Hi Everyone,

Im looking to spend money on a new computer. Im torn between the the E8500 and the Q6600. Im going to be running the cpus on a new Asus P35 motherboard with DDR2. Perhaps I should get a DDR3 P35 mobo instead)?

Anyways, I noticed the Q6600 runs at 1066Mhz and the E8500 runs at 1333Mhz. I like the fact that it is a quad core but I am surprised it doesn't do well in the CPU tests (the duo core outperforms the quad core).

Perhaps I should OC the Q6600 to run at 1333mhz?

I would really appreciate your help with this purchase. Which CPU should I purchase and do I need to buy a diff mobo/RAM?

Thanks in Advance,
D

i think for gaming as of now the e8500 is the best choice of the two plus you can easily overclock it to 4GHz and more. now if you do more than gaming like encoding and editing then the q6600 is the best choice and it overclocks very well too!

like i tell others on here: just listen to what the little devil on your right shoulder is telling you to buy! LOL

If I purchase the E8500 does that mean I have to spend the money and goto DDR3? I realize the P35 chipset runs at 1333, CPU runs at 1333 but if I goto DDR2 then it will only run up to 1066. Would I have a bottle neck if I went to the P35 chipset and E8500 with DDR2 RAM or would I see no difference if I went to DDR2 ram?

Thanks,
D

This is a common misconception. At 1066 FSB, which is quad pumped, the true FSB is at 266. Use 266 as your base multiplier for something 1066 rated. For example, the ram that would have a 1:1 ratio with a 1066 FSB processor would be 2 x 266=533Mhz RAM. For 1333 FSB you do the same thing. Base clock is 333 so 2 x 333= 666Mhz RAM. The RAM thats rated for 1066Mhz is only for extreme over clocking situations, having a true FSB of 533Mhz. This would be rated at 2132 FSB!!

I know this isn't the most clear description, but for 1066, the RAM you need is only 533. For 1333, the RAM you need is only 667.

. o O (@ topic)

I'll need your credit card number to actually help.

Monster,

Thank you for your help. I appreciate the explanation. Based on what you are telling me....

If I go with a 1066Mhz CPU I need ram running at 533Mhz to ensure I do not have a bottleneck

If I go with a 1333Mhz CPU (E8400) I need ram running at 666mhz to ensure I do not have a bottleneck

Am I getting this information correct?

You still can buy faster ram, and set the memory to run 1:1 ratio, but as far as running it stock, yes.

CPU 1066 rated FSB - DDR2 533
CPU 1333 rated FSB - DDR2 667

Edit:

I run an E4400 which is rated for 800 FSB, but using DDR2800 (because when I want to upgrade to higher fsb cpu I'll have the right memory for the job) and I'm running it overclocked at a 1:1 ratio as DDR2600 for my 3ghz speed.

What will you be using the system for? Gaming? Video encoding?

Will you be overclocking?

Gaming...possibly overclock

Thanks for asking

just get ddr2 800 and the e8500 at 1333fsb. now in bios the cpu clock will show 333 (x4 = 1333 blah blah blah) well you know what i mean so just ONLY overclock the cpu from 333 to 400 and this will bring you to 1:1 ratio with ddr2 800 memory. so the cpu's fsb will be 1600 instead of 1333 and matching ddr2 800 ( since it's dual channel it's really ddr2 1600 ) and presto! you did the overclock to the proc and brought it up to the same speed as ddr2 800.

so since gaming seems to be tha thing for you then my vote is for the e8500 proc rather than the quad.

Thanks for your post. If I recall correctly, the P5K Premium only runs up to 1333mhz FSB. Does this mean I have to purchase the x38 chipset to get to 1600mhz FSB?