High GHZ dual core or low GHz quad core??

[ebaugh]

Im gonna build an awsome gaming computer, i just need to know, should i get a 2.4 GHZ q6600 core 2 quad or a 3.16 GHz e8500 core 2 duo?

 

[spuddyt]

*yawn* go find any of the other 1.4x10 to the power of over 9000 threads about this...

 

[jerreece]

Im gonna build an awsome gaming computer, i just need to know, should i get a 2.4 GHZ q6600 core 2 quad or a 3.16 GHz e8500 core 2 duo?

He's right in that this question is asked on these forums every single day.

Generally though, most folks agree that the high GHZ Dual-Core CPUS beat out the Q6600 in overall gaming performance (for now at least). an E8500 or even E8400 can OC well, and beat on any game.

The Q6600 gives you a lot more versatility for multi-tasking. As future pieces of software are designed for multi-core processors, the Quad Cores may eventually beat out the dual-cores.

Q6600's are known to OC to 3-3.2Ghz pretty easily on air cooling.

 

[aevm]

If you do video encoding or work in general or play FSX on that PC, go for the quad. If it's just for games (and not FSX), it doesn't really matter IMO. Read this article:
http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=770&p=5

 

[tim924]

Buying computer hardware for the future is pointless,do you really think "suffering" now and always hoping for a future you dont even know is a good idea?Plus you can always upgrade in the future,so just buy whatever gives you the most benefits today!

 

[ahslan]

the high clocked dual core will perform better than the lower clocked quad, but since the quad can be OC pretty easily, I would opt for the quad and OC the bad boy...

...but thats just me...

 

[Lord Gornak]

Aevm is definitely right, unless you're video encoding, playing FSX or Supreme Commander a dual-core will perform better than a quad. I do all three of the above, so I went quad.

 

[cjl]

Buying computer hardware for the future is pointless,do you really think "suffering" now and always hoping for a future you dont even know is a good idea?Plus you can always upgrade in the future,so just buy whatever gives you the most benefits today!

I don't know about you, but nobody I know with a 3+ GHz OCed Q6600 considers themselves to be suffering.

 

[aevm]

LOL, so true. My Q6600 is not even overclocked any more, and still I'm happy with it.

 

[alvine]

i have my q6600@ 3.4ghz

i went with quad over e8400 since i dont want to upgrade my cpu any soon

only gpu (i have 4850)

 

[rhelme]

I went with a q6600 now OC'd tp 3.6 on air... I'm not suffering with any gameplay issues at all..

 

[happy_fanboy]

Quad its sweet

 

[aznguy0028]

yea, i agree with everyone.

a quad 3.0+ is sweet, nothing more you could really ask for

 

[Zorg]

Q6600 and P45 with DDR2 OCed to 3G. Sooner or later (I'm beginning to wonder which) games will take advantage of the additional cores.

 

[megamanx00]

Get the Q6600, and overclock it. You should really try and get the wolfdale based quad cores and overclock them though if you can spend a little more money, but it's your money so do whatever you want.

 

[aevm]

Just to clarify a bit - "Wolfdale based quad cores" means Q9550, for example. That's a very good CPU.

 

[BadTrip]

what? Wolfdale are dual cores, Quads are either Kenstfiled - 65nm, Yorkfield - 45nm

 

[Zorg]

what? Wolfdale are dual cores, Quads are either Kenstfiled - 65nm, Yorkfield - 45nm

I think you are having a bad trip. :lol: j/k

Yes, the 45nm quads are Yorkfields. But the Yorkfields are really two Wolfdales glued together with the super secret double cheeseburger glue, very similar to that found on the Big Mac.

So they are Wolfdale based, just as the Kentsfields are Conroe based.

 

[aevm]

Yep, that's what I meant, but I was trying to keep it simple. We don't want the OP's head to explode now, do we?

 

[BadTrip]

I understand that, but it would be equally confusing looking for a quad core wolfdale.