Ok I currently have an E7200 CPU and am debating whether or not I should just go and get the Q6600 but before i go and buy it on a whim is there any reason why I should just stick to what I have. I would go for a better CPU but right now its just not in the budget so these are my options. Let me know what you think.

You should stick with E7200, and wait a little bit until Q9450/Q9550 come down in prices.

^^^
Agree!

Heck.. wish I had a E7200

I would wait, assuming that your mobo will take the Q9450/Q9550. If not, then I wouldn't wait too long because the Q6600 will disappear sooner or later.

True but if it does support the newer cpu's he could get the Q9300 in comparison to the Q6600. close price and performance . But for a few bucks more the 9450 is very nice.

I have the P5K-E Wifi AP Asus board, I was entertaining the thought of the Q9300 but its So similar in its benches compared to the Q6600 for 80$ more. (accroding to Legit Reviews)

Current setup, for reference.

Processor: 45nm Intel Core2 Duo E7200 2.53GHz 1066MFSB 3M Cache (currently OC at 3.5)

CPU Cooler: OCZ Vendetta

Memory: Buffalo DDR2-800MHz PC2-6400 2GB x 2 (4GB)

Motherboard: Asus Intel P35 P5K-E Wifi-AP Edition

HDD: SATA2 Seagate ST3250310AS 250G 7200rpm 8M Cache

Graphics: Sapphire EAH3870/512M / ASUS EAH3850/G/HTDI/512M

PSU: OCZ Stealth 500W

OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit

Case: Antec 900

Looks fine for now to me !

Wait until Napalem drops and the Q9450 prices will too.

I would go for Q9550, or even Q9650 (when they debut) because they run cooler than Q6600. Q9650 also shares the same multiplier as Q6600, so it has the potential to overtake Q6600 in overclockability.

better to wait for Q9650@3GHz

I'd say just overclock the E7200 and stick with it for a while.

Edit: oops sorry missed that you already have it overclocked. I'd still stick with it.

+1 for the E7200. OC to 3.8G at 400fsb. See sig.

It says a lot for that 500W OCZ PSU that it is able to handle both of those video cards, and with an OC too.

ya its pretty badass, I had it at 3.8 but I couldn't get it stable, Prime 95 would show a single core failure within the first 15mins. right now i have the processor's Vcore set to 1.125.

Now if I decide to go with the Q9300 (279.99) instead of the E7200 would that be better, or are we still Thinking the E7200 is better, (i'm trying to avoid having to do too much from this point on in order to stay as current as possible for the next few years.

Vcore to low. I run at 1.33v. Been stable for 8 weeks. At one time there was a C2D temp guide. I think it has been removed. But that guide and another guide had the vcore for the e7200 @ 400fsb at 1.32v-1.34v. When my vcore was below 1.32v, it wasnt stable. I dont have a great cooler, but my temps stay around 53c at load.

Here is a link to my cpuz and other stuff.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d68/50_BMG/specs.jpg

I have a link to the other guide at home. When i get home i will find it and post it.

The Q9300 is better, but do you need quad core? f

EDIT: fyi, my plan is to go with a Q9xxx cpu early next year. After nehilim has been released and the prices for the Q9xxx drop. I think it is a waste of money at this point.

What are your temperatures like? i'm getting around 58-60C full load running prime 95 after an hour (it sits around there) these temps are based on Real temps accuracy though, HW Monitor shows 65 and Core temp shows 70 while AI Suite shows 53, So i'm gettin all kinds of readings (although its my understanding that Real temp is most accurate for the 45nm Processors)

As for do I need a Quad Core now? No, will I in the future yes. I suppose I could wait and simply upgrade my Processor in the future however I know from past experience its never that simple. Something new and great and better will be out. Like much better memory to work in conjunction with my new super processor which will require a new Motherboard and as a result i'm just buying a new computer lol. So yeah. Do i need a quad core...maybe?

Q6600 @ 4.0ghz.

I would personally at least wait for the 3rd quarter price drop that's expected to take place near the end of the month (July 22nd is a date I've heard often).

Intel's scheduled to release some new models, and drop the prices on existing ones, so there's certainly no cause to rush if you can wait a couple of weeks.

Here's an article that summarizes some of the mostly certain new products/price drops:

http://www.digitimes.com/mobos/a20080520PD205.html