Advice on Quad-Core Gaming Machine: Kentsfield or Yorkfield?

[dlh2109]

Hello All,
Need some advice on what CPU to buy. I'm planning to build a gaming system that I hope will last several years. I need to keep the CPU cost around $250. I've narrowed it down to these choices:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield; 2.40GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache; 65nm; 1066MHz ($189.99)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 Yorkfield; 2.33GHz 4MB L2 Cache; 45nm; 1333MHz ($224.99)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield; 2.50GHz 6MB L2 Cache; 45nm; 1333MHz ($259.99)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 Yorkfield; 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache; 45nm; 1333MHz ($269.99)

I'm leaning towards the Q9300 but am attracted to the Q6600 price point. Then of course, the Q8200 is right in the middle. Which one would you recommend and why? I'm planning to overclock, but this will be my first time overclocking so the results will be modest at best. Here are the rest of the system specs:

ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775
VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870
PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler


Thanks in advance for the help.


PS - Please make suggestions on the rest of the components if need be. Thanks!

 

[clownbaby]

NOT the Q8200, it's just plain inferior to the others. It has half the cache and a lower clock speed, and a 7x multi, so overclocking will suck.

If you plan on overclocking, by all means save money and go with a Q6600. If not, buy the fastest cpu you can afford.

 

[chookman]

^agreed. The Q6600 is by far the best price for performance, especially when overclocked

 

[knotknut]

My choice would be one of these:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=Q6700
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=Q9550

 

[dagger]

My choice would be one of these:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=Q6700
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=Q9550

Q6700 is not necessary, it's same as q6600, but with 10x instead of 9x multiplier. Current chipsets like x38/48/p45 runs at 1600(4x400)mhz fsb natively, without overclocking. 9x400=3.6ghz, which should be enough for most people.

Q6600 cost $185 right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115018
Paying $251.84 for the 10x multiplier is just not worth it.

 

[knotknut]

Wow, When I pasted the Q6700 it was $225.00
Yesterday it was $215.00

You're right......I wouldnt pay $250.00 for the Q6700 either.

Heres one, you can pick it up on Long Island:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0287626
They have the Q6600 also at 176.00

 

[jj463rd]

You could save a lot of money by going for the ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card instead like this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

It would be fairly inexpensive to run 2 of these in crossfire and after the rebate would come to less than $300 for 2 of these cards.

 

[jayrolla]

Q6600 actually performs better because it can be overclocked a lot easier than the Yorksfield ones.

 

[dlh2109]

Thanks, everyone. I'm going with the Q6600.

Cheers.