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Q9650 or E8600

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs - Q9650 or E8600

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widbays   05-05-2009 at 03:35:32 PM

Hello...,

I'm planning to uprgade my CPU in the very short time, there are 2 candidates that cross my mind Q9650 and E8600 and I'm having a tough decision which one would have the best performance, and is it worth every penny if I upgrade to quad core?

I decided not to put i7 in my consideration because I've to upgrade my memory and motherboard which is breaking almost all my savings if I do that. Right now I'm using E8400, Asus Rampage Formula and 4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2. Most of the time I use the computer just for gaming.

Please help me to decide.

Thanks.

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flyin15sec   05-05-2009 at 05:53:41 PM
- 0 +

If you have an E8400 already, it is certainly not worth it to upgrade to E8600. If you can handle the cost, then Q9650 or Q9550 are really the only upgrade processors for you.

Also without knowing your other parts, it might even be a better option to get a video card instead.

Reply to flyin15sec
gamerk316   05-05-2009 at 07:01:36 PM
- 0 +

Q9650. Best CPU for the 775 platform. You're giving up a mere 333MHz for two extra cores running 3.0GHz each. Its a no brainer.

------------------------------ http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/622598.png
 Reply to gamerk316
Silverion77   05-05-2009 at 10:19:17 PM
- 0 +

Dont do a thing and OC the E8400
E8600 gives u a little more headroom but not worth getting a whole new Processor

Q9650 gives u 2 more cores, but having a dual core already....it doesnt matter. Save the cash for a future system (Sandy Bridge /shrug)

------------------------------ Antec 1200|Antec Signature 850w|Asus Maximus II Formula|Q9650|4GB Dominator 1066|EVGA 9800GX2
 Reply to Silverion77
zipzoomflyhigh   05-05-2009 at 10:50:10 PM
- 0 +

You have a E8400 and your considering upgrading to a E8600? LOL

That would be the most pointless waste of money ever.

For gaming, stick with the E8400, get a good aftermarket cooler and overclock it to 4ghz+.

------------------------------ P965/Q6700@3.2 8MB HD4850 OC Edition
4GB Corsair XMS 800
Vista64/Win7
Fatality 550w/Antec 300
 Reply to zipzoomflyhigh
widbays   05-06-2009 at 12:09:26 AM
- 0 +

Oke...guys...thank you for helping me out, I'll start to browse for Q9650...thanks....

Reply to widbays
Silverion77   05-06-2009 at 12:36:15 AM
- 1 +

uhh??

We suggested in not upgrading but u start looking anyways?
I think u didnt get our point....ur perfectly fine. Atm ur looking at no performance change

Get a gpu instead...it will actually do something if u game

------------------------------ Antec 1200|Antec Signature 850w|Asus Maximus II Formula|Q9650|4GB Dominator 1066|EVGA 9800GX2
 Reply to Silverion77
BlueScreenDeath   05-06-2009 at 12:42:57 AM
- 0 +

Even if you get a Q9650, you won't see any real difference compared to the E8400 if you're gaming. At 3.0 GHz, the E8400 pretty much maxes out most GPUs for almost all games.

Upgrade to a Q9650 if you want to play Crysis while running PC-defrag, bittorrent, winrar, media player, adware & avg scans in the background...

------------------------------ i7 920, E5300
GTX260, HD4870, HD4830
 Reply to BlueScreenDeath
cadder   05-06-2009 at 03:10:40 AM
- 0 +

You have a good CPU now. If you aren't overclocked, then get a good aftermarket cooler and overclock it. For gaming, your best bet for upgrading is to concentrate on your video.

Reply to cadder
HundredIslandsBoy   05-06-2009 at 11:01:57 AM
- 0 +

If you are only gaming and not heavily into video rendering/encoding then a quad core is not worth the update and would be more difficult to overclock if you really want to squeeze out more framerates from your GPU.

Save your cash for your next logical CPU upgrade - the i7. But if money burns a hole in your pocket, use it now for a larger monitor.

Reply to HundredIslandsBoy
mi1ez   05-06-2009 at 12:49:49 PM
- 0 +

Sorry guys, but without knowing the game we can't say what improvements quad would make.

Reply to mi1ez
gamerk316   05-06-2009 at 02:15:34 PM
- 0 +

Maybe he needs the power for GTA/Crysis? Quads are starting to show noticable improvements in FPS in newer games compared to Duo's, and a duo-duo upgrade makes no sense.

Besides, once these chips start to dissapear, their cost is going to jump due to rarity. Better to buy now and not have to worry about it. If he can afford a Q9650, there is no reason not to upgrade and max his 775 platform.

------------------------------ http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/622598.png
 Reply to gamerk316
runswindows95   05-06-2009 at 02:17:15 PM
- 0 +

Also, what is your graphics card, and what resolution you play at?

Reply to runswindows95
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