Hi guys, I want to build a new system for gaming. I currently already have the 8800GT 512, so my GPU is good, but I want to get a new CPU because my current one is really bad (amd x2 3800+).

I heard that the Q6600 is really good, and it is also quad core, so in the future it might even better than the dual cores?
I looked at the CPU charts here on the website, and it shows that the E8400 is actually better performance for most of the stuff, but how come? Isn't it only dual core? And how come on the charts all those games very old?
Anyway, does any one know any articles that compare these two CPUs? or maybe you guys have some personal experience?
My local store sells them for pretty cheap. The E8400 for 199 and the Q6600 for 219 (Why is the E8400 cheaper if it is actually better performance?). So the price is about the same. I just want to get the the better one, and so that I don't have to upgrade it for about a year and a half.

Also, what kind of mobo should I get? is the P5K still good?

the e8400 outperforms q6600 in most games because most games don't thoroughly support 4 core CPUs, but do support 2 well enough.

The q6600 is good if you overclock it to 2.7ghz+++ but otherwise the e8400 outperforms it because the e8400 has a base clock rate of 3.0 ghz and will overclock to 3.6 ghz with relative ease and ddr2-800 ram

the e8400 is a mainstream dual core processor and the q6600 is meant as more of an entry level quad core processor. The q6600 costs more because the manufacturing cost is higher for 4 cores.

I have an e8400 system and i'm perfectly happy with it. I would think the best thing to do (and what I did) is buy a motherboard with support for future CPUs, and stick with a more conservative processor like the e8400 for now because it has the best bang for the buck.

When there are games out that are better tuned for 4 cores, that would be the good time to drop money on a much faster quad core than the q6600. The q6600 is usually considered to be exceptional because of the overclocking it is capable of, but there are better quad core cpus available for a higher cost.

Fact is, quadcores wont be optimised for atleast a year, so just buy a cheap dual core like the E7200, that thing is great and overclocks well, and wait until the end of the year, because Intel is supposed to produce a new socket, so then would be a good time to get a quadcore, now is not. Also, even when quadcores are optimised the Q6600 will most likely still be very close to the E8400 thanks to many limiting factors, all except the other 2 cores.

Thanks for the reply everyone. I think I'll stick with the E8400. I read a few other forums and it seems the general consensus is that it is better for gaming, and I'd rather buy that and not overclock it than buy the Q6600 and bother with OCing it.

ovaltineplease, What kind of mobo did you mean by saying a motherboard with support for future CPUs? could you suggest one?

I got the E8400 with a P35-ds3L mobo. This mobo is only $89. In a year or two when games start to utilize quad cores ill just buy one that is even better than the Q6600 at a cheaper price. The E8400 is a win no matter how you look at it. But other than that the E8400 just owns a Q6600. I Overclocked mine to 4.0mhz easily with just a few changes in the bios. Even if your a newb to overclocking you can just change the FSB from 333 to 400 and its at 3.6mhz.

E8400 offers little to most since its stablity over 4ghz is tought
heat is an issue for dual

Q6600 is the better choice or the E8500

I am using Q6600, performs great! Also using Windows Vista Ultimate, getting superb multitasking performance. I can run so many softwares & programs simultaneously without any lag.

I am in almost the identical situation (even have 8800GT ) and I plan to purchase the E8400 shortly. It's at a much better price/performance point than the E8500 in my opinion. I have debated the Q6600 for the past month, but I've decided that the higher clockrate on the dual core will do my gaming more good. (I remember "upgrading" from a single core to a dual core at a lower clock rate and seeing my framerates in several games drop.. I don't want to go there again.)

There are no motherboards around today that support the next sockets for Nehalem which will be out by the beginning of 09.