Well I'm disgusted with another Intel paper launch product.
 
45nm E and Q processors announced for January 20th retail release and so far I've only seen E8400's sold out a week after release and now I've seen E8200's in stock. Some people have seen the Q9300 for sale but I haven't been able to find stores with stock.
I've seen a killer surplus of Q6600's in stock at most retailers. One major retailer has in excess of 2000 on hand. Many retailers are selling retail box Q6600's for less than $250.  
 
A lot of people are stating the Xeon UP E3110 and X3320, X3350 and X3360 work in place of Core 2 E8400 and Q9300, Q9450 and Q9550 as long as your motherboard has BIOS that supports the Core 2 45nm processors.
 
That said, I ordered a X3350 since I'm tired of waiting for the Q9450 to become available.  
If the X3350 doesn't boot on my X38 motherboard my wallet will have learned a hard lesson and in the future will not be so impatient.  
 
Intel Quad Core Xeon 3300 Series
 
Stepping Revisions

I just did the same.  I wasn't going to go quad core, but Eff it I said.  I expect the prices to bloat and supplies dwindle so I jumped on it early while the prices are as intended.  The X3360 is even out if you look hard enough.  
 
It will work and you won't regret it.  Everyone has the E3110s working on X38s so this one will work too.  

I was thinking about getting the X3360 or Q9550 but the price difference is too steep when compared to X3350 / Q9450 and X3360 / Q9550. It is the same steep price difference as compared to Q6600 / Q6700.
 
I don't think the steep price difference warrants the perceived performance gain.

Thats what I think too. +$200 for +0.5 multiplier?  Ouch.  

Dosen't the 0.5 multiplier cause difficulties for overclocking?
I've never had to deal with half step multipliers before.

I'm tired of waiting for the Q9450 and was tempting to get the X3350 but I've no idea if it will work on my mobo or not.
 
What board are you using?
 
I've got a Asus P5K Deluxe Wifi AP.
 
BTW: If it works for you let us know.
Thanks!

I've got the P5K-E WiFi board, and an X3350 on the way.  Should be here Tuesday, I think.  I'll try to post in here when I get it set up.
 
Clint

Wicked.  I won't get mine up and running anytime soon but I am snapping it in a GA-EX38-DQ6.  
 
I am going to stalk you until you post results CN.  Every time you look over your shoulder, I will be there   ....waiting for the OC results...

Well I really don't like talking about my hardware. I don't like being stereotyped as an Inteliot. I've used AMD hardware before and it works well.
 
My motherboard is the DX38BT.  
Presently I'm running an E8400 overclocked to 400MHz FSB (1600MT/s) and memory running at 800MHz (DDR3 1600).
 
My goal is to run the X3350 at 3.2GHz (FSB 1600MT/s)
The X3350 is rated at 95W so I hope the Intel HSF is the same as the one included with the Q6600 / E6850. Copper core, aluminium fins.
 
I think the aftermarket HSF look ridiculous. My case has a plenum over the cpu that allows outside air to blow across the HSF. Most aftermarket HSF are side draft which would nullify the use of the fresh air intake over the cpu socket.  
Presently my overclocked E8400 idles at 29C and full load at 55C using the stock HSF from a retail E6850 processor. I've used the HSF on several different processors and the locking push pins are getting worn. I can get new pins from my local computer store but it would be convenient if the X3350 came with a full height copper core HSF.  
 
I'm using the E8400 because I couldn't get the Q9450 when Intel advertised the 45nm processors would be released to retail on January 20th '08. Only the E8400 was available on January 20th.  
 
The E8400 is a nice processor but the E6850 I have in another computer runs faster because the 4MB shared L2 cache has a lower latency than the 6MB L2 cache of the E8400. However the E8400 has the advantage of using less power and operating at a lower temperature (overclocks higher).

If you google x3350 motherboards you get alot of website on what motherboard work with them.
http://techgage.com/

Well the P5K series from Asus has full support for all the 45nm CPUs. Considering that the Xeons we are looking at are the same COUs with a different name I would guess thay would work. I would think the code for them are the same but just a different name.

---------------

I was comparing these two processors on intel's site and oddly the xeon isn't rated for as much heat as the q9450. 67C vs 71.

I got REALLY fed up of all the waiting, said Eff it too.
 
OC'd my S939 Opteron 165 to 2.73 Ghz and on stock HSF I load at 61C.
 
I'll build a new one when the Octals are out, and they are sold with a side of fries. Will give the games a chance to catch up too.

 
LMAO
I did the Google search you suggested.
Check out the first item listed in the "X3350 Motherboard" Google search I did!
 
Google Search

I've googled on that too and so far there is no solid reputation as to if my board will support it or not.
 
All well I'll have to wait how you the procs works out with your guys before I get one.
 
Getting my pay check soon so I hope the Q9450 comes out by then if now then I'll have also risk it by getting a X3350.
 

 
Yeah I don't plan on building for a while after this.  Games are just now warming up to the quads so they should hold their ground for a fair amount of time.  I was going to go dual core with the E8400 but seeing that the pricing is bloated and getting close to $300 for the ones available...It just makes sense to cut the foreplay and spend the extra $50 for a 45nm quad.  
 

 
I am not trying to be a Gigabyte fanboy but most of their P35 boards and up say they support the Q9xxx chips with their current BIOS.  They have an easy to access CPU chart for each board.  I only know this because I have been researching their boards to buy one.  
 
Other ones like ASUS say they support 45nm if  you get the latest BIOS.  I couldn't find CPU specific charts but I would imagine it covers the Q9s.
 
What I am guessing is that because everyone's boards have been accepting the E3110s with no problem, if they accept the Q9xxx they will for sure run the X3350s.  
 
Check out this post, they got an X3320 working just fine on a DFI.  
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] x3320-test

XEON 3300s
• Available at 2.83 GHz, 2.66 GHz, and
2.50 GHz (Quad-Core Intel® Xeon®
Processor 3300 Series)
• Enhanced Intel Speedstep® Technology
• Supports Intel® 64Φ architecture
• Supports Intel® Virtualization Technology
• Supports Execute Disable Bit capability
• FSB frequency at 1333 MHz
• Binary compatible with applications running
on previous members of the Intel
microprocessor line
• Advance Dynamic Execution
• Enhanced branch prediction
• Very deep out-of-order execution
• Optimized for 32-bit applications running on
advanced 32-bit operating systems
• Intel® Advanced Smart Cache
• Two 6 MB Level 2 caches (Quad-Core Intel®
Xeon® Processor X3350, X3360)
• Two 3 MB Level 2 caches (Quad-Core Intel®
Xeon® Processor X3320)
• Intel® Advanced Digital Media Boost
• Enhanced floating point and multimedia unit
for enhanced video, audio, encryption, and
3D performance
• Power Management capabilities
• System Management mode
• Multiple low-power states
• 8-way cache associativity provides improved
cache hit rate on load/store operations
• 775-land Package
 
 
 
Q9000s
• Available at 3.00 GHz (Intel® Core™2
Extreme processor QX9650)
• Available at 2.83 GHz, 2.66 GHz, and
2.50 GHz (Intel® Core™2 Quad processor
Q9550, Q9450, and Q9300)
• Enhanced Intel Speedstep® Technology
• Supports Intel® 64Φ architecture
• Supports Intel® Virtualization Technology
• Supports Intel® Trusted Execution
Technology (Intel® Core™2 Quad processor
Q9000 series only)
• Supports Execute Disable Bit capability
• FSB frequency at 1333 MHz
• Binary compatible with applications running
on previous members of the Intel
microprocessor line
• Advance Dynamic Execution
• Enhanced branch prediction
• Very deep out-of-order execution
• Optimized for 32-bit applications running on
advanced 32-bit operating systems
• Intel® Advanced Smart Cache
• Two 6 MB Level 2 caches (Intel® Core™2
Extreme processor QX9650 and Intel®
Core™2 Quad processor Q9550 and Q9450)
• Two 3 MB Level 2 caches (Intel® Core™2
Quad processor Q9300)
• Intel® Advanced Digital Media Boost
• Enhanced floating point and multimedia unit
for enhanced video, audio, encryption, and
3D performance
• Power Management capabilities
• System Management mode
• Multiple low-power states
• 8-way cache associativity provides improved
cache hit rate on load/store operations
• 775-land Package
 
 
 
 
So the only thing the Q9000s offer is the Trusted Execution Technology thing:
 
"Intel® TXT is a key element in Intel's safer computing initiative that defines a set of
hardware enhancements that interoperate with an Intel TXT enabled opeating system to help protect
against software-based attacks. It creates a hardware foundation that builds on Intel's Virtualization
Technology to help protect the confidentiality and integrity of data stored/created on the client PC."
 
 
I pulled this from a juxtaposition of the data sheets.  You can scrounge around the Intel site and find them.  Out of the 775 land assignments, I found 3 (could be a few more) that were different between the Xeon and Desktop chips.  The sites were L2, T2, and P1 if you want to check yourself using the data sheets.  So to me, 3 out of 775 is pretty close to being physically identical.

 
 
TXT is also supported on the E8000 series, so TXT isn't a exculsive feature on the Q9000 series cpus.
And the Xeon X335x series has it also which makes both cpus identicial.