Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad

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Le^stat

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Hey guys i'm in 2 minds on what cpu to buy...and need some help.
First some clarity...
1) I'm a gamer... :D

Should I get a Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad?
To future proof or not to future proof?
I'm thinking of the E8500...heard its good:D
on the other hand Q6600 is also very nice...
Is the difference in the FSB going to make a big difference?i.e 1333Mhz vs 1066Mhz? and what about the E7400? or the Q8200 quad @2.33ghz with a FSB of 1333Mhz?:confused:

Prices:
E8500 - R2208
Q6600 - R2337
E7400 - R1919
Q8200 - R2295

currently... i have a Intel Dual Core 2ghz clocked @ 2.6Ghz...and its causing a serious bottleneck...i think...:confused:
oh and I have a Asus P5Q mobo...so overclocking will be a sure thing... it handles 1600Mhz FSB and DDR2 1200 speeds according to the box.
 
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well, fsb is no prob as you can o/c a Q6600 to a fsb of 1333mhz. so ye, but the Q6600 is quite old now ha ha, I suppose if you want a quad core the the Q8200 is a quick way for that, but it won't o/c past like 3.2ghz, and I assume you have an asus mobo, so you will get a decent o/c out of any of those chips...
I would personally go for a E8500 or the Q8200 because they cooler (45nm) less power hungry (45nm) and they have a newer instruction set
 
Quad-core is the way to go. Anyone who's played GTAIV on PC will tell you that. :p

I'd prefer the top-end AMD one, because it's so cheap, but I guess you want to keep your motherboard.
 
Depends what type of user you are.

You can easily overclock a E8500 to 3.8Ghz using only DDR2-800 RAM.
the E7400 will overclock to 4.2Ghz on DDR2-800 RAM (the CPU might not make it that far)

Q6600 seems to top out at about 3Ghz.

Most users that do not multi-task heavily (using Virtual machines or running server apps, while using it as a desktop)

Most users benefit more from a fast dual core, than a quad core.

If you are overclocking, either go for the E7400, or if you are a normal user. You can overclock it more effectively, on cheaper hardware, because of the slower FSB.
 
Don`t under estimate the Q6600. Its a lot of processor for relatively small money.
Have been running mine at 3.6 stable for almost 2 years now.and its still going extremely strong.
I would only upgrade to a QX **** if it was a bargain buy.Like R2000 for a QX9770..It will come.
 
If you aren't doing any video editing I would go for the 8400 or 8500. If you want to stretch your budget I would go for q9300 if you want quad.
 
xeo57 said:
Price difference is under R100, why would u recommend the duo over the quad? The quad oc's easily as well...
Click to expand...

Because E8500 stock is better for gaming currently. "I'm a gamer". If future-proofing is not a concern, then personally I would go for the E8500. Fair enough?

If OP is going to OC/future-proofing is a concern, then I'd get the Q6600 or perhaps the Q8200. OP only indicated that he would OC after edit at 11:44am.
 
Big Kriss said:
Don`t under estimate the Q6600. Its a lot of processor for relatively small money.
Have been running mine at 3.6 stable for almost 2 years now.and its still going extremely strong.
I would only upgrade to a QX **** if it was a bargain buy.Like R2000 for a QX9770..It will come.
Click to expand...

3.6? What cooler u're running? And mobo, ram? That's a decent speed for the Q6600!
@ PmP, maybe u're right the E8400 is a kick@ss chip, but I still say quad is a better choice.
 
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Check out my sig.Thats the setup Im running.
Its all on water though.
Q6600 at 3.6G
Asus Maximus Extreme-flashed to Rampage formula Bios.
4x 1 G teamXtreme ddr2 -800
8800GTX gpu
1000W Toughpower
 
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