Is Extreme processor worth it without water cooling?

It should be fine for air cooling, considering it has an unlocked multiplier, so no worries, unless you overclock to the extreme and require water cooling to have reasonable temps.

i would spend $1000 or more on a processor if.....



it did the laundry, dishes, or both.

You have your camp that swears by EE's, then you have people like me and itadakimasu who wouldn't pay $1000 for a processor even if it ran Crysis on very high with full AA.

I would never pay for an extreme either.

The current line of CPUs overclock just as good and as high as the Extreme CPUS.

Besides when you up the FSB on a locked multiplier you get a faster overall system then a extreme with a lower FSB.

I would, if I could afford it and not give a **** (maybe when I'm a top flight lawyer  ) (hah, like that'll ever happen  )

I wouldn't bother with an Extreme Edition. Normal CPUs overclock just as well and you will have tons of money left over to upgrade GPUs, PSU, Etc...

Look at what's on the market now: Two processors with identical cores, made on the same production technology, most likely from the same portion of the same silicon wafer. One is labeled Q9650 and cost $550, the other is labeled QX9650 and cost $1050. The differences? The QX has it's mulitiplier unlucked upwards, and it cost $500 more.

You don't need unlocked multipliers to overclock, so makes an "Extreme" processor worth so much more money? Nada.