus P5W-DH Deluxe (975x Chipset)  
2 x 1 GB Corsair DDR2 667 Mhz  
Saphire ATI Radeon 1900XT  
Seagate Baracuda 320 GB  
Antec Sonata II case  
Antec 450W true power  
Viewsonic 22' LCD (2245WM)  
2 Sony 20x DVD RW  
Logitech G5 mouse  
Microsoft Keyboard  
 
Opt-1  
ok now the dilemma is that I read on the ASUS support page for my mobo that with a BIOS flash it would support the penryn's, if this is the case i would go for the E8400, but the FSB supported by the processor is 1333Mhz, and that of the mobo is 1066MHZ, I am not sure how much of a loss in performance this will make?!  
 
I dont mind buyin a new mobo.but it mite make to sense to get this CPU now, and then get the new mobo once the x48 prices drop?  
 
Opt-2  
Go for the Q6600 ?  
 
I also wanna upgrade my Vid card.but am pretty ok with the current one, so can wait till the 98XX series comes out.  
 
Also pls feel free to suggest if you think any other part of the rig that may need to upgraded!  
 
PLs let me know guys. Thanks in advance!

the board would run at 1333MT/s (or 333MHz) with a Penryn in. It already supports this speed by overclocking. However with a 975x board you wont be overclocking a Penryn far. I assume by the fact that you think your board cannot run at 1333MT/s, you don't overclock anyway.
 
Personally I'd go for a Q6600. You have more overclocking headroom and the Penryns are not a massive upgrade really. If you do overclock you'd get further with a Q6600 than a Penryn on your board.
 
And personally, I'd replace that PSU.

1. Go with 2x2GB 800DDR2.
2.E6400 is smart option.
3.3850(512MB)/9600GT/3870/8800GT/ take you pick..€$£$£€. Are better than 1900XT

 
So there wouldnt be any performace loss, if I used the PEnryn at stock speed with my current mobo, right?
 

 
Yea you prolly rite, but there arent much sw out there that can make use of the 4 cores, so prolly better to go for the 45nm Quads?? wat do you say?
 

 
yea for sure..will do when i get the new vid card!
 
WAt say?

If the quad core is 65nm or 45nm it will make no difference to how well things use it.
 
No, you would see no performance loss running a Penryn at stock speed on your board, it would run with a 1333MT/s fsb. You won't be able to overclock it much though.
 
Personally I think the Q6600 is a great choice and will easily run at 333*9 = 3GHz on that board. At that point it is clocked almost as fast at the top 45nm dual core (3.16GHz) but has an extra 2 cores for whatever is running in the background while your game is playing

Well your mobo has support for the 45nm so there wouldn't be a loss in performance as it will run at the rated 1333MT/s easily. But OC'ing will be a bit harder than the P35/X38/X48/P45 boards will offer.
 
I prefer my Q6600 really. It OC's to 3GHz on a dime and runs like a dream.

Boils down to what are you doing with the computer? Normal stuff, internet, word processing, etc? Nothing should be changed, waste of money, you will notice NO change. If gaming, the cpu is already ok, the video card, however, sucks compared to what's on the market now. But if the games you play work just fine for you, again upgrading is just a waste. If running video compressions and other multicpu type programs, getting the Q6600 would be a large improvement, if not, again a waste of money. So it all boils down to why and what are you doing or want the computer to do?
 
btw, By a few that have tried, using a Penryn cpu will UNDERclock to the standard settings of the motherboard not the cpu, you have to manually set it to the standard (correct) settings for the cpu.
Go by the saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 
 
Well its really a gamin, and all the normal stuff movies etc, I know the current CPU is good enuf, but jus want a faster one! Thats why the upgrade! Yea and i will upgrade my GPU..jus waiting for the 9800 series to come out..
 

 
I was really keen on the e8400, coz that like the best for gamin rite now, but I think you guys have convinced me to go for the Q6600, simple because of the slight bit more future proofing...Lets what i go out and get!
 

Bear in mind that the Q6700 is dropping to current Q6600 prices on April 20th.
 
But then you can wait forever chasing price updates!

 
Thanks dude, I can surely wait till then!...tat would be an aweseom deal!

#1) Don't buy a new CPU - Just clock what you have to about 3.0 Ghz and it will handle anything you need.  That is not even an agressive OC for that Chip.
 
#2) Get a better GPU.  The 8800GT 512MB is a great performer at a reasonable price.  There are cheaper ones that are good, but if you were looking at a GPU and CPU and only upgrade one than the GPU is the way to go.
 
Your GPU is what is outdated in your system, not your CPU.

 
I have overclocked to 2.77GHz, using the Asus Ai Booster, still trying to get to 3Ghz...but thanks for teh advice I can feel a slight difference!
 
As for the vid card on my friends is coming down from the US in about 10 days...I wanna get a vid card which one do u guys suggest? 8800GT / 8800 GTX / 3870??...pls let me know ...thanks!

The AI Booster isnt the best way to overclock a cpu.  Do it from the BIOS.  If you dont know how, you need to read and learn and you will get better results than from a software overclock.
 
As what Darkstar782 said, I would replace that PSU as well.  450 watts is most likely treading it thin with a good overclock.

You will get the most immediate gaming benefit with a new video card.
Don't know your budget, but an 8800GT, as a few have recommended, is faster that any card you have mentioned, save the 8800GTX. The only advantage the GTX has is you can really crank up your resolution. Other than that, if you don't game at ultra high res, the GT is powerful card at a really sweet price point. You can't get any better for the money, period.
Replace your power supply with a quality unit in the 650 watt range.

the 8800 GTS - Ultra is coming down in price becuase the 9800 GX2 is $599 at newegg.com just $10 more than what I paid for my Ultra.

 
dude one thing i have learnt is never look back once uve bot a comp component,coz the price is always gonna come down! but yea ur rite GTS is a good card..but i want a card that will run reltaively cool..
 

 
Well budget is not so much of a problem, but the thing I dont wanna waste money, so I think ur rite 8800Gt is the sweetest price point...shud i go for the XFX Alpha dog? or the ASUS TOP?..another thing is i am not sure if the gtx will fit in my Sonata II.
 
YEa  thanks for reminding will ask my friend to get that as well...which PSU do u guys recommend? Corsair/Antec?
 

 
Yup ur rite I wanna do it from the Bios, but still need to read up a bit, why you dont think 450W PSU can support overclockin upto 3GHz??

Hey guys wat are ur thots abt the 3870x2?

Your antec power supply isnt their top of the line but it is ok and a 450 watt is the base power supply recommended for some of the higher end  video cards so all I am saying is your PSU may or may not be quite enough.  You can go overkill on a PSU but I have discovered its better to do that than to cut it short and risk your other valuable hardware...