hiya Guys

I am due to be getting a new build started at the end of january, and I was all set to get a Q6600 Quad core processor.

However, i've heard alot about the new E8500 Wolfdale Dual core that has just come out (£184 on Scan.co.uk).

I will be using the PC mostly for Gaming, Crysis and COD4. But I also want to be able to play games for at least another year before I have to upgrade.

I am getting a P35 chip motherboard, and a Thermalright 120 Extreme cooler. And I will be overclocking a bit, as long as core temps dont go too high, as I wanna keep the noise down a bit, so a fan buzzing away on the CPU will grate on me a bit!

So, my question is this. Is it better to get the new Wolfdale chip, and overclock it to 4GHZ (Which seems quite easily done).
OR, do I stick with the quad, and overclock to 3.2GHz (Again, easily done).

Any advice is greatfully recieved!
Cheers
DB

For gaming, your limitation is going to be much more on the Graphics side, not CPU.

Crysis is supposed to utilize 4 cores, but it appears to not make a huge amount of difference in the game. Arguably because it's so punishing on graphics, sure, but still...

I'd like to ask what else you you your computer for. If it's only gaming, I should think that an overclocked Wolfdale, combined with a one of the new dual GPU cards rumored for February would be most, most excellent.... But if you like to play with Video creation/encoding, run lots of concurrent apps, and/or other more multi~tasked and multithreaded usages, then you would be better served with the Quad. Though you could also wait a bit for a 45NM Quad...

At present, seems a C2D @ 3.2ghz will max out a 88000GTX. Most Q6600 GOs will go 3.4-3.6 ghz on air. I guy over on XS posted his results after getting his hands on a Q9550...max stable on air was 3.8ghz. Lower Wolfies are questionable as to reaching the speeds demonstrated by the ES samples. So it really boils down to what you want to get and what you can get the best deal on or whether you are willing to pay a premium for just a little extra largely unmeasurable performance in daily performance or games. I would recommend a quad even at a lower clock over dually for longer useful life but that is simply my preference.

Q6600, great bang for your buck, easily over clock able. Future proof with 4 cores. More and more apps are going to utilize 4 cores soon and that faster dual core E8500 will be holding you back.

Not worth getting a little faster speed now, that will hold you back in the very near future.

Q6600 FTW. Not only Crysis uses 4 cores. FSX and many others take advantage of that. You can overclock but you can't add more cores.

Wolfie. You can OC an E8400 way higher than a Q6600 with less heat and from what ive read, save a few bux, and the gaming advantages of a quad right now are margenal at best.

Agreed unless you want to "future" proof it.

Considering the stagnation in the CPU sector I'd say the Q6600 should last long enough for things that actually utilize it to come out.

If you do encoding or rendering the Q6600 would be better.

I can honestly say I've considered replacing my Q6600 with an E8400. Why am I not? Running a 500 MHz FSB to max out the potential of the Wolfie isn't something I want to subject my board to 24/7.

You can always overclock.

You can't overcore.

I have seen the future and it is Nehalem. I believe JK when he says that Nehalem is a beast and were all gonna likely dump our systems on Ebay by this time next year anyway, so anything we get now is a stopgap. Thats definetely what Im doing. Buying something to just get me thru to then. Whatever you can buy today is likely gonna be a PIII 233 MMX by next year so why prepre for a future that your CPU will never see? Nehalem for President!!!

I'm waiting on the socket BS to be settled. I'm not going to consider it a stopgap until I see proof of Nehalem.

cnumartyr is your CPU water cooled ?
3.89 ghz is a nice clock

I dont really do any encoding, maybe once in a blue moon.
I dont really run many apps at once. Just a few web browsers and a P2P program, when i'm not gaming.

I am planning on getting a 8800 GTS 512mb. And seeing how the newer 9800's pan out, when they arrive.

but largely, i'd like to keep this system for at least a year.
So if a new processor is coming out next year that'll blow my socks off, I dont mind another upgrade then!

What are these dual GPU cards?
When are they likely to be out?

At the same price point you can get a Q6600 at 2.4 or a E8500 at 3.19. Most current games can not use more than two cores, and by the time that changes we will see what nehalem is about. At the level of the Q6600 or E8500, most games will be gpu limited, not cpu limited. Flight simulatorX would be an exception. Anyway, I would take the increased clock speed, and the cooler running E8500 chip. Only with lots of cpu intensive multitasking would I think that the Q6600 would be better.

I would look to a evga card to give you the flexibility to step-up in case a better performing card should launch within 90 days. This is supposed to be the 9800 GX2 http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/arti [...] VzaWFzdA==

Crysis definatly takes advantage of 4 cores once you overcome the GPU. I just got my Q6600 today and clocked at 3.0Ghz with Crysis set to 1280*1024 and medium settings (DX9) it gets 80fps, compaired to 40fps with my FX60 that I previously ran the same test with. I know those settings aren't realistic for what most people use, but it shows Quad Core's potential for gaming.

It was air cooled. It's not a 24/7 setup, it was just for Benching 3DMark06.

24/7 is 3.6 GHz with some undervolted fans so it's quiet.


To the OP:

The new cards come out in Q2/3.. 9800 GX2 won't be worth it. 30% faster than the Ultra in games that support SLI. If the game doesn't take advantage of SLI you don't get the benefit. In addition to this its two sandwiched G92s... it's going to get warm.

I'd get an 8800 GT as a "hold over" til summer. RV770 has taped out and ES's are out. Rumor is 50% faster than RV670 and the R700 is a dual chip design. I'm sure nVidia has something, they just normally keep quiet about it.

This is why I'm not getting another 8800 GTS for SLI. Waiting for the true next gen cards, my card plays Crysis at 16:10 all high no problem (no AA though).

I was thinking of going P45 this summer + DDRIII + Q9450 + 2 RV770s possibly. I think the P45 is going to be insane as a mid-range board.. 8x8 CF in PCIe2.0? Yes please. I'll wait to see Nehalem pan out before I get one.. plus I'd like to see it at the 32nm shrink before I get one.

I just hate tieing myself to nVidia or ATi. I wish nVidia would just let any board run SLI so we can pick boards based on overall performance, not platform compatibility.

I agree about the socket BS but still. If its true and they will have quad channel DDR3 imagine what it will be like.... it will be like the sandwiches of all sandwiches. Makes me drool just thinking of 4 channels of memory.

Isn't that like only on the top end socket? My fear is that for that socket only EE's will come out for it.

Or the mobo will be like $500... I just hate the idea of all the sockets.

Edit: It's why I'm REALLY hoping AMD gets it's act together and gets out a good 45nm K10 by mid summer.

Correct but a guy can dream right? It looks to be mainly server side but I doubt it will stay that way. Wiki has a nice table of it which I don't hold them to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Nehalem . But we can at least get triple channle DDR3. I am sure the mobos will probably be quite expensive to start but once they get going will drop in price to a nice area.

I too would probably wait till the 32nm Nehalems as that will probably mean less power consumption and less heat. Plus easier OC'ing too.

Easier OC, we know what we are getting as far as performance. Well established platforms... and hopefully not DDR4.

I don't see DDR 4 until probably Sandy Bridge(aka nehalems/westmere succesor). Considering it is rumored to have 64GB/s memory bandwidth thats what I would expect DDR4 to hit. And if its true that its slated for 32 cores per chip that would be a dream.

I just can't wait. I want 2008 to be over so I can see Nehalem in action. Its so aggrivating to wait... dam production...takes forever....