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The 4300 you have should do 3.2 - 3.5 ghz have you tried it ? not sure an 8400 is a worthwhile enough upgrade tbh I'd go with a q6600 or other quad.
Dual core to dual core just isn't worth it.
You sure? Back when I had a 4400 I thought they pretty much maxed out at 3GHz.
It won't go past about 2.8.
My budget would be about £150 tops.
Keep in mind that with an e8400 you get a max cpu multi of 9 so to get to 4+GHz on pc2 6400 ram you'll have to push your ram quite hard or even upgrade to 1066. If you do, however, you can get up to 4GHz no problem, and I found 4.5GHz quite easily even with a £12 cpu cooler lol.
I am also upgrading my RAM to 4GIG. I'll be buying a £12 quid type cooler too!
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-192-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=817
How about this RAM with E8400?
If I can get to 4GHZ, that'll be fine for me.
I've just got a new i5 build myself and still have my old Q6600... Wouldn't mind selling you it for £60 before I hit it on Ebay..?
I've just got a new i5 build myself and still have my old Q6600... Wouldn't mind selling you it for £60 before I hit it on Ebay..?
That ram will be fine although it's a ridiculous price for old tech. I only paid £52 for my ram in my siggy 6 months ago. For a comparison of a E4300 vs E8500 at various speeds, see my comparison thread here. My old E4300 easily got to 3.4Ghz so they are capable of higher clocks.
This would be the best buy though.