Which processor to choose?

[Ronsputin]

Hello my fellow freaks and geeks. I'm buying a custom made computer and i have a few different options open to me. My main quandary is whether i should go for a quad or dual core processor. Doing a little bit of research i saw that quad core processors don't really add much to your gaming experience as most games haven't yet caught up with the quad core technology enough to use all of its power.

Also, the graphics card on offer isn't totally capable of high-end gaming and i was thinking perhaps a quad core would be a waste on such a graphics card.

Here's the build with the processor options thrown in:

Base:
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad-Core Q6600 Processor (2.4GHz, 8MB cache, 1066MHz FSB)

OR
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400 processor (3.00GHz, 1333MHz, 6MB cache)

OR
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8500 processor (3.16GHz, 1333MHz, 6MB cache)



Microsoft Operating System:
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 32-bit - English

Memory:
4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [4x1024]

Hard Drive:
500GB (7200rpm) SATA Hard Drive

Video Card:
256MB ATI® Radeon™ HD 2600 XT graphics card


Thanks in advance,

Ron

 

[br3nd064]

If you mostly game, get a dual (try to get an E0 stepping), if you mostly multi-task, get a quad. Also, if you want to play newer games with decent settings, upgrade the video card.

 

[Ronsputin]

How a dual could do better than a quad dosen't seem logical to me. Does anyone know why that is?

I realise that dual's are better for gaming right now, but a year or 2 down the line will quad core technology be utilized by games? therefore should i get a quad now?

 

[gamerk316]

Sure, a faster Duo will beat a slower Quad, thats why I recommend the Q9550 as a minimum, as I don't think even when games get multithreaded that 2.4 Quad will be enough...

I expect around 25-50% of all games to utalize at least four cores within the next year and a half or so (taking into account development time of games as the main reason why it will take that long).

And considering the LGA 775 socket is nearing EOL, I ask this:

Do you plan on getting a i7 system within the next two years?

If yes: Save $$ and get the Duo
If no: Get a decent Quad so you don't have to upgrade later.

 

[Dekasav]

I'd grab the quad. Duals are still doing well right now simply because they clock higher, but quads will pump out significantly more power once things use them decently.